By: Isuru Parakrama
Colombo (LNW): Sinharage Saminda Silva alias ‘Ratmalane Kudu Anju’ has been arrested in France yesterday (29), Police confirmed.
INTERPOL confirmed the arrest of Silva to the Sri Lankan authorities, according to Police Spokesman SSP Nihal Thalduwa.
Silva aka ‘Kudu Anju’ who is under a red notice by the INTERPOL for his alleged involvement in multiple crimes and large-scale drug trafficking was believed to have operated his drug chain while hiding abroad.
Consul General Thushara Rodrigo attended the Eid Lunch hosted by the Association of Progressive Muslims of Canada (APMC) on 26 April 2023 at the Legislative Assembly of Ontario at Queen’s Park, Toronto.
Members and the officials of the APMC, religious dignitaries, diplomats, provincial ministers and provincial members of Parliament attended the event.
The Consul General of the United States delivered the address on behalf of the Consular Corps in Toronto. In their remarks, several provincial ministers extended best wishes to the Muslim community in Canada and around the world. They observed that Canada is a unique place where the multicultural, multiethnic and multireligious social fabric is valued and immigrants are considered an integral part of society. Several leading religious dignitaries also addressed the event.
While engaging with the other attendees, the Consul General briefed on the positive developments in Sri Lanka and the constructive approach taken by the new government towards reconciliation and economic recovery, and the government’s continued engagement with the international financial institutions, the United Nations and the Commonwealth.
Consulate General of Sri Lanka
Toronto
26 April 2023
High Commissioner Saroja Sirisena was awarded the Diplomat of the Year from Asia & Oceania at the prestigious DIPLOMAT magazine annual Awards Ceremony 2023 at the Royal Over-Seas League on 24 April 2023.
The Awards Ceremony recognises outstanding work and achievements of London’s diplomatic community who are trying to better their nations’ well-being and is in its thirteenth year. DIPLOMAT magazine identified 10 categories that recognise different levels of diplomacy, and winners were nominated by their fellow diplomats.
Referring to London as the global centre for diplomacy, with over 180 diplomatic missions DIPLOMAT’s Editor, Venetia de Blocq van Kuffeler stated that a posting in London remains one of the highlights of any diplomat’s career. She added that the winners are testimony to their hard work, dedication and professionalism.
Saroja Sirisena previously served as Ambassador to Austria and Consul General in Mumbai as well as serving in Sri Lanka’s Missions in Paris, Brussels and Geneva.
Over 150 guests including Heads of Mission and diplomats from over 80 countries attended the Awards Ceremony.
High Commission of Sri Lanka High Commission
London
28 April 2023
By: Isuru Parakrama
Colombo (LNW): The Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) has decided to launch a disciplinary action against MP A.H.M. Fowzie over voting in favour of the IMF deal in Parliament by ignoring the Party’s stance.
Party Secretary General MP Ranjith Madduma Bandara revealed Fowzie violated the SJB’s decision over the IMF deal, saying “Mr. Fowzie committed something completely unsuitable. After Mr. Mujibur Rahuman stepped down, Mr. Fowzie met with the Party leaders and promised to work with us. So this is very wrong.
The SJB Secretary added: “He has betrayed the party followers. We as a party decided to call in a disciplinary inquiry against him and take the necessary steps to oust him from the party.”
By: Isuru Parakrama
Colombo (LNW): Atmospheric conditions are favorable for development of evening thundershowers in most parts of the island during the next few days, the Department of Meteorology said in a statement today (30).
Showers or thundershowers will occur at several places over most parts of the island after 2.00pm, and heavy showers above 100 mm are likely at some places in Western, Sabaragamuwa, Central, North-Western and Southern provinces, the statement added.
Showers or thundershowers may occur in the Eastern province and in Mullaitivu and Hambanthota districts during the morning too.
General public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimise damages caused by temporary localised strong winds and lightning during thundershowers.
Marine Weather:
| Condition of Rain: |
| Showers or thundershowers will occur at several places in the sea areas around the island. |
| Winds: |
| Winds will be south-easterly to southerly over sea area around the island and wind speed will be (20-30) kmph. |
| State of Sea: |
| The sea areas around the island will be slight to moderate. Temporarily strong gusty winds and very rough seas can be expected during thundershowers. |
14 Sri Lankans residing in the Republic of the Sudan who were evacuated due to the prevailing crisis arrived at the Bandaranaike International Airport today, and were received and warmly welcomed by Director General of the Consular Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Sisira Senavirathne. Their evacuation was facilitated with the coordination of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the generous assistance of the Government of Saudi Arabia.
