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Public Security Minister Alles’ service during first 100 days in office

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Public Security Minister Alles’ service during first 100 days in office

Today (28) marks Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) MP Tiran Alles’ 100th day in office as the Public Security Minister, as he assumed duties on May 23.

During his 100 days in office, Alles has taken a number of measures for the welfare of the Police officers as well as measures to maintain law and order such as the suppression of the underworld and drug smuggling.

Below are some of the services delivered by Alles during his first 100 days in office as the Minister of Public Security.

  1. Re-establishment of command and power of the Police
    The Minister has taken measures to raise the self-confidence of the Police to reestablish the power and obedience to the command of Police, an element lost due to the socio-economic calamities in the recent past, and has provided the necessary facilities, thereby ensuring accountability and responsibility.
  2. Enabling a rise in the monthly travel allowance currently paid to Police officers
    The Minister has taken measures to increase the monthly travel allowance paid to Police officers from 14 days to 21 days and to arrange the payments from January 01, 2023.
  3. Establishment of a legal aid fund for Police officers
    The Minister’s proposition to establish a legal aid fund for the legal affairs faced by Police officers in the line of duty has been approved by the Cabinet. The fund will be managed by a committee led by the Commissioner of Police and on the recommendations of the Committee, all Police officers will be able to obtain this legal support. When necessary, they will also be able to obtain the support of a competent panel of president’s counsels.
  4. Vehicles given to higher positions from the position of Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP)
    The condition in which vehicle ownership is entitled to a concerned Police officer and/or their spouse in the event of requisitioning vehicles to the posts above the post of Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) will be removed. Moreover, permission granted to 15-year old vehicles will be granted to 20-year old vehicles on the recommendation of the technical engineer of the Police garage.
  1. Arrangements to fill the employee vacancies in the Police Hospital
    The Minister has discussed the shortcomings of the Police Hospital with its medical staff, and accordingly, the vacant staff positions mentioned by its Chief Medical Officer Dr. Shamendra Ranasinghe will be filled as soon as possible.
  1. Appointment of Officers in Charge under a specific and formal method instead of appointing them based on political influence
    The applications of the Police officers who are qualified to act as officers in charge will be called in and interviewed, in a move to appoint officers in charge in a formal and transparent method without being politically interfered.
  1. Modernisation of Police stations
    The Minister has taken measures to select one Police station from each police division for modernisation, thereby modernising 45 stations from 45 divisions under stage 01 of a much larger initiative.
  1. Introduction of a new website for the Police
    The obsolete Police website has been replaced by an updated website competent with international standards.
  1. Instructing the Police not to publicise the names and photographs of victimised children and women in times of distress
    Despite the accused being penalised, the victims of an event obstructing justice will be prevented from being embarrassed under this measure, thereby helping them to build their lives back to normalcy.
  1. Intervening for the provision of necessary technical equipment to strengthen the Police Media Unit and Information and Computer Units
  2. Empowerment of Women Police officers
  3. Instructing the Police to launch special operations in underworld and drug raids

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Preparations to reactivate Aloysius’ suspended bank accounts: Pubudu

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Preparations to reactivate Aloysius’ suspended bank accounts: Pubudu

Pubudu Jayagoda, Politburo member of the Frontline Socialist Party (FSP), says that the government is on effort to reactivate the bank accounts of Arjun Aloysius, which were suspended in connection to the notorious Central Bank bond fraud.

Jayagoda said, “Mendis Liquor Company owned by Arjun Aloysius, who owns Perpetual Treasuries Limited, is the firm implicated party in the notorious Central Bank bond scam. This is the certificate of prosecution of Mendis Company for non-payment of income tax. As it stands, this Mendis company has completely failed to pay taxes of nearly 280-300 crore rupees. Even so their liquor production license was suspended due to non-payment of taxes. It has been decided to furnish both the suspended licenses without paying a single cent of tax.”

He continued: “The proscription on bank accounts suspended due to the Central Bank bond fraud will be lifted and these accounts will be reactivated. If you go to do that, all the fraudulent money accounts in the bond scam have been frozen – the first stage is to put that money into personal accounts through the bond scam. Now, as the second stage of the fraud, the decision to terminate the account suspension is going to be taken and the money in these accounts will be withdrawn. Only one private bank has 4 billion money deposited.”

Mr. Pubudu Jayagoda mentioned this while addressing a press conference held by the Frontline Socialist Party (FSP).

