- President Ranil Wickremesinghe says SL will become the first country in the region to adopt a green economy, as the Ministry of Environment, the Ministry of Power and Energy, and the Climate Change Office work together to introduce a green economic policy focused on renewable energy within the next two months.
- Power and Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekara says seven companies have submitted EOIs for the proposed new refinery in Hambantota; asserts technical evaluation committee and other procurement committees will evaluate EOIs and issue the RFPs to suitable applicants.
- Janaka Ratnayake confirms he has been officially briefed on the grounds on which he was removed from the position as the Chairman of the PUCSL; denies all allegations against him; adds that his response will be sent to the Finance Ministry in writing.
- Health Ministry’s food inspection unit asserts the certification required for the release of the egg stock imported from India can be completed within this week; adds the process may take at least three days.
- Chairman of the Parliamentary Sectoral Oversight Committee on Environment, MP Ajith Mannamperuma says two opinions have been raised regarding the lodging of a lawsuit demanding compensation for the eco damage caused by the MV X-Press Pearl disaster; asserts the Committee will be working towards reaching a common agreement in the first week of April; laments no legal clearance is granted to inspect the place where the cargo vessel sank for the calculation of the damage.
- Director of Verité Research and economic expert Dr. Nishan De Mel says some more steps need to be taken to build global confidence in Sri Lanka’s economy; adds the next challenges facing the island nation are to succeed its debt restructuring programme and to secure a higher credit rating.
- The UNFPA congratulates Sri Lanka on its achievement in developing robust national evaluation capacities, at the policy, institutional, and professional levels: UNFPA delegation commends President Wickremesinghe’s leadership in promoting evaluation, particularly in the public sector, which they say will play a ‘significant role’ in addressing the challenges faced by the country.
- Senior Director of the global human rights watchdog Amnesty International Deprose Muchena spills the tea by slamming the Sri Lankan government, in what he suggested as Sri Lanka “being one of the many countries that disrupted the right to protest of the people”; adds human rights came under attack, and repression has taken the course in the most ‘calculated order’; demands ‘transparency’ on the IMF deal so that everything that has been debated in within the public purview.
- Veteran singer, songwriter and musician Prof. Sanath Nandasiri has passed away at the age of 81.
- A coalition of leading South African human rights groups questions their government’s invitation to Sri Lankan delegates whom they described as individuals with links to alleged ‘war criminals’ for a study tour on reconciliation and transitional justice: A statement by the coalition emphasises that the invitation to Ministers Ali Sabry and Wijedasa Rajapaksa by the SA government is concerning in view of allegations of on-going human rights abuses, the suppression of civil society and a failure by the SL government to ensure criminal accountability for ‘gross human rights abuses’ perpetrated during the 1983 – 2009 civil war.
