Consul General for Sri Lanka to Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania Sandith Samarasinghe presented Sri Lanka’s roadmap for a Green Sri Lanka, as part of the recently concluded seminar, “Sri Lanka: The Rise of a Thriving Nation”, organized by The Brisbane Club and the Sri Lanka and Australia Chamber of Commerce on 28 April 2023. 

Consul General Samarasinghe was invited by the organizers to be an expert panelist at the seminar, which focused on investment opportunities in Sri Lanka.  In particular, it looked at the prospects arising from the Port City Sri Lanka, and from Sri Lanka’s innovative climate change policies, geared towards achieving climate prosperity for Sri Lanka through sustainable growth, development and education.

The seminar was attended by members of the Brisbane Club, including CEOs of high end companies, leading businesspeople, and philanthropists, all of whom were very interested in the opportunities available in Sri Lanka.

Consul General Samarasinghe, who is also one of the key drafters of the preliminary report of the Sri Lanka Climate Prosperity Plan, presented participants with the highlights of the CPP, updates on its progress, and three of the flagship projects under the Plan.

Speaking on the roadmap set out in the CPP, the Consul General highlighted the objectives of the CPP, including unlocking domestic energy abundance through renewables, modernization and sustainable transport; financially engineering a climate secure transformation; galvanizing climate protection against key risks.

He also highlighted the simulated models of the CPP, which highlighted how scenarios driven by CPP policies showed much higher return and more positive impacts than two other models, the Business-As-Usual model and the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) model (which projects how the country would develop if its Paris Agreement NDC targets are met).

Speaking on the investment opportunities under the CPP, Consul General noted that there were over 110 projects earmarked, with 68 transition projects and 47 resilience projects.  He also presented in greater detail, three flagship projects which characterized the overall priorities and end ambitions in implementing the CPP.

Firstly, he presented on the Sri Lanka Offshore Wind Array, an offshore wind mega project aimed at harnessing the wind resources in the ocean area between Jaffna and Puttalan.  The project is planned to go through 2023 until 2030, with an estimated level of investment of USD 16 billion over eight years.  The overall objective of this project is to finance maximized renewable energy and grid modernization potential and connectivity. 

The second project he presented was the Sri Lanka University for Climate Resilience, aimed as a hub for tertiary education focusing on capacity building and knowledge around climate change and job skilling.  The project timeline will be from 2023 to 2035 with an estimated level of investment of USD 11.25 million over 12 years.

The final project was the solar powered community agriculture project in Anuradhapura, a project which has the potential to be a case study in developing climate-smart agriculture, as well as sustainable land and water management practices.  The project would cover 15,000 farmers in the district, and would aim to transform farming practices through the deployment of solar powered irrigation systems.

In conclusion, Consul General. Samarasinghe set out the proposed timeline of the next steps, including the publication of the final CPP including detailed project proposals and financing analysis, and its implementation, including identifying funding, developing investor packages, and designing and deploying a resource mobilization campaign.

Consulate General of Sri Lanka

Melbourne

10 May 2023

On the invitation of the Commonwealth Secretary-General, The Rt Hon Patricia Scotland, Prof Maithree Wickramasinghe, First Lady of Sri Lanka participated in the Fireside Chat which was held on the sidelines of the Commonwealth Leaders Event on 5 May 2023. The session, which was hosted by Jeannette Kagame, the First lady of Rwanda, was moderated by the Deputy Secretary General of the Commonwealth, Dr Arjoon Suddhoo in conversation with the First Ladies of the Bahamas, Gabon, Ghana, and Sri Lanka. The focus of the discussion was on the designing and implementation of education and awareness advocacy campaigns to effectively reach women and girls to promote the importance of cervical cancer prevention and address the cultural and social barriers that may prevent them from seeking care.

In her remarks, Prof Wickramasinghe stated that cervical cancer is the sixth most common cancer among women and account for 6% of all cancers diagnosed in Sri Lanka. She spoke of Sri Lanka’s National Strategic Plan to reach the interim targets of cervical cancer elimination between 2021-2030 centred on prevention, detection via screening and diagnosis& treatment. Elaborating on the prevention aspect, Prof Wickramasinghe spoke of the HPV vaccination programme currently in place in Sri Lanka for girls aged 10-12 years, which was commenced in 2017 through the school-based immunization programme and achieved a vaccination coverage of almost 98% in 2021. In terms of detection, it was pointed out that Sri Lanka conducts screening programmes through the Well Women Clinics – a national programme implemented through the Medical Officers of Health (MOH). She also elaborated on the measures taken for prompt treatment to reduce mortality due to cervical cancer.

In terms of socio-cultural barriers which prevents women from seeking care, Prof Wickramasinghe emphasised the importance of educating girls from primary and secondary classes on embodiment from a biological as well as gender, psychological and other perspectives, enabling girls to become familiar and comfortable with one’s body. She also elaborated on the need to deal with and acknowledge the trauma associated with cancer, which would facilitate the treatment process.  