The Embassies of Sri Lanka in Riyadh and Cairo and the Consulate General of Sri Lanka in Jeddah have been working with the authorities of the Royal Government of Saudi Arabia and the Government of India to evacuate the Sri Lankans living in Khartoum who had requested to be rescued. The High Commission of Sri Lanka in Nairobi and the Sri Lanka Embassy in Muscat also extended assistance in the evacuation process.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs continues to monitor the situation in the Republic of the Sudan and remains ready to assist the Sri Lankan nationals who are still in the Republic of the Sudan if and when a request is made for repatriation.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Colombo
29 April 2023
The Sri Lanka Country Engagement Plan was launched on Friday (April 28) as a joint initiative of the Inland Revenue Department, the Fiscal Policy Department, the Finance Ministry and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Sri Lanka.
The engagement plan aims to better align taxation policies with the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the country.
The SDGs are a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity by 2030. But it requires fundamental changes to the way the economy and fiscal policies are organized.
In order to offset challenging market conditions faced by developing countries and accelerate progress towards the SDGs, the recently launched SDG Stimulus Plan of the UN Secretary-General had called for a fit-for-purpose sustainable financing approach.
Therefore, stable and reliable state revenues are crucial for financing the SDGs. Hence, the Inland Revenue Department, the Fiscal Policy Department, the Finance Ministry and the UNDP in Sri Lanka came together to better align taxation policies with the achievement of the SDGs in the country.
Joining 25 countries globally – notably the Maldives and Bhutan in the Asia Pacific region – the Sri Lanka Country Engagement Plan will provide the roadmap for the demand-driven activities envisaged for the country.
Funded by the governments of Finland and Norway, this initiative will be implemented for two years and anchored at the Inland Revenue Department and the Fiscal Policy Department.
Gracing the occasion, State Minister of Finance Shehan Semasinghe stated, “The Government of Sri Lanka recognizes that revenue generation stands at the core of financing public development and is integral to achieving the SDGs..
This initiative does not implement new taxes to achieve the SDGs, but rather propose how existing public finance policies and principles can be better aligned and efficiently managed to make progress towards the SDGs headed. ”
Commenting on the importance of aligning fiscal policies towards the achievement of SDGs, R.M.P. Rathnayake, Deputy Secretary to the Treasury stated, that this initiative will explore better alignment of fiscal policies and frameworks with the SDGs, develop capacities to improve tax administration, and help incorporate Sri Lanka’s perspective and needs in global and regional discussions on reforms”.
Forging wide-ranging partnerships, the Initiative will roll out an SDG Taxation Framework, raise awareness on alignment of public finance to achieve the SDGs and implement an OECD-UNDP Tax Inspectors without Borders Programme (TIWB) which will provide hands-on ‘learning by doing assistance’.
Further, the Initiative aims to explore digitalization solutions to improve tax filing, processing and collection efficiency, support Sri Lanka’s climate and gender considerations in fiscal policies, and support treaty negotiations in partnership with the South Centre, Switzerland.
Articulating the need to address the gap between public finance and the SDGs, UNDP Resident Representative in Sri Lanka, Azusa Kubota stated, “ UNDP is committed to working with the Government of Sri Lanka and a wide range of stakeholders in the roll out of this Initiative to help the country mobilize its resources at scale and achieve the SDGs”.
The Sri Lankan government is considering lifting the maximum retail price (MRP) on eggs to address the prevailing shortage in the local market. This proposal was discussed at a meeting held at the Prime Minister’s Office with the participation of respective officials, egg producers, and poultry farmers.
The meeting was chaired by the Presidential Secretary, along with the secretaries to the Agriculture Ministry and Trade Ministry. The egg producers and poultry farmers have pointed out that removing the MRP imposed on eggs would resolve the shortage in the local market within 15 days.
In response, Minister of Agriculture Mahinda Amaraweera has indicated that he will consider submitting a proposal seeking the removal of the MRP on eggs to the Cabinet of Ministers soon.
The imposition of the MRP on eggs was implemented by the government in an effort to control prices and ensure affordability for consumers. However, this move has had the unintended consequence of creating a shortage of eggs in the local market, leading to price hikes and inconveniences for consumers.
The government’s decision to consider lifting the MRP on eggs is a positive step towards resolving the current shortage in the local market. The removal of the MRP would also enable egg producers and poultry farmers to sell their products at market prices, which would incentivize them to increase production and address the shortage in the long run.
The government is expected to review the proposal and take necessary action to resolve the issue of egg shortage in the local market.
