In a significant development, the portfolio of the Minister of Environment has now been placed under the direct purview of President Ranil Wickremesinghe. This decision was officially announced through a Gazette Extraordinary released on October 12, 2023, and it was issued by Presidential Secretary Saman Ekanayake.
The decision-making process leading to this change involved consultations with Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena, in accordance with Article 44(3) of the Constitution, as stated in the official communique.
Committee on Public Accounts instructs Excise Dept to dispense with its current system of imposing lenient penalties for large-scale fraud and irregularities connected to the production of liquor: advises the Dept to mete out severe punishment such as cancellation of licences of firms that continue to be involved in the counterfeit sticker racket & non-payment of tax.
Govt Radiologists say Teaching Hospitals at Anuradhapura & Karapitiya have 18-month-long waiting lists for MRI scans: Lady Ridgeway Hospital for Children has a waiting list of 1 year for MRI scans.
Hearing of petitions filed by Ministers Manusha Nanayakkara & Harin Fernando challenging the decision taken by the SJB to oust them from the Party and disqualify them of their Parliamentary seats, commences before the Supreme Court.
Ministry of Finance announces that SL has reached “an agreement on the key principles and indicative terms of a debt treatment with China Exim Bank”: also says that, “in principle”, the agreement covers approximately USD 4.2 bn of outstanding debt: no further details disclosed: previously, the IMF had stated that it is unaware of any such agreement.
Supreme Court orders all state universities in the country to submit a report before 10 November’23 on all reported incidents of ragging at state universities and the measures taken to prevent ragging during the last 3 years.
Business tycoon and MP Dhammika Perera who recently announced that he would contest the Presidency from the SLPP, says SL does not have any system, although there is a clamour for a “system change”: also says a system change should start with the education sector: celebrates the 4th anniversary of his “DP Education Online Education System”.
Speculation mounts that moves are underway to abolish the Executive Presidency before the Presidential Election next year on the grounds that “no candidate or political party will be able to secure an over 50% win at the polls”: reports also emerge that discussions to this effect have already been held by President Ranil Wickremesinghe, and that Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe has already drafted a cabinet paper to change the electoral system.
The 11th Edition of the Galle Dialogue International Maritime Conference organised by the SL Navy in partnership with the Ministry of Defence and Geopolitical Cartographer starts in Galle: inaugural ceremony held under the patronage of President Ranil Wickremesinghe.
Aviation Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva says the Govt has engaged an international consultant to “bring valuable insights and best practices to guide the restructuring efforts of SriLankan Airlines”: the decision to hire the Consultant also expected “to maintain transparency”.
President Ranil Wickremesinghe directs Govt officials to prioritize immediate requirements of SL citizens in Israel, especially their safety, in the light of the ongoing conflict between Israel & Hamas.
A crucial meeting is scheduled for today (13) between the Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) and President Ranil Wickremesinghe. GMOA Spokesman Dr. Chamil Wijesinghe announced that the discussion will take place at 3 pm at the President’s Office.
The meeting’s primary focus will be on pressing issues within the healthcare sector, such as the ongoing shortage of medicines and the concerning trend of doctors leaving the country for various reasons.
Dr. Wijesinghe revealed that the GMOA had launched a series of protests in response to the Ministry of Health’s failure to address these issues and provide adequate protection for doctors. He emphasized that the Health Minister would not be granted additional time to resolve these critical concerns, as solutions have already been proposed, and now it’s time for implementation.
The Central Committee of the party has decided that no changes should be made in the existing positions of the United National Party.
That was when the UNP Central Committee met yesterday (12) under the chairmanship of President Ranil Wickramasinghe.
A proposal to appoint Ravi Karunanayake for the post of General Secretary of the party has been discussed in the Central Committee, but the seniors of the party are of the opinion that no change should be made in the current positions.
Also, it was previously proposed to abolish all other positions except the chairman and general secretary positions of the party and appoint a leadership board, but the party central committee has decided that there is no need to implement that proposal.
It is stated that the Central Committee has decided that the current leaders are working very diligently to move the UNP forward little by little and that they have the ability to continue the future work as well.
Showers or thundershowers will occur over most parts of the island during the afternoon or night.
Fairly heavy showers above 75 mm can be expected at some places in Uva, Central and Easten provinces.
A few showers may occur in coastal areas of the western and southern provinces during the morning too.
Misty conditions can be expected at some places in Central, Sabaragamuwa and Uva provinces during the morning.
The general public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimize damages caused by temporary localized strong winds and lightning during thundershowers.
Bloomberg: Sri Lanka is likely to clinch an agreement in the next several days that would help it tap more funds from the International Monetary Fund even though it’s still trying to firm up negotiations with creditors on debt restructuring.
Officials from the South Asian nation and the IMF are close to reaching a staff-level agreement following talks in Morocco this week, according to people involved in the discussions, who asked not to be identified because the matter isn’t finalized yet. Only a few outstanding issues remain, one person said, declining to provide more detail.