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CEYPETCO urges public not to panic over misinformation on fuel stocks

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CEYPETCO urges public not to panic over misinformation on fuel stocks

The Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CEYPETCO) urged the public not to panic or be misled by false information on fuel stocks not being available, assuring that there are enough fuel stocks available in the country.

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SL Govt to restructure loss making key SOE’s heeding to IMF pressure   

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SL Govt to restructure loss making key SOE’s heeding to IMF pressure   

In the wake of talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a possible deal on the bailout loan, the  Government is set to restructure key loss making state owned enterprises (SOEs) with backing of ruling politicians, official sources confirmed.

During the first four months of 2022, the key 52 SOEs reported a significant loss of Rs. 859 billion which is a significant deterioration compared to the loss of Rs. 13 billion in the corresponding period in 2021.

The key driver of the loss is the foreign exchange loss of CPC due to the depreciation of the currency. The exchange loss of CPC stood at Rs. 549 billion in the first four months of 2022.

During the first four months of 2022, State Owned Enterprises (SOEs) encountered significant operational and financial challenges.

The lack of foreign exchange liquidity has adversely affected the supply chain management of many key SOEs, particularly in the energy and transportation sectors. The negative impacts of this have been experienced across the entire economy.

Whilst the recent adoption of cost reflective pricing in the fuel sector is a positive step towards the operational sustainability of the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC), there remain a multitude of issues that require resolution.

The primary concern is the legacy debt of CPC that is predominantly in foreign currency, resulting in frequent foreign exchange losses for the entity which in turn results in additional fiscal stress for the government and financial stress for the state owned banks.

As a result, the CPC has negative equity of Rs. 986 billion as at end April 2022. The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) has also not revised electricity tariffs for close to 8 years, contributing to an accumulated loss of Rs. 236 billion.

SriLankan Airlines (SLA) is another SOE that has significant fiscal implications. SLA’s losses for 2021/22 reached Rs. 171 billion, creating a going concern issue for the entity.

Owing to the significant increase in the generation cost, CEB has incurred a large operating loss of Rs. 47,190 million in the first four months of 2022 compared to the loss of Rs. 7,515 million in the same period of 2021.

The treasury is paying 86 percent of its tax revenue on the wages and pension bills of the public sector which includes one public official for every 16 people.

Sri Lanka has more than 1.5 million public sector employees at present, the size having doubled over the past 15 years, according to official data.

Efficiency in the public service is lower compared to that of Sri Lanka’s peers in Asia, despite there being a public servant for every 14 citizens.

Most state owned enterprises (SOEs) have become a dumping yard for politicians to recruit their supporters, resulting in more employees with very little do in spite of a monthly payments and pension scheme.

Power and Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekera on Saturday (27) called for restructuring of all SOEs.

“All SOEs need restructuring. Political decisions, political appointments, misadministration and incompetence have led to the downfall,” he told in his twitter platform.

He said while there are capable & efficient workers at Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB), Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC), and Ceylon Petroleum Storage Terminals Limited (CPSTL), the majority are inefficient & incompetence.

“A good 500 workforce instead of the 4200 could do the job efficiently at CPC- CPSTL & half of the 26000 workforce at CEB. Trade Unions thrive on inefficient members.”

Sri Lanka has already announced that it may have to shut loss making SOEs which are overstaffed.

“In order to come out this crisis, we need to increase our income. Restructuring will have to be done,” Cabinet Spokesman Bandula  Gunewardena told reporters at the August 23 weekly cabinet briefing.

“We may have to shut down some losses making state enterprises or take other action,” Gunawardane said.

Ex Indian High Commissioner says India’s massive aid to SL is not feasible

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Ex Indian High Commissioner says India’s massive aid to SL is not feasible

India’s aid package of nearly $6 billion to help crisis-hit Sri Lanka is unprecedented, given that India has never parted with such a large package of aid to any country, said Ashok Kantha, a former Indian diplomat who served as India’s High Commissioner to Sri Lanka.

However, he cautioned that support on this scale was not feasible and raised questions over how far India would go to provide economic support to the crisis-hit island nation. 

Instead, he suggested that India mobilise the international community and fast-track International Monetary Fund(IMF) assistance for Sri Lanka. 

Speaking at an event organised by the Chennai Centre for China Studies, the former diplomat highlighted that even the international climate was not-so-favourable, as more than 40 nations are faced with serious debt stress.

He added that the ongoing Ukraine War had also deterred the Western powers from extending support to all these crisis-hit countries. 