The Government is to consider restructuring Sri Lanka’s domestic debt, but a final decision is yet to be taken shaking the country’s financial system, economic analysts said.
President Ranil Wickremesinghe told Parliament that all aspects will be looked into when restructuring Sri Lanka’s domestic debt.
“Some banks are saying they will not be able to face this. Then they must takeover this economy,” the President said.
He said that various people cannot make threats by holding a gun to the head.The President also noted that there are concerns that the stock market may collapse. He said that if the stock market collapses he will shut it down.
He also assured that there will not be any harm to the Employees Provident Fund (EPF). , President Ranil Wickremesinghe told Parliament.He said that all aspects will be looked into when restructuring Sri Lanka’s domestic debt.
“Some banks are saying they will not be able to face this. Then they must takeover this economy,” the President said adding that that various people cannot make threats by holding a gun to the head.
The President also noted that there are concerns that the stock market may collapse. He said that if the stock market collapses he will shut it down.
He also assured that there will not be any harm to the Employees Provident Fund (EPF).
If the government decides to restructure domestic debt financial systems may shake. Unless the Central Bank and government take necessary steps to protect the stability of financial institutions, we will see a peoples’ uprising again, several economic experts warned
Sri Lanka’s stocks, rupee, and bond markets hardly moved according to a statement by State Minister Shehan Semasinghe who said the government has not decided yet on restructuring local debts.
The markets have been expecting the worst with regard to local loans in Sri Lanka’s debt restructuring process including haircut, both on the return, and deferment of maturity. Financial analysts have warned of a banking sector collapse in the country.
Some analysts say people might protest in street if their pension funds are slashed under the local debt restructuring.
Sri Lanka faces a challenge to emerge from the continuing crisis. This background note argues that domestic debt restructuring (DDR) provides four benefits critical for the economy and country to emerge from the present crisis stronger and more resilient than before.
First, DDR provides a pathway toward solvency for the Government of Sri Lanka. Second, it provides the foundations for the stability of the economy (macro stability). Third, it reduces the likelihood of needing subsequent sovereign debt restructuring, and fourth, it facilitates the equitable sharing of the burden of the costs of the crisis.
In a strategic move of historic policy of reversing a historic policy decision of nationalization transporting petroleum sector into a status of money eating monster, the government has taken the first step towards commecialisation
It has cleared the way for three international oil firms to re-enter Sri Lanka for the first time since the nationalisation of oil companies in the early 1960s, with the exception of the Indian Oil Corporation which has Oil Corporation which has operated in the country since 2003
Accordingly, fuel sales agreements, Government policy, logistics and the timeline for the commencement of operations in Sri Lanka have been finalised.
Power and Energy Minister Mahinda Wijesekera stated that the date of commencement of operations in Sri Lanka will be announced by the Australian company within the next week.
Earlier this week,Minister Wijesekers also held a discussion with US-based oil company RM Parks Inc. and the British multinational oil and gas company Shell PLC on commencing retail fuel sales in Sri Lanka in the first week of June this year, for which a date is due to be decided in mid-May to sign the relevant agreements.
Following a visit to the Ceylon Petroleum Storage Terminals Limited (CPSTL) tank farm last week, the technical officials of the RM Parks Inc. and Shell PLC offered to upgrade CPSTL berthing facilities to be in line with international standards and safety requirements.
Meanwhile, team of China-based Sinopec officials and technical experts are also currently in Sri Lanka to finalise the agreements and commencement of operation for retail fuel sales here, for which the relevant agreements will be signed in mid-May and operations will commence 45 days thereon.
Last month, the Cabinet of Ministers green-lighted a proposal to allow three foreign oil companies to commence their fuel distribution operations in Sri Lanka.
Thereby, retail licenses will be granted to China-based Sinopec, Australia-based United Petroleum and US-based RM Parks Inc., in collaboration with London-based Shell PLC.
Wijesekera, revealed that each company will handle 150 CPC dealer-operated filling stations in the local market.
At present, a total of 1,142 filling stations are under the purview of the CPC, however, the corporation fully owns only 234 of them, the minister explained, adding that 450 out of the remaining 908 filling stations owned by private distributors would be allocated to the three foreign oil companies.
In the meantime, the public perception is that the CPC and CEB are corrupt organisations and they burden the national economy. Hence, privatisation is the only solution. In 2015 I demonstrated once the manipulation of politicians is removed, these two organisations could be transformed into financially and economically viable organisations.Sri Lankans enjoy some stability in the power sector now. The price hike, low consumption enforced through QR code and low forex availability created this uneasy, temporary equilibrium
