Sri Lanka News : InfoLanka News Room (2024)

Jun 15 (CT) A financial fraud allegedly occurred at Hambantota International Port Group (HIPG), with USD 3.2 million reported missing from the company’s accounts, purportedly transferred to an unknown account in Indonesia. The Chinese management accused Sri Lankan HIPG staffers of involvement and subsequently dismissed Chief Operating Officer Tissa Wickremasinghe and several others. CEO of HIPG Johnson Liumore..

Jun 15 (EN) NPP has identified five crises that need resolving for SL’s economy to progress, much of which emphasise a production economy targeting export growth though sparse on the detail on resource allocation. NPP spokesman Sunil Handunneththi said SL is grappling with firstly, a collapse of the production economy, second, a budget deficit, third, a balance of payment crisis which has, fourthly, created a debt crisis, and finally, a resultant gap between haves & have-nots.more..

Jun 15 (ST) SL Police will soon start monitoring CCTV footage from cameras installed by business establishments and residences, with the consent of the owners. They would make use of camera footage only facing main roads and public places. DIG Nihal Thalduwa, in charge of the Crimes Division, and also the spokesman, said the Police is currently developing an App which could be used to monitor footage. He said they expect public cooperation in providing access to selectedmore..

Jun 15 (FT) Tourism industry is at crossroads as it experiences significant setbacks due to policy inconsistencies and delays in decision-making, as neighbouring competitive countries capitalise on these missteps. Industry stakeholders are raising concerns that the country’s inability to implement attractive travel policies is pushing potential tourists to opt for more favourable destinations.more..

Jun 15 (DM) The university non-academic employees have decided to continue the strike, driven by demands including the rectification of a 15% salary cut. University Trade Union Joint Committee (UTUJC) warned the govt that their trade union action will persist until a positive response is received. The strike enters the 44th day today (14). Addressing the media, UTUJC Secretary Mahesh Mendis stated that the situation has worsened due to the UGC chairman's silence.more..

Jun 15 (ST) The need is great for point-of-care testing and targeted treatment for the numerous respiratory infections doing the rounds, as Sri Lanka is lashed by heavy rain. This is the fervent appeal of the President of the Sri Lanka College of Pulmonologists, Dr. Neranjan Dissanayake who is hearing concerns over cases of severe illness and also death due to pneumonia. He is a Consultant Pulmonologist attached to the Kalutara Teaching Hospital & District Chest Clinic.more..

Jun 15 (FT) Former Speaker and NMSJ Chairperson Karu Jayasuriya, emphasised the critical importance of effectively utilising the third tranche of the IMF bailout package. Jayasuriya underscored that it is a national responsibility to ensure proper use of the funds. IMF released the third tranche of $ 336 million from its $ 2.9 billion bailout package to Sri Lanka, while cautioning that the country’s economy remains vulnerable and that the path to debt sustainability is knife-edged.more..

Jun 15 (FT) Bar Association of SL (BASL) President Kaushalya Nawaratna PC categorically denied any financial misconduct within the organisation yesterday. He and several other members are under scrutiny for alleged misappropriation of funds intended for an anti-corruption initiative funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). Nawaratna stated his intention to provide all relevant information to the committee tasked with investigating the allegations. more..

Jun 15 (FT) The IMF has revealed that Sri Lanka is set to finalise a plan by today (15) to lift vehicle import controls, starting with commercial vehicles and concluding with all vehicles by 2025. The move is part of a broader strategy to relax various import and exchange restrictions imposed over the past few years. According to the IMF report, the SL authorities have outlined an initial roadmap to phase out these restrictions. more..

Jun 15 (CT) SL’s foreign reserves decreased by USD 55.76 million (Rs 16,933 m) on a net basis on Thursday, led by the settlement of Govt of SL’s foreign debt service commitments to multilateral donors and/or due to swaps settlements between banks and Central Bank. Conversions are based on the offer rate of the benchmark spot as at Tuesday which was Rs 303.70 to the US dollar. GoSL’s non-demand pull inflationary face value money printing (FVMP) debt increased by Rs 7,370 millionmore..

Jun 15 (FT) Minister Harin Fernando claimed that an election will be held on 5 October this year. “An election will be held on 5 Oct 2024,” he said. Usually, elections are held on a weekend and as per the Minister’s statement, 5 Oct is the first Saturday in the month which could be a likely date. Fernando expressed confidence that Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe will emerge victorious in the upcoming election. However, Minister did not specify whether the election would be formore..

