- Main Opposition parties including the SJB, NPP, TNA, SLMC, ACMC, TPA, and breakaway factions of the SLPP jointly demand that LG election be held on or before 19 March, fulfilling the undertaking given to Supreme Court by the EC.
- Former State Finance Minister and CB Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal says abandoning the “fixed” exchange rate policy pursued since 12th May 2022 and making the LKR “flexible” once again as per the IMF instructions, is likely to lead to the depreciation of the LKR into new levels within weeks.
- US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen expresses support for Sri Lanka’s IMF-supported programme “to advance economic reform and achieve a strong and durable recovery”: also welcomes “Sri Lanka’s commitments to transparency and comparable treatment for all bilateral official and private creditors”: analysts still skeptical there was no comment re. providing “comparable treatment” to loans by IMF, WB and ADB
- Pivuthuru Hela Urumaya Chief & SLPP rebel Udaya Gammanpila MP says the
Wickremesinghe-Rajapaksa Govt and the US Embassy in Colombo should come
clean on CIA Director William Joseph Burns’ Colombo visit: asserts he is 100% sure Burns was in Colombo on 14th February: challenges Govt and US Embassy to contradict him. - Energy expert Dr. Tilak Siyambalapitiya says Sri Lanka has the 2nd highest electricity prices in Asia: laments Sri Lanka is not doing what is needed to emerge from the energy crisis.
- SL’s Permanent Rep to the UN Office in Geneva Himalee Arunathilaka says Sri Lanka has once again objected to Resolution 51/1 adopted against SL by the UNHRC in Oct’22: also says such resolutions are unhelpful to the people of SL and will fail to serve the objective of promoting reconciliation.
- SLFP Party Leader Maithripala Sirisena appoints former Chief Minister of the Central Province and Deputy General Secretary of the SLFP Sarath Ekanayake as the Acting General Secretary of the fast-fragmenting SLFP.
- The world’s largest passenger plane, the Airbus A380-800 arrives at the International Airport, Katunayake for refuelling: the flight EK 449 of Emirates Airlines was flying from Auckland to Dubai: the 413 passengers and 29 crew members did not disembark.
- A top official of the Health Ministry says there are plans to expand cancer hospitals in the country and modernize facilities as funding improves in the future: also says the President has directed the Ministry to establish 4 new hospitals for cancer patients in Jaffna, Hambantota, Badulla and Anuradhapura Districts.
- Actor Ryan Reynolds says Hikkaduwa is his favorite movie shooting location of all time: recollects his first movie, “Ordinary Magic 1993” which was filmed in Sri Lanka.
