- SLPP Leader & Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa says his Party had neither decided on a candidate for the Presidential election nor decided to contest that election.
- Senior IMF Mission Chief Peter Breuer says the Property Tax will help SL to take a “quantum leap” to achieve the IMF programme’s goals: also says SL’s economic recovery is still in the infancy level & yet to reach the broader population, ahough Sri Lanka’s macro economy is stabilizing.
- Former State Minister and CB Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal says the Govt hasn”t been able to negotiate a single Dollar “hair-cut” from it’s external debt, although the IMF had indicated that 60% of the loans from External Bi-lateral & Private Creditors could be “cut” by USD 17bn out of USD 28bn: points out that the only the poor EPF Members had suffered a “hair-cut”although the Govt & the CB Governor had assured Local Debt will not be affected by the “Debt Re-structuring”.
- Dissident SLPP MP Gevindu Cumaratunga says in 2022, EPF members had been given only 9.0% interest, whereas CB employees received a staggering 29.27%: also points out that in 2020 & 2021, EPF members received 9.0% interest whereas CB employees were paid only 6.37% and 8.24%.
- Colombo Stock Market plunges to a 6-month low as investor sentiment remains depressed: so far in Jan’24, ASPI is down by 2.1% to 10,433: average daily turnover for the week dips to a mere Rs.850mn.
- SJB Deputy National Organiser S M Marikkar reiterates his Party will re-negotiate the agreement between SL Govt and IMF: assures the Party will “reform” the current tax regime: however, SJB’s Economic Guru Harsha Silva had previously been ardently advocating a tight IMF programme and higher taxes
- Narammala Magistrate’s Court remands the Sub Inspector whose firearm reportedly went off accidentally, killing a lorry driver: Acting IGP Deshabandu Tennakoon hands over Rs.1mn to the family of the lorry driver.
- Combined Trade Union Alliance of CEB Secretary Ranjan Jayalal says the CEB Unions have convened a meeting of all state & private sector unions to decide on action against the CEB decision to suspend 15 of workers for allegedly “disrupting services” during a protest against the proposed restructuring of the state-owned electricity supplier.
- Malwatte Chapter’s Venerable Thibbatuwawe Sumangala Mahanayaka Thera says the nation is at risk of complete deterioration unless it is entrusted to a competent group during this pivotal period.
- CB once again stresses the importance of Consolidation in the Banking and Non-bankibg sector for greater scale, efficiency & strength: rolls out a “Consolidation master plan”: the financial sector was being systematically consolidated in 2013/14, but that programme was summarily discontinued in 2015 by the Yahapalanaya Govt.
