Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe today (15) met with representatives of the commercial banks to discuss the loans requested by Rice Mill Owners.
The Prime Minister was informed by Minister of Trade, Commerce and Food Security, Nalin Fernando, that while the banks were not dispersing the requested loans sufficiently, there was also hoarding of rice stocks taking place.
The Prime Minister instructed the Central Bank and Treasury officials to monitor the banks lending policies, while ensuring that Bank of Ceylon’s provided loans that were in line with the Government’s financial policies.
The Prime Minister also stated that the Government would introduce new legislation that will govern Rice Mill Owners and Silo Owners to prevent future hoarding of food stocks.
Samagi Jana Balawega MP Harsha de Silva says that the Japanese Ambassador to Sri Lanka has told him that his trust in Sri Lanka has completely collapsed.
“I spoke with the Ambassador to Japan. He told me that they were completely devastated by Sri Lanka. The Prime Minister had said yesterday that this trust had been shattered and that it would take us a long time to build it. That is the truth. Then the ambassador to Japan says that in order to give us even a short term loan, there must be an all party government or both the government and the opposition must sign the loan agreement. Opposition MPs have never signed a loan taken by the government. If so, the only solution is an all party government ”
Harsha de Silva had said this at a recent meeting.
The Minister of Agriculture Mahinda Amaraweera states that the lives of the farming community will be enriched if the program planned by the government is implemented properly.
The Minister states that all the necessary plans have been prepared to carry out the cultivation activities properly during the Yala and Maha seasons and the fertilizer required for the cultivation activities will be received in the future. He says an agreement has already been reached with India to import fertilizer.
Amaraweera pointed out that if the cultivation activities are successful in the next two seasons, there will be no shortage of rice. Accordingly, government stocks of rice have already been issued to the market.
He says that the Ministry is also intervening to release stocks of rice owned by private traders to the market and will continue to carry out raids to find those who are hiding stocks of rice and selling them at higher prices.
The government has decided to continue to release fuel but only 50% of the existing demand can be supplied continuously, said Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.
“Today we have decided to continue providing fuel. It can be continued only if 50% of the current demand is met. It also gives priority to power generation, transportation and many other essential services. Thus we can use the current stock for 7 days. A ship carrying 40,000 metric tons of fuel will arrive in Sri Lanka on the 16th of this month. Accordingly, ships have been secured by the end of the month. We are now in the process of procuring two ships for the next month as well. And then when the Indian New Deal was signed, the credit line, we actually had fuel for four months. But we give all this on a 50% basis. ”
The Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe made this statement in a special statement yesterday (14).
The first flight scheduled to take asylum seekers from the UK to Rwanda on Tuesday has been cancelled after a last-minute legal battle.
Up to seven people had been expected to be removed to the east African country.
But the flight was stopped after an intervention from the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR).
Home Secretary Priti Patel said she was “disappointed” but would not be deterred and the “preparation for the next flight begins now”.
The cancellation of the flight followed a UK court saying it could go ahead, and came after a series of legal challenges in Britain failed.
The plane had been due to take off at 22:30 BST from a military airport in Wiltshire but, after a number of linked judgements from the ECtHR in Strasbourg and courts in London, all passengers were removed from it.
In a statement hours before the flight’s planned departure, the ECtHR said it had granted an “urgent interim measure” in the case of an Iraqi man, known only as “KN”.
It said such requests were only granted on an “exceptional basis, when the applicants would otherwise face a real risk of irreversible harm”.
That decision contradicted a ruling by judges in London, who had found no immediate risk to those being sent to Rwanda.
The ECtHR oversees a range of human rights laws to which the UK is a signatory, along with other nations. It is separate from the European Union.
Leader of the JVP Anura Kumara Dissanayake says that the urea fertilizer to be received by Sri Lanka under the Indian loan scheme is poisonous and that an agronomist has advised him not to use it for planting crops.
Anura Kumara Dissanayake stated this while addressing a conference of the National People’s Force held recently.
It is reported that Dhammika Perera, who has been appointed as a National List Member of Parliament for the SLPP, has met President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa yesterday (14).
It is said that they had a lengthy discussion on the current situation and future course of action.
Sources said that the discussions were held at a very fruitful level.
