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India commits to strengthen Defence Cooperation with Sri Lanka

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India commits to strengthen Defence Cooperation with Sri Lanka

India reiterated its commitment to strengthen Defense Corporation with Sri Lanka expressing its readiness to continue to support the island nation in the defense sphere.

This was highlighted at a meeting between the visiting Sri Lankan delegation headed by by State Minister of Defence Premitha Bandara Tennakoon and the Minister of State for Defence and Tourism of India Shri Ajay Bhatt recently in the sidelines of DefExpo2022 held in Gandhinagar, Gujarat. India.

The Sri Lankan delegation also had cordial interactions with Defence Minister, Defence Secretary, Chief of Defence Staff and all three Service Chiefs of India during the visit.

A three-member official delegation from Sri Lanka, led by State Minister of Defence Premitha Bandara Tennakoon and comprising Army and Navy officers, is currently on a visit to India for attending India’s premier biennial global defence exhibition DefExpo2022.

The exhibition was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 19 October 2022 at Gandhinagar, Gujarat. This is the second occasion in the past year during which a Minister from Sri Lanka is participating at an event inaugurated by Prime Minister Modi. It may be recalled that Ministers from Sri Lanka were a part of the inaugural international flight to Kushinagar airport in October 2021.

Speaking at DefExpo2022, State Minister Premitha Bandara Tennakoon hailed the partnership between India and Sri Lanka in the defence sphere. He highlighted the importance of defence industrial base in augmenting Security policy and noted that DefExpo 2022 provided a great avenue for a deeper understanding of the nature of transformation in modern warfare across five dimensions.

DefExpo2022 is the biggest-defence exhibition, which showcases the growing prowess of India’s defence industry to achieve the vision of ‘Make in India, Make for the World’ as well as self-reliance in the defence domain. Live demonstrations showcasing the equipment and skill sets of the Armed Forces, Defence Public Sector Units and industry were also organized.

Bilateral engagement in defence is multi-dimensional in nature. High level exchanges continued both ways despite the challenges posed by COVID-19. SLINEX (Naval Exercise) and exercise MITRA SHAKTI (Army Exercise) are held every year alternatively in India and Sri Lanka.

Both Armed Forces collaborate closely in dealing with common security challenges such as drug and human trafficking, Indian High Commission in Colombo said.



The case against the former CBSL governor: Keerthi Tennakoon has misled the court!

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The case against the former CBSL governor: Keerthi Tennakoon has misled the court!

The case related to the private complaint filed by Keerthi Tennakoon in the Colombo Magistrate’s Court against former Central Bank Governor Ajith Nivard Cabral was heard today (26) before the Magistrate Harshana Kekulawala. Sampath Mandis, the President’s Counsel who represented the former Central Bank Governor, said that the primary charge of this privately filed complaint was also heard in the Court of Appeal in November 2021.

Sampath Mandis, President’s Counsel pointed out the facts before the court that after the hearing, the accusation was completely rejected. He also pointed out that Keerthi Tennakoon, who presented the allegations, had not come to the court ‘with clean hands’.

Explaining further, the President’s lawyer said that when a person unilaterally requests a certain decision, the court should be informed of all the information related to the request of a person who approaches the court.

Even so, Thennakone has tried to mislead the magistrate by concealing a series of very important information.

The Magistrate Harshana Kekulawala ordered to consider those requests and submit those facts in writing, and today the former Central Bank Governor Cabral was not considered as an accused in the court. Accordingly, the magistrate stated that it is not necessary for him to enter the dock. Also, bail of Rs 1 million rupees was set and the next date of hearing was fixed as November 24, 2022.

President’s Counsel Maithri Gunaratne appeared for Keerthi Tennakoon.

Japanese Volunteer Support for SL Development at Grass-root Level

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Japanese Volunteer Support for SL Development at Grass-root Level

Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JOCV) have extended their support for Sri Lanka’s development efforts at grass root level.

Ms. Tanji Megumi and Ms. Numano Sayaka, the new Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JOCV) arrived in Sri Lanka on the 15th of September with the aim of providing their expertise to improve and add value to activities carried out by the Department of Social Services and Early Childhood Education Development Authority of the Northwestern Provincial Council.

