To the government’s much aggravation, it does not receive enough revenue to settle the salaries of the public servants, said Minister Bandula Gunawardena, responding to a query expecting vocal response.
The Minister added that earlier it was possible to settle the public servants’ paychecks via the issuance of treasury bills, but the staff-level agreement reached with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) prevents such action.
MIAP
The Centre for GENDER Studies of the University of Kelaniya organized their 1st National Conference on Gender 22’ for Undergraduates in Sri Lankan Universities.
The Conference commenced at 10.30 am on the 21 of September 2022, at the Boardroom of the Faculty of Science.
The Chief Guest of the conference was Cadre Chair & Senior Prof. Nilanthi De Silva, Vice Chancellor – University of Kelaniya while the Keynote Speaker was Dr. Huma Masood, South Asian Gender Consultant – UNESCO Region. Senior Prof. Sudath Kalingamudali, Dean – Faculty of Science, Heads of the Departments, representatives of the Women & Child Bureau, police officers from the National Police Academy, representatives of FISD, NGOs, and the LGBTQ Community and other respective Invitees were present at the occasion.
Dr. Anusha Edirisinghe Director of the Centre for Gender Studies handed over a Conference Proceeding Abstract Volume to the Vice-Chancellor. Ms. M. I. F. Sharfa won the award for the Best Presenter among the 35 who presented their research at the conference.
The 2nd Phase of the Conference was a Policy Forum. It was held from 3.30 pm at the Boardroom of the Faculty of Science. The purpose of this Policy Forum was to discuss how Gender Sensitive State policies can be implemented. The panelists were Prof. Subhangi Herath – Gender Specialist, University of Colombo, Chair prof. Anuruddhi Edirisinghe, Department of Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Kelaniya, Professor Avinash Jha, University of Pataliputra, Patna, Bihar, India, and Amila Sampath, Alumni of the University of Kelaniya & President of the LGBTQ Sri Lankan community in the USA.
Senior Prof. Sudath Kalingamudali, Dean – Faculty of Science, Heads of Departments, representatives of the Women & Child Bureau, Police officers from the National Police Academy, representatives of FISD, NGOs, and the LGBTQ Community and other respective Invitees were present at the Forum.
More than 500 detained in both Moscow and St Petersburg, says monitoring group, after Putin orders call-up of military reservists
Security forces detained more than 1,300 people in Russia on Wednesday at protests denouncing mobilisation, a rights group said, hours after President Vladimir Putin ordered Russia’s first military draft since the second world war.
The independent OVD-Info protest monitoring group said that according to information it had collated from 38 Russian cities, more than 1,311 people had been held by late evening.
It said those figures included at least 502 in Moscow and 524 in St Petersburg, Russia’s second most populous city. Unsanctioned rallies are illegal under Russia’s anti-protest laws.
Russian interior ministry official Irina Volk, in a statement quoted by Russian news agencies, said officers had cut short attempts to stage what it called small protests.
“In a number of regions, there were attempts to stage unauthorised actions which brought together an extremely small number of participants,” Volk was quoted as saying.
“These were all stopped. And those persons who violated laws were detained and taken to police stations for investigation and establish their responsibility.”
One-way flights out of Russia were rocketing in price and selling out fast on Wednesday after Putin ordered the immediate call-up of 300,000 reservists.
The Vesna opposition movement called for protests, saying: “Thousands of Russian men, our fathers, brothers and husbands, will be thrown into the meat grinder of the war. What will they be dying for? What will mothers and children be crying for?”
The Moscow prosecutor’s office warned that organising or participating in protests could lead to up to 15 years in prison. Authorities have issued similar warnings ahead of other protests. Wednesday’s were the first nationwide anti-war protests since the fighting began in late February.
AFP journalists in the centre of Moscow said at least 50 people were detained by police wearing anti-riot gear on a main shopping street.
In St Petersburg, AFP reporters saw police surround a small group of protesters and detain them one-by-one, loading them on to a bus.
Protesters were chanting “No mobilisation!”
“Everyone is scared. I am for peace and I don’t want to have to shoot. But coming out now is very dangerous, otherwise there would be many more people,” said protester Vasily Fedorov, a student wearing a pacifist symbol on his chest.
“I came out to the rally planning to participate, but it looks like they’ve already arrested everyone. This regime has condemned itself and is destroying its youth,” said Alexei, a 60-year-old resident who declined to give his last name.
“Why are you serving Putin, a man who’s been in power for 20 years!” a young protester shouted at one policeman.
“I came to say that I am against war and mobilisation,” Oksana Sidorenko, a student, told AFP. “Why are they deciding my future for me? I’m scared for myself, for my brother,” she added.
Alina Skvortsova, 20, said she hoped Russians would soon understand the nature of the Kremlin’s offensive in neighbouring Ukraine. “As soon as they really understand, they will come out on to the street, despite the fear,” she said.
