Following the telephone conversation between Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and China’s Premier Li Keqiang in late April, China has decided to provide another grant of 300 million Chinese Yuan to Sri Lanka to help in the supply of medicine, food, fuel and other essentials.

During the earlier phone conversation, Premier Li said to Prime Minister Rajapaksa, “China feels for Sri Lanka for the difficulties and challenges you face, and we want to do our utmost to provide help to improve the peoples’ livelihoods in your country.”

Upon learning of this decision by the Chinese Government, Prime Minister Rajapaksa reiterated Sri Lanka’s gratitude to Premier Li and the Chinese Government for their continued support to Sri Lanka.

This latest grant will bring the total amount of China’s grant aid to 500 million Chinese Yuan (approximately $76 million).

India’s economic assistance to Sri Lanka which stands at more than USD 3 billion in 2022 has been instrumental in addressing diverse needs of the Government and people of Sri Lanka.

2.     The USD 1 billion Credit Facility for purchase of food, medicines and other essential commodities is already operational and around 16,000 MT of rice supplied under it, ahead of Avurudu, is being distributed through various Sathosa outlets. Commodities to be supplied from India under this concessional credit line are finalized by the Government of Sri Lanka. Government of India facilitates these supplies strictly in accordance with the priorities of the Government of Sri Lanka. As on date, additional consignments of rice and other food supplies, medicines and industrial raw materials, among others, are envisaged under the credit line.

3.     A separate Line of Credit of USD 500 million for the purchase of petroleum products, such as diesel, petrol and aviation fuel, has paved way for the delivery of 9 consignments of different types of fuel. Petrol and diesel supplies have been distributed across the 1300 CEYPETCO fuel sheds, thereby serving people in all the 25 Districts of Sri Lanka.  Close to 400,000 MT of fuel have been delivered under this credit line till date and more consignments will arrive soon. 

4.     Deferment of dues of about USD 1 billion till March 2022, to be paid by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka to the Reserve Bank of India, under the Asian Clearing Union, will assist in strengthening the forex reserves of Sri Lanka. This has been complemented by the currency swap of USD 400 million, which was further extended by three months on 18 April 2022.

5.     Multiple forms of economic assistance is bolstered by other forms of support. A large consignment of drugs and medical supplies which was gifted by India was handed over by High Commissioner Gopal Baglay to Hon’ble Channa Jayasumana, Minister of Health in Colombo on 29 April 2022. This consignment has since then been delivered to Teaching Hospital, Peradeniya. Multi-pronged assistance provided by India testifies to the importance Government of India attaches to the welfare of the people of Sri Lanka and is guided by the twin principles of ‘Neighbourhood First’ and S.A.G.A.R (Security and Growth for All in the Region).

***

Colombo

03 May 2022

In order to show the international community how since independence in 1948, successive racist governments in Sri Lanka continued cycles of violence and genocide on Tamil people, a documentary was produced. The documentary was produced using photographs and video recordings from various sources. This documentary was screened in the UK Parliament on 27 April 2022. 

The numbers were restricted due to COVID and parliamentary regulations. Along with cross party MPs Human Rights Watch (HRW) and Tamil community leaders participated. Finally, the event concluded with a Question and Answer session.

A number of MPs from the three main political parties attended the event. The British MPs were watching with jaw-dropping surprise. Almost all in the audience moved to tears, not to mention the simultaneously watching worldwide audiences. 

The main objective of the documentary is to help decision making centres to be well informed of the plight of Tamil people and formulate their policies in relation to Sri Lanka. They could implement targeted economic sanctions and also sanction war criminals from Sri Lanka attempting to enter their countries.

Human rights defenders and organisations can use the documentary to highlight the genocide of Tamils.

Starting in 2008 as a photo exhibition in the British Parliament, the BTF brought to the attention of the cross party MPs, Lords and the public the tell tale evidence proving the presence of genocidal intent in all the pogroms the Sri Lankan State staged against Tamils ever since Britain gave independence in 1948.

Then in 2012, BTF moved the photo exhibition with added information and more photo evidence to inside the Parliament. 

Points discussed are as follows:

• Demilitarisation in the Tamil Homeland and island wide Demobilisation of security forces.