Former Maldivian President Mohamed Nasheed responded to a comment made by SJB MP Dr. Harsha De Silva involving his name, saying that it is false.
Denying the SJB MP’s claim, Nasheed said he believes that a number of countries are willing to help Sri Lanka, and that the assistance will come through.
“Harsha De Silva is a long-time friend and we often meet. I always enjoy his company. This press story isn’t accurate though. I believe a number of countries are willing to help Sri Lanka, and that the assistance will come through,” Nasheed wrote on Twitter.
@HarshadeSilvaMP is a long-time friend and we often meet. I always enjoy his company. This press story isn’t accurate though. I believe a number of countries are willing to help Sri Lanka, and that the assistance will come through. @colombogazette@easwaranrutnam
The Opposition Economist recently told a gathering that he casually met the former Maldivian President, who revealed to him that he was given a ‘contract’ by the government to seek support for Sri Lanka and learned from the Leader Supreme of Saudi Arabia Mohammed Bin Salman (MBS) and the Leader of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) via private telephone conversations that they will ‘not’ assist Sri Lanka due to its failed plans.
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe held discussions with stakeholders in the tourism sector today (June 14) at the Prime Minister’s Office.
The Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) said it expects to attract around 800,000 tourists for the rest of the year, with an estimated revenue of $ 800 million.
The Prime Minister has instructed officials to prepare a plan to attract tourists from India for the next six months. He also requested the relevant authorities to make arrangements for the resumption of operations of the Palaly Airport.
With Sri Lanka targeting around 2.5 million tourists by 2025 with an expected revenue of $ 3.5 billion, the Prime Minister urged all stakeholders to formulate long-term plans to attract around 1.5 million high-level tourists.
The Prime Minister also instructed the relevant stakeholders to engage in youth awareness programs as many employees in the hospitality sector have already left for other locations and the number of new recruits to hotel schools in the country has come down drastically.
The Prime Minister also discussed the possibilities of organizing cultural festivals which will provide a unique opportunity to create new employment opportunities and allow the tourists to immerse themselves in the local cultures.
He urged the public sector tourism officials to work towards improving the Galle Literary Festival to attract more authors and literary lovers from all over the world.
Meanwhile, Minister of Tourism Harin Fernando said that he had already held discussions with the diplomatic community to compel the relevant countries to lift the existing tourism restrictions on Sri Lanka. He added that promotional shows with local and international celebrities are planned to attract foreign tourists with a focus on Indian tourists.
Representatives of the Ministry of Tourism, Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority, Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Board, Sri Lanka Hotel Management and Tourism Institute, Sri Lanka Hotel Association, Sri Lanka Association of Internal Tour Activists, Ceylon Hotel School Graduates Association, Sri Lanka Professional Seminars and Festivals, The Association of Organizers and the Small and Medium Enterprises Division participated in this discussion.
A day or two ago, a former finance chief telephoning the President has asked him whether he had instructed the debt to be defaulted. In response, President Rajapaksa told him not to worry for it was only a ‘soft default’.
“Who told you it was a soft default, sir?” the former finance chief questioned, to which the President responded, “Central Bank Governor Dr. Nandalal told us not to worry because it was only a soft default. Even I am aware of it.“
The former finance chief explained: “Sir, default has no appearance as soft or hard. A default is a default. We’re now suffering the consequences of it even after two months, aren’t we?“
Sources on the condition of anonymity told LNW that MP Harsha De Silva had told a similar story to his party Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) on the debt default situation, ascertaining that it was ‘good’ to let debt be defaulted at this moment, for any move otherwise could have led the country into what he described as a ‘super default.’
Dr. Silva was the sole Opposition MP who had appreciated the CBSL Chief for defaulting the forex debt.
Now the Opposition economist too is in a frenzy and we have previously challenged him to deliver any explanation on how exactly this debt default was accurate at the time in which it was committed. We are more than happy to provide our space for his explanation.
If truth be told, informants of the field of economics are of the strong view that it had been in the realm of possibility to manage the situation by settling the debt by July without delay, whilst reaching an agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in a step further.
Conclusively, the CBSL Chief has fooled the President, while Silva, the Opposition. The country is devastated as usual.
