- IMF urges urgent action on bank recapitalization, property tax & an Anti-corruption Commission; also calls for focus on a new public financial management law, potential conflicts with the public-private partnership law & electricity tariffs: further highlights the need for amendments to the Banking Act.
- Minister Dr Bandula Gunawardena says remarks by CB Governor Nandalal Weerasinghe that present & future Govts are bound to carry out the IMF programme, is a “grave” statement: calls for 3-day Parliament debate on these remarks: Chief Opposition Whip & SJB MP Lakshman Kiriella says his Party does not trust the current CB Governor: previously, UNP Chairman & MP Wajira Abeywardana had accused the CB Governor of declaring the country bankrupt, without Parliamentary approval.
- Acting IGP Deshabandu Tennakoon issues a list of names of 42,248 persons who are wanted for various criminal activities: orders these to be shared among OICs & Crimes OICs of all Police Stations with instructions to arrest such persons under the “Yukthiya” operation.
- Minister of Labour Manusha Nanayakkara says proposals presented to increase the Motor Commissioner Dept income were delayed by more than 1 year by certain officials: calls for legal action against such officials: asserts the loss incurred by the Govt due to the delay should be recovered from those officials.
- Dissident SLPP MP Gevindu Cumaratunga accuses President Ranil Wickremesinghe of abusing his ousted predecessor Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s mandate: questions the President’s recent statements in Jaffna regarding the 13th Amendment to the Constitution.
- Treasury Secretary Mahinda Siriwardene orders all Ministry/Provincial Secretaries & Heads of all State institutions to cut costs & bear only essential expenses when paying overtime, travel & other allowances: says these measures are due to rising state expenditure & declining state revenue: previously, the Govt had said state revenues have risen to unprecedentedly high levels.
- SJB MP S M Marikkar says his Party will “take to the streets” along with the public on 30th Jan’24 to oust the current Govt, despite the Govt’s attempts to suppress the people: asserts the SJB won’t be intimidated by these moves: also says it was the SJB that went to the then President’s office on 16 March’22 to oust him.
- SJB Economic Guru Dr Harsha de Silva says the message conveyed by Japan’s Finance Minister Suzuki Shunichi when he met Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa was that SL must (a) complete debt restructuring, (b) not jeopardise the IMF program, & (c) re-pay amounts due for cancelling the “Light Rail” project: previously, former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa had terminated the 21km Japan-funded LRT project costing USD 1.8bn (at USD 85mn per km), on the grounds that it was not “cost-effective”.
- Govt re-hires Singapore-based consulting firm Surbana Jurong to provide one-stop consultancy solutions on urbanisation, industrialisation and infrastructure: the consultants to review 3 key development plans: Western Region Megapolis, Eastern Development, & Southern Development.
- Sports Minister Harin Fernando says foreigners coaching & mentoring players in the SL team, out-number the locals: laments that 8 white men (“Suddho”) decide what has to be done with the team but the players don’t understand what they are saying.
