- CB Governor Nandalal Weerasinghe assures that EPF funds already accumulated would not be touched: also says EPF Members are “guaranteed” a minimum 9% interest for EPF: analysts point out that the EPF management has only credited 9% out of the likely 29% earnings of the EPF in the year 2022, thus already depriving them of a sum of about Rs.600 bn: analysts also point that the EPF Members are due to earn at least 20% this year, although the EPF management is attempting to credit an interest of 9% only.
- CB Governor Nandalal Weerasinghe says that under the domestic debt restructuring process, only Treasury Bills held by CB will be converted to Treasury Bonds with the new interest rate of 12.4% until 2024, 7.5% until 2026, and 5% until maturity: analysts point out that “hot-money” investors who have made enormous returns through their recent investments in Sri Lanka’s T-Bills will therefore be spared any re-structuring losses, unlike the EPF Members who have been made to suffer massive losses.
- SJB General Secretary Ranjith Madumma Bandara says the SJB will vote against the Govt’s proposal to Re-structure Domestic Debt: Senior Presidential Advisor Sagala Ratnayake says the Parliamentary debate on the proposed domestic debt restructuring programme is to be confined to a single day, as most of the issues pertaining to it have been resolved.
- President Ranil Wickremasinghe appoints Justice L T B Dehideniya (retired Supreme Court Judge) as Chairman of the Human Rights Commission & Mr. R M A L Rathnayake (former Additional Commissioner General of Elections) as the Chairman of the Elections Commission.
- Lanka Private Bus Owners’ Association Chairman Gemunu Wijerathne says there is no need for an annual bus fare revision this year.
- Former NPP MP Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa says the country’s health sector is facing a dire situation now where 300 out of 1,400 medical graduates who had completed the internship in April this year, have not obtained appointments as doctors: also says 1,500 to 1,700 medical doctors out of 18,600 have left their jobs while 748 doctors will be retiring by next month.
- Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority says Tourist arrivals increased in the first half of 2023, in comparison to last year: 608,489 tourists visit Sri Lanka between January 1 and June 26: only 719,978 tourists arrived in 2022.
- Senior Consultant Physician Dr. Ananda Wijewickrama charges that the National Medicines Regulatory Authority requires the expertise of professors and specialists in each field of medicine when making decisions concerning public health: laments that over the past few months, there were no professors from the Pharmacology field appointed to the authority.
- Air Marshal Udeni Rajapaksa to be appointed as the new Commander of the Air Force and set to assume duties as the 19th Commander.
- Top fast bowler Dilshan Madushanka to be included in the Cricket squad in place of Dushmantha Chameera who is unavailable for selection for the Super Six Round games, due to injury.
