Colombo (LNW): Following directions from President Ranil Wickremesinghe, President’s Secretary Saman Ekanayake has tasked M.M.P.K. Mayadunne, Secretary of the Ministry of Transport and Highways, with the immediate construction of a temporary access route to the Bambalapitiya railway station.
This provisional pathway is aimed at aiding passenger entry and is expected to be completed within ten days.
Owing to its deteriorated state, the current flyover will be taken down, with plans to finish the construction of a new one in five months.
The President has engaged the State Development and Construction Corporation for the project, providing Rs. 50 million for the initiative.
The design and building process will be overseen by the Road Development Authority, with operations having begun on October 09.
Colombo (LNW): Showers or thunder showers will occur over most places of the Island during the afternoon or night, and fairly heavy showers above 75 mm can be expected at some places in Uva, Central, Sabaragamuwa and Easten provinces, the Department of Meteorology said in its daily weather forecast today (10).
Showers may occur in coastal areas of southern province during the morning, the statement added.
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 a few places in the sea areas around the island.
Winds:
Winds will be southerly and speed will be (20-30) kmph. Wind speed can increase up to 40 kmph at times in the sea areas off the coast extending from Puttalam to Kankasanthurai via Mannar.
State of Sea:
The sea areas off the coast extending from Puttalam to Kankasanthurai via Mannar will be moderate. Temporarily strong gusty winds and very rough seas can be expected during thundershowers.
Colombo (LNW): The initiation of the rapid passenger ferry service connecting Nagapattinam in Tamil Nadu with Kankesanthurai in Sri Lanka has been delayed due unspecified reasons, The Hindu reported.
Syed Zuhair, Director of K.P.V Shaik Mohamed Rowther & Co Private Limited, the agency handling ticket sales for the ferry, said the service was originally set to begin on October 10.
While the exact reasons for the postponement are not stated, it is anticipated that the service will likely commence on October 12.
The recent raids by the Delhi Police on 46 houses of journalists connected with the Indian news portal NewsClick is shocking. More unsettling is the arrest of Prabir Purkayastha, its Editor-in-Chief, and Amith Chakravorty, its Head of Human Resources, on the pretext of investigating them for a “terror case with Chinese links”. The Indian media has reported that the police has blatantly disregarded the legally sanctioned procedures in arresting the senior journalist and his colleague. The authorities are yet to make known any material on the website with links to any “terrorist activity” or “Chinese propaganda”.
We join the progressive media, civil society organisations and activists in India to condemn in no uncertain terms this brazen attack by the government on the free media. Harassment and intimidation of the independent media by the misuse of the police and state agencies for narrow political gains is part of a growing trend in a country claimed to be the ‘Mother of Democracy.’ Many commentators have likened this trend to the stifling times of the Emergency in India during the 1970s, although a State of Emergency has not been formally declared now.
The growing assault on free expression and democratic rights in South Asia is no longer a country-specific development. Neither is it confined to specific nation states. It is a regional phenomenon, signalling a new phase of democratic backsliding in South Asia. In recent weeks, journalists in Bangladesh have been subjected to enormous pressure, by way of judicial harassment, police violence, online harassment, attacks at reporting assignments, and intimidation of journalists’ families. We particularly take note of the recent jailing of Adilur Rahman Khan and Nasiruddian Elan, two leading human rights campaigners atatched Odhikar, Bangladesh. In Sri Lanka, the government has tabled and is threatening to pass what it calls an ‘Online Safety Bill’, a legislation that provides a draconian legal framework to potentially stifle dissent and free expression. Such moves have a chilling effect on journalists and rights defenders, inhibiting them from speaking truth to power.
The latest developments in India and Sri Lanka ring an alarm bell for all of us in South Asia who care about preserving our democratic rights and freedoms. In their decided attempts to target journalists, or to harass or silence other dissenting voices, our governments have begun to employ the new tactic of portraying journalists and citizen-activists who dare to expose the misdeeds of those in power as “anti-national” and threats to national security. By denying the citizens the democratic space for critical questioning, dissent and debate, and deploying the coercive power of the state in full force against the media and the media professionals, our governments seem to show how impatient they are to drag our countries into a new phase of authoritarian decay. This indeed is bad political news for the whole of South Asia.
Therefore, struggles for media freedom in India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka or elsewhere in the region is to be viewed as integral to the struggle for democracy in South Asia as a whole. Amid the heightening attacks on free media and the right to free expression, we must respond collectively as South Asians. We must resist tyranny in all forms, and fight to restore and strengthen our fundamental rights and democratic freedoms. We must resolve to look out for each other, assert our rights, and defend our freedoms within and beyond our individual nation-states.
We demand the immediate release of Prabir Purkayastha and Amith Chakravorty. We condemn the actions by governments in South Asia designed to silence the critical and independent media by using the stringent national security legislation. We also urge all the South Asians concerned with media freedom, human rights and rule of law to work together to defend democracy in the region through solidarity and joint action beyond national boundaries.
Colombo (LNW): The Medical Faculty Student’s Union of the University of Colombo staged a protest this (09) afternoon at the Townhall Junction, Colombo demanding an end to the government’s attempt of privatising the medical degree.
Their slogans stood against the offering of medical degrees by private universities like Lyceum, NSBM, Gateway, SLIIT and Kotelawala Defence Academy.
As the protest was on the go, a heated exchange occurred between the protesters and the Police.
Symbolising the alleged end of free education, the protesters demonstrated an act in which they held a coffin, during which time the heated exchange between them and the Police occurred.
