August 05, Colombo (LNW): The first public rally for President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s Presidential Election campaign will take place on August 17 at Salgado Stadium in Anuradhapura, Finance State Minister Shehan Semasinghe announced.
Semasinghe highlighted the President’s success in steering the country out of a socio-economic crisis and expressed that the SLPP should support him to maintain this progress.
This announcement was made during a meeting with local government representatives from the Anuradhapura District, which included former Minister S.M. Chandrasena, S.C. Muthukumarana, former North Central Province Chief Minister S.M. Ranjith, and SLPP Local Authority members.
August 05, Colombo (LNW): Pradeep Nilanga Dela, the Diyawadana Nilame of Kandy Dalada Maligawa, has expressed concerns about businessmen selling seats for the Kandy Esela Perahera at prices ranging from Rs. 40,000 to Rs. 50,000.
He warned that these unfair and excessive prices could severely damage the reputation of the Perahera organisers, both locally and internationally.
Neither the Sri Dalada Maligawa nor the four Devalayas are involved in this exploitation, Dela clarified.
He urged authorities to intervene, emphasising that without control, public blame might unjustly fall on the Dalada Maligawa and the Devalayas.
Dela’s comments came during a discussion at the Dalada Maligawa premises regarding the organisation of the Esala Perahera Festival.
The Diyawadana Nilame stressed that while the Perahera is managed by the Dalada Maligawa and the four Devalayas, they do not engage in the commercial sale of seats.
Complaints about unfair pricing should be directed to the Perahera Trust.
August 05, Colombo (LNW): Senior Vice President of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), Minister Mahinda Amaraweera, has announced plans for legal action against those misusing the party’s name to deceive supporters.
Speaking at a meeting in Agunakolapelessa, Amaraweera emphasised that the legal rights to the SLFP belong to his faction.
He accused individuals like Dayasiri Jayasekara and Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe, who lack legal rights to the party, of falsely claiming to be the general secretary and chairman, respectively, and declaring support for the Samagi Jana Balawegaya in the upcoming Presidential Election.
He highlighted that the court has prohibited these individuals from interfering in party affairs, thereby stripping them of any legal right to use the SLFP’s name or positions to mislead members.
Consequently, legal proceedings are being initiated against them.
August 05, Colombo (LNW): Sri Lanka achieved a remarkable 32-run victory against India in the second ODI in Colombo on Sunday, August 4, marking their first ODI win over the world’s top-ranked team in over three years, leading the three-match series 1-0.
Kamindu Mendis and Avishka Fernando guided Sri Lanka to a challenging total of 240.
Spinner Jeffrey Vandersay then delivered a stellar performance, taking six wickets as India collapsed to 228 all out in 42.2 overs.
Rohit Sharma’s rapid fifty initially put India in a strong position. However, a dramatic collapse from 97/0 to 147/6 ensued, with Vandersay’s exceptional spell playing a crucial role.
Sri Lanka’s last ODI victory against India was in July 2021 at the same venue, with their previous series win against India dating back to August 1997.
India will aim for their 100th ODI win against Sri Lanka in the third match on Wednesday.
India XI: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh.
August 05, Colombo (LNW): Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena affirmed Sri Lanka’s commitment to minimising trade barriers to enhance cooperation, trade, and investment within South Asia.
Speaking at the South Asian Trade Fair 2024, he encouraged regional private sector businesses to explore the renewable energy sector, citing its significant economic potential.
The trade fair, organised by the Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Sri Lanka and the SAARC Chamber of Commerce, recently opened in Colombo.
The event saw attendance from notable figures including SAARC Secretary General Golam Sarwar, SAARC Chamber of Commerce President Jashim Uddin, FCCI President Keerthi Gunawardane, and various diplomats from South Asian nations.
A commemorative stamp and first-day cover were issued to mark the inauguration of the South Asian Trade Fair 2024.
August 05, Colombo (LNW): Sri Lankan sprinter Aruna Darshana has secured a spot in the semifinals of the Men’s 400m at the 2024 Paris Olympics, having finished third in his heat.
Darshana set a personal best with a time of 44.99 seconds in Heat 5, qualifying for the semifinals scheduled for Tuesday (06).
Grenada’s Kirani James won the heat with a time of 44.78 seconds, whilst Canada’s Christopher Morales-Williams was second at 44.96 seconds.
