By: Staff Writer

Colombo (LNW):The Airport and Aviation services (Sri Lanka) (Private) Limited (AASL) marked another historical milestone by launching its own Ground Handling Services Training Wing at the Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (MRIA) with the aim of providing ground handling services for international flight operations.

The AASL ground handling service at MRIA was launched by providing its ground handling services to domestic airlines with incoming passengers.

The ground handling staff successfully handled the ground operations according to international standards meeting all regulatory requirements and provided all the services as required.

This new ground handling team comprises employees who possess relevant ground handling experience and the team has been given the necessary skill and other mandatory training to achieve the highest level of performance while handling aircraft on the ground.

By launching the service, the AASL will be able to contribute to increase the aeronautical revenue component of AASL and this is a timely move in this challenging and changing business environment.

Currently, AASL provides ground handling services at Colombo International Airport, Ratmalana (CIAR) and Jaffna International Airport (JIA) for domestic and international airlines.

With this move, AASL will be able to provide ground handling services at Mattala in the future and the service will be extended to the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) for international operations too.

As the statutory service provider of the Government, AASL develops the airport infrastructure utilizing its own funds and Government backed foreign loans and grants. AASL has deployed an asset base over Rs. 165 billion and a workforce of 3,900 employees, finance ministry sources revealed.

AASL’s revenue tripled from pandemic levels in 2020 and 2021 of Rs. 11.7 billion and Rs. 11.1billion, respectively, to Rs. 33.8 billion in 2022, exceeding the pre-pandemic level of Rs. 29.9 billion in 2019 by approximately 14 percent.

Although the revenue from aeronautical services increased by 14 percent from Rs.5.4 billion in 2019 to Rs. 6.2 billion in 2022,the revenue from non-aeronautical services decreased by 2 percent, from Rs. 20.2 billion in 2019 prior to the pandemic level to Rs. 19.8 billion in 2022.

The increase in financial expenses from Rs. 0.5 billion in 2021 to Rs. 12.4 billion in 2022 is the primary reason for the 129 percent expenditure growth from Rs. 11.9 billion in 2021 to Rs. 27.3billion in 2022.

However, AASL was able to record Rs. 6.4 billion profits before tax in 2022, positioning itself as a profitable entity after two years as a loss-making entity.

By: Staff Writer

Colombo (LNW):Sri Lanka is taking a significant step towards addressing its environmental issues as the Ministry of Environment and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) recently signed an agreement on the Green Climate Fund Readiness Initiative.

Sri Lanka is considered one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change, consistently ranking among the top ten nations at risk of extreme weather events according to the Global Climate Risk Index.

These climate impacts have had severe consequences on various economic sectors, affecting people’s lives and livelihoods.

The signing of the Green Climate Fund Readiness project document marks an important milestone in Sri Lanka’s efforts to adapt and mitigate the impacts of climate change.

The proposal aims to enhance the technical capacity of the Ministry of Environment and its partners, including the private sector.

By working together, the project will help identify and implement the necessary measures to address climate challenges in priority sectors. The project also aims to attract public and private investments to promote climate-smart agriculture through scientific planning.

Dr. Anil Jasinghe, Secretary to the Ministry of Environment, expressed his commitment to building a sustainable future for Sri Lanka and contributing to the global fight against climate change.

He stated, “Together, we can adapt to the effects of climate change and secure a better future for our country. We will work hand in hand with FAO and other key stakeholders to ensure Sri Lanka’s climate resilience.”

An agreement was signed recently between the country director of the French Development Agency (AFD) M. Reda SOUIRGI and Dr. Anil Jasinghe, Secretary to the Ministry of Environment for a 300,000 EUR grant to improve monitoring and reporting of air quality in Sri Lanka..

Air pollution remains a critical issue for cities such as Colombo and Kandy, as for many other major cities in the developing world.

In comparison to some of its regional counterparts such as Delhi and Dhaka, Sri Lanka still has a fairly good Air Quality Index.

However, year on year it is evident that Air quality is becoming a more prevalent issue. Each year, Sri Lanka suffers from seasonal air pollution events, generally imported from the Indian continent and exacerbated by its own pollution generating activities.

