රජිත් කීර්ති තෙන්නකෝන් විධායක අධ්‍යක්ෂ/ ශ්‍රී ලංකා මානව හිමිකම් කේන්ද්‍රය

ජාත්‍යන්තර මුල්‍ය අරමුදලේ නිර්දේශ හා උපාය මාර්ගික උපදේශයන් නොතකා හරිමින් ශ්‍රී ලංකා මහ බැංකුව රටත්, ආර්ථිකයත් කාබාසිනියා කරමින් උද්ධමනය අහස උසට නංවන මැරතල් මුදල් අච්චු ගැසීමක දිගටම නිරතවන බව ශ්‍රී ලංකා මානව හිමිකම් කේන්ද්‍රෙය් විධායක අධ්‍යක්ෂ හිටපු ආණ්ඩුකාර රජිත් කීර්ති තෙන්නකෝන් පවසයි.

ජනාධිපති ගෝඨාභය රාජපක්ෂ බලයට පත්වීමෙන් පසුව මේ දක්වා කාලය තුළ අච්චු ගැසූ මුලු මුදල් ප්‍රමාණය රු. බිලියන 1500 සීමාව ඉක්වමා ගොස් ඇත. 

මාර්තු 1 දින සිට මාර්තු 16 දක්වා මුද්‍රණය කර ඇති මුළු මුදල් ප්‍රමාණය රු. බිලියන 132.66 කි. අද (මාර්තු 18) මුද්‍රණය කළ මුදල් ප්‍රමාණය ශ්‍රී ලංකා මහ බැංකුව රහසිගතව තබා ඇත. 

ජාත්‍යන්තර මුල්‍ය අරමුදලේ නියෝජිතයා ජාත්‍යන්තර මුල්‍ය අරමුදලේ සහාය ලබා ගැනීම පිළිබඳ සාකච්ඡා පවත්වන අතර, මාර්තු 14 දින අච්චු ගැසූ රු. බිලියන 83 ක් ද මෙයට ඇතුලත් ය.

2020 ජනවාරි 1 සිට මේ දක්වා අච්චු ගැසූ මුළු මුදල් ප්‍රමාණය රු. බිලියන 1569.29 ක් හෙවත් රු. මිලියන 1,596,290 කි.   

මුදල් අච්චු ගැසීමෙන් භාණ්ඩ මිල ඉහළ නොයන බව ප්‍රකාශ කළ අජිත් නිවාඩ් කබ්රාල් මහ බැංකු අධිපති ධූරයට පත්වීමෙන් පසුව මුදල රු. බිලියන 359.66 ක් අච්චු ගසා ඇත. ඩොලර් සහ ඉන්ධන අර්බුදයට අමතරව රටතුල රුපියල් අර්බුදයක් ඇති කිරීමට මුලික හේතුව වූවේ රජයේ මැරතන් මුදල් අච්චු ගැසීමයි.

ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ ආර්ථික අර්බුදය විසඳීමට මහ බැංකු අධිපතිවරයා සහ භාණ්ඩාගාර ලේකම්වරයා ප්‍රමුඛ මුදල් මණ්ඩලය සිදු කරන අත්තනෝමතික මුදල් අච්චු ගැසීම නවතා දැමිය යුතු බව ජාත්‍යන්තර මුල්‍ය අරමුදලේ නිර්දේශයකි. ඒ සඳහා 1949 අංක 58 දරණ මුල්‍ය නීති පනත සංශෝධනය කිරීම සඳහා මුදල් මණ්ඩලයේ සාමාජිකවත්වයෙන් භාණ්ඩාගාර ලේකම් ඉවත් කර, එය වෘත්තිකයින් අතට පත් කළ යුතු බවට අවස්ථා ගණනාවක දී ජාත්‍යන්තර මුල්‍ය අරමුදල රජයට උපදෙස් ලබාදුන්නේය. එසේ තිබිය දී, මහ බැංකුව අඛණ්ඩව මුදල් අච්චු ගැසීම ‘යන යකා කොරහත් බිඳගෙන යාමේ උත්සාහයකි.

 

කිසිදු සීමාවකින් තොරව මුදල් අච්චු ගැසීම නිසා ඩොලර් අර්බුදයක් පමණක් නොව, රට තුල භාණ්ඩ මිල ඉහළ යාම දරාගත නොහැකි තත්වයකට පත්ව ඇත.

කාබනික වගා සංකල්පයක් හදුන්වාදීමෙන් රටේ කෘෂි නිෂ්පාදනය මුළුමනින්ම පාහේ විනාශ වී ඇති අතර, එළවළු පළතුරු, බිත්තර, ඇතුළු දේශීයව නිෂ්පාදනය කරන ආහාර වර්ගවල මිල අනෙකුත් භාණ්ඩවලට වඩා මිල ඉහළ යාමට කෘෂි නිෂ්පාදන බිඳවැටීම හේතුවී ඇත.

රජිත් කීර්ති තෙන්නකෝන්

විධායක අධ්‍යක්ෂ/ ශ්‍රී ලංකා මානව හිමිකම් කේන්ද්‍රය 

By Lakshmi Subramanian  Courtesy The Week

There is palpable anger in island nation against govt

On Friday, a day after India extended one billion dollar line of credit to Sri Lanka, the official Twitter handle of Indian High Commission in Sri Lanka noted, A friend holds out a helping hand again!!!Energizing bilateral economic partnership, India offers a credit line of USD 500 million for purchase of petroleum products. Critical support follows a discussion between EAM Dr S Jaishankar and finance minister Basil Rajapaksa.”

Sri Lanka’s finance minister Basil Rajapaksa was on a three-day trip to New Delhi, seeking help to assist the falling foreign exchange reserves of the Island nation.