The event was titled “Sri Lanka-The Present Crisis, Geopolitical Challenges & Way Ahead”, and featured speakers from academia, defence forces’ veterans, diplomats, etc. 

Pointing out that the Lankan economic crisis had been building for some time, he said that the ongoing crisis was caused by a combination of structural and legacy issues. He listed out the 2019 Easter bombing, the COVID-19 pandemic, serious mismanagement, nepotism, and corruption. 

Regarding the political crisis, he said that the situation had stabilised after a period of intense turmoil and the popular ‘Aragalaya’ struggle had lost steam, but not ended. 

He added that the popular demand was met with the departure of the then ruling Rajapaksa clan. While he said that there was no immediate alternative for Ranil Wickremesinghe, he also pointed out how the core Buddhist support base of the Rajapaksas had eroded.

“Mahinda Rajapaksa is down, but not out,” Kanta opined. On India’s Sri Lanka dilemma, the former high commissioner to Sri Lanka pointed out that, on one hand, India wanted to support the island nation, considering historic and cultural ties, while on the other hand, it wanted to maintain the distinction of supporting the country while distancing itself from the political scene.

CB joins hands with the SLBEF to promote LankaRemit mobile app among SL migrants

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CB joins hands with the SLBEF to promote LankaRemit mobile app among SL migrants

With the aim of popularizing the LankaRemit National Remittance Mobile Application among migrant workers, the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) and the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) held a ceremony on 26 August 2022 at SLBFE to demonstrate its features.

LankaRemit provides Sri Lankan expatriates with access to a fast, secure and more convenient remittance channel to send money to Sri Lanka. CBSL in collaboration with LankaClear (Private) Limited (LCPL) implemented the “LankaRemit” mobile application with the launching of the first phase in February 2022.

CBSL is in the process of creating awareness of “LankaRemit” locally and internationally with the support of stakeholders such as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Labour and Foreign Employment and the SLBFE.

LankaRemit enables users to make fund transfers to beneficiaries in Sri Lanka and to make utility bill payments using Electronic Fund Transfer Cards issued overseas.

LankaRemit also offers a number of value-added services to its users such as the ability to locate nearby money transfer operators and find relevant details of such locations.

Further, after the remittance is made via money transfer operators abroad, the user can track each remittance made to beneficiaries in Sri Lanka via the App using a tracking number.

If there are any future benefit schemes introduced for the remitters by the Sri Lankan government or respective authorities, such benefit schemes would also be available in the LankaRemit App.

The LankaRemit mobile application is available to download in the Google Play Store, the Apple App Store and the Huawei App Gallery for any person remitting money to Sri Lanka from any country.

Remittance service providers connected to LankaRemit are continuing to increase and it is expected that more service providers from financial services industry including global money transfer operators and global FinTechs will join the App in the near future to facilitate remittances to Sri Lanka.

Payments and Settlements Department 26.08.2022 The features and benefits of LankaRemit were demonstrated to migrant workers who were preparing to commence work abroad.

It is expected that this event would increase awareness and adoption of the LankaRemit App among Sri Lankan expatriates and encourage the use of formal remittance channels when sending remittances to the country.

The need to establish Indo-SL framework on maritime concerns highlighted

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The need to establish Indo-SL framework on maritime concerns highlighted

Amidst signs of New Delhi’s disappointment over Colombo’s decision to allow a Chinese tracking vessel to dock in Hambantota, Sri Lanka’s envoy in India called for building a new “framework” on how to deal with such maritime security concerns in the future.

Speaking to The Hindu days after the Chinese satellite and missile tracking ship, the Yuan Wang 5 had departed from the Sri Lankan port after “refuelling and replenishing supplies”, High Commissioner Milinda Moragoda said that Colombo had kept the Modi government briefed at the “highest levels” through the controversy.

In a possible sign of the strain in ties over the issue, the Ministry of External Affairs had issued a rare “travel guidance” on Thursday cautioning Indian tourists about visiting Sri Lanka, which is in the middle of a deep economic crisis.

Without commenting on the MEA advisory, Mr. Moragoda said it was important to look to the future of ties, particularly in terms of India-Sri Lanka cooperation in the economic and strategic sphere. Apart from economic assistance of $3.8 billion, including credit lines from India, New Delhi and Colombo are discussing more trade ties, a power-sharing grid, and infrastructure projects in renewable energy and oil storage.

India has also supported Sri Lanka in talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a bailout.