The most recent being in January 2023, when the National Building and Research Organisation (NBRO) declared dangerous levels of air quality in several parts of the country.

Accordingly, the issue needs to be addressed in an objective and systematic way. Air pollution is not a new topic for Sri Lanka; far ahead of its regional counterparts, various indicators such as PM10, NOx, SOx, ozone and CO have been monitored for more than twenty years.

Two new monitoring stations, managed by the CEA, were installed in 2019 near Colombo, at Battaramulla, and in Kandy.

Meanwhile, monthly concentrations of NO2 and SO2 have been measured in 25 different places in and around Colombo, using passive sampling techniques by the NBRO.

By: Staff Writer

Colombo (LNW): Benefiting from the cost-reflective prices on fuel, Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) recorded a profit of Rs. 29.7 billion in the first quarter of 2023. However, Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) recorded a loss of Rs. 34.4 billion in the first quarter of 2023 as the cost-reflective pricing mechanism was implemented only in mid-February 2023.

Despite the regular price adjustments since May, the CPC recorded an operating loss of Rs. 6.2 billion for the full year in 2022, compared to a loss of Rs.41.3 billion in 2021..

As an initial step, the Government decided to restructure CPC’s balance sheet by transferring the outstanding balance of the Government-guaranteed foreign currency denominated debt stock of the CPC, to the central Government debt stock.

This amounted to USD 2.44 billion (Bank of Ceylon: USD 1.34billion and People’s Bank: USD 1.09 billion), asof end December 2022.

However the CPC has residual liabilities to the Government for its on-lending of the Indian Line of Credit facility (USD 697 million), liabilities to the National Iran Oil Company (USD 251 million), and the Bankof Ceylon (Rs. 87 billion) , respectively with regard to importation of petroleum products

The State-run Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) is no longer incurring losses from the supply of electricity, CEB Chairman Nalinda Illangakoon said .

Commenting on the CEB’s income and expenditure, the CEB Chair said: “they expect annual collection to be around Rs. 723 billion and the monthly collection to be Rs. 55 billion.

CEB is also anticipating a daily income of over Rs. 2 billion and we received this expected income in April and a similar income for May,” he said.

However during the year 2022, the Government took a policy decision to re-classify the selected foreign currency debts on the CEB balance sheet obtained from the China Exim Bank into the Government Balance sheet.

Accordingly,the outstanding loan balance of Rs. 214.7 billion (USD 591.4 million) as at the end of December 2022 obtained for the construction of the Norochcholai power plant was transferred into the Government Books of Accounts.

Further, action was also taken to convert the debts amounting to Rs. 146.5 billion, which were recorded as sub-loans in the CEB financial statements, into equity investment by the Government in CEB as at end December 2022.

In light of the challenged liquidity positions of both the CEB and CPC, the Government channeled Rs. 80 billion to the CEB to settle its outstanding debts to CPC during the year 2022.

Nonetheless due to large legacy debts, as of the end of the year 2022, CEB’s total outstanding debt to CPC and Independent Power Producers (IPP) remained elevated at Rs. 193.1 billion.

In the meantime, the total debt liability of the CEB to the state banks and project loans stood at Rs. 220.7billion at the end of year 2022.

Colombo (LNW): The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) is the world’s standard bearer on civil and political rights. It was incorporated into Sri Lankan law in a manner that has permitted successive governments to misuse it. The arrest and detention of comedian Natasha Edirisooriya under the ICCPR Act has become another unfortunate example of the misuse of a law meant to protect human rights by the government. Previous targets have included poets and novelists who have addressed social and political controversies.

Ms Edirisooriya is accused of having violated the provisions in the ICCPR in Section 3(1) that forbids hate speech. In one of her stand-up shows, she had given the example of Lord Buddha’s abilities as a child and compared them to life in today’s social milieu where children are slower off in developing themselves. The use of religious founders and teachers to make worldly arguments may be offensive and disturbing to adherents of those teachings. However, the depiction of this art form as being the equivalent of hate speech is unfair and unjust and so is the artiste’s imprisonment for over a week.