The ministry of finance, in New Delhi, said in a statement: Agreement was signed between State Bank of India and Government of Sri Lanka for one billion USD credit facility for procurement of food, medicine and other essential items to Sri Lanka.”

Basil Rajapaksa, during his trip to Delhi, called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi after meeting Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar. An official statement from the finance minister said issues of mutual interest and economic cooperation” were discussed.

Jaishankar tweeted, Neighbourhood first. India stands with Sri Lanka. USD 1 billion credit line signed for supply of essential commodities. Key element of the package of support extended by India.”

Earlier, India had given $1.4 billion to Sri Lanka, as RBI currency swap and deferral loan, combined with another half a billion line of credit, to help Sri Lanka sustain its fuel imports.

With Sri Lanka facing its worst economic crisis ever, India’s helping hand has come in as a huge relief to resolve the crisis with regard to food and essential items. However, India agreeing to sanction the line of credit and foreign ministry’s statement on neighbourhood, was only to ensure that Sri Lanka doesn’t go the China way.

The long arm of Chinese investments in the infrastructure projects had put Sri Lanka in crisis. The economic observers in Sri Lanka are of the opinion that the Chinese investment are like the big wild elephants which were swallowing the financial reserves because Sri Lanka had to repay the loans given by China.

Economists feel that India is always for a comprehensive economic partnership and will not give anything without being on a white paper. In fact, sources close to Rajapaksa also say that India’s help came only after a very hard try by its finance minister.

Sources in Colombo say that Rajapaksa’s meeting with Modi was finalised only after Sri Lanka agreed for a business investment from a leading corporate company in India. Rajapaksa, as finance minister, has been under much pressure to save the dwindling economy of Sri Lanka.

On Tuesday, hours after he left Colombo to reach Delhi, a massive crowd joined the protest against the Gotabaya Rajapaksa government. Organised by Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), the protest rally was led by opposition leader Sajith Premadasa and others. The protesters who walked past the Shangri La residence of Rajapaksa to picket the Presidential secretariat near Galle Face, were seen wearing headbands saying “Gota Go Home!

Since the beginning of the pandemic in 2020, the Rajapaksas have been trying hard to save the crippling economy, but in vain.

In fact, Basil Rajapaksa, during his earlier trips to India, managed to get loans and financial support. In December 2021, he had held talks with Jaishankar, and both the countries had agreed upon a four-pronged approach to resolve Sri Lanka’s financial crisis. India had then agreed to give credit lines to Sri Lanka for import of essentials such as food, medicines and fuel. It had also agreed for currency swap to help in increasing Sri lanka’s foreign reserves, and modernising the Trincomalee oil tank farm. In 2021, India had sent one lakh kilos of nano nitrogen fertiliser after Colombo has banned the use of contaminated fertilisers.

Even when the new line of credit from India could save the island nation, it is only a temporary solution which will help Sri Lanka purchase food and essential goods. But the country, that is highly dependent on imports and which is seeing its foreign exchange reserves depleting constantly, needs to find a permanent solution. 

Xinhua

COLOMBO, March 18 (Xinhua) — A specialized nephrology hospital in Sri Lanka, built with the assistance of the Chinese government, has successfully performed a kidney transplant surgery from a living donor recently, the first of its kind since the operation of the hospital.

The China-Sri Lanka Friendship National Nephrology Hospital said the recipient of the transplant is a 28-year-old woman who had been suffering from kidney disease for 10 years and the kidney donator is her mother.

The mother and daughter are in stable condition after the surgery, and both the medical staff and patient are very satisfied with the results of the operation, according to the hospital.

Buddima Jayawickrama, a well-known transplant surgeon in Sri Lanka, who was in charge of the surgery, attributed the success of the operation to adequate preparation and close collaboration among all parties, as well as to the advanced and complete medical facilities of the hospital, especially giving credit to the technical team of the Chinese company that built the hospital for providing the hardware guarantee for the operation.

The success of this transplant surgery is a good start, which makes the hospital more confident to become an important platform for kidney transplant in Sri Lanka and South Asia, said Sampath Indika Kumara, director of the hospital.

The China-Sri Lanka Friendship National Nephrology Hospital, located in the ancient city of Polonnaruwa and officially opened in June 2021, has an area of 25,000 square meters, featuring 200 general inpatient beds, 100 hemodialysis beds. 

Courtesy Adaderana

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) intends to begin discussions with Sri Lanka on a programme to support the country, IMF spokesman Gerry Rice says.

Speaking at a media briefing on Thursday (March 17), Mr. Rice said the IMF has highlighted the urgent need to implement a credible and coherent strategy to restore macro-economic stability and debt sustainability or protect vulnerable groups through strengthened well-targetted social safety nets.

We stand ready to discuss all options for Sri Lanka,” Mr. Rice said further.

The IMF recently concluded its Article IV consultation with Sri Lanka and the Executive Board recommended a gradual return to a market-determined and flexible exchange rate to facilitate external adjustment and rebuild international reserves.

Earlier this week, IMF Asia and Pacific Department Director Changyong Rhee met with Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to discuss the details of the fund’s latest review of the economy and the assessments on the island nation.

Following the said meeting with the top IMF official, President Rajapaksa, in a televised address, said he has decided to work with the IMF.

Courtesy Adaderana

Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa says no conditions have been set for the USD 1 billion credit facility received from India.

He made this remark speaking to the media upon returning to the island after concluding his two-day official visit to India.

Courtesy Adaderana

The Health Ministry says that another 288 persons have tested positive for Covid-19 today, as the daily count of new cases continues to rise in the country.

This brings the tally of Covid-19 cases registered in the country thus far to 657,723. 

According to official figures, 624,521 positive cases have recovered.

Following the new development, the number of virus-infected people who are undergoing treatment moved to 16,780.