Over 1,100 Japanese volunteers have come to Sri Lanka within a span of 40 years as a part of JICA’s on-going Volunteer Dispatch Program; and they possess a variety of skills covering several technical fields.

Ms. Tanji will be helping with early childhood education based at the model pre-school in Kuliyapitiya and Ms. Numano will be joining the Department of Social Services and serving in the region of Kurunegala, promoting welfare towards persons with disabilities in the area.

The strengths of JICA’s volunteers are their practical approach to problem solving and the use of local languages (Sinhala) which enables them to understand and speak to the hearts and minds of local people.

These volunteers not only transfer technical skills, but also share knowledge on cultural aspects, and most importantly, build strong and long-lasting friendships with local people that outlast their stay in Sri Lanka.

The new volunteers were introduced to their host organizations at an assigning ceremony, which was held at the JICA Sri Lanka Office, on the 13th of October 2022.

The occasion was graced by Officials of the Department of External Resources, volunteer host organizations and JICA Sri Lanka Office.

W.M.S Mangala, Director of Technical Assistance (TA) division at Department of External Resources under the Ministry of Finance said the Sri Lankans were really happy that the two volunteers introduced their activities very clearly in Sinhala Language after a very short period of study.

He expressed the belief that both of them will speak Sinhala very well when rgwt finish service in Sri Lanka. Also, I hope that you will make the most of your experience, skills, and Sinhala language, and do your best in their assignments.”

As a response, the 2 volunteers answered, “The Sinhala language is really difficult, but doing our best to master the language. We would like to learn a lot from the people we will interact with. What we want to learn would be about the beliefs of education and teaching methods in Sri Lanka, social norms in raising children and about this beautiful island.”

Since the inception of JICA’s Volunteer Dispatch Program in Sri Lanka in 1981, a total 1,156 volunteers have worked in Sri Lanka, and their contribution towards development activities at grass-root level is greatly valued by the organizations that have received their services.

After a hiatus of more than 2 years we restarted our volunteer activities in the month of August 2021 and this will be the dispatch of the 5th batch since then. Therefore, they are proud of new volunteers continuously being recruited to the country with respect to the activities that both of them hope to carry out.

Sri Lanka and the Netherlands to ink bilateral aviation accord

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Sri Lanka and the Netherlands to ink bilateral aviation accord

Sri Lanka and the Netherlands are to sign a bilateral aviation agreement aiming to launch direct passenger and cargo flights between the two countries

The main aim is to boost tourism and investment as there was no aviation bilateral agreement between the two countries although both countries started diplomatic relations in 1951,

The proposed agreement is also expected to promote, education, trade, investment, agriculture and cultural sectors in the country, foreign ministry sources said.

“With this agreement, Sri Lanka and the Netherlands will be able to start direct flights, and a smoother exchange of travelers and cargo can be expected,” a top official of the Aviation Ministry said.

Due to the severe forex shortage in the country, the government is exploring possible ways of bringing in more forex and the authorities expect to generate around US$800 million through tourism in 2022.

Minister of Tourism Harin Fernando said his ministry has already begun promotions in the Asian region and said the country can expect a boost in tourist arrivals in the last quarter of December.

This will further enhance, agriculture, and cultural ties between Sri Lanka and the Netherlands and it was aimed at economic development.

The Chicago Convention, signed in 1944, mandates that airlines enter into agreements to operate international commercial flights between two or more states

There are currently 193 countries registered with the International Civil Aviation Organisation.

Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva pointed out that by entering into agreements with those countries, it will be possible to engage in aviation activities when required

Diplomatic relations between Sri Lanka and the Netherlands date back to 1951. During the preliminary discussions, it was decided to operate 14 flights a week between Sri Lanka and the Netherlands.

SriLankan Airlines and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines in the Netherlands are also planned to be used for this purpose, he noted.

The smuggling of inferior crude oil resumes!

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The smuggling of inferior crude oil resumes!

Lanka News Web has previously revealed through several news articles about smuggling of importing inferior crude oil unsuitable for Sapugaskanda Oil Refinery.

