PMD: President Ranil Wickremesinghe has conveyed his heartfelt condolences to the Prime Minister and the people of India following the tragic multiple train collision in Odisha state. The accident has resulted in a significant loss of lives and numerous injuries.

In a letter addressed to the Prime Minister of India, President Wickremesinghe expressed his profound sadness upon learning about the devastating incident. He emphasized that the people of Sri Lanka stand united in their sympathy and support for India during this difficult time.

President Wickremesinghe extended his condolences to the Government of India and the bereaved families who have suffered an unimaginable loss. He also expressed his wishes for a swift recovery to those who have been injured.

The President further assured the Prime Minister of India that the thoughts and prayers of Sri Lanka are with the families of the victims, and he hoped that they would find the strength and resilience to overcome their grief.

1. President Ranil Wickremesinghe to strengthen the military and confer more powers on Chief of Defence Staff: embarks on ambitious “National Transformation Roadmap” as announced in the recent “Address to the Nation”: the plan to be accompanied by a “Presidential Delivery Bureau”.
   
2. Health Ministry floats tender for 25 ambulances for the “1990” Suwa Seriya service to be financed through a grant from the “Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction”: tender to be open to suppliers from ADB member countries: grant to be channelled through the Health System Enhancement Project.
   
3. Legal experts inform Govt that it would be opportune to “lay by” the X-Press Pearl damages claims action in Singapore or ask the Court for a lengthy delay until the UK case on the damages action is concluded: say a limitation on damages action filed in Britain by insurers of the X-Press Pearl could otherwise force a delay in the ongoing compensation claim filed by SL in Singapore.
   
4. US Ambassador to Sri Lanka Julie Chung highlights importance of equality and expanding women’s contributions to the country’s legal profession.
   
5. Sri Lanka’s tourism industry records income of USD 131.5mn for May from 83,309 arrivals, the lowest monthly income thus far in 2023: it’s also a decline from USD 166.5mn in April and the year-to-date highest of USD 198.1mn in March.
   
6. Price of a Litro LP Gas 12.5kg cylinder reduced by Rs.452 & the new price to be Rs.3,186: the price of a 12.5kg cylinder on 31st March 2022 was Rs.2,675.
   
7. Popular social media influencer and Emirati blogger Khalid Al Ameri based in the Middle East, announces a visit to Sri Lanka.
   
8. Minister of Energy Kanchana Wijesekara releases a list of 121 fuel stations that did not place any orders between 27 and 31 May: says CPC fuel stations are obligated to maintain a minimum stock level of 50% at all times: also says the licences of fuel stations found to have violated the conditions of their contracts will be terminated.
   
9. Athletes Tharushi Dilsara (53.70 secs) and Jayeshi Uththara (55.51secs) win Silver and Bronze medals respectively in the 400 metres event (female) at the 20th Asian Under 20 Athletics Championships in South Korea.
   
10. Sri Lanka win the 2nd Cricket ODI against Afghanistan by 132 runs: Sri Lanka – 323/6 (50): Mendis – 78, Karunaratne – 52: Afghanistan – 191 (42.1): Dhananjaya de Silva – 39/3, Wanindu Hasaranga – 42/3, Chameera Fernando – 18/2.

By: Staff Writer

Colombo (LNW): Business leader Nawaz Rajabdeen has been appointed as the Honorary Director General (Sri Lanka) for the Global Council for The Promotion of International Trade (GCPIT).

With an impressive combined experience of nearly 45 years in both the private and public sectors, Nawaz Rajabdeen brings a wealth of expertise and leadership to this esteemed position.

Throughout his career, Nawaz Rajabdeen has demonstrated exceptional leadership skills and a remarkable track record of turning around underperforming organisations and driving them towards profitability.

He has held senior positions in various business chambers in Sri Lanka and overseas, showcasing his deep understanding of international trade and commerce.

Currently, Nawas Rajabdeen is leading a United Nations-backed organisation in Sri Lanka, further highlighting his commitment to promoting sustainable development and fostering economic growth.

His extensive experience in the private sector, coupled with his involvement in key business chambers, has equipped him with a comprehensive understanding of the challenges and opportunities faced by enterprises.

Rajabdeen’s notable contributions extend beyond his professional roles. He serves as the Co-Chairperson of the Global Peace Institute (GPI), a prestigious non-profit organisation based in the UK that works towards global peace and resilience.

Additionally, he founded and currently presides over the Confederation of Micro, Small, and Medium Industries (COSMI) in Sri Lanka, an organisation dedicated to reviving and promoting MSMEs through various initiatives.

As an Ambassador for the World Union of Small and Medium Enterprises (WUSME) in Italy, Rajabdeen actively promotes SMEs as drivers of inclusive growth and sustainable social progress.

His advocacy for women entrepreneurs and focus on livelihood and employment generation are noteworthy contributions to fostering economic empowerment.

With his vast experience, influential network, and commitment to promoting international trade and business collaborations, Rajabdeen is well-positioned to lead GCPIT’s initiatives in Sri Lanka.

His appointment as the Honorary Director General will further strengthen our efforts to foster global trade, facilitate partnerships, and support the growth and development of businesses.

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.