More than a year since the sinking of the cargo ship the X-Press Pearl , Sri Lanka still continues to clean its beaches of the plastic pellets that the vessel was carrying, and is still trying to claim compensation for the environmental damage.

Auditor General Chulantha Wickramaratne has called for a full investigation into the process of obtaining compensation for environmental damage caused by the sinking of the X-Press Pearl ship last year, according to official sources.

A Maritime law expert said Sri Lankan authorities have taken a long time to file for compensation and are reluctant to go through years of strenuous legal battles in international courts.

Sri Lanka has obtained an interim payment of $3.7 million in damages, but the country could claim as much as $5 billion to $7 billion.

With Sri Lanka currently mired in the worst economic crisis in the country’s history, those higher numbers would prove a much-needed injection of foreign currency.

But further delays would diminish the cash-strapped island’s chance of getting sufficient compensation for the environmental damage

Meanwhile, Environmental Scientist Hemantha Withanage said Sri Lanka could claim as much as US$ 10 billion as compensation.

Laboratory tests conducted on samples of plastic pellets collected from the beach had revealed a high concentration of harmful chemical compounds such as Bisphenol and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons, Withanage said.

“Both these chemical compounds remain in the environment for a long time, resulting in bioaccumulation.

The scope of our tests was limited due to financial constraints, but there can be more such toxic chemical compounds in the debris. People are not aware of the danger,” he added.

Withanage had also spent time and resources to rescue the crew on board the distressed vessel, douse the fire, and mitigate environment

“The Marine Environment Protection Authority (MEPA) and the AG’s Department have not taken legal action and we may ultimately lose the opportunity to do so,” he alleged, calling for a Presidential Commission of Inquiry to investigate the matter.

He said two petitions had been filed in the Appeal Court and another petition in the Supreme Court over the X-Press Pearl disaster.

The ill-fated ship was carrying 81 containers of dangerous goods and contained 25 tons of nitric acid.The affected area encompasses 746 km from Mannar to Kirinda Hambantota.

An expert committee investigating the extent of damage to the country’s marine and coastal environment has now concluded the disaster to be the worst in terms of chemical and plastic pollution of the sea.

That’s according to Ajith de Alwis, co-chair of the X-Press Pearl damage assessment committee and a professor of chemical and process engineering at the University of Moratuwa.

The committee has submitted its assessment report to the Attorney General’s Office for use in claiming compensation from the Singapore-based operators of the ship.

“However, the report is only the first edition of the damage assessment, and further assessments would continue based on the monitoring,” De Alwis said

Eng. Vijitha Herath, a former Chairman of the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB), the Sri Lanka Insurance Corporation (SLIC) and the LITRO Gas Company, has joined the ‘Nidahasa Janatha Sabha,’ a political faction separated from the Ruling Party Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) and rechristened led by MP Dullas Alahapperuma.

Herath also served as the Chairman of the Podujana Engineers’ Front affiliated with the Ruling Party, and accordingly has left his duties in order to join Alahapperuma’s new political movement.

His coming has been welcomed by Alahapperuma, Prof. G.L. Peiris, Charitha Herath and other MPs separated from the SLPP and joined the new party, at the Party Office in Nawala yesterday (19).

MIAP

1. Transport Minister Dr Bandula Gunawardene says Sri Lanka is the “safest tourist destination” at present: asserts that a “mistake” was made when arresting the Aeroflot aircraft, and that it will not happen again.
   
2. Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa says the UNP has been “sold out” to the “Rajapaksa clan”.
   
3. Global Tamil Forum says Tamil people who have suffered enormously during the war, have been consistently provided much needed hope by the UNHCR: calls for a strong resolution against Sri Lanka at the UNHRC in Geneva.
   
4. Cement usage plunges 19% in 6 months to June 2022 YOY: reflects massive contraction in construction activities which accounts for about 10% of GDP.
   
5. UN Resident Coordinator Hanaa Singer appeals to Sri Lanka’s friends to show solidarity: urges donations to provide food security and medical supplies: says gains in health care, education and poverty alleviation are threatened by the current crisis.
   
6. Teachers’ Union Leader Mahinda Jayasinghe demands a special monthly allowance for government employees: says normal monthly expenditure of a person has increased from Rs.63,000 to Rs.110,000 this year.
   
7. World Bank says Sri Lanka is among the top 10 countries with the highest food inflation.
   
8. Government revenue in the 1H22 reaches Rs.918 bn, up from Rs.714 bn last year: expenditure and net lending in 1H22 also rises to Rs.1,820 bn, compared to Rs.1,500 bn, an year ago: bulk of the increase in expenditure due to very high interest cost consequent to the massive increase in Central Bank’s policy rates on 8th April 2022.
   
9. Small hydro power developers warn of increased duration of power cuts and a further 100% increase in electricity tariffs, if the country loses the contribution of its non-conventional renewable energy sector.
   
