Hon. Mahinda Yapa Abeywardana, Speaker of Parliament endorsed the certificate on 05 Bills Oct- (17) which were passed in Parliament during the previous week.Accordingly, the Hon. Speaker endorsed the certificate on the Bills Civil Procedure Code (Amendment), Elections (Special Provisions), National Eye Bank Trust of Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka Ports Authority (Amendment) and Civil Aviation (Amendment).
A protest was organized by the Union of Environmental Organizations in front of the Colombo Fort railway station today (18) under the name of ‘යුක්තියේ අඩහැරය’.
The organizers said that the protest will be held for the wild elephants who has been killed in the past. The environmental organizations pointed out that due to the killing of wild elephants in the past, the freedom of living of these animals is being knowingly abolished.
They alleged that the Department of Forests and Wildlife, which should intervene for the safety of wild animals, has also forgotten its role.
Accordingly, it was emphasized to the responsible parties that the right to live of wild elephants should be confirmed immediately.
Civil society activists including trade unions were also present for this protest.
Photos – Ajith Seneviratne
By: Staff Writer
Colombo (LNW): President Ranil Wickremesinghe has reappointed current police Chief C.D. Wickramaratne despite the Constitutional Council unanimously vetoing the service extension given last week.
The Constitutional Council had taken an undivided decision at its meeting yesterday (Oct. 17) to reject the third tenure extension granted to Wickramaratne, who was appointed as the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) in November 2020 and was supposed to retire from the police service on March 26, 2023.
President Wickremesinghe had extended his tenure by 3 months on two occasions – on March 26 and July 09 – by way of special gazette notifications.
The second tenure prolongation came to an end on October 09. IGP Wickramaratne was, however, granted yet another service extension of 3 weeks on October 13.
President Wickremesinghe, who is currently on a four-day official visit to China, has reportedly been given instructions from Beijing to make the necessary arrangements to reappoint IGP Wickramaratne.
The Constitutional Council has declined to grant a third service extension to IGP C.D. Wickramaratne, citing the Government’s policy not to extend the service of State sector employees over the age of 60, sources said.
The Constitutional Council had met in Parliament under the Chairmanship of Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena yesterday afternoon.
Also in attendance were Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena, Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa, Member of Parliament Sagara Kariyawasam, and civil representatives.
President’s representative to the Council, Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva was absent from the meeting as he is currently visiting India.
Wickramaratne was due to retire on 25 March this year. Currently, both the President and Subject Minister Tiran Alles, are overseas.
A final decision regarding the position of the Inspector General of Police will be made upon their return, according to sources in the President’s Office.
According to sources from Police Headquarters, Senior DIG Administration Nilantha Jayawardena, Senior DIG Western Province Deshabandu Tennekoon, and Senior DIG Central Province Lalith Pathinayake remain the top contenders for the coveted position.
However, allegations of dereliction of duty over the Easter Sunday attack have been levelled against all three while various parties including the Catholic Church of Sri Lanka have urged the President to refrain from appointing either of them to the position.
At the Invitation by Mr. Tao Guangyao Huawei Sri Lanka CEO and Christophe Lee, Director Huawei Sri Lanka -President Ranil Wickramasinghe Visited the Huwaei Advanced Research Center/ DaVinci Exhibition Center in Beijing on Tuesday.
He was Welcomed in the Centre by Simon Lin, Senior Vice President Huawei Technologies / President Huawei Asia Pacific, Jun Zhang, President of Public Affairs and Communication and Peter Pan, President of Huawei South Asia Region. Several areas of cooperation was discussed.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Sabry PC, Transport and Highways Minister Banduala Gunawardana ,Chinese Ambassador to Sri Lanka , DInesh Weerakkody Chairman BOI and Portcity Commission , Sagala Rathnayake NSA and Thekshana Abeyawardana Director Presidential Secretariat participated in the discussions at the Huawei Beijing DaVinci Exhibition Center.
On October 18, the Sri Lankan Rupee exhibited stability against the US Dollar at commercial banks in Sri Lanka, maintaining similar exchange rates compared to the previous Tuesday.
Peoples Bank reported minor adjustments, with the buying and selling rates for the US Dollar rising marginally from Rs. 316.18 to Rs. 316.67 and from Rs. 329.37 to Rs. 329.88, respectively.