In Ekaterinburg, Russia’s fourth-largest city, police hauled on to buses some of the 40 protesters who were detained at an anti-war rally. One woman in a wheelchair shouted, referring to the Russian president: “Goddamn bald-headed ‘nut job’. He’s going to drop a bomb on us, and we’re all still protecting him. I’ve said enough.”
The Interfax news agency quoted the Russian interior ministry as saying it had quashed attempts to “organise unauthorised gatherings”.
All the demonstrations were stopped and those who committed “violations” were arrested and led away by police pending an investigation and prosecution, it added.
A new circular will be issued on the dress code of public servants and instructions have already been given in this regard, said Secretary to the Ministry of Public Administration, Home Affairs, Provincial Councils and Local Governments Priyantha Mayadunne.
A circular previously issued had instructed that women are allowed to wear a Saree, a traditional Sri Lankan women’s silhouette (Osariya), or other suitable officewear, but the instructions have wrongly been understood by some public servants, where they tend to avoid the part ‘suitable officewear’ and comply with the first part of the clause only, Mr. Mayadunne pointed out.
In the backdrop, a new circular will be issued allowing women to wear a suitable officewear, he added.
MIAP
Senior Deputy Inspector General of Police (SDIG) Deshabandu Tennakoon is likely to meet a difficult time due to his failure of acting in compliance with an Authority order to provide protection to former Director of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Senior Superintendent of Police Shani Abeysekara, whose career profile is affiliated with a number of sensitive, controversial and highly classified investigations in the country being subjugated to many death threats, LNW learned.
Given the nature of Abeysekara’s involvement in these investigations not knowledge to the public, the ex CID Chief has been receiving death threats by a number of parties throughout the course of time and an intelligence report had also been issued corroborating these events. Accordingly, Abeysekara had been provided special security and a vehicle since the tenure of N.K. Ilangakoon as the Inspector General of Police (IGP).
However, with Abeysekara’s transfer on November 20, 2019 from the CID as per an order issued by Gotabaya Rajapaksa in his coming as the Head of State in the same year, he lost the security he had previously been provided. Despite Rajapaksa being sworn in as the President of Sri Lanka by November 20, not even a Cabinet was appointed then to handle such affairs, making Abeysekara’s transfer the first-ever order issued by the ex President. Abeysekara also lodged a lawsuit against this transfer, calling it unlawful.
Meanwhile, threats were posed against Abeysekara on two occasions; one a telephone call threatening to murder his children and another a publicly posed verbal assault, one of which the person who posed it deliberately assisted the media to cover the scene, during the ex CID Chief’s attendance to a hearing at the Gampaha Court.
In the backdrop, Mr. Abeysekara had lodged a complaint to the ‘Authority for the Protection of Witnesses and Victims’ and informed about the threats posed against him. The Authority that investigated the complaint had ordered the Police to provide adequate security to the ex CID Chief thereafter.
Following the order, current IGP C.D. Wickramarathne had informed Tennakoon, who is the SDIG in charge of the Western Province, in writing that adequate security be provided to Abeysekara via the relevant Police Division given that his residence is located in Borella.
However, Tennakoon responded saying that the Subject Minister’s Secretary was consulted requesting advice in this regard and security, therefore, cannot be provided to Abeysekara until due course.
To date, ex CID Chief Shani Abeysekara, whose life, among other persons such as his family members, may be in danger, has not been provided protection by the Police, correspondents told LNW.
Provisions of the ‘Act for the Protection of Witnesses and Victims’ guarantee that the Attorney General can declare a prison sentence of 02 – 07 years after filing a lawsuit before a High Court for failing to implement an order issued by the ‘Authority for the Protection of Witnesses and Victims.’
Mr. Abeysekara, accordingly, is now working to filing a complaint with the said Authority regarding the Police’s failure comply with the order, correspondents further revealed.
MIAP
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the creditors responding to Sri Lanka should be informed that the country is back on the trajectory of achieving economic stability together with credit sustainability, said Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe, addressing a function held in Colombo two days (20) ago.
“We will have to spend a difficult period ahead. Our economy now is being contracted. We have to get used to it. We should manage by reducing imports with our export earnings. Also, maintaining high interest rates, slowing-down economic activities and protecting the most affected sections of the population from this crisis should be carried out. During this period, others may have to share a certain level of pain in this regard,” Weerasinghe said.
The CBSL Chief went on: “It was in the objective of managing that pain did we reach into many difficult economic decisions. Are we to receive the approval of the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund, I am confident that we can achieve stability in terms of economy. Also, you may be able to continue your regular economic activities slowly. Adding, we may be able to maintain regular business activities and go back to the situation we were in before. But keep in mind, this is not the end of the story.”
MIAP
President Ranil Wickremesinghe visited the United Kingdom from 17 – 20 September 2022 to attend the State Funeral Service of Her Majesty the late Queen Elizabeth II.
On Sunday, 18 September, the President accompanied by the First Lady, Prof Maithree Wickramasinghe and High Commissioner of Sri Lanka to the United Kingdom, Saroja Sirisena, attended the Lying-in-State of the late Queen at the Palace of Westminster which was followed by a Reception hosted by His Majesty King Charles III at the Buckingham Palace.