High Commission of Sri Lanka

London

10 May 2023

Supporters of Imran Khan were planning to march to Islamabad on Wednesday where the former Pakistan prime minister is in custody in a corruption case, raising fears of more clashes with security forces.

Mobile data services in the country were shut while Twitter, YouTube and Facebook were disrupted. Television carried watered-down coverage of violence that erupted on Tuesday.

Authorities in three of Pakistan’s four provinces have imposed an emergency order banning all gatherings after Khan’s supporters clashed with police.

Khan was arrested from the Islamabad High Court on Tuesday by Pakistan’s anti-corruption agency. Police said a court hearing would take place at the police guest house where he is being held.

The arrest came a day after the country’s powerful military rebuked Khan for repeatedly accusing a senior military officer of trying to engineer his assassination and the former armed forces chief of being behind his removal from power last year.

Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb told broadcaster Geo News on Wednesday that the protests were not a public response to Khan’s arrest but a planned move by his party.

Her remarks came after Khan’s supporters clashed with police in many cities on Tuesday and stormed military buildings in Lahore and Rawalpindi, according to witnesses and videos shared by his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, which has called for a “shutdown” across the country.

“Scores of buildings were set on fire … they attacked official buildings and private houses,” Aurangzeb said.

Pakistan’s Dawn newspaper said in an editorial on Wednesday that “the nature and locus of the protests that broke out following Mr Khan’s arrest yesterday signal that public anger is also directed at the military”.

Khan will appear for two hearings on Wednesday, Geo News reported, including for a corruption case related to property and another case that alleges Khan unlawfully sold state gifts during his 2018-22 tenure as premier.

His arrest threatens to worsen political turmoil in the nuclear-armed country of 220 million people that is struggling with its worst economic crisis in decades with record high inflation and depleting foreign exchange reserves.

SUPREME COURT CHALLENGE

An International Monetary Fund bailout package has been delayed for months even though foreign exchange reserves are barely enough to cover a month’s imports.

Khan’s supporters in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province were asked to gather early on Wednesday in Swabi city to leave for Islamabad as part of a convoy, his party wrote on Twitter.

PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi said the party’s senior leadership was in Islamabad to meet Khan and will approach the Supreme Court to challenge an Islamabad High Court order that deemed Khan’s arrest legal.

“We continue to call PTI family workers, supporters and the people of Pakistan onto the streets for peaceful protest against this unconstitutional behaviour,” Qureshi wrote on Twitter.

Following Tuesday’s protests, Canada has asked its citizens to exercise a “high degree of caution” in travel to Pakistan while the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad has cancelled all consular appointments on Wednesday.

A police spokesman told Reuters on Wednesday that Khan will not be brought to court and his scheduled hearing will take place at the location where he is being held under custody in the Islamabad police lines area.

At least one person was killed on Tuesday and 12 others injured, including six police officers, in clashes in the southern city of Quetta, provincial home minister Ziaullah Langove said.

The protests have disrupted business in several cities. In Peshawar, chicken seller Malagul Khan said his shop and others were destroyed in the clashes.

Raja Imran, 25, also a Peshawar resident, said, “There is total chaos across the country … There are exams going on and school children will suffer”.

Khan, 70, a cricket hero-turned-politician, was ousted as prime minister in April 2022 in a parliamentary no-confidence vote. Khan has not slowed his campaign against the ouster even though he was wounded in a November attack on his convoy as he led a protest march to Islamabad calling for snap general elections.

The corruption case is one of more than 100 registered against Khan since his ouster after four years in power. In most of the cases, Khan faces being barred from holding public office if convicted, with a national election scheduled for November.

Source: Reuters

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has announced that a team of its staff will be visiting Sri Lanka from May 11 to May 23. This visit is a part of the regular consultations between the global lender and the island nation, in preparation for the first review mission later this year.

Krishna Srinivasan, the Director of IMF’s Asia and Pacific Department, will be joining the team for this visit. The purpose of the visit is to engage in discussions with Sri Lankan authorities and stakeholders to assess the country’s economic and financial situation, as well as to provide guidance and support.

The IMF plays a crucial role in assisting countries with their economic policies, financial stability, and growth prospects. These consultations and review missions serve as opportunities for the IMF to evaluate the progress made by the country and to offer recommendations for future policy actions.

During the visit, the IMF team will meet with government officials, central bank representatives, and other relevant stakeholders to gather information, analyze data, and hold discussions on a wide range of economic and financial topics. This includes assessing the implementation of economic reforms, fiscal policies, monetary measures, and structural reforms aimed at promoting sustainable economic growth.

The Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) has taken strict action against banks for their non-compliance with the provisions of the Financial Transactions Reporting Act, No. 6 of 2006 (FTRA). In a recent statement, the CBSL announced that it has imposed financial penalties on six banks as a consequence.

During the period from 17th November 2022 to 31st March 2023, fines totaling Rs. 5.5 million were collected from these banks to ensure compliance with the regulations set forth by the Financial Transactions Reporting Act.

According to the CBSL, the Pradeshiya Sanwardhana Bank faced a penalty of Rs. 500,000, while the fines imposed on HDFC Bank, Seylan Bank, Sampath Bank, Hatton National Bank, and People’s Bank amounted to Rs. 1 million each.

The Financial Transactions Reporting Act (FTRA) aims to combat money laundering, terrorist financing, and other illicit activities by establishing robust mechanisms for reporting and monitoring financial transactions. It is crucial for financial institutions to adhere to the guidelines and provisions outlined in this act to maintain the integrity of the financial system.

The Central Bank’s firm stance on enforcing compliance reflects its commitment to safeguarding the country’s financial sector and preventing illegal activities. The penalties imposed on these banks serve as a reminder to all financial institutions to diligently adhere to the regulations stipulated by the FTRA.

The CBSL’s actions demonstrate its dedication to maintaining transparency and accountability within the banking industry. By enforcing penalties for non-compliance, the Central Bank aims to promote a culture of responsible financial practices and ensure the overall stability and security of Sri Lanka’s financial system.

By Krishantha Prasad Cooray

There are three things that matter when it comes to air travel. Punctuality, baggage not being lost and inflight comfort.

There’s been a lot of chatter recently on the national carrier Sri Lankan and I want to add my own experience in the interest of the silent majority. Too often the opinion of a single traveller, when voiced aloud on the internet, is taken to be the general perception of all. This is far from the truth.

There’s something I learnt when I spoke about my personal experience with SriLankan Airlines pilot Capt Rajind Ranatunga, one of the proudest employees of the national carrier. Typically, he said, much noise is made when there’s a bad experience but those who have nothing to complain about or felt that the entire experience was as good as in any other airline would at best say ‘thank you.’ They don’t whip out their smart phones and hammer out a story as though they’ve been appointed to represent all the passengers. I belong to this category of passengers.
Therefore, I caution the reader not to extrapolate. This is my story and I speak for myself.

I boarded a SriLankan flight UL 318 from Colombo to Malaysia few days ago. The check-in process was as smooth as in any other airline counter, but the SriLankan-managed lounge experience was a cut above the rest. Excellent cuisine, good ambience and everything, washrooms included all spick and span. I mentioned restrooms because I am a firm believer that the status of such facilities says a lot about an organisation. Furthermore, someone traveling with his wife and two young daughters does tend to notice anything that’s even slightly askew. I did not.
The flight left and arrived on time. We all had a very good onboard experience. The food and the service were excellent. The cabin crew was particularly nice to children, I noticed with much appreciation.

We were not kept waiting at the baggage carousals. We picked up our luggage and reached our destination much earlier than expected.

I might have considered the possibility that my positive experience was an exception after reading some negative comments about the airline, except that I have never had any issue with SriLankan Airlines. I haven’t forgotten either the fact that in 2018 and 2019 SriLankan was considered the most punctual airline in the world.

This obviously does not mean that excellence in all things is the norm at SriLankan Airlines. There’s always room for improvement. Those who complain obviously had reason to do so. The airline should address these issues promptly and take measure to ensure that whatever it was that bothered the particular passenger does not arise thereafter.

The airline has been hampered in the past by political interference. In this context, it was heartening to see one of the Board Directors, Dr Hans Wijayasuriya, traveling on the same flight like just another passenger without being accorded any special privileges; just the courtesies offered to the rest of the passengers, as should be the case always.

I also recalled the time when business tycoon Harry Jayawardena was Chairman of SriLankan Airlines. Those ‘golden days’ are still talked of by employees, for it was a time when the airline not only made profits but was able to grant bonuses to the staff.

SriLankan, in my opinion, with the right management team can achieve those standards and improve on them. Indeed, the airline would do well to set itself a target of not leaving any room for anyone to complain, not even a random, ill-tempered passenger who is having a bad day.

For now, I have no complaints and I wish them well.