Meanwhile, Commercial Bank noted no significant changes, as the buying rate and selling rates for the US Dollar remained constant at Rs. 317.68 and Rs. 328, respectively.
Sampath Bank observed slight fluctuations, with the buying rate for the US Dollar increasing from Rs. 319 to Rs. 319.50, and the selling rate also showing a slight increase from Rs. 329 to Rs. 329.50.
The government has officially declared three vital sectors as essential services through a Gazette notification. The announcement, issued by the Secretary to the President, came into effect on Tuesday, October 17, 2023.
The Gazette notification explicitly designates electricity, petroleum, and health services as essential. It reads, “All services related to the supply of electricity, the distribution of petroleum products and fuel, and any service, work, or labor, irrespective of its nature, essential or necessary for the maintenance and care, feeding, and treatment of patients in hospitals, nursing homes, dispensaries, and similar healthcare institutions, are hereby recognized as essential public services.”
This declaration underscores the critical importance of these sectors in ensuring the continuous functioning and well-being of the country, particularly during times of crisis or emergencies.
By: Staff Writer
Colombo (LNW): Even amidst recent complaints of flight delays, ground staff and pilot shortages ,Sri Lankan Airlines was crowned the Leading International Airline – South Asia at the South Asian Travel Awards (SATA) in Bangalore, India on 10 October 2023.
Sri Lankan further secured the title of Leading Airline Class – Business Class at the awards ceremony. Touted as the most prestigious travel industry awards in the region, SATA recognizes the most outstanding performers in South Asia’s hospitality and travel industry annually based on the votes of industry professionals and passengers.
Having also received the accolade of ‘Visitors Choice – Airline of the Year’ at last year’s SATA, SriLankan Airlines continues to prove its enviable position in South Asia with this year’s dual wins. SriLankan currently operates 140 flights between Colombo and multiple South Asian cities across India, the Maldives, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal on a weekly basis.
SriLankan Airlines Regional Manager India, Bangladesh & Nepal V. Ravindran said: “We are profoundly happy to have our efforts valued by our South Asian associates. This region has been key to our progress and represents a significant percentage of SriLankan Airlines’ operations.
Being recognized inspires us to remain and grow as a trailblazer in South Asia and give our customers the best in Sri Lankan service and connectivity as we move forward into the future.”
The airline’s extensive South Asian network covers key points pan India including Chennai, Mumbai, Bangalore and Delhi; Karachi and Lahore in Pakistan; Kathmandu in Nepal; and Dhaka in Bangladesh.
SriLankan Airlines is moreover the only international carrier to operate to both Male and Gan Island in the Maldives to date, making it a preferred choice of passengers heading from Europe, the Middle East, India and the Far East to the picturesque Maldives.
However SriLankan Airlines is likely to face a severe shortage of experienced staff as the State-Owned Enterprise has refused to increase its salaries and other remuneration to discourage many from leaving,
It is reliably learnt that around 30 pilots have tendered their resignations over the past several months, with other employees including those from ground handling, engineering, and air crew leaving at an alarming rate, posing challenges for sustaining operations and the airline’s survival.
The Government is waiting for the airline’s restructuring, which is currently underway. It is also expecting interest from possible investors, pre-restructuring.
By: Staff Writer
Colombo (LNW): The Central Bank of Sri Lanka has imposed financial penalties on four non bank financial institutions for non-compliance with the provisions of the Financial Transactions Reporting Act, No. 6 of 2006 (FTRA).
According to a CBSL statement, fines amounting to Rs. 1.7 million were collected rom 01 April 2023 to 26 September 2023 to enforce compliance on Financial Institutions. The money collected as penalties were credited to the Consolidated Fund.
The administrative penalties were imposed for failure to adhere to FTRA in relation to reporting of financial transactions.
Imposition/ Collection of Administrative Penalties by the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) to Enforce Compliance on Financial Institutions from 01 April 2023 to 26September 2023.
By virtue of the powers vested under Section 19 (1) read together with section 19 (2) of the Financial Transactions Reporting Act, No. 6 of 2006 (FTRA), financial penalties are imposed on Institutions for non-compliance with the provisions of the FTRA.