The President and the First Lady attended the State Funeral Service held at the Westminster Abbey on Monday, 19 September. The event was attended by around two thousand guests including world leaders, royalty, representatives of Her Majesty’s Patronages and public representatives. On the same day, President Wickremesinghe signed the Book of Condolence. The Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs the Rt Hon James Cleverly MP hosted a reception for the visiting world leaders at the Church House.
President Wickremesinghe also met representatives of the British Sri Lankan community in the United Kingdom at the Sri Lanka High Commission in London. He recalled the special affection Queen Elizabeth II had towards Sri Lanka as the Head of the Commonwealth and as the longest serving Head of State of Ceylon for 20 years prior to the nation becoming a Republic, and stated that her passing is the end of an era. He added that Sri Lanka is proud of its diaspora. He congratulated the British Sri Lankan community for making a mark in every field in the economy of UK such as trading, services, business and requested them to come together as Sri Lankans and people of Sri Lankan origin to help build our motherland. President Wickremesinghe informed the gathering of the proposed Office for people of Sri Lankan origin and invited their investments in projects in Sri Lanka. He stated that already there are proposals to establish non-profit making universities in Jaffna and Colombo. The President also added that Sri Lanka is looking at transforming its economy to a competitive export oriented one to meet the current challenges and to strengthen social systems and modernise the education system.
On 20 September, the President met the Secretary General of the Commonwealth, the Rt Hon Patricia Scotland QC and discussed Sri Lanka’s engagement with the Commonwealth Secretariat and matters of mutual interest. He also visited London Buddhist Vihara during which Ven Dr Bogoda Seelawimala, Chief Incumbent of the Vihara and the Chief Sanga Nayaka of Great Britain invoked blessings on the President and the people of Sri Lanka
High Commission of Sri Lanka
London
21 September, 2022
The Samagi Janabalawegaya, SJB as a party, strongly opposes discrimination against persons based on their gender and sexuality, disclosed Leader of the Opposition Sajith Premadasa during a meeting with the Sri Lankan LGBTIQ Community three days ago.
He stated that such discrimination leading to violence and harassment, was a result of ignorance and attitudinal poverty.
National development cannot take place purely with economic and technological development. Attitudinal development is critical for overall development of any society, Mr Premadasa explained.
Pursuing with the programme for rebuilding and developing of Sri Lanka undertaken by the Opposition, a meeting was held for policy development on gender and LGBTIQ, on September 19 at the Office of the Opposition Leader.
During this meeting, Mr Premadasa further pointed out that a person’s gender and sexuality were personal and private. It is wrong for anyone to pass judgment on another or treat anyone differently due to their gender or sexuality. Similarly all humanbeings are equal, irrespective of their race, religion or caste. He maintained that all should be treated with dignity and diversity should be respected.
The event was attended by Sri Lankan LGBTIQ activists and community-based organisations.
Photos: Sajith Premadasa Official Facebook Page / Equite Sri Lanka Official Facebook Page
In a very unusual turn of events , Lanka coal company on 21 st September , wrote to the energy ministry recommending and requesting to buy coal at USD 355 per metric ton , while a consortium led by Browns investments offered to sell coal at 320 per metric ton!
In a early filling to the Colombo stock exchange on 21st September , Browns Investments disclosed to the share market that it , together with its consortium partners has offered to supply coal to the country at a price of USD 290 per metric ton plus USD 30 for freight. This offer has been made to Lanka coal company on 12 Th august. Also as per the offer , it requires only 50% payment in USD and balance 50% they have agreed to accept rupees or 5 year rupee loan !
While this offer is on , On 21 st evening itself , Lanka coal company has requested energy ministry to buy 300,000 metric tons of coal ( 5 shipments) from another supplier named Swiss Singapore, at a price of 355 per metric ton , thereby overpaying approximately 10 million USD for the five shipments! Also each shipments has to be paid in full , in USD , before unloading, thereby overpaying 60million USD more per month , compared to the offer they have from Browns!
On an earlier letter addressed to the finance ministry, browns officials have requested government if 48 million USD per month can be released ( that is 50% USD component) they can ensure adequate coal supply to the country to ensure uninterrupted power generation. This letter has also been copied to the energy minister and governor central bank. However as per the letter of 21 st September of Lanka coal company , it needs 107 million USD to be released by central bank during October itself to buy five coal shipments from Swiss Singapore. When inquired , browns Investments officers said that they can easily import 11 shipments to the country , that is 660,000 metric tons , if this amount of foreign currency can be released to them and said that they are awaiting for the authorities to take a proper decision in this regard.
By a special correspondent
The Commissioner General of Examinations in a special announcement said the certificate issued by the Sri Lanka Department of Examinations under the one-day service for students who wish to apply for university entrance based on 2021 (2022) G.C.E. Advanced Level Examination results is not mandatory for submission.
Below is the statement:
MIAP