10. Group of Buddhist priests urge Buddhist temples to turn off lights and leave temples in darkness on the upcoming Vap Full Moon Poya Day, in protest against the increase in electricity tariffs.

Hindi Diwas was celebrated on 14 September 2022 with great zeal and fervour at the Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre (SVCC), cultural arm of High Commission of India, Colombo. High Commissioner Gopal Baglay was the Chief Guest at the event, which saw participation of around 75 Hindi enthusiasts, scholars, teachers and students from all over Sri Lanka. Guests at the event were welcomed with a traditional Kandyan dance. Several musical performances on Bollywood and Sinhalese songs, highlighting the close cultural ties between India and Sri Lanka, were also showcased.

2.     Speaking on the occasion, the High Commissioner highlighted the role of Hindi language and literature in strengthening millennia-old cultural, linguistic, literary, and religious ties between India and Sri Lanka. He also elaborated at length on the importance of lighting the traditional lamp and Saraswati vandana, both of which are testimonies of civilization linkages between “cultural twins” – India and Sri Lanka.

3.     On this occasion, a group of 18 Sri Lankan students who have been offered Government of India scholarships to study Hindi in India were also felicitated. As a part of the scholarship, the visit of the students, academic fees and local hospitality at Kendriya Hindi Sansthan (KHS) or Central Institute of Hindi, Agra for one year will be fully sponsored. High Commissioner interacted with the selected students, who departed to India on 15 September 2022 and conveyed his best wishes for their stay in India.

4.     Hindi students of the Centre who have successfully completed their KHS courses were also honoured during the Hindi Diwas celebrations.

5.     In commemoration of the Hindi Diwas, SVCC launched several island-wide competitions, such as Hindi essay writing competition, Hindi storytelling competition, Hindi poem recitation competition, and Hindi Solo singing competition. These competitions focus on promoting Hindi by providing a platform to Hindi enthusiasts in Sri Lanka to express their literary and linguistic talents. The competitions are being organized throughout the month of September 2022.

***

Colombo

19 September 2022

Three companies have expressed their interest on investing for the Port of Galle and a most suitable investor, therefore, will be selected to be given the opportunity to develop the southern port in the country, said Ports, Naval and Aviation Affairs Minister Nimal Siripala De Silva.

The decision comes in in the government’s objective of developing the Galle Port as a tourist port under which a breakwater will be created and new city plans, entertainment zones, sailing and passenger ship facilities and sports zones are to be established for tourist attraction.

Making the project a reality, more local and foreign investors will have the opportunity to invest and the basic plans for this initiative, therefore, have already been prepared, Silva said.

Joining an observation tour at the Galle Port, Minister Silva reminded that former Minister Richard Pathirana dreamed of developing the southern port and that his tireless efforts to make that dream a reality could not be accomplished. Accordingly, the Minister promised that he will be committed to making it a reality.

The project will not limit itself to the Galle District, nor the Southern Province, for it is a necessity to establish development nationwide, he added.

MIAP

Sri Lanka has ranked forth place in the world in terms of food inflation at a rate of 91 per cent, a report on food security during in 53 countries the period from September 2021 to August 2022 issued by the World Bank revealed.

Zimbabwe is the country to suffer from the highest food inflation, at a staggering rate of 353 per cent. Only Lebanon and Venezuela ranks above Sri Lanka.

Among the top 10 countries are also Turkey, Iran, Argentina, Moldova, Ethiopia and Rwanda.

MIAP

The fast initiated by a group of Tamil prisoners against the imprisonment of people on political grounds has been temporarily halted, based on a promise made by Jeewan Thyagarajah, Governor of the Northern Province, days after the recurred allegations of human rights abuses levelled against Sri Lanka at the 51st Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva, Switzerland found its way on to spotlight, LNW learned.

Thirteen inmates of the Colombo Magazine Prison commenced this fast on September 06, and on its sixth day, six inmates were admitted to the Prison Hospital due to their critical health condition as a result of contribution.

Endorsing the struggle against political imprisonment, their relatives of the North on September 16 initiated another fast in front of the Office of the Governor of the Northern Province, demanding his immediate intervention on the matter.

Following the pressure exerted by the relatives, Governor Thyagarajah met and held talks with the prisoners, who initiated the original fast at the Magazine Prison, on September 17, and promised that he will make an intervention for their release as soon as possible. Accordingly, the fasts initiated by the prisoners and their relatives have been temporarily halted.

President Wickremesinghe made a promise to politicians in the North that he will release 46 Tamil political prisoners who have been arrested and detained for a very long time under the controversial Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), but the political parties and other civil movements of the North are of the view that it is still a deception, whilst the international community led by world powers continues to exert pressure on Sri Lanka demanding justice.

MIAP