Darshana recently impressed by winning the Men’s 400m at the 2nd Belt and Road Invitational Athletics Championship in China.
He is regarded as a promising athlete, drawing comparisons to former Sri Lankan star Sugath Thilakaratne, and previously won the 400m event at the 2018 National Athletics Championships with a time of 46.16 seconds.
August 05, Colombo (LNW): Showers will occur at times in Western and Sabaragamuwa provinces and in Kandy, Nuwara-Eliya, Galle and Matara districts, with several spells of showers being expected to occur in North-western province, the Department of Meteorology said in its daily weather forecast today (05).
Showers or thundershowers may occur at several places elsewhere in the island during the evening or night. Fairly heavy showers above 50 mm are likely at some places.
General public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimise damages caused by temporary localised strong winds and lightning during thundershowers.
Marine Weather:
Condition of Rain:
Showers will occur at several places in the sea areas off the coast extending from Puttalam to Galle via Colombo. Showers or thundershowers will occur at a few places in the other sea areas around the island particularly during the afternoon or night.
Winds:
Winds will be westerly to south-westerly and wind speed will be (30-40) kmph. Wind speed can increase up to 50 kmph at times in the sea areas off the coasts extending from Kankasanthurai to Puttalam via Mannar and from Hambantota to Pottuvil.
State of Sea:
The sea areas off the coasts extending from Kankasanthurai to Puttalam via Mannar and from Hambantota to Pottuvil will be fairly rough at times.
August 04, Colombo (LNW): Amid a surge in illegal migration attempts driven by the economic crisis, immigration authorities caution against falling prey to racketeers exploiting their desperation.
The Immigration and Emigration Department has noted a dramatic rise in intercepted forged documents at Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) over the past five years, with 181 forged documents intercepted in 2023 alone.
This is a significant increase from the 62 cases reported in 2022, according to the 2023 Annual Report of the Border Enforcement Unit.
The report, released at a ceremony at Waters Edge in Battaramulla, attended by high-ranking government officials and foreign ambassadors, outlines various types of document and identity frauds.
These include 110 counterfeit cases, 25 biodata page substitutions, 13 impersonations, 11 face substitutions, 11 fraudulently obtained passports, 4 fantasy documents, 4 document alterations, 2 counterfeit Sri Lankan affidavits, 1 stolen Sri Lankan affidavit, and 1 stolen blank document.
The Border Enforcement Unit is committed to collecting information on individuals and victims involved in transnational organized crime and sharing it with law enforcement agencies, including details on human trafficking.
Recently, several foreigners have been apprehended at BIA during illegal migration attempts.
Among them were an Indian couple attempting to travel to the Netherlands on forged passports and a Chadian national with a forged Canadian passport.
P.P. Aluthge, Chief Immigration Officer of the Border Surveillance Unit (BSU), highlighted the various methods employed in human smuggling.
Some individuals present genuine Sri Lankan passports and travel documents at immigration counters, holding legal visit visas to destinations like Dubai, Malé, Thailand, or Malaysia.
However, they also carry separate forged passports and travel documents, intended for use after disembarking to reach their final destinations.
Mr. Aluthge emphasized the skill and technical support that BSU officers possess in detecting such forgeries.
The BSU maintains close relations with agencies such as the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and foreign missions in Colombo, including those of the US, Australia, Canada, and Switzerland.
These relationships facilitate local and international training for immigration officers and provide the technology necessary to identify forged documents.
Additionally, several embassies have stationed Airline Liaison Officers (ALO) at BIA to assist immigration officers. For instance, in the case of a chef caught with a forged Canadian visa, the ALO of the Canadian High Commission confirmed the visa’s falsification.
Sri Lankan authorities have had success in preventing large groups of illegal migrants from setting out by boat. As a result, human smugglers are now sending individuals to other countries in the region, from where boats are launched.
August 04, Colombo (LNW): Sri Lanka’s merchandise trade deficit continued to shrink monthly in June 2024, as export earnings increased more rapidly than import expenses. The country exported goods worth US $1,077 million and imported goods valued at $1,447 million, resulting in a trade deficit of $370 million.
Exports grew by 6.5% and imports by 3.0% from the previous month, leading to a 5.9% reduction in the trade deficit. In May, the deficit was $393 million, down significantly from $558 million in April. Compared to a year ago, June’s exports rose by 7.2% and imports by 5.7%, causing a 1.7% increase in the deficit.