Meanwhile, the Director-General of Health Services confirmed 03 new coronavirus-related deaths for March 17, pushing the country’s death toll from the pandemic to 16,422.

The deaths reported today include 03 males, according to the figures released by the Department of Govt. Information. 

One of the victims is between the ages of 30-59 years. The remaining two are in the age group of 60 years and above.

Courtesy The Daily Mirror

A three-day motorcycle parade organised by a private motorcycle club called “Spin Rider Club” from Mirigama to Anuradhapura via Kalpitiya has been cancelled by the police due to public protest.

The said club had sought permission to hold the parade in line with a cash donation to Maharagama Apeksha Hospital and distribution of books and stationery to school children in Kalpitiya. Police said.

They said permission was granted subject to conditions and charging government fees as it was a request made legally regarding a charity work.

However, the parade scheduled from Kalpitiya to Anuradhapura has been cancelled due to public protest and violation of agreed conditions, police said.

Police said steps would be taken to take legal action if they had acted against the law.. (Ajith Siriwardana)

Courtesy msn.com

LONDON (Reuters) -Russia warned the United States on Thursday that Moscow had the might to put the world’s pre-eminent superpower in its place and accused the West of stoking a wild Russophobic plot to tear Russia apart.© Reuters/SPUTNIK FILE PHOTO: Deputy Chairman of Russia’s Security Council Medvedev gives an interview outside Moscow

Dmitry Medvedev, who served as president from 2008 to 2012 and is now deputy secretary of Russia’s Security Council, said the United States had stoked “disgusting” Russophobia in an attempt to force Russia to its knees.

“It will not work – Russia has the might to put all of our brash enemies in their place,” Medvedev said.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, the United States and its European and Asian allies have slapped sanctions on Russian leaders, companies and businessmen, cutting off Russia from much of the world economy.

Video: Lavrov-Kuleba meeting: ‘Nothing concrete came out of it’ (France 24)

President Vladimir Putin says that what he calls the special military operation in Ukraine was necessary because the United States was using Ukraine to threaten Russia and Russia had to defend against the “genocide” of Russian-speaking people by Ukraine.

Ukraine says it is fighting for its existence and that Putin’s claims of genocide are nonsense. The West says claims it wants to rip Russia apart are fiction.

Russia says that despite sanctions it can fare well without what it casts as a deceitful and decadent West led by the United States. It says its bid to forge ties with the West after the 1991 fall of the Soviet Union is now over and that it will develop ties with other powers such as China.

(Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge)

A Sad Citizen

Some of our people need to have their heads examined! They were demonstrating in front of the Presidential Secretarial without thinking about what will happen if they remove President Gota. Who is the person who can replace him? Last year when the Covid 19 broke in Sri Lanka, thanks to the quick action of President Gota, we had only very few deaths. In the early days, we only had 22 die initially since the country was put into lockdown quickly. Later the numbers increased since the Opposition fought the lockdown. By comparison in the USA, Europe, India, etc,  hundreds of thousands died. Imagine if the Opposition were in power! Do you think there is any other leader other than President Gota who could have taken quick, strong decisions ?. Only a battle-wise veteran like Colonel Gotabaya Rajapaksa assisted by General Shavendra Silva could have saved the country from the LTTE and Covid. 

Only a few years ago when the LTTE were killing our soldiers and the people with suicide bombers and explosions in trains and buses, who came to the rescue of the country to save it? The Opposition only wanted to appease their colonial masters and they followed the advice of the Norwegian peace negotiators who were appointed by CBK and told the Govt that the LTTE was too strong to defeat militarily. It was the Rajapaksa family with Mahinda as the President and Gota as the Secretary who saved the country. President Gota knew how to battle since he had been a soldier who was decorated for bravery. He had got injured in the field and nearly lost his life when the LTTE threw a bomb at him. Even though the military under President Mahinda did everything to save the 300,000 Tamil civilians who were kidnapped by the LTTE resulting in the death of more soldiers, were the LTTE accused by the UNHRC as war criminals ?. No, the UNHRC brought a Resolution against the brave soldiers who saved the country which was co-sponsored by the Yahapalanaya Govt who were trying to appease the ex-colonials.

In spite of the unprecedented problems faced by the Govt due to situations in the world, the Rajapaksa Govt has faced every issue and is also doing a lot of development work that will bear good results in the future. They just opened one of the biggest Cement factories in Hambantota, a 1000MW solar power plant agreement was signed with India, and Gota has given instructions for 5000MW of renewable power just in the last two months to address climate change and increase electricity supply. There is also a big effort to clean up the food supply of Sri Lanka which was causing CKDU in massive numbers.  It is unfortunate that the Govt is short of foreign exchange due to the Covid and the world situation. Sri Lanka lost simultaneously tourism and migrant workers remittances in 2020, 2021. Instead of standing together with the Govt that has looked after the people so well, the Opposition is trying to take advantage of the present difficult times to bring down the Govt. 

Some of the Colombians who were living on commissions from imports are not happy with the current Govt. There are many so-called economic experts writing in the newspapers about what should have been done. They are very clever since hindsight is very easy. No one could have predicted what happened in the last two years. No one could have foreseen that Sri Lanka will be hit by two variations of Covid and then the high oil prices due to the war in Ukraine, and Climate Change requirements.  

During the Yahapalanaya no development work was done and the chief architect of the two bond scams (Rs. 80 billion) now wants to advise the present govt who has done so much !. During the time of the Yahapalanaya, they could have paid down the debt since oil prices fell to a record low. Instead, they chose to import all the luxury cars and let the ministers sell them at a profit. Yahapalanaya allowed free imports of anything which let the commission agents flourish. 

