- Sri Lankans usher in the Sinhala & Tamil New Year today: punya kalaya starts at 8.35 am: dawn of the New Year at 2.59 pm: lighting of hearth at 3.29 pm: starting work & partaking of meals at 5.05 pm.
- President Ranil Wickremesinghe launches the debt restructuring process by Japan, India & France: Sri Lanka announced its debt default on 12th April 2022, and the process is only starting 1 year after that hurried & controversial announcement: at the time that announcement was made, many top officials assured that the debt re-structuring would be completed swiftly.
- IMF Director Asia Pacific Krishna Srinivasan explains how the restructuring would happen in terms of providing principal “haircuts”, extension of maturity & interest rate reduction, which has to be negotiated between Sri Lanka and its creditors: indicates that Sri Lanka’s “debt relief” is expected to contribute a staggering USD 17 bn “to close the financial gap” between 2023-27 while the overall gap is about USD 24 bn.
- IMF Deputy MD Kenji Okamura says an expeditious debt resolution is needed for Sri Lanka to emerge quickly from its crisis and hopes all bi-lateral creditors will participate and complete negotiations before the IMF’s 1st review: Japanese FM Shunichi Suzuki and Indian FM Nirmala Sitharaman also join the “launch”: Sri Lanka’s largest and most important bi-lateral creditor China absent.
- Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakse asks IGP C D Wickramaratne to probe an allegation that a party involved in the ongoing deliberations of the MV X-Press Pearl maritime disaster received a bribe of USD 250 mn and the money was sent to an account at a British bank: declines to vouch for the veracity of the accusation.
- Frontline Socialist Party Propaganda Secretary Duminda Nagamuwa says the Central Bank is most vulnerable and losing its security and safety under the Govt of President Ranil Wickremasinghe.
- State Trading Corporation says the 3rd shipment of 1 mn eggs from India has been released and will be distributed to bakeries.
- Additional Prisons Commissioner General Chandana Ekanayake says the Prisons Dept has prepared a special opportunity for prisoners to meet visitors during 3 days in view of the Sinhala & Tamil New Year: visitors to also be given opportunity to provide food parcels and sweets.
- Cricket selectors drop wicketkeeper-batter Niroshan Dickwella from the 15-member squad for the 2-match Test series against Ireland, which begins in Galle on April 16: name Nishan Madushka and Sadeera Samarawickrama as their wicketkeeping options.
- Asia Rugby reinstates Sri Lanka Rugby as a full member of Asia Rugby, considering the Sports Ministry’s confirmation of canceling the gazette notification dated April 1st, 2022.
