President Gotabaya Rajapaksa will be handing over his letter of resignation after landing on Singapore, said Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena.
MP Mano Ganeshan revealed that the Speaker confirmed the above information during the party leaders meeting held yesterday (13) afternoon.
The President left for Maldives yesterday morning but could not leave for Singapore from thereon.
He is believed to be landing on Singapore at 7 am today (14).
MIAP
11th July 2022
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Complementing today’s preferred food and lifestyle choices, Silk Cooperation, a fast-growing frontrunner in the country’s organic and sustainable agriculture, food and beverage and nutraceuticals segment, recently declared open a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Naula, Matale to produce a healthy range of vegan and plant-based products.
These products are marketed and sold under the brand ‘plant based’ and presently available for purchase at Glomark supermarkets island wide and online via www.plantbased.lk with plans already underway to further enhance distribution reach including an ambitious wholesale and export driven strategy. This will further strengthen its position in international markets and bring in the much-required forex primarily through the offering of value-added exports.
‘With almost a decade of experience in the food and agriculture export sector, we are now gearing up to move into new horizons. Our new facility was established with the view of producing innovative vegan products which are healthy for consumers and sustainable for the planet while creating a positive impact on the livelihood of our local farmers and rural communities,’ said Sahan Clive Bakmiwewa, CEO of Silk Cooperation.
The new facility and farms use the latest technology in reducing carbon footprint through water saving mechanisms such as drip irrigation for plantation and adheres to some of the best practices in environmental conservation. Several greenhouses within the farm have also heightened its efficacy by equipping modern vertical agricultural irrigation systems such as ‘Nutrient Film Technique’ (NFT), a first of its kind in the Matale region.
Raw materials are sourced from local farmers embracing fairtrade policies in addition to cultivating its own crops using organic agricultural principles, to ensure the produce is GMO-free and all natural. The farmer communities are also provided with training and scientific know-how, with the aim of encouraging and pursuing a culture of collaboration with other participants in the entire value chain.
One of its products that’s making waves is the plant-based vegan patty, made with young jackfruit and oyster mushrooms as the main raw ingredients, combined with spices and coated with breadcrumbs and fried, serving one as a perfect pre-cooked meat substitute burger patty.
The new facility is also able to manufacture powdered oat and rice milk, facilitating the much-needed substitution for powdered dairy milk for the local and international market, becoming the only facility in Sri Lanka to presently manufacture powdered oat and rice milk.
The operations of the facility and farm will be under the care of Silk Foods Ceylon Ltd., a subsidiary of E-Silk Route Ventures Ltd trading as Silk Cooperation. There are plans to implement ‘Farm Stays’ for tourists who will be able to have a first-hand experience in vegan farming and enjoy raw vegan cuisine within the factory and farm premises.
Silk Cooperation is one of the most sought-after players in the spices, herbs, tea, coconut, superfood, and nutraceutical sectors with presence in Australia, Singapore, Slovenia, Vietnam and Indonesia. Its certifications include USDA Organic, EU Organic and FSSC 22000. It provides sourcing, manufacturing including OBM, packaging and labeling to shipping, logistics including last-mile delivery, spanning across 140 cities in over 15 countries, and exporting to over 40 countries. Silk Cooperation was awarded with the Gold award in the Spices and Spice-based Products sector at the 29th NCE Annual Export Awards held earlier this year, and two Gold awards in last year’s edition including for organic products sector.
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has issued an extraordinary gazette declaring Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe as the acting President during his absence, despite growing protests outside demanding their stepping down.
MIAP
According to sources in the political arena, Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka will be the prime minister regardless of who wins the election to be held in the parliament on July 20.
The battle for the election of the President on July 20 will be between Ranil Wickramasinghe and Sajith Premadasa.
It is said that since Wickramasinghe has received the full support of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna, even if he is able to consolidate power in the Parliament, he is unable to make peace with the ongoing struggle outside the Parliament, so a proposal has been submitted to Wickramasinghe that the post of Prime Minister should be given to Sarath Fonseka.
Since the supporters and friends of Sarath Fonseka represented several parties in the Protests from the beginning and even when the July 09 struggle was at its peak, he was the only national-level politician who was able to go to the middle of it and address them and receive the highest response from them. Sources said that this proposal has been made because of Fonseka’s work as well as the high loyalty of the army towards Fonseka.
It was also reported that the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna would not object to Fonseka because the conflict between the Rajapaksas and Fonseka had ended some time ago and Gotabhaya Rajapaksa himself had asked him to take over the post of Prime Minister last May.
Sources stated that even though Sajith Premadasa became the President, Sarath Fonseka, who is the chairman of the Samagi Jana Balavega, has been proposed for the post of Prime Minister.
The next president will be assigned the subjects of economy and international relations, while the prime minister will be assigned the subjects of national security and law and order.
It was also reported that neutral political commentators have also expressed their views in front of both parties as the most optimal solution in view of the current situation in the country.
Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena has decided to hold a party leadership meeting today at 05:00 pm. This meeting of party leaders has been called to discuss the emerging crisis.
The President announced that he would resign from his position today, but so far it has not been implemented. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe has been appointed as the Acting President.
In the previous party leaders’ meeting, the party leaders insisted that the prime minister should also step down, and accordingly, today’s party leaders’ meeting will be extremely heated.
Former Army Commander Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka is asking the army to refrain from shooting at unarmed ordinary civilians and raise their weapons against corrupt politicians as a law-abiding and disciplined army.
He has emphasized that he will remain in the front line of the struggle with the people and devote himself to the victory of the struggle.
Below is the announcement issued by Sarath Fonseka through social media.
Acting President Ranil Wickremasinghe has issued a statement regarding the emerging crisis.
He says that democracy should be protected under any circumstances. He says that he stands for it.
Ranil Wickramasinghe emphasizes that some parties involved in the struggle should act regardless of the constitution, but that cannot be done in a democratic country and cannot be allowed to act in a fascist manner.
Wickramasinghe points out that the President has announced that he will resign today, and accordingly, the process of appointing a new President will be carried out in the same way as decided in the meeting of the party leaders. He mentions that it is his responsibility to keep the country in a normal state without allowing it to go to fascism until then.
By now the Prime Minister’s office has been taken over by the activists. By now, thousands of people have entered the Prime Minister’s office.
Strict security guards were used to preventing entry into the Prime Minister’s office, but by now the police and the army have withdrawn from those activities and the people have the opportunity to enter the Prime Minister’s office freely.
As previously informed, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has informed the speaker that his resignation will definitely take place today. The speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena says that Rajapaksa informed him about this by phone some time ago.
Accordingly, the President has informed that his resignation letter will be submitted today.
The speaker further says that the process of choosing the successor president will start from the 15th as decided in the previous party leaders’ meeting.
