- Former Foreign Minister Professor G L Peiris says President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s decision to disregard the Constitutional Council’s rejection of a 3rd extension to IGP C.D. Wickremaratne, challenges the very purpose of maintaining such a body: points out the President may resort to similar action re. the appointments of the Chief Justice, Attorney General & Judges of the Supreme Court as well.
- Chairman of Oversight Committee on National Security Retired Rear Admiral Sarath Weerasekera says flaws in the Govt’s defence strategy contributed to the crisis that forced President Gotabaya Rajapaksa out of office on 13 July’22: calls for an inquiry into the incidents at Rambukkana on 19 April’22, where the Govt took punitive action against the Police for opening fire at a mob that tried to set 2 fuel bowsers ablaze on a railway track: says that Govt reaction may have had a detrimental impact on law enforcement officers & military.
- Power & Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekara says a mechanism will be formulated to revise the electricity tariffs once in 3 months instead of every 6 months: also says proposals for restructuring the CEB will be presented to the Cabinet next week.
- The LKR continues its steady depreciation against the USD: buying rate of USD falls to Rs.320.32, and selling rate to Rs.331.00: selling rate on October 12 was Rs.328.82.
- Dept of Census & Statistics says the overall rate of inflation, as per the National Consumer Price Index has fallen to 0.8% in September’23 from 2.1% in August’23: also says Food-inflation increased to -5.2% in September’23 from -5.4% in August’23, while Non-food inflation dipped to 5.9% in September’23 from 9.0% in August’23.
- President Ranil Wickremasinghe reshuffles Cabinet: appoints Mahinda Amaraweera as Minister of Agriculture & Plantation Industries, Keheliya Rambukwella as Minister of Environment, and Dr. Ramesh Pathirana as Minister of Health in addition to his portfolio as Minister of Industries: also appoints Ranjith Siyambalapitiya as Non-Cabinet Minister of Plantation Enterprises in addition to his post as State Minister of Finance.
- Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa says the sudden Cabinet reshuffle by the President was a mockery: points out that by appointing Keheliya Rambukwella, who was deemed unsuitable for the Health portfolio as the Environment Minister, Sri Lanka is not being made a “smart nation”, but a dishonest one.
- SLPP General Secretary Sagara Kariyawasam says President Ranil Wickremesinghe has taken the wrong decision in regard to the removal of Keheliya Rambukwella from the post of Minister of Health.
- Agriculture Minister Mahinda Amaraweera distributes air rifles at subsidised rates to prevent crop damage caused by wild animals such as toque monkeys, peacocks & giant squirrels: asks farmers not to use the air rifles to kill animals, but only to drive them away: also asks the farmers not to use the air rifles to injure people under any circumstances.
- Former British MP and Member of the European Parliament and now SL Presidential Envoy Niranjan Deva Aditya (Nirj Deva) says he is telling his British political colleagues that Sri Lanka needs investments, not lectures: also says SL must be positioned as a “primary friend” of Britain in the Indian Ocean: asserts that SL’s position in the Indian Ocean is advantageous due to its ports, undersea cables, seabed size, and its status as a hub between Africa and China.