Jun 15 (FT) Investors for the second consecutive day failed to be influenced by the Govt’s triumphant over the release of third tranche of IMF funding as the Colombo stock market finished the week on a lacklustre note. Yesterday the S&P SL20 declined by 0.6% and the ASPI by 0.4%. On Thursday, they declined by 0.4% and 0.2% respectively. For the week, S&P SL20 lost 0.2% whilst the ASPI closed flat. In the previous week ASPI and the S&P SL20 gained 1.7% and 2.4% respectively.more..

Jun 15 (DM) A contempt of court application filed against former MP Hirunika Premachandra was today fixed for September 11 by the Court of Appeal. The Court of Appeal two-judge bench, comprising Justices (President) Nissanka Bandula Karunaratne and Shashi Mahendran, observed that there is no necessity for Hirunika Premachandra to personally appear before the court since a rule has not yet been served on her in connection with a contempt of court application.more..

Jun 15 (FT) National Chamber of Exporters (NCE) has called for a thorough investigation into the incident involving MP Jeevan Thondaman and his associates at Pedro Estate on 30 May, 2024. The NCE expressed deep concern over reports and social media videos showing unlawful and aggressive behaviour by MP Thondaman’s group. The footage, which has sparked widespread outrage, depicts a group forcibly enteringmore..

Jun 15 (CT) SL’s hopes of progressing in the 2024 T20 World Cup have been shattered, making them the fourth team to be officially eliminated from the tournament, alongside Oman, NZ and Namibia. After suffering defeats in their first two matches and a washout against Nepal in Florida, SL desperately needed a washout between Bangladesh and the Netherlands in St. Vincent to keep their tournament dreams alive. This scenario would have resulted in both Bangladesh and Netherlands havingmore..

Jun 15 (CT) Since 2024 is an election year, with the crucial prez election to be held towards the end of the year, coinciding with the time the Budget is proposed, Govt has decided not to present the Budget Estimates for 2025 at the end of this year, and plans to only present a Vote on Account to cover expenses for the forthcoming year. While the news is not necessarily an Earth-shattering one, considering the same was done in 2020 due to the economic turbulence at the time due to the pandemic,more..

Jun 15 (FT) Sri Lanka’s economy grew by 5.3% year in year in the first quarter sustaining the upward momentum experienced since September last year. The positive development was powered by the Industrial sector accounting for 26.2% growing by a high 11.8% from a low base whilst the services sector with a share of 58.9% expanded by 2.6% and the agricultural economy accounting for 7.7% improved by 1.1%more..

Jun 15 (DM) The police are on the lookout for the arrest of five persons of the Vedda community and a foreign national for slaughtering a peaco*ck, roasting its meat and consuming it inside the Maduru-Oya National Park. The incident, which reportedly took place in 2019 or 2020, has recently come to light due to video footage shared on social media. The video has amassed over eight million views, prompting a public outcry and subsequent investigation.more..

Jun 15 (ST) More than 90 people, declared as designated persons for their alleged involvement in terrorism-related activities, including fundraising, have been removed from the Defence Ministry list. However, the ban on fifteen entities, including LTTE and NTJ, remains, according to an Extraordinary Gazette notification issued. The revised gazette notification listing proscribed organisations and designated persons was issued on June 3, thereby amending the list published on June 8, 2023.more..

Jun 15 (Island) Asian Games gold medallist Tharushi Karunaratne and sprinter Kalinga Kumarage left for Spain on Friday to compete in a World Athletics Bronze lable event in Bilbao where they will seek to improve their Road to Paris 24 rankings. With the qualification period for the Paris Olympics ending on June 30, the competitions in the next couple of weeks will be vital for track and field athletes. 800 metres specialist Karunaratne is currently ranked 63rd in the Road to Paris 24 rankings more..

Jun 15 (Island) The outcome of the recent vote on the SL Electricity (Amd) Bill proved that Prez Wickremesinghe’s agenda cannot be reversed as long as the SLPP continued to back him for whatever reasons. Of the 225 MPs in Parliament, 103 voted for the Bill on June 6. Only one UNPer (Wajira Abeywardena) was among them. Govt was deprived of one vote by Kandy District MP Mahindananda Aluthgamage who sent fellow Kandy district lawmaker Gunatilleke Rajapaksa tomore..