The IMF is assessing Sri Lanka’s progress toward meeting economic targets and reform goals set under the nation’s $3 billion bailout package. A staff-level agreement is the first step needed in order for a second tranche of $334 million in loans to be disbursed.
Sri Lanka needs that deal, as well as separate agreements with its creditors on restructuring terms that also align with the program’s debt sustainability criteria, before the IMF board signs off on the next round of funding.
The debt restructuring talks with creditors from the Paris Club and other lenders are also taking place in Morocco this week at the IMF-World Bank annual meetings. The official creditors committee had aimed to sign a memorandum of understanding with Sri Lanka this week, although an announcement is looking increasingly unlikely, according to people familiar with the situation, who asked not to be identified.
Failure to conclude talks on the debt restructuring this week won’t halt the IMF funding program, although it may delay its progress.
Sri Lanka’s central bank Governor Nandalal Weerasinghe and Junior Finance Minister Shehan Semasinghe, who are in Marrakech this week, didn’t respond to questions seeking confirmation. IMF officials in Colombo weren’t immediately available for comment.
Separately, Sri Lanka reached an agreement with Export-Import Bank of China to restructure $4.2 billion of debt. The government said it hoped the agreement would be an “anchor” for talks with other bilateral creditors and holders of the nation’s bonds, and would allow the IMF to approve the second tranche of funding to the country.
Colombo (LNW): The Health Department of the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) has taken measures to address an outbreak of ‘Conjunctivitis,’ an eye infection giving pink colour in the eye, in Colombo schools, a report by Daily Mirror disclosed.
Several schools have suspended classes due to the disease, with three year groups at Kotahena Central College closed until the next Friday.
Furthermore, Years 6, 7, and 8 at Kotahena Madhya Maha Vidyalaya have been suspended after about 100 students were affected.
Colombo’s Chief Medical Officer Dr. Ruwan Wijemuni has identified a rapid increase in cases in specific Colombo areas and assured the public that the infection is not fatal.
“It is believed to be spreading rapidly in schools located in Colombo West, Colombo Central, Colombo North and Borella areas under the council’s jurisdiction,” Daily Mirror cited Dr. Wijemuni’s comment.
He highlighted symptoms and advised parents to consult a doctor if symptoms persist in their children for over five days.
‘Conjunctivitis‘, or Pink Eye is an inflammation of the transparent membrane that lines the eyelid and eyeball.
Colombo (LNW): The Colombo High Court today (12) sentenced nine Iranians to life imprisonment over the possession and trafficking of narcotics off the Sri Lankan coast four years ago.
In 2019, the Iranian nationals were apprehended on their fishing vessel with more than 100 kg of heroin, valued at over Rs. 1 billion. Subsequent reports at the time had claimed that an additional 500 kg of heroin had also been discarded in the ocean.
High Court Judge Amal Ranaraja delivered the life sentences after the accused admitted their guilt before the start of the evidentiary hearing on the matter today.
Furthermore, the High Court Judge decreed that the convicts should be extradited to Iran to serve their sentences, in compliance with the international treaty signed by Sri Lanka.
This verdict was produced after the defence solicitors confirmed that all the defendants had accepted the charges against them.
Colombo (LNW): The Supreme Court today (12) commenced hearing a Fundamental Rights (FR) petition by Ministers Manusha Nanayakkara and Harin Fernando, over the decision by the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) to oust them from the Party for joining the government.
Justices Vijith Malalgoda, Achala Vengappuli and Arjuna Obeysekera presided over the proceedings.
Representing Minister Nanayakkara, Faiszer Musthapha PC argued to the judges that the primary opposition’s choice to suspend his client’s party membership was wholly unlawful.
According to the party’s constitution, he pointed out that only the Working Committee holds the authority to remove party members. He highlighted that neither the Party Leadership nor the Disciplinary Committee possess such powers.
The Disciplinary Committee’s sole responsibility is to bring charges against and investigate members who breach the party’s constitution, Musthapha emphasised.
He noted that despite Nanayakkara securing an injunction from the district court against a membership suspension, he was still dismissed from the SJB based on a notice from its general secretary.
Furthermore, Musthapha argued that the Supreme Court’s previous ruling supporting the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress’ (SLMC) choice to remove Minister Naseer Ahamed from the party does not apply to this situation.
The next hearing of the petition, which cites Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa and SJB’s General Secretary Ranjith Madduma Bandara as respondents, has been scheduled for October 24, 2023.
PMD: President Ranil Wickremesinghe has directed government officials to prioritise the immediate requirements of Sri Lankan citizens residing in Israel, especially their safety, in light of the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas.
Consequently, the Sri Lankan Embassy in Israel and relevant government departments have collaboratively initiated a special programme aimed at offering the utmost possible assistance to the Sri Lankan community living in Israel.
Sri Lankans working or residing in Israel for various purposes now have access to channels for directly informing Sri Lankan authorities in case of life-threatening situations or related difficulties. They could convey their needs or obtain essential information by reaching out through the following contact options:
The government emphasises that all Sri Lankans in Israel can avail of these services through established immigration procedures or any other appropriate method.