Our people do not seem to think at all; they just react to situations. In 2015 when MR handed over the Govt the exchange rate was Rs. 130 to a dollar. In 2019 it was Rs. 199 per dollar and the debt was 75%. Yet now the Opposition is telling us that they know best how to run the economy. Did you know that 40 people from the Opposition went to Davos for their Billionaires meeting paying $2000/day for a hotel room – for what?

My advice to the people of Sri Lanka is at this dark hour stand strong with proven loyal leaders who have shown ability and are moving the country forward in spite of all the world issues. I agree that there are some difficulties and instead of trying to use it as an opportunity to topple the Govt and take over as was done in 2015, please be patient and let them carry for their term. If we keep changing Govts each time there is a global situation, the country will only go more and more backward. We have to realize that we are a very small country and need to balance ourselves against some of the major powers who dominate the world. It takes great diplomacy to balance on the knife-edge to keep the major powers from taking over or re-colonizing our country. 

Senaka Weeraratna Founder Member and Vice – President (JAN)

We are a not-for-profit organization incorporated under the company laws of Sri Lanka as an Association (Registration No.GA236166).

In order to create a just society anchored to compassion for all living beings and nature we are carrying on this public fb group, with a view to drawing public attention to pain and suffering of animals largely due to the inhumanity of humans, and destruction of the natural habitat.

We are also uploading videos to our YouTube channel. Please watch them by searching the YouTube under the name ‘Justice for Animals and Nature’ and subscribe to this channel.

The Aims and Objectives of the Organization (JAN) are as follows:

1) To strive for Freedom and Justice for Animals, and creation of a Just Society, 

2) To rebuild an animal – friendly cultural heritage in Sri Lanka, by fostering and caring for the well-being of animals,

3) To campaign for reform of the Constitution and updating of the laws to protect animals, nature and heritage, commensurate with modern standards of care and treatment, and engage in legal advocacy and public litigation, 

4) To liaise and support other organizations within or outside Sri Lanka engaged in the promotion and protection of fauna, flora and nature,

5) To promote humanitarian education and awareness programs commencing at pre-school level, aimed at securing animal rights, protection and welfare, 

6) To work towards ending cruelty to animals and the use of animals in entertainment, zoos, slavery, sports, races, experiments and religious activities including ritual sacrifices, 

7) To promote plant–based food production and consumption, and propagate the benefits of Vegetarianism and Veganism,

8) To call for a ban on the export of live animals from Sri Lanka for slaughter, entertainment and presentation as gifts to other countries, and export of meat products and seafood from Sri Lanka, 

9) To encourage the public to not earn a living by rearing animals for slaughter or killing animals including invertebrates such as crustaceans, and to call for a ban on slaughter of cattle and other animals, 

10) To create awareness on environmental pollution and environmental degradation, and their injurious effects on human health, climate change and bio–diversity, and campaign against all such forms of pollution, including noise pollution, 

11) To advocate preservation of remains of pre–historic and historic cultures and heritage, archaeological areas, residual forests and natural habitats of non–human living creatures, elephant corridors, and engagement in sustainable development,   and 

12) To promote ‘Ahimsa’ as a cardinal tenet pervading all activities.

If you wish to join our organization as a member, volunteer or support us financially to carry out our mission please contact us at the address given below:

Justice for Animals and Nature,

13A, Ocean Tower, Station Road, 

Colombo 4, 

Sri Lanka.

justice4an@gmail.com 

ums@sltnet.lk

+94 112591500 / +94 766541716 / +94 714441810

We welcome sincere and dedicated people in any part of this world to join hands with us as members to realize these noble aims and transform ourselves into truly compassionate beings.

Justice for Animals and Nature

https://www.facebook.com/groups/149040167376864/?ref=share

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https://www.facebook.com/groups/149040167376864/posts/285377103743169/

This comment by a foreigner 

Bruce F. Anderson refers to the twelve points ‘ Aims and Objectives of the Justice for Animals and Nature’.

He says that these objects are worthy of being enshrined internationally and far superior to anything that the Western world has drafted hitherto to advance the cause of animal rights.

Senaka Weeraratna

Founder Member and Vice – President (JAN)

High Commission of Sri Lanka New Delhi

Concluding his two-day official visit to New Delhi, Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa today (17) witnessed the signing of the agreement pertaining to the Short-Term Concessional Loan facility of USD 1 billion extended by the Government of India to the Government of Sri Lanka through the State Bank of India.

The USD 1 billion loan facility, which formed the key component of the four-pillar economic cooperation arrangement agreed between India and Sri Lanka during Minister Rajapaksa’s visit to New Delhi in December last year, was extended to the Government of Sri Lanka for procurement of food, medicines and other essential items.

The signing ceremony was held at the Ministry of Finance in New Delhi this afternoon in the presence of Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa, the External Affairs Minister of India Dr. S. Jaishankar and the Indian Finance Minister Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman. Managing Director of the State Bank of India Shri Ashwini Kumar Tewari and the Bank’s General Manager Shri Vinod Kumar were also present on this occasion.

Secretary to the Ministry of Finance S. R. Attygalle signed the agreement on behalf of the Government of Sri Lanka, with Deputy General Manager Shri Pushkar Jha signing on behalf of the State Bank of India.

Prior to the signing ceremony, Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa was received jointly by the Finance and External Affairs Ministers of India for bilateral talks at the Finance Ministry in the North Block.

During the bilateral talks, the two sides agreed to set up a framework for short, medium and long-term economic cooperation between the two countries aimed at addressing Sri Lanka’s present economic challenges.

With this objective, the three Ministers agreed to stay in regular contact and a coordinating mechanism consisting of senior officials from the two countries was set up to maintain a regular dialogue.

Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa was accompanied to this meeting by Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to India Milinda Moragoda, Secretary to the Ministry of Finance S. R. Attygalle and Deputy High Commissioner of Sri Lanka to India Niluka Kadurugamuwa.