1. India extends a US$ 1 billion credit line for Sri Lanka by one year, as part of about US$ 4 billion in emergency assistance: Deputy Treasury Secretary Priyantha Ratnayake says post negotiations, the credit line was extended until March 2024.
2. President’s Secretary Saman Ekanayake on the instructions of President Ranil Wickremesinghe informs all Provincial Secretaries in writing to take all precautionary measures to prevent the spread of dengue: Armed Forces and Police instructed to extend their fullest cooperation to the Chief Secretaries in accordance with the requirements of the Dengue Control Programme.
3. The Committee on Parliamentary Business decides to hold a two-day adjournment debate on the MV X-Press Pearl maritime disaster: Debate to be held today, May 10 and tomorrow, May 11, from 9.30 am to 6 pm.
4. Speaker informs Parliament the Supreme Court cleared the way for the House to decriminalise same-sex relationships through a simple majority, as the proposal to add amendments to the Penal Code decriminalising same-sex relationships is “consistent with the Constitution.”
5. Chairman of City Construction Pvt. Ltd. and Chairman of Ocean Edge Suites and Hotels in Colombo Priyank Gupta says Sri Lanka tourism can attract over 3 million tourist arrivals from India alone if proper focused promotions are done to India; asserts to achieve this Sri Lanka does not have to offer free visas on arrivals, nor host regular mega road shows spending millions of rupees; adds a move to make Indian Rupee accepted in the island too would increase Indian arrivals.
6. Australia deports 41 Sri Lankans after attempting to enter Australia illegally: Majority of the deportees are reportedly residents of Jaffna and Valachchenai, who had entered the Australian maritime border using multi-day fishing vessels.
7. Cabinet Spokesman Bandula Gunawardena says the Fiscal Management (responsibility) Act No. 3 of 2003 could have successfully curbed the financial crisis, but because of several amendments, the budget gap has risen to 10-12% and state debt to over 125% of GDP and guarantees for state debt up to 15%; adds the new Financial Management Act has been approved by the Cabinet to ‘correct’ the situation.
8. Sri Lanka’s creditor nations hold their first meeting Tuesday online to coordinate restructuring the island nation’s debt: The creditors hope it will serve as a model to resolve the debt difficulties of middle-income economies: Sri Lanka owes US$ 7.1 billion to bilateral creditors, with US$ 3 billion owed to China, US$ 2.4 billion to the Paris Club and US$ 1.6 billion to India.
9. Cabinet Spokesman Bandula Gunawardena says a request was made by the Cabinet of Ministers to form a Presidential Commission with absolute power “to prevent future protests similar to the ‘Aragalaya’ peoples’ movement”; adds such a request was made “to ensure law and order in the country.”
10. The Afghanistan National Men’s Team to arrive in Sri Lanka to play a three-match ODI series in May–June 2023: The Afghanistan team will arrive in Sri Lanka on May 29, 2023.

In the first meeting of the official bilateral creditors committee, Sri Lankan authorities formally requested debt treatment on Tuesday. The meeting was held online and co-chaired by India, Japan, and France. The 17-member committee consists of Paris Club creditors as well as other official bilateral creditors, including China, Saudi Arabia, and Iran as observers. The new framework, launched in Washington D.C. in April, was held within creditors’ hope that it will serve as a model to resolve the debt difficulties of middle-income economies.

Last month, France, India, and Japan unveiled a common platform to co-ordinate restructuring of Sri Lanka’s debt. According to government data, Sri Lanka owes USD 7.1 billion to bilateral creditors, with China being owed USD 3 billion, followed by USD 2.4 billion to the Paris Club of creditor nations, and USD 1.6 billion to India. The government also needs to renegotiate more than USD 12 billion of debt in eurobonds with overseas private creditors and USD 2.7 billion of other commercial loans.

Sri Lanka has already begun talks to rework part of its domestic debt and aims to finalize a deal by May. The Paris Club committee is a significant move for Sri Lanka, which is struggling to repay its mounting foreign debt amidst the COVID-19 pandemic’s economic fallout. The authorities hope that the move will allow them to restructure their debt and come up with a sustainable repayment plan.

This morning, Sri Lanka Railways announced that five scheduled office trains on all railway lines were cancelled due to a 24-hour token strike staged by station masters. President of the Station Masters’ Association, Mr. Sumedha Somaratne, stated that the strike would continue until midnight today (10).

The Railway Department confirmed that train services have been disrupted due to the station masters’ strike. As a result, the ‘Tikiri Menike’ express train that was supposed to run from Nanuoya to Kandy and Colombo Fort will not operate today. Similarly, the office train scheduled to run from Ganewatta to Colombo Fort and Panadura at 3.55 am has also been cancelled.

The Railway Department also announced that other trains will run with delays. For instance, the train that arrives from Aluthgama to Colombo Fort and runs to Chilaw at 3.40 am will only operate up to Negombo today. The train scheduled to run from Colombo Fort to Noor Nagar at 4.00 am will only travel up to Chilaw station. Similarly, the slow train that was supposed to run from Noor Nagar to Fort will start its journey from Chilaw station today.

In addition, the express train scheduled to run from Colombo Fort to Negombo at 7.00 am will not run today. As a result, the train running from Negombo to Colombo Fort at 9.00 am has also been cancelled. The express train that was scheduled to run from Puttalam to Mt. Lavinia at 4.30 am will also not run today.