Section 3(1) of the ICCPR Act prohibits advocacy of hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, violence or hostility. The international human rights watchdog, Amnesty International, has pointed out that in the case of Ms Edirisooriya that for speech to be illegal on the grounds of being hate speech it requires “a clear showing of intent to incite others to discriminate, he hostile towards or commit violence against the group in question.” Amnesty International also notes that “When the expression fails to meet the test, even if it is shocking, offensive or disturbing, it should be protected by the state.”

Ironically, in the past there have been many instances of ethnic and religious minorities being targeted hatefully in this manner, but successive governments have been inactive in protecting them or their reputation. Such targeting has taken place, often for political purposes in the context of elections, to mobilise sections of the population through appeals to narrow nationalism and fear of the other. The country’s political and governmental leaders who claim to be guided by the tenets of religion and do not fail to make public displays of their religiosity, need to be mindful of the multi ethnic, multi religious and plural nature of Sri Lankan society and give priority to the building of sustainable pluralistic relationships based on trust, justice and fair play.

The National Peace Council urges the government to desist from utilising the ICCPR Act against those who make social and political critiques that are outside the domain of hate speech. We note that this law against hate speech has been, and is being used, to target political opponents of the government and to shut down the space for freedom of expression and media freedom in general. The arrest of the owner of SL-Vlogs, a social media media site, under the ICCPR Act for having put up her show on their web site is an indication of this larger and more concerning phenomenon.

The crackdown on the space for free expression and critical comment is unacceptable in a democratic polity, especially one as troubled as Sri Lanka, in which the economy has collapsed and caused much suffering to the people and the call to hold elections has been growing. NPC appeals to the government not to go down this path and welcomes the intervention of the Human Rights Commission which has called on the Inspector General of Police to submit a report on the arrest and its rationale.

Governing Council

The National Peace Council is an independent and non partisan organization that works towards a negotiated political solution to the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka. It has a vision of a peaceful and prosperous Sri Lanka in which the freedom, human rights and democratic rights of all the communities are respected. The policy of the National Peace Council is determined by its Governing Council of who are drawn from diverse walks of life and belong to all the main ethnic and religious communities in the country.

National Peace Council of Sri Lanka

03.06.23

Colombo (LNW): The Sri Lanka Embassy in Bahrain organized an event to commemorate the 10th Anniversary of the establishment of Sri Lanka Mission in Bahrain on 30 May 2023. Sri Lanka established diplomatic relations with the Kingdom of Bahrain on 27 June 1992, and the resident Mission in Bahrain was established on 30 May 2013. The Ambassador of the Kingdom of Bahrain in New Delhi is concurrently accredited to Sri Lanka.

In her remarks, Ambassador Reethisri Wijeratne Mendis conveyed gratitude to His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Prime Minister HRH Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the government and the people of Bahrain for their goodwill and support extended to both the Embassy and the Sri Lankan community in Bahrain over the past decade. The Ambassador stated that she is confident the growing momentum in the bilateral relations will continue to flourish in the years to come.

Ambassador also expressed her sincere gratitude to the President Ranil Wickremesinghe, Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena, Foreign Minister M U. M. Ali Sabry for their goodwill and support extended to the Embassy as well as to the Sri Lankan community in Bahrain. She also conveyed her gratitude to Minister of labour and Foreign Employment Munusha Nanayakkara, Chairman of the Bureau of Foreign Employment and the staff for their continued support and co-operation for embassy’s work.

Concluding her remarks, Ambassador appreciated the contributions made by the Foreign Secretaries, Foreign Ministry Staff, her predecessors, and all staff served in the Mission in achieving significant milestones in its relations with kingdom of Bahrain.

Embassy of Sri Lanka
Manama
02 June 2023

Rashika hennayake

Colombo (LNW): 2023 Abu Dhabi Poson Zone was held in a great manner and it was fully guided and supported by the Sri Lankan Ambassador Mr. Udaya Indraratne and the unity of the Sri Lankan community living there.
This Poson zone made up of various elements such as a Poson Bathi Gi concert, Poson Pantheon, etc. It is very special that all the efforts were made by the funds of the Sri Lankan Union which participated in it without receiving any money from the embassy.

Colombo (LNW): Sri Lanka is embarking on an ambitious initiative of establishing the world’s first international environmental university to support the global effort in addressing climate change.