In Sri Lanka, petrol with an octane value of 90 is generally used, but when this crude oil is refined, petrol with an octane value of less than 82 is obtained. It was also reported that the crude oil obtained from refining the crude oil is of inferior quality which cannot be used for the Kelanitissa power plant.

Oil company sources said that the smuggling of such inferior crude oil is now operating again.

Accordingly, sources said that a ship carrying such inferior crude oil from Russia is arriving in Sri Lanka. It is said that the ship is currently near the Straits of Malacca.

This inferior crude oil smuggling is operated by one of the most powerful political families in the country and millions of US dollars are being exploited through it.

Due to lack of crude oil, the Sapugaskanda oil refinery has stopped and it is going to be activated again using cheap crude oil as before.

Ranil Jayawardene resigns from his position

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Ranil Jayawardene resigns from his position

Ranil Jayawardene, who served as the Minister of Environment in the British Parliament, has resigned from that position.

Ranil Jayawardene, who is of Sri Lankan origin, became a cabinet minister in Britain last September.

The appointment was made by former Prime Minister Ms. Lees Truss and after her resignation, Mr. Ranil Jayawardene also resigned from his position.

The private bus strike temporarily suspended

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The private bus strike temporarily suspended

All the bus associations have decided to temporarily suspend the private bus strike that was planned to be implemented from midnight yesterday (25).

They reached this decision after a discussion with the Minister of Transport, Bandula Gunawardena.

They had called the strike saying that the buses were being forcibly acquired by the leasing companies.

State Finance Committee approves five gazettes

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State Finance Committee approves five gazettes

Five gazettes to be submitted to the Parliament for approval were considered in the Government Finance Committee recently and approval was obtained for four gazettes.

This approval was given after an analysis of the relevant gazettes in the Government Finance Committee which met recently (20) under the chairmanship of Member of Parliament Dr. Harshada Silva.

Thus, the approval of the Committee was obtained for Gazette No. 2282/26, which is stipulated under Value Added Tax Act No. 14 of 2002 as amended by Act No. 6 of 2005. This gazette was published in relation to increasing the value added tax (VAT) to 12%.

The rule under the Excise Ordinance mentioned in the Special Gazette No. 2277/62 was also considered here. This gazette had been imposed in relation to charging a tax of Rs 50 for a liter of rice and the relevant gazette had to be approved.

Under the Finance Act No. 25 of 2003 mentioned in the Extraordinary Gazette No. 2272/53, approval was also given by the Committee of the Rules Committee. This gazette was published to reduce the fee charged to each person departing from Ratmalana Airport to USD 30.

Meanwhile, under the Foreign Exchange Act No. 12 of 2017, the order mentioned in the Special Gazette No. 2296/12 was considered here and its purpose is to increase the period of 24 months to 36 months mentioned in the orders of the Gazette No. 2234/19 published on June 30, 2021.

There was a special discussion of the committee was regarding the imposition of a temporary ban on the import of commodes which was mentioned in the special order No. 2296/30 published under the import and export control No. 1 of 1969. The officials also pointed out that this decision was taken with the aim of expanding the market for local products as recommended by the Ministry of Industry. But since the foreign exchange spent for the import of these goods is relatively low and the market lack of these goods as well as the increase in price cannot be borne by the common people, it was discussed in the committee that it is not appropriate to control the imports. Accordingly, it was decided to discuss this further in a future meeting.

The committee pointed out to the relevant officials the need to quickly refer these gazettes for approval.

Minister Nalin Fernando, State Minister Dr. Suren Raghavan, Members of Parliament Anura Priyadarshana Yapa, Mayantha Dissanayake, Harshana Rajakaruna and Professor Ranjith Bandara were also present on this occasion.