Earlier in the day, Minister Rajapaksa met with India’s Minister of Power and New & Renewable Energy Shri Raj Kumar Singh and discussed the ways and means to further deepen and broaden bilateral cooperation in the power and renewable energy sector. Chief Economic Adviser of the Government of India, Prof. A. Nageswaran also called on Finance Minister Rajapaksa.

High Commission of Sri Lanka

New Delhi

හිටපු ආණ්ඩුකාර රජිත් කීර්ති තෙන්නකෝන්

වෘත්තීය භාවය සහ බල ලෝභී දේශපාලන උවමනාවන් අතර ගැටුමකින් පමා වූ ජාත්‍යන්තර මුල්‍ය අරමුදල හරහා ලංකාවේ විදේශ විනිමය අර්බුදයට පිළියම් සෙවීමට අවසානයේ රජයට සිදු ව ඇත.  පරාජිත බිඳුණු හඬකින් ජාතික අමතමින් ජනාධිපති ගෝඨාභය රාජපක්ෂය තම තීරණය රටේ ජනතාවට පවසන විට රටට බිඳ වැටී, අඳුරේ ගිලී අවසන්ය.

ජාත්‍යන්තර මුල්‍ය අරමුදල වෙත යාමට ප්‍රමාදවීම ආණ්ඩුවට තරමටම,  ජනතාව ද අන්ත අසරණ කර තිබේ. 

ලංකාවට ලැබෙන IMF කොන්දේසි මොනවාද?

ජාත්‍යන්තර මුල්‍ය අරමුදල සහ ශ්‍රී ලංකා රජය අතර 2019 පෙබරවාරි සිට දීර්ඝ සාකච්ඡා පැවැත්වුණි.  එහි දී, IMF ලංකා රජයට ඉදිරිපත් කළ මුලික කොන්දේසි ගණනාවකි. එයින් පළමුවැන්න, ‘මුදල් නීති පනත‘  සම්මත කර ගැනීමය.  2019 මුදල් නීති පනත සම්මත කර ගැනීමට යහපාලන රජය කටයුතු කරමින් සිටින විට ආණ්ඩුව බිඳ වැටුණි. මුදල් නීති පනතේ වැදගත්ම කොටස මුදල් අමාත්‍යාංශයේ ලේකම්/භාණ්ඩාගාර ලේකම් මුල්‍ය මණ්ඩලයේ සාමාජිකත්වයෙන් ඉවත් කිරීමය. රටේ බඩු මිල ඉහළයාමට ප්‍රධානම හේතුව  වී ඇති හිතුමතේ මුදල් අච්චු ගැසීම නැවැත්වා  රජයේ කටයුතු සඳහා අවශ්‍ය මුදල් වෙළෙඳපොළෙන් සපයා ගැනීම අනිවාර්ය කිරීම එහි අරමුණයි. රටේ මුල්‍ය විනය ඇති කිරීම, එහි දිගු කාලීන වාසිය යි.

මා විසින් මෙයට පෙර නැවත නැවතත් අනාවරණය කළ පරිදි, ශ්‍රී ලංකා රජය IMF සමඟ පස්සා දොරෙන් ගණුදෙනු ආරම්භ කළේ බැසිල් රාජපක්ෂ මහතා මුදල් ඇමතිවරයා ලෙස පත්වූ මොහොතේදීම ය. ( 2021 අගෝස්තු 17 පස්සා දොරෙන් IMF යාම නිවේදනය බලන්න) හිටපු මහ බැංකු ප්‍රධානියෙකු ගේ උපදෙස් පරිදි, ඉතා බලවත් තානාපති නිලධාරියෙකු මගින් ඇමරිකානු රාජ්‍ය දෙපාර්තමේන්තුව හරහා මෙම මැදිහත්වීම සිදු විය. මේ වන විට ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ ආර්ථික විනය සම්බන්ධයෙන් IMF සංවිධානය ඇඟයීම් දෙකක් ද, කේෂ්ත්‍ර හඳුණාගැනීමක් ද සිදු කර ඇත.  

කොන්දේසි කුමක් විය හැකිද?

ජාත්‍යන්තර මුල්‍ය අරමුදල අද ලංකාවට පැනවිය හැකි කොන්දේසි අතර මුලිකම වන්නේ 2019 පෙර පැවති බදු ක්‍රමය නැවත ස්ථාපනය කර ආදායම් ඉහළ නංවා ගැනීම ය.   2019 වත්මන් රජය බලයට පැමිණ සිය ව්‍යාපාරික හිතවතුන්ට ලබාදුන් බදු සහන ලංකා ආර්ථිකය බංකොලොත්වීමට මුලික හේතුවකි. එය වත්මන් රුපියල් අර්බුදයට ප්‍රධානතම හේතුවයි.  ගජමිතුරු බදු සහන හේතුවෙන් ඉතිහාසයේ ඉහළම ලාභ වාර්තා කරමින් සිටින රජයේ ව්‍යාපාරික හිතවතුන් මේ යෝජනාවට මාරාන්තික ලෙස විරුද්ධවීම නොවැලැක්විය හැකිය.

විදුලිය, ඉන්ධන සම්බන්ධයෙන් මිල සුත්‍ර හදුන්වාදීම IMF යහපාලන රජයට ඉදිරිපත් කළ ඉල්ලීමකි.  එදා මංගල සමරවීර මුදල් අමාත්‍යවරයා මුල්වරට මිල සුත්‍රය හදුණ්වාදුන්නේ IMF  යෝජනාවකට අනුවය.  වත්මන් ඉන්ධන අර්බුදයේ කේන්ද්‍රය මිල සුත්‍රයෙන් ඉවත්ව හිතුවක්කාරී ලෙස ඉන්ධන මිල තීරණය කිරීම ය.   