The Police took the coffin into their custody, and the protesters thereafter lit candles and continued their demonstration at the Lipton Circle for about an hour.
World (LNW): Claudia Goldin, an American economic historian known for her pioneering work on wage inequality between genders, has been awarded the 2023 Nobel Economics Prize.
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences recognised Goldin’s groundbreaking research on the history of women’s earnings and participation in the workforce.
Her influential book, “Understanding The Gender Gap: An Economic History Of American Women” (1990), explored the origins of wage disparity.
Photo: Sky News
Goldin also conducted research on various societal indicators, such as the effect of contraceptives on women’s career choices and the significance of women’s surname choices post-marriage.
A notable figure, she was the first woman to receive tenure in Harvard’s economics department and is the third female recipient of the Nobel economics prize.
The economic prize committee emphasised the profound societal impact of her findings, highlighting the clarity it brings to addressing gender-based issues in the workforce.
PMD: President Ranil Wickremesinghe has initiated the appointment of a board of directors for the Sri Lanka Personal Data Protection Authority, established with the primary objective of safeguarding personal data within the nation.
In a significant milestone for data protection in South Asia, Sri Lanka’s Personal Data Protection Act No. 9 of 2022 (‘PDPA’) has been making strides toward full implementation. The act, certified by the Speaker on March 19, 2022, aims to safeguard personal data held by various entities, including government bodies, banks, telecom operators and hospitals.
This legislation, the first of its kind in South Asia, was developed through a transparent process, with draft versions made available for public comment since June 2019. The PDPA is set to be implemented in phases, with Part V brought into operation through a gazette notification on July 21, 2023. This crucial step allowed the government to appoint the Board of Directors, comprising seven individuals with expertise in engineering, accounting/finance, law and regulatory affairs.
Leading the Board of Directors is Arjuna Herath, a Senior Chartered Accountant and former Consulting Leader of Ernst & Young in Sri Lanka and the Maldives. Other notable members include Attorney-at-Law and Former State Counsel Nisith Abeysooriya, President’s Counsel Saumya Amarasekera, Digital Law Expert & Chair of the PDPA drafting Committee Jayantha Fernando, Additional Secretary to the President Dr. Sulakshana Jayawardana, ISO Lead Auditor and Technology Management specialist Bimsara Seneviratne and Electronics Engineer and Digital Strategy specialist Shehan Wijetilaka.
The PDPA assumes paramount importance in light of the government and private sector’s digital strategies, along with global privacy law developments. It is expected to attract investment and promote the digital economy, aligning with the National Digital Strategy and the Sri Lanka Unique Digital Identity (SL-UDI) project.
President Ranil Wickremesinghe highlighted the need for data protection in his November 2022 Budget Speech, promising the establishment of the Data Protection Authority in 2023. This independent regulator will collaborate with various sectoral regulators to ensure the proper governance of personal data.
Currently, the Board of Directors is in the deliberation and planning phase for the creation of the Data Protection Authority. The first step involves recommending the operation of Part VIII (Fund of the Authority) and Part IX of the Act to design the organizational framework, recruitment procedures and roles of key officers, including the Director General.
To meet the Act’s enforcement deadline of March 19, 2025, the Authority plans to formulate policy frameworks and regulations. It will hold public consultations and engage with advisory committees representing key sectors of the economy and other stakeholders to ensure comprehensive and effective data protection measures.
The Authority is set to commence public consultations and awareness campaigns once it has the necessary capacity, a process expected to take several months. Sri Lanka is on its way to establishing a robust framework for personal data protection in the digital age, making strides toward safeguarding citizens’ privacy and promoting trust in the digital ecosystem.
Colombo (LNW): Finance State Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya today (09) announced the government’s decision to remove all import bans effective from today, with the exception of restrictions on vehicle imports.
These stringent import measures were initially implemented in March 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic ramifications.
While the government of Sri Lanka started to progressively relax these restrictions on various goods since November 2022, the ban on vehicle imports remains in place.
Colombo (LNW): During a Cabinet briefing, President Ranil Wickremesinghe discussed the recent unrest in Israel and its potential impact on Sri Lankans and Israelis living in both nations.
Stressing the importance of taking swift measures to guarantee the safety of Sri Lankans employed in Israel, the President instructed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to confirm their safety.
Wickremesinghe advocated for aiding Israelis in Sri Lanka, whether tourists or workers, in their return to Israel, and emphasised that the security for Israelis in Sri Lanka must be ensured.
While the President reiterated Sri Lanka’s sustained endorsement of a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine, he denounced the recent Hamas offensive on Israel. He maintained that even though Sri Lanka had previously criticised Israel’s actions, such assaults were indefensible.
Urging an immediate end to the hostilities, President Wickremesinghe aligned with the African Union’s stance and highlighted the global repercussions of the conflict on oil prices.
He expressed concerns that the ongoing strife could result in sustained high fuel costs, negatively impacting developing nations, including Sri Lanka.
Overall, the President’s remarks reflect Sri Lanka’s dedication to regional peace and its commitment to safeguarding its residents and foreign nationals during such crises.
Colombo (LNW): The Sri Lankan Rupee (LKR) indicates a slight depreciation against the US Dollar today (09) in comparison to last week’s Friday, as per the official exchange rates list issued by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL).
Accordingly, the buying price of the US Dollar has increased to Rs. 318.30 from Rs. 318.22, and the selling price to Rs. 328.93 from Rs. 328.90.
The Sri Lankan Rupee has also depreciated against several other foreign currencies, but indicates appreciation against Gulf currencies.