SRI LANKA ORIGINAL NARRATIVE SUMMARY: 26/10

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SRI LANKA ORIGINAL NARRATIVE SUMMARY: 26/10
  1. US Ambassador to Sri Lanka Julie Chung says Deputy Asstistant Secretary of the US Treasury for Asia, Robert Kaproth has arrived in Sri Lanka: also says he is due to meet government and economic leaders to discuss the “way forward on economic recovery for Sri Lanka”.
  2. Swiss leisure airline – Edelweiss, French flag carrier – Air France, Netherlands flag carrier – Royal Dutch Airlines, and Russia’s largest charter airline – Azur Air to resume services to Colombo from the 1st week of November.
  3. SLPP rebel MP Professor Channa Jayasumana says Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena should take measures to remove all dual citizens from Parliament: asserts that nearly a dozen dual citizens remain in Parliament.
  4. Elections Commission Chairman Nimal Punchihewa says any decision regarding MPs who are said to be dual citizens, should be taken through a judicial process: also says the matter is beyond the scope of the EC.
  5. President Ranil Wickremesinghe grants a pardon to 8 ex-LTTE prisoners: 3 of them were convicted of attempting to assassinate former President Chandrika Kumaranatunga who has expressed her consent for their release.
  6. CB Governor Dr. Weerasinghe says the IMF remains the “only path” for Sri Lanka to emerge from the economic crisis, as no one else is ready to bail out the country after the debt default announced in April; data shows that planned Forex inflows of at least USD 10.7 bn were ignored when the sovereign default without Parliamentary approval, was hurriedly announced by the CB Governor and Treasury Secretary.
  7. Merchandise exports increases by 5.75% y-o-y to USD 1,094 mn in September 2022: USD10 bn recorded for merchandise exports in first 9 months of 2022.
  8. CBSL survey shows 57.9% of Sri Lanka’s adult population is financially literate: 55.2% – women: 61.1% – men.
  9. Minister Kanchana Wijesekara says two-tier current tariff rate for Solar roof top electricity of Rs.22 & Rs.15.50 will be revised: new rate to be to Rs.37 for less than 500KW and Rs.34.50 for above 500KW, for 20 years.
  10. Australia beat Sri Lanka by 7 wickets in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022: Sri Lanka – 157/6 (20): Australia – 158/3 (16.3).

Commemoration of the 7th Ayurveda Day

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Commemoration of the 7th Ayurveda Day

To commemorate the 7th Ayurveda Day, Swami Vivekananda Cultural Center, the cultural arm of the High Commission of India, Colombo, organized a special  exhibition  on    the  theme  “Ayurveda Everyday, Ayurveda Everywhere” for Sri Lanka Police Force on 22nd October, 2022. The key objective of the exhibition was to spread awareness about Ayurveda for better health and living.

2.         The Acting High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka, Shri Vinod K. Jacob was the Chief Guest at the exhibition. Conveying his greetings on Dhanteras and Deepavali, the Acting High Commissioner highlighted the significance of Ayurveda as a holistic system of medicine, which promotes harmony of the body and the environment.

3.          SSP Athula Amarasinghe, the Deputy Director of National Police Academy of Sri Lanka, graced the occasion as the Guest of Honour. Dr. Pathirage Kamal Perera, Professor in Ayurveda Medicine and Consultant Physician, Institute of Indigenous Medicine, University of Colombo, attended the event as the subject matter expert. Noting the role of diet, herbs, and spices in Ayurvedic treatment, he highlighted that the western medicinal science, including the World Health Organization (WHO), is increasingly taking interest in Ayurveda to promote a holistic lifestyle. Distinguished Ayurveda experts, Ms. Ruvi Rodrigio and Dr. Amila Wickramasinghe explained the various exhibits that were displayed during the exhibition. About 50 participants from Sri Lanka Police force attended the exhibition.

4.   Ayurveda day is celebrated every year on Dhanvantari Jayanti (Dhanteras), to commemorate the birth anniversary of Lord Dhanvantari, who is referred to as the ‘God of Ayurveda’ in Sushruta Samhita, an ancient Sanskrit text on medicine   and surgery. Dhanvantari Jayanti is also first of the five days celebration of Deepavali, the festival of light. 

5.    The Ministry of Ayurveda, Yoga, Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, Sowa-Rigpa and Homoeopathy (AYUSH) of the Government of India and the Sri Lankan Ministry of Health, Nutrition and Indigenous Medicine have undertaken a number of initiatives for promotion of indigenous alternative medicine systems. After the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, both the Ministries released guidelines that promote good health and hygiene as well as boost immunity to help combat the Corona virus.

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Colombo

25 October 2022

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