ණය පොලී අනුපාතික දේශපාලන අවශ්‍යතාව මත නොව, වෘත්තිකයින්ගේ උපදෙස් මත තීරණය කිරීමට මුල්‍ය විනයක් ඇති කිරීමේ IMF           කොන්දේසියකි. පොලී අනුපාත ඉහළ යාම එහි අනිවාර්ය ප්‍රතිඑලය වනු ඇත්තේය.  

වත්මන් රජය බලයට පත්වීමෙන් පසුව සාමාන්‍ය පෙළ අසමත් 62,000 කට ද, උපාධිධාරීන් 52,000ක් ද රාජ්‍ය සේවයේ මුලික වැටුපට බඳවාගෙන ඇත. මේ අය අද කිසිදු රාජකාරියක් නොකර වැටුප් ලබමින් සිටී.  රාජ්‍ය සේවය සම්බන්ධයෙන් IMF කොන්දේසිය රාජ්‍ය සේවය කුඩා කිරීම හෙවත් රැකියා කප්පාදු කිරීම ය.

පාඩු ලබන ශ්‍රී ලංකන් ඇතුළු රාජ්‍ය ආයතන 40 කට වැඩි ප්‍රමාණයක් විකුණා දැමීම හෝ ප්‍රති ව්‍යුහගත කිරීමට IMF කොන්දේසි රජයට ඉදිරිපත් වනු ඇත.

2013 දී අය වැය මගින් මුදල් අවප්‍රමාණය (රු. 113 සිට 116 දක්වා) ලංකා ඉතිහාසයේ මහ බැංකුවට පිටින් විදේශ විනිමය අනුපාත වෙනස් කිරීමේ අශෝභන, අතාර්කික අවස්ථාවකි.  පසුගිය සතියේ දී එම ඉතිහාසය නැවත ප්‍රතිනිර්මාණය විය.  කම්කරු ඇමති නිමල් සිරිපාල ද සිල්වා විදේශීය ශ්‍රමිකයින් විසින් ලංකාවට එවන ඩොලර් එකකට  රු. 38 ක අතිරේක මුදලක් ගෙවීමට යෝජනා කර තිබුණි.  මුදල් අමාත්‍යාංශය (බැසිල් රාජපක්ෂ)  හා මහ බැංකුව (අජිත් නිවාඩ් කබ්රාල්) අතර පවතින සීතල යුද්ධය නිසා කැබිනට් තීරණයට පෙර මහ බැංකුව රුපියල පා කිරීමට තීරණය කළේය. දවසක් ගත වන තුරුම ඩොලරයේ සැබෑ අගය පිළිබඳ ආර්ථි විශේඥයින්ට පවා අවබෝධයක් ඒ නිසා ලැබුණේ නැත.  එහි ප්‍රතිඑලය දැන් ඩොලරය රු. 300 දක්වා වේගයෙන් බාල්දු වීම ඇරඹීමය.

බදු ප්‍රතිපත්තිය වෙනස් කිරීම, ඉන්ධන මිල සුත්‍රය, පොලී අනුපාත, රාජ්‍ය සේවය ප්‍රතිසංවිධානය, මුදල් අච්චු ගැසීම නවතා දැමීම, මහ බැංකුවේ දේශපාලනීකරණයෙන් ඉවත් කිරීම, ණය කළමනාකරණ ආයතනයක් පිහිටුවීම, විදේශ ණය ප්‍රතිව්‍යුහගත කිරීමේ සාකච්ඡා ඇරඹීම, ඉන්දියාව හරහා කෙටි කාලීන ණය පහසුකම් සැපයීම යන  පියවරවලින් පසුව රුපියල පා කිරීම තුලින් විනිමය අනුපාත ස්ථාවර කිරීම ජාත්‍යන්තර මුල්‍ය අරමුදලේ ලංකාව සම්බන්ධයෙන් වූ මාර්ග සිතියම වූවේය.

අජිත් නිවාඩ් කබ්රාල් පසුගිය දා, ඒ පියවර සියල්ලට කලින් අවම වශයෙන් කැබිනට් මණ්ඩලය හෝ දැනුවත් කිරීමකින් තොරව රුපියල පා කර හැරීමට පියවර ගත්තේය.

මෙය මුදල් අමාත්‍යාංශය හා මහ බැංකුව අතර බල අරගලයේ තීරණාත්මක සංධිස්ථානයකි.  

පවාවී එන වසන්තය

අද වන විට ලංකාවේ විදේශ ණය සහ ණය වාරික අතර අනුපාතය අනුව මොනම අයුරකින් හෝ රට බලංකොලොත්වීම නොවැලැක්විය හැකිය. ඩොලර් අර්බුදය ට අමතරව, රටේ රුපියල් අර්බුදයක් මතුව ඇත.  එවැනි රටකට ණය ලබාදීමට IMF ආයතනයට නීතියෙන් හැකියාවක් නැත.  එබැවින්, ණය ප්‍රතිව්‍යුහකරණයකට ලංකාව යොමු කිරීමට IMF ට සිදුවේ. 

