The Parliament group of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) today (11) has unanimously concluded that Leader of the Opposition Sajith Premadasa must be nominated as the successor President.

The proposal was brought by Party Secretary General MP Ranjith Madduma Bandara and seconded by Party Chairman Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka.

The proposal thereafter was unanimously approved by the SJB Parliament Group.

The MP group meeting of the SJB and the Samagi Jana Sandhanaya is currently being held at the Opposition Leader’s Office in Colombo.

MIAP

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and former Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa are reportedly in India under diplomatic protection.

The two have left for the neighbour country to meet with a group of high profile government figures of India, according to sources.

Milinda Moragoda, the Sri Lankan High Commissioner to India, too has joined the conversation.

Stay tuned for more information.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has delivered a special statement a short while ago.

In his statement, he made a special disclosure regarding the recent arson attack on his private residence and the recent media claims about his resignation.

MIAP

All announcements made by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa will be issued by the Speaker after informing him, and therefore, only the announcements issued by the Speaker should be considered as the official announcements made by the President, a statement just dropped in by the President’s Office said, indicating what it appears to be a complete disregard for the announcement made by the Prime Minister’s Office earlier this morning.

Earlier this morning, the Prime Minister’s Office stated that President Rajapaksa will be announcing his resignation on July 13.

Had it not been a disregard for the statement by the PM’s Office this morning, there is no basis for a Head of State who is going to resign anyway to issue such an announcement of this nature out of nowhere. Further complicating the situation, a Presidential Secretariat is no more to confirm the claim, nor the attempts made to contact the President’s Secretary or any other top official for corroboration were successful.

In the backdrop, the emergence of the speculation that this would be the first sign of reversal of Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s so called decision to resign would be inevitable.

MIAP

The one-day passport issuance service by the regional office of the Department of Immigration and Emigration at Kurunegala commences from today (11).

Earlier, the one-day service commenced in Matara, Kandy and Vavuniya districts on July 04, 2022.

These services function based on the instructions by Dhammika Perera in his capacity as the former Investment Promotion Minister.

Perera told LNW that he worked in the Ministry of Investment Promotion for only 80 hours and was able to accomplish what any other minister in Sri Lanka would have done in 800 hours.

MIAP

The mandate of the President and the SLPP-led government is no more and the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) would be ready to rebuild the nation that once was destroyed by the SLPP-led regime, said Leader of the Opposition Sajith Premadasa, making a special statement today (11).

Revealing that he is ready to contribute to the programme of stabilising the country and building the country’s economy, Premadasa noted that a government led by a new President and a new Prime Minister will be appointed.

Should anyone choose to conspire against this move in Parliament it would be an act of treason, he went on, urging all parties to support him in the mission of rebuilding the country.

MIAP

The entire Cabinet of Ministers has decided to resign paving the way for an all-party government.

The decision was made during a meeting held this (11) morning, said Wijedasa Rajapaksa.

MIAP

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa was well known for his habit of reversing decisions during his two-year tenure as the country’s Head of State. Being called a ‘reverse’ President, Rajapaksa reversed many executive moves including but not limited to the Chemical Fertiliser ban, the State of Emergency, curfew and a number of gazettes. Had it been a world record, Gotabaya Rajapaksa could have been the first ever state head to reverse too many decisions in a very short tenure.

Gotabaya Rajapaksa has now revealed a date, July 13, 2022, for his official announcement for resignation. There is no need for him to declare an auspicious time to make such an announcement when the entire country is a god’s forsaken land. His moral obligation to the government and his people as the island nation’s Head of State has already been shattered into pieces.

In the midst of the growing chaos, Rajapaksa has only told the Prime Minister and the Speaker that he will resign, but refuses to publicly acknowledge it for two more days. Why?

In the backdrop, the public shall be surprised if Gotabaya Rajapaksa reverses his decision to resign as well.

The price of a 12.5 kg domestic LP gas cylinder will increase by Rs. 50, announced LITRO.

Accordingly, the price of a 12.5 kg domestic gas cylinder will increase from Rs. 4860 to Rs. 4910.

The May Electricity Bill should be presented at the time of gas purchase to prevent unnecessary stockpiling of gas, the state-run company added.

MIAP