Cumulatively, the trade deficit for the first six months of the year reached $2,540 million, an 11% increase from the same period last year. This high deficit is typical for Sri Lanka, which heavily relies on imported goods, especially for energy and manufacturing inputs for both domestic consumption and exports.
The increasing import bill and trade deficit signal that Sri Lanka’s economy is stabilizing after severe inflation, foreign exchange shortages, and high taxes and interest rates, which led to a deep recession in 2022 and 2023. During this period, production and consumption were drastically reduced.
A higher trade deficit isn’t a short-term concern if the country can generate enough inflows through service exports and other current and capital account inflows. Investments and borrowings collected into the capital account should be used to develop export-oriented industries, which can reduce the trade deficit in the medium to long term.
However, successive governments have struggled to achieve this, and the current International Monetary Fund program has made it even more challenging due to significantly higher taxes on all industries.
In June, the main contributors to export growth were petroleum products, food and beverages, tobacco, rubber products, and tea. Industrial product exports were driven by increased volumes of bunkering and aviation fuel, while agricultural exports were boosted by spices, particularly higher volumes of pepper and tea.
The import bill for June was primarily driven by machinery and equipment, textiles and textile articles, chemical products, and building materials. Consumer goods imports declined due to lower imports of wheat flour, edible oils, and medical and pharmaceutical products, indicating that consumption levels have not yet returned to pre-crisis levels. This trend was also reported by some consumer companies during the week.
Sri Lanka imported $365.4 million worth of fuel in June, a 26% increase from a year ago, although the cumulative six-month fuel bill was down by 6.2% at $2,209.2 million. Fuel remains the country’s largest import commodity as Sri Lanka does not produce oil.
The overall economic picture suggests a gradual return to normalcy, with cautious optimism for managing the trade deficit through strategic investments and increased export capacity.
August 04, Colombo (LNW): India’s Adani Group has received legal relief temporarily to proceed with the 484 MW wind power stations in Sri Lanka, a crucial investment for the island nation to meet its goal of sourcing 70% of its energy from renewables by 2030.
The project includes two wind energy initiatives: a 250 MW project in Mannar and a 234 MW project in Pooneryn, with a total proposed investment of USD 750 million.
A five-member senior bench in the Supreme Court, appointed by the Chief Justice to handle the Adani Wind Power case, acknowledged the project’s importance to Sri Lanka’s economy and energy sustainability.
On August 2, the court rejected a request for an early hearing and additional support days by the petitioners, scheduling the next hearing for October
The court did not issue any stay orders against the objections raised by the Wildlife Nature Protection Society, Dr. Rohan Pethiyagoda, and some scientists, who challenged the May 6, 2024, cabinet decision to award the tender to Adani.
The group had also challenged the action by Minister of Environment Pavithra Wanniarachchi to exclude the Mannar district’s Viddathalathivu area from being a forest reserve, an action taken to facilitate the project.
This decision included entering a power purchase agreement (PPA) with Adani to buy wind power at 8.26 cents per kWh for the next 20 years.
The environmental rights group had claimed in court that a decision by the Cabinet to treat the Adani wind power project as a Sri Lanka-India government-to-government venture was illegal and that it would cause immense damage to the migratory bird population causing environmental hazards.
Adani’s investment represents the largest renewable energy investment in Sri Lanka, exceeding USD 1 billion.
The project will develop the country’s largest wind power plant, with a capacity of 484 MW, and feature the longest 400 kV transmission backbone line, essential for connecting new renewable energy plants with a combined capacity of 1,200 MW.
The generated wind energy is expected to save Sri Lanka approximately LKR 30 billion annually and reduce consumer tariffs by nearly LKR 17 per unit, offering the lowest wind tariffs in the country and enhancing Sri Lanka’s competitiveness in the renewable energy sector.
If Adani were to withdraw, Sri Lanka would lose significant foreign direct investment, signaling to the global community a reluctance to accept FDI in renewable energy.
Recent projects, like a 50 MW initiative, have been funded by local investors without international involvement, highlighting Adani’s unique capability to undertake the 484 MW project. Adani’s commitment, even during Sri Lanka’s economic crisis, sets a benchmark that other investors might not match.
Losing this investment could deter future international investors from viewing Sri Lanka as a viable market for large-scale renewable energy projects.