“There is no question that the docking of the ship was an issue between us. The question is how to build a framework for such problems in order to avoid them in the future, and not to allow this kind of issue to lead to a trust deficit,” Mr. Moragoda said, adding that despite “ups and downs”, Sri Lanka would like to “build an equilibrium in the relationship, where there are no surprises”.

In an unusually public move, the Modi government had last month conveyed its concerns over the docking of the ship, believed to be a satellite research and surveillance vessel. While the Sri Lankan government had asked China to defer the ship’s plans entirely after India’s objections, the Chinese government had only agreed to delay its arrival in Hambantota by a few days, and eventually the Yuan Wang 5 docked at the port from August 16-22.

According to Mr. Moragoda, the permissions for the docking had been granted to China amidst a period of political turmoil in Colombo, when President Ranil Wickremesinghe took charge after the ouster of previous President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, as well as the economic crisis, leading to “not enough attention” being given to the case. According to official data, the visit of the ship had also followed after at least 10 research vessels of a different class had docked in Colombo between 2019-2022, without raising any concerns in Delhi.

“In this particular case, there could have been a level of confusion in Colombo when it came to differentiating between the classes of vessels and technologies involved. Unfortunately, once the approvals were given, it was hard to take them back,” Mr. Moragoda said, adding that Sri Lanka was hoping to focus on strengthening lines of communication, as well as high-level exchanges, and people-to-people ties.

According to sources, both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Wickremesinghe are expected to travel to Tokyo to attend former Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s state funeral.

On a visit to Gujarat last week, Sri Lankan Tourism Minister Harin Fernando had also pitched for more Indian tourists, saying that he hoped that at least 10 lakh international tourists, mostly Indians, would visit this year.

However, striking a cautionary note on Thursday, the MEA’s spokesperson said encouraged Indians to exercise all care and caution while in Sri Lanka, and “examine all relevant factors, including currency convertibility and the fuel situation before undertaking any essential travel to Sri Lanka”.

Conducting school term tests in serious crisis: Ceylon Teachers Union (VIDEO)

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Conducting school term tests in serious crisis: Ceylon Teachers Union (VIDEO)

The conduct of school term tests is in a serious crisis in the face of the surging paper and printing costs, said Chief Secretary of the Ceylon Teachers Union Joseph Stalin speaking to a briefing yesterday (27).

“Right now we know that some provinces have decided to hold the first term test in schools. The most serious problem they face is that there is a severe increase in the price of paper used for printing for the tests. If we take the North Central Province, they are going to give question papers only for Grade 11. The rest is being done at the school level. A packet of duplo stencil sold for about Rs. 7,500 is now sold for Rs. 30,000. Also, a pack of ink – even a cheaper one – sold for Rs. 3,500 per five is now sold for Rs. 15,000. The half sheet paper price has risen by three times. When the school term tests are held, either an intervention must be held into this matter by the provincial council level, or some specific arrangement should be made regarding the delivery of papers. Otherwise, the assessment of these children will be severely messed up,” Stalin warned.

He added: “We have been continuously saying that the government is letting the price go up, which means it really does not care. We know that now the price of children’s shoes has sharply risen. A pair of shoes costing about Rs. 2,000 has now increased to Rs. 4,000. Transportation costs have increased by three times. But parents’ salaries have not increased at all. In the backdrop, school education cannot be averted from suffering a severe collapse.”

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India makes strong response to Chinese Ambassador’s comments

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India makes strong response to Chinese Ambassador’s comments

The Indian High Commission in Colombo has strongly responded to a statement made by the Chinese Ambassador to Sri Lanka developing a connection between the alleged militarisation of the Taiwan Strait and the arrival of the Chinese defence vessel Yuan Wang 5 in Hambantota, saying that the Ambassador’s violation of basic diplomatic etiquette may be a personal trait or reflecting a larger national attitude.

In a series of tweets, the Indian High Commission noted that what Sri Lanka needs is support and not unnecessary pressure or conflicts that serve agendas of another state.

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Govt launches repression targeting selected groups: Opposition Leader (VIDEO)

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Govt launches repression targeting selected groups: Opposition Leader (VIDEO)

The government has launched repression targeting selected groups and is maintaining a silent policy over the investigations launched into such events, said Leader of the Opposition Sajith Premadasa, speaking at the discussion held with electrical engineers regarding the current energy crisis and the excessive increase in electricity tariffs at the Opposition Leader’s Office two days ago (26).

Premadasa said the government should think about whether Sri Lanka will receive help from the world at this time when it is carrying out repression, emphasising that the ongoing repression and penalisation must be stopped.

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