ලංකාව ආයතන, රාජ්‍ය, සංවිධාන හා පුද්ගලයින් 150 කට වැඩි සංඛ්‍යාවකින් මුදල් ණයට ගෙන ඇත.  මෙම ආයතන/රාජ්‍ය/සංවිධාන සමඟ ණය ප්‍රතිව්‍යුහගත කිරීමට සාකච්ඡා ඇරඹීමට ලංකා රජයට සිදු වනු ඇත. අනෙක් අතට, අවශ්‍ය වන්නේ නම් IMF එම සාකච්ඡා සඳහා පහසුකම් සපයන්නෙකු ලෙස කටයුතු කරනු ඇත.  අද, ශ්‍රී ලංකා මහ බැංකුව සතුව ‘ණය ප්‍රතිව්‍යුහගත කිරීම සම්බන්ධයෙන්‘ වෘත්තීය භාවයකින් යුතුව කටයුතු කළ හැකි, වෘත්තීය නායකත්වයක් නැත.  ඒ නිසාම, ඒ සඳහා අවශ්‍ය ‘තාක්ෂණික කණ්ඩායමක්‘ සකස් කර ගැනීම පහසු නැත.

අනෙක් අතට, හිටපු මහ බැංකු අධිපති ඉන්ද්‍රජිත් කුමාරස්වාමි ගේ ධූර කාලයේ අතිරික්ත ධූර කාලය දරමින් සිටින අජිත් නිවාඩ් කබ්රාල් මහ බැංකුවේ අධිපති ධූරයෙන් 2022 ජූලි 4 දින දක්වා ඉවත් කළ නොහැකිය. දෙවන ධූර කාලයක් සඳහා කබ්රාල් පත්වීම වැලැක්වීමට ජනාධිපතිවරයාට හැකියාව ඇතත් වත්මන් ආර්ථික අර්බුදයට, බලශක්ති අර්බුදයට එයින් ලැබෙන සහනයක් නම් නැත.

හිටපු ආණ්ඩුකාර රජිත් කීර්ති තෙන්නකෝන්

විධායක අධ්‍යක්ෂ/ශ්‍රී ලංකා මානව හිමිකම් කේන්ද්‍රය

Courtesy Adaderana

The Director General of Health Services has confirmed another three coronavirus related deaths for March 16, pushing the country’s death toll due to the virus to 16,419. 

This figure includes two males and one female patient while all three deceased are over the age of 60 years. 

Meanwhile the Health Ministry says that another 301 persons have tested positive for Covid-19 today, increasing the tally of confirmed cases registered in the country to 657,435.

උපුටා ගැන්ම ලංකා සී නිව්ස්

අධිබල යතුරුපැදි තුන්සියයකට ආසන්න ප්‍රමාණයක් ගමන් කරමින් තිබු යතුරු පැදි සවාරියකට පුත්තලම ප්‍රදේශයේ දී ජනතාව විරෝධයක් පෑහ.

ඔවුන් කියා සිටියේ දැඩි ඉන්ධන හිඟයක් රටේ පවතිද්දී මෙවන් සවාරි සිදු කරන්නේ කෙසේද යනුවෙනි.

කොළඹ සිට කල්පිටියට ගමන් කරමින් තිබූ මෙම යතුරුපැදි සවාරිය සමග අධි සුඛෝපභෝගී ජීප් රථ විශාල සංඛ්‍යාවක් එක්ව සිටියේය.

සවාරියට ඉදිරියෙන් පොලිස් පෙරගමන් යතුරුපැදි ගමන් කළ අතර එම පෙළපාලියේ අවසානයේ ඉන්ධන බවුසර ගමන් කල බවද කියති.

ප‍්‍රබල දේශපාලඥයකු මේ සඳහා මැදිහත් වී ඇතැයි ද වාර්තා පළ වේ. කෙසේ වෙතත් ක‍්‍රීඩා අමාත්‍ය නාමල් රාජපක්ෂ මහතාගේ මාධ්‍ය ඒකකය සඳහන් කරන්නේ අමාත්‍යවරයා මෙම වැඩසටහන සඳහා කිසිදු සම්බන්ධයක් නැති බවයි.

Sri Lanka

Ilya Tsukanov Courtesy Sputnik

The Russian military began to pull back the curtain on the scale and scope of the network of Pentagon-funded biolabs in Ukraine last week. US officials and media initially dismissed these revelations as “Russian disinformation,” but were forced to correct the narrative after undersecretary of state Nuland admitted that such labs do in fact exist.

The Russian Ministry of Defence has released fresh details about the US military-funded biolabs operating in Ukraine, including a trove of original documentation. The MoD also revealed that Joanna Wintrol, the US Defense Threat Reduction Agency’s liason officer at the US Embassy in Kiev, has been serving as one of the programme’s curators.

Commenting on a trove of papers released in a presentation Thursday, Russian Radiological, Chemical and Biological Defence Troops chief Igor Kirillov pointed to a document dated 6 March 2015 which he said confirmed in no uncertain terms that components of biological weapons were being created in Ukraine with direct US involvement and financing.”An analysis of the information received suggests that Ukrainian specialists have not been made aware of the potential risks involved in the transfer of biomaterials, and that they are essentially being used and kept in the dark, and have no real idea about the true goals of the ongoing research,” Kirillov said at a briefing in Moscow.

Kirillov shed light on a major project worth tens of millions of dollars and involving Ukraine’s top biolabs. The research, known as Project UP-8, was “directed at the study of pathogens of Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever, leptospirosis and hantaviruses,” according to the RCB Defence Troops chief. It is “no coincidence” that Ukraine-based facilities were chosen by the DTRA and contractor Black & Veatch to execute the project, the officer said, given that these pathogens have natural foci in both Ukraine and Russia.

Document© screenshot”Their use can be disguised as the natural outbreak of diseases. This is why this particular project received additional funding, and the deadlines for its implementation were extended,” Kirillov said.The MoD calculated that labs in Kiev, Odessa, Lvov and Kharkov received $32 million in funding for Project UP-8.

Project P-782

Ukrainian biolaboratories were also the main executor of Project P-782, conducting research into the transmission of diseases through bats. A Russian RCB Defence Troops analysis of documents showed that Pentagon research has been going on since at least 2009 under the direct supervision of US specialists, and that work in this area has also been done through several related projects, known as P-382, P-444 and P-568.