• Instead of the regime change, system change (restructure centralised unitary state institutions) is important. 

• Reparation: Acknowledge North East of the island as the war torn region, establish a special interim authority to implement rehabilitation, resettlement, and reconstruction, in Tamil homeland of North-East to bring up the human and development indicators to the levels found in the rest of Sri Lanka.

• An internationally arbitrated Political solution based on the right to self-determination & power sharing arrangements to ensure non recurrence of cycles of violence.

• Apply all available leverages on Sri Lanka. Apply phased out calibrated sanctions and develop a time bound implementation plan, while carefully ensuring civilian population is not affected, preferably not affecting food, medical and other essential supplies to civilian population. 

• Apply Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime Act against the perpetrators of war crimes, crimes against humanity and Genocide in Sri Lanka.

• Stop Unethical trade with Sri Lanka

• Imposing trade and diplomatic sanctions to compel Sri Lanka to adhere to human rights. 

• Establish an international prosecution mechanism to establish justice and accountability in Sri Lanka as a step guaranteeing non recurrence of the past crimes.

The 20-minute documentary film will be released as youtube version to the public soon

Please find below the links for the event.

Parliamentary Screening: Continuing Cycles of Violence

Screening documentary film in the Parliament “CONTINUING CYCLES OF VIOLENCE AND GENOCIDE IN SRI LANKA” – British Tamils Forum

The payments made to a ‘US CIA agent’ named Imaad Zuberi were proceeded on the official written instructions of the Government and not on the wishes of a single person, said former Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka Ajith Nivard Cabraal, responding to the allegations levelled by Leader of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) MP Anura Kumara Dissanayake at a special press conference at the Sri Lanka Foundations Institute today (03).

Claiming that such payments included those made to the said Imaad Zuberi and his organisations that were engaged by the Government in respect of communication programmes in the USA, Cabraal added that all payment on behalf of the Government had been made based on the official written instructions and approval of the relevant government authorities and that the respective payment protocols and procedures had been followed by the CBSL in the normal course of business when making these payments.

Full statement:

Statement by Ajith Nivard Cabraal on 3^rd May 2022 re. the false allegation made by JVP Leader Dissanayake that a payment of USD 6.5 million was made by Ajith Nivard Cabraal to a “US CIA agent” named Imaad Zuberi in 2014, without proper approvals:

As the banker to the government, the payments made the Central Bank on behalf of the government in 2014 have been made on the official written instructions of the government, and not on the wishes of a single person. Such payments included those made to the said Imaad Zuberi and his organizations that were engaged by the Government in respect of communication programmes in the USA.

In that regard, it must be stated that all payments on behalf of the Government had been made based on the official written instructions and approval of the relevant government authorities. Further, the respective payment protocols and procedures had been followed by the Central Bank in the normal course of business when making these payments. Therefore, it can be confirmed that there has been no procedural or other violation by the Central Bank in making the payments totaling USD 6.5 million to Zuberi and his organizations, on behalf of the government.

Nevertheless, as it is now observed, there are certain groups of politically motivated persons who had been alleging that these payments have been made by me personally in a fraudulent manner, thereby causing a loss to the country.

In that regard, it must be stated that these same groups had these transactions investigated in detail for 5 years from 2015 to 2019, and after doing so, it had not been possible to point out any lapses or violations of any law on my part. As a result, no action was instituted against me by any law enforcement authority during that period of 5 years.

Nevertheless, these politically motivated groups have once again begun to hurl false allegations against me in order to tarnish my reputation and provoke public hatred upon me. While vehemently denying those allegations, I must state that I will respond to these despicable actions through the legal process and also institute action against the perpetrators of these falsehoods at the appropriate time in order to hold them accountable for their abusive actions.

Youths of the GotaGoHome Public Struggle today (03) have paid homage to the Chief Prelates of the Malwathu – Asgiri Chapters and handed over a communique,’ urging them to dismiss the titles bestowed upon the Rajapaksa family and issue a Sangha Commandment.

They also asked the Maha Sangha not to even grace an alms giving organised by the Rajapaksa Family.

The group has also urged the Chief Prelates to expel all Buddhist monks loyal to the Rajapaksas who are acting against the Sangha Shasana.

MIAP