Jun 15 (CT) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe spent last Sunday and Monday in New Delhi, after arriving in India on an official visit, to attend the swearing-in of Indian PM Narendra Modi for his third term on Sunday afternoon, at Rashtrapati Bhavan, the official residence of the President of India. After the swearing-in ceremony, PM Modi invited all the Heads of State to join him on the main dais, with Prez Wickremesinghemore..

Jun 15 (CT) The IMF issued a Press Release No. 24/214 on June 12th completing the Second Review under Extended Fund Facility for SL. The Economy is a system. The way we understand any system might be different. We understand the economy as a system with having cause-and- effect relationship. In such a system as Buddhism preaches nothing will happen without necessary conditions. When we look at the IMF Second Review, economic vulnerabilities just arise not knowing proper causes.more..

Jun 15 (Island) The SL police are known for their efficiency, which is unfortunately selective in most cases. They swing into action and make arrests in double quick time when lawbreakers happen to be ordinary people. They even act on social media videos—and rightly so—in arresting suspects. A few weeks ago, they swooped on a street food vendor in Colombo for turning abusive towards a foreign tourist who refused to be overcharged. The suspect was produced in court and bailed out.more..

Jun 15 (CT) Even before Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa’s promise to implement 13-A had dried – and literally so – his SJB Party spokesman S.M. Marikkar has clarified that the former’s unqualified support for Police and Land Powers for Provinces was qualified, after all. It is equally true of the Sajith-supportive statement from former Parliament Speaker and Political Veteran Karu Jayasuriya, now heading the National Movement for Social Justice. Addressing Colombo newsmen a day after more..

Jun 15 (CT) SL, along with the rest of the world, celebrated World Environment Day on 5 June, with this year’s campaign focusing on land restoration, desertification and drought resilience under the slogan Our Land. Our Future. Both the Govt and the corporate sector participated in the celebrations. However, it is deeply disheartening and hypocritical that the Govt blatantly contradicted the day’s theme by making the highly controversial decision to degazette hundreds of acresmore..

Jun 15 (TM) With over 300,000 people being affected by flash floods and other extreme weather events that occurred during the first eight days of June, it is revealed that the Meteorological Dept lacks doppler radars to make more precise rainfall predictions, while a newly-established Climate Change Office at the Presidential Secretariat warns of frequent extreme weather events due to climate change.more..

Jun 15 (DM) The world’s resources of petroleum and natural gas are running out. On the other hand, the world’s population is growing. The global human population reached 8.0 billion in mid-Nov 2022 from an estimated 2.5 billion people in 1950, adding 1 billion people since 2010 and 2 billion since 1998. It has been estimated that known oil deposits will run out by 2052. While, there may be new wells discovered in the future, what is certain is that the resources of the earth are limited. more..

Jun 15 (DM) As some politicians in the North are vigorously debating whether to boycott the forthcoming presidential election or to field a common Tamil candidate the interest among the main presidential contenders in the Northern voters seems to be growing. Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe who seems to be undecided on his candidature has toured the Tamil-dominated Jaffna peninsula thrice this year, in his capacity as the President but with an ostensible electoral message. more..

Jun 15 (TM) In an era marked by unprecedented political upheaval and growing scrutiny of democratic institutions, the concept of electoral integrity has emerged as a cornerstone of modern governance. Ensuring the integrity of electoral processes is not merely a matter of procedural adherence as it lies at the heart of preserving the fundamental principles of democracy. From the timely conduct of elections to transparencymore..

Jun 15 (GV) The increasing prevalence of online child abuse has emerged as a pressing issue not only in Sri Lanka but globally as well and demands urgent and multidimensional responses. The digital age has provided unparalleled opportunities for connection and information sharing but it has also facilitated the exploitation and abuse of children in ways that are difficult to monitor and control. One of the significant challenges in combating online child abuse lies in the legal domain.more..

Jun 15 (DM) Nissanka Parakrama hailing from a prominent Sabaragamuwa province family was born in Colombo on June 14,1924. He was the second son of Sir Edwin (EAP) and Lady Leela Wijeyeratne of Buddhenipola Walauwa, Kegalle. Sir Edwin Wijeyeratne served as Home Minister in the first post-independence Cabinet of PM D.S. Senanayake and was later Colombo’s envoy to London and New Delhi. Nissanka’s elder brother Tissa was a barrister and diplomat who also wrote fiery articles more..