By: Isuru Parakrama

Colombo (LNW): Contradictory reports emerge with regard to a certain garment factory run by the apparel giant Brandix, where the workers’ unions lament that the Kahawatta Brandix factory has been shut down, but the Company denies the allegation, stating that merely ‘a merger’ has taken place.

Over 2,000 employees are working at the Brandix factory in Kahawatta.

The reports surface in the backdrop where many previous claims had been made that a number of factories owned by the apparel giant were shut down, whilst workers’ unions allege that the employees attached to the Kahawatta factory have been reassigned to the factory in Nivithigala, in what they described as ‘a cover-up’ to the shutting down.

There is a tendency of continuous closure of garment factories amidst the declining of orders stemmed by the global economic situation, and in the next five years there is a probability that Brandix may leave Sri Lanka, leaving thousands of employees jobless, unions added.

However, the apparel giant upon a query told LNW that the Kahawatta factory has been merged with the Nivithigala factory in view of providing “a more efficient service to the global customers” as per a pre-determined plan, hence no such shutdown ever being taken place.

A voluntary retirement scheme has also been implemented for the employees who wish to retire voluntarily and this scheme is being implemented solely based on the employees’ wishes, a spokesperson for Brandix said.

The company denied the rumours that Brandix Group has opened new factories in Bangladesh, stressing that they are false and emphasised that the factory overseas was built thirteen years ago.

Commenting on the reports that the company had closed five garment factories across the country, the spokesperson asserted that such an event did not happen at all and only the Welisara factory was shut down based on the company’s desire.

By: Staff Writer

Colombo (LNW): At this moment, many problems have arisen in the country, in the backdrop of bringing several bills including Broadcasting Authority bill and the Anti-Corruption bill by the government said Mr Eran Wickramaratne, M.P. addressing the media at the Office of the Leader of Opposition in Colombo today.

The Broadcasting Authority Act is also problematic. The Supreme Court has determined that several clauses of the anti-corruption bill are inconsistence with the constitution. Doubts arise whether this bill was prepared by a few private lawyers to meet the expectations of the government. Generally, if a bill is drafted by the Legal Draftsmen officers, there is no possibility to include so many clauses that are inconsistence with the Constitution.

Also, on the privatization of Sri Lanka Telecom, there is a debate within the government that there is a threat to national security. A bill to establish a budget office in parliament, is also being brought. While the government is introducing various anti- democratic anti -people bills, it is also creating problems of race and religion. Said Mr. Eran Wickramaratne

Since Mr. Gotabhaya Rajapaksa became the President in 2019, he went on reversing the Gazette and as a result the state revenue was reduced by one third. His successor President comes and reverses other laws and Legislations.

He said that if gazettes and laws are reversed based on necessity, there should be a dialogue in the country before that. The MP emphasized that the people are waiting for the best laws to eliminate corruption and fraud because the people are tired of corruption, theft and fraud in this country. This country went bankrupt for the first time under the leaders of the present regime. The parties responsible for it, are trying to bring these laws. People have to wonder why this group that destroyed the country is manipulating the things again.

Those who say people will forget everything in two weeks, created queues for oil, cut off electricity for 12 hours, raised inflation to sky-high say that Pohottuwa will return to power and a Rajapakse will become President. Are they thinking that the people could be deceived again? But Mr. Wickramaratne said that the people will never forget the destruction caused by the Rajapaksa government.

After the International Monetary Fund (IMF) approved a loan of 2.9 billion dollars, and the government drafts anti-corruption laws only according to the IMF’s agenda regarding corruption and fraud in the country, the country does not benefit from those legislations. He said that with the IMF, there is a deal, and there are two sides to it. Accordingly, if we adopt methods that suit the country, we can convince them about our methods of adopting laws.

When going to the discussion on an amendment of the agreement with the IMF next September, the tax free limit imposed on the working people should be raised to two hundred thousand from the current one hundred thousand rupees.

Meanwhile, in the local debt restructuring, Mr. Eran Wickramaratne stressed that in the background of economic contraction, it is the responsibility of the government to be on a firm decision not to include a Hair Cut on the deposit money when domestic debt restructuring is proposed, which creates a risk of bankrupting the banking system in Sri Lanka.

Colombo (LNW): The Department of Examinations has announced the date of the 2023 Grade Five Scholarship Examination.

Accordingly, the Grade 05 Scholarship Examination will be held on October 15, 2023.

Applications for the examination will be called from today (15) until July 06, 2023.

1. LKR crashes by a massive Rs.21.08 or 7.07% in just one week from Rs.297.94 on 06.06.2023 to Rs.319.00 by 14.06.2023: business persons lament that it’s impossible to carry on business under such volatile conditions: analysts point out that the “hot-money” inflows may have started to reverse.
   
2. Venerable Omalpe Sobhitha Thera claims the CEB has disconnected electricity supply to many temples where the payment of electricity bills has been delayed: also laments that the Govt has not provided any form of subsidy including solar panels to religious places as a solution to the recent increase in electricity tariffs.
   
3. President Emmanuel Macron of France extends invitation to President Ranil Wickremesinghe to address a high-level panel discussion at the Global Leaders Summit for a New Global Financing Pact, to take place in Paris on June 22nd and 23rd, 2023.
   
4. Opposition MP Mano Ganesan tweets that President Ranil Wickremesinghe publicly recognising “Tamil Buddhism” as a historical fact is the “key to many deadlocks”.
   
5. Urban Development and Housing Minister Prasanna Ranatunga says there is no conflict between the ruling party SLPP and the President: also says some people are trying to claim that there is such a conflict: further says the people have strong faith that the economy of the country will recover according to the program currently implemented by the Govt led by the President.
   
6. Parliamentary Committee COPA reveals that the congestion in prisons has increased up to 259%: 26,791 inmates occupy the prisons at present whereas all prisons in the country could accommodate only 11,762 inmates: in some prisons, the congestion has gone up to 300 to 400%.
   
7. Govt extends Forex capital controls by a further 6 months to “continue to re-build the country’s foreign exchange reserves”: Cabinet Spokesman Bandula Gunawardena says foreign exchange reserves have risen from “near-zero” to over USD 3.5 bn, “driven by remittances and tourism inflows”: CBSL data shows however that the Minister’s statement is erroneous as the current Reserves mainly consist of Bi-lateral SWAPs of USD 2.0 bn, IMF loan of USD 0.35 bn, and sudden “Hot-money” inflows of 0.65 bn: CBSL data also shows the Reserves were USD 1.9 bn at end March 2022.
   
8. Avissawella Magistrate’s Court remands Ravindu Sanka de Silva alias ‘Booru Muna’, who was prevented from going overseas & allowed to leave the Katunayake Airport by the Airport Police on 25 February, until 19th June.
   
9. Plantations Minister Ramesh Pathirana says the Palm oil ban will persist till the report by the Ministry of Plantation Industries jointly with relevant ministries on palm oil plant cultivation, suggests otherwise; adds the study will look into the possibilities of growing palm in Mahaweli lands, as well.
   
10. Education Minister Susil Premajayantha says new appointments will be given on June 16 to 7,500 teachers from Colleges of Education and 5,500 graduate teachers in all three mediums of language: also says graduate teachers who are below 35 years, will be appointed for subjects such as science, mathematics, technology, language, geography and commerce.