The penalty may be prescribed taking into consideration the nature and gravity of relevant non-compliance of the Financial Institution.
Accordingly, as Sri Lanka’s regulator for Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT), the FIU collected penalties as indicated below, amounting to Rs. 1.7 million in total.
Merchant Bank of Sri Lanka & Finance PLC has been fined Rs300,000 for failing to comply with Section 6 of FTRA by not reporting pawning auction transactions exceeding Rupees One Million (Rs. 1,000,000.00).
Vallibel Finance PLC had failed to adhere to Section 6 of the FTRA by not reporting transactions.
It has been fined Rs 200,000 for the granting of gold loan facilities exceeding one million rupees (Rs.1, 000,000.00).
LB Finance PLC had failed to comply with Section 6 of FTRA by not reporting pawning auction transactions exceeding Rupees One Million (Rs. 1,000,000.00) conducted as bulk transactions [consisting of the sum of many individual transactions] or as single transactions.
People’s Leasing & Finance PLC has been fined a sum of Rs 500,000.00 (Rupees five hundred thousand) for the failure to comply with Section 6 of FTRA by not reporting electronic fund transfer relating to opening of a fixed deposit exceeding Rupees One Million (Rs.1,000,000.00).
Minister of Justice, Prisons Affairs, and Constitutional Reforms, Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe, PC, has announced a forthcoming special discussion on Wednesday, the 18th, with political party leaders. The aim is to collaboratively consider the establishment of a mixed electoral system and solicit their valuable opinions on proposed reforms.
Minister Rajapakshe disclosed that he has already submitted a request to the Cabinet to replace the existing proportional representation system with a mixed electoral model. Under this proposed system, 160 constituencies would be identified for the election of Members of Parliament using the first-past-the-post system. Simultaneously, the remaining 65 MPs would be elected through a proportional representation system at the national, provincial, or district level.
Notably, a final decision on this transformation is still pending, and the bill associated with it is yet to be formulated and officially published. Engaging party leaders and social activists in constructive discussions is the crucial next step.
Minister Rajapakshe underlined the commencement of these discussions and revealed that a parliamentary session will convene on Wednesday, chaired by the Prime Minister, to address this matter.
By: Staff Writer
Colombo (LNW): Even after over 30 years, the Kuwait Compensation Fund set up at the Sri Lanka Foreign Employment Bureau (SLBFE) still has Rs.3.92 billion remitted by the United Nations Compensation Commission (UNCC), Finance Ministry records revealed.
This was the balance amount after payment for compensation from a total sum of US$348 million remitted by the UNCC to pay 87,000 Sri Lankans who were employed in Kuwait during that country’s invasion by Iraq in 1990.
The payments are yet to be made because the bureau “had not implemented a formal methodology to pay compensations to the relevant workers’, the report on the SLBFE observed.
This balance money has been shown in accounts as a capital reserve when it should be entered in books as a long-term liability, the report indicated.
The SLBFE cannot use funds remitted by the UNCC as compensation for long term investment projects or expenses by claiming it as a capital reserve, a senior Treasury official said.
Further indicating the SLBFE’s failure to make the compensation, there were 251 Sri Lankan migrant workers affected by the Gulf war still awaiting payment.
The attention of the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) was drawn to the actions taken to productively utilize the Kuwait Compensation Fund and the opinion of the General Treasury in relation to the matter.
The General Manager of the Sri Lanka Foreign Employment Bureau stated that some proposals had been presented in concurrence with the Central Bank of Sri Lanka and the General Treasury to create a revolving fund with the remittances of the migrant workers with a low interest rate and that the proposal would be presented.
The General Manager replied that Rs. 1,200 million have been paid and there is no further payment due when the Auditor General investigated whether Funds have been requested by the General Treasury at a certain instance as these funds had been received during the period of the Gulf War.
The Accounting Officer (AO) stated that Currently, more funds have been requested from the Bureau by the Treasury
A request for an amount of Rs.3 billion was made by the General Treasury recently and a discussion was held with the Deputy Secretary to the General Treasury and the Director General of the Budget Department.
Currently actions are being taken by the Sri Lanka Foreign Employment Bureau in this regard and the relevant board paper will be presented at the upcoming Board Meeting.