President Ranil Wickremesinghe says efforts are being taken to establish the Climate Change University next year when he addressed a special meeting on climate change and green growth at the Presidential Secretariat yesterday.

The International Climate Change University is a post-graduate institution solely focused on research and does not offer undergraduate courses.

Any country or organization that contributes to the university becomes a stakeholder and gains membership on the Board of Governance. The Korean Exim Bank has expressed interest in partnering with the university.

He added that prestigious institutions like Harvard and MIT have expressed interest in collaboration.The president also requested the consideration of short-term courses for government officials.

During the briefing, the five thematic areas established in a previous meeting with President Wickremesinghe were extensively discussed.

These areas include the Climate Change Office, Green Finance Facilitation, International Climate Change University, Nature Positive Green Growth, and Innovative Management Support. Specific attention was given to regions lagging behind in these areas, such as marine pollution and electric car mobility.

Although climate change is a significant challenge in the world, there is no central research hub to study it, the President noted. He invited multiple countries to join Sri Lanka in the effort.

“Recognizing the importance of addressing climate change, we believe it should be included in school and university curricula.

That’s why we are planning to establish the International University of Climate Change, which will be the world’s first international environmental university. We expect it to provide opportunities for post-graduate and research work,” the President stated.

Mr Wickremesinghe also observed that there is currently no centre in the world dedicated to conducting research on climate change.

Therefore, Sri Lanka is taking steps to start the International University on Climate Change by establishing that centre in Sri Lanka. “We hope to carry out this work with the participation of many countries, and give membership of the governing board to those countries and organisations,” said President Wickremesinghe.

By: Staff Writer

Colombo (LNW): Low-income families are facing the worst effects of the economic crisis, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said.

The ICRC and the Sri Lanka Red Cross Society (SLRCS) collaborated to provide emergency relief assistance to 11,850 vulnerable low income families impacted by the economic crisis in Sri Lanka.

The collaboration also supported the Sri Lankan healthcare system with a donation of essential medical supplies.

Under the ICRC-SLRCS partnership, over 6,170 families received cash or cash vouchers (LKR 18,000 each) as emergency relief assistance, enabling them to meet their daily food and other essential needs up to a period of two weeks.

The families were selected from 12 districts in Sri Lanka (Ampara, Batticaloa, Galle, Jaffna, Kilinochchi, Mannar, Matara, Monaragala, Puttalam, Polonnaruwa, Trincomalee and Vavuniya based on the food security assessment.

In addition, over 5,600 pregnant women and new mothers from 10 districts received supplemental nutrition packs through the ICRC-SLRCS partnership

“Low-income families are facing the worst effects of the economic crisis. As part of our humanitarian response, the ICRC partnered with the SLRCS to address some of their urgent needs in these challenging times.

During the economic crisis, the ICRC adapted its programmes to better serve the affected people in Sri Lanka,” said Séverine Chappaz, Head of the ICRC Delegation in Colombo.

Under the ICRC-SLRCS partnership, over 6,170 families received cash or cash vouchers (LKR 18,000 each) as emergency relief assistance, enabling them to meet their daily food and other essential needs up to a period of two weeks. T

he families were selected from 12 districts in Sri Lanka (Ampara, Batticaloa, Galle, Jaffna, Kilinochchi, Mannar, Matara, Monaragala, Puttalam, Polonnaruwa, Trincomalee and Vavuniya), based on the food security assessment conducted at household level by the SLRCS, in consultation with relevant authorities.

In addition, over 5,600 pregnant women and new mothers from 10 districts received supplemental nutrition packs through the ICRC-SLRCS partnership.

The ICRC also collaborated with the SLRCS to help address the shortage of medical equipment and supplies as part of its joint humanitarian response to the economic crisis.

A total of 10,000 blood bags, 77,300 oxygen masks, 9,000 paraffin compresses, 2,950 thoracic drains and 300,000 face masks were donated to the Ministry of Health. The donations will contribute to the strengthening of the healthcare system in Sri Lanka.

The ICRC-SLRCS humanitarian cooperation totaling nearly CHF 640,000 (USD 715,000) provided critical support to families affected by the economic crisis while assisting the Sri Lankan healthcare system.