Kirillov said the Pentagon invested $1.6 million into this research, which was said to have been carried out at a lab in Kharkov, northeastern Ukraine, and the Lugar Center in Tbilisi, Georgia.”One of the curators of this activity was DRA Chief Joanna Wintrol. Perhaps she should speak to journalists?” Kirillov suggested.

Document© screenshotThe officer said that documents showed that the Pentagon began bat pathogen-related research in October 2019, on the eve of the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

Document© screenshot

Project Flu-Fly-Way

The officer also addressed information gleaned from documents received from the Kharkov Institute of Veterinary Medicine on the use of wild migratory birds as vectors for the transmission of a highly pathogenic form of avian influenza. This research, he said, included a study of the conditions under which the processes of the virus’s transmission could become uncontrollable, with the purpose being to cause economic damage and creating risks to food security.

Document© screenshotThe same Kharkov lab, he said, has been involved with the collection of strains of avian influenza with high epidemic potential, including strains capable of overcoming the interspecies barrier.Kirillov also reported that the MoD has information that Ukraine’s biolabs are continuing to destroy biomaterials and documentation on their research into dangerous viruses, in accordance with instructions sent out last month by Ukraine’s minister of health.

Document© screenshot”We continue to receive information about attempts to destroy biomaterials and documentatation in Ukraine’s laboratories. We are aware that during such liquidation activities at the Laboratory of Veterinary Medicine in the settlement of Khlebodarskoye [Odessa region] Ukrainian nationals working at the lab were not even allowed in the building,” the officer said.“This laboratory cooperates with the Mechnikov Anti-Plague Research Institute in Odessa, which conducts research on plague, anthrax, cholera, tularemia and arboviruses,” Kirillov said.The emergency destruction of documents has also taken place in a lab in the city of Kherson. In that case, Kirillov speculated, “one of the reasons for the rush may have been to conceal information about the outbreak of dirofilariasis, a disease transmitted by mosquitos, which took place in Kherson in 2018.””The question arises about why four cases of infection were detected in February, which is not typical given the life cycle of these insects. In April 2018, Pentagon representatives visited local health facilities, where they were acquainted with the results of an epidemiological investigation and copied medical records,” the officer said.No documentary evidence regarding the outbreak has been found in the Kherson lab, suggesting it had been scrubbed to prevent it from falling into the hands of Russian specialists, Kirillov said.

Document© screenshot

Serum Express

Kirillov also expanded on previously-made MoD allegations on the sending of serum samples of Ukrainian patients abroad, citing documentation on the transfer of 5,000 samples to the Lugar Center, and indications that 773 more samples were sent to a UK reference lab. The MoD released a sample invoice.

Document© screenshot

Implications

Commenting on the security implications of the US-funded Ukrainian biolabs’ operations for the region, Kirillov said that the 2018 deaths of over 70 residents of the settlement of Peski, Donetsk People’s Republic from drug-resistant strains of tuberculosis may be associated with the activities of one such lab, with pathogens either accidentally or deliberately leaked.

The officer accused the United States and Ukraine of keeping silent about the research taking place at Ukrainian biolabs from the United Nations, notwithstanding Biological Weapons Convention rules requiring member countries to submit detailed information on their biological activities.”I’m referring here to the confidence-building measures, which are published with the aim of monitoring the implementation of the Convention. Since 2016, the moment that the projects we’ve named began to be realized…the United States and Ukraine have deliberately kept silent about this work in international reporting, due to its clear military-biological direction. This secrecy is another reason to stop and think about the goals the Pentagon is pursuing in Ukraine,” Kirillov suggested.

The officer suggested that essentially, Washington’s farming out of its military biological activities to third countries serves a means to bypass its international obligations by proxy. The current activity is also nothing new, Kirillov stressed, pointing, for example, to President Barack Obama’s surprise admission in 2010 that the United States deliberately infected Guatemalan nationals with syphilis and gonorrhea pathogens in the 1940s.

The Russian military began to disclose details on the scale and scope of the US-funded network of biolabs across Ukraine last week. US officials and media immediately dismissed the MoD’s reporting as Russian propaganda and disinformation, releasing articles and fact checks to that effect. These same officials and media were put on the spot on 7 March when undersecretary of state Victoria Nuland told lawmakers that “biological research facilities” were in fact operating in Ukraine.

Nuland said the United States was “quite concerned” that Russian troops may take control of these labs, and assured that Washington was “working with the Ukrainians on how they can prevent any of those research materials from falling into the hands of Russian forces should they approach.”The Russian MoD has continued to provide additional information regarding the operations of these facilities in the days that followed.US Tried to Fund Biolabs in Ukraine as Early as 2005, Records Show11 March, 17:28 GMT

Written by Nirupama Subramanian Courtesy The Indian Express

Rajapaksa, who arrived in Delhi on Wednesday for a three-day visit, met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and is scheduled to meet External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to finalise the credit line.

AS INDIA prepares to sign off on a $1-bn emergency credit line to Sri Lanka for food and essential commodities during Lankan Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa’s visit, it will push Colombo for the finalisation of earlier proposals on the joint development of Palaly airport and Kankesanthurai harbour, both in the Jaffna peninsula close to the Tamil Nadu coast.

Rajapaksa, who arrived in Delhi on Wednesday for a three-day visit, met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and is scheduled to meet External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to finalise the credit line.

India has extended $1.4 bn to Colombo since January — a $500 mn line of credit, $400 mn currency swap and $500 mn for loan deferment with Asian Clearing Union — after Rajapaksa’s last visit in December 2020.A mountain destination like no otherSponsored by NEOMLearn more

The Ministry of External Affairs said Rajapksa briefed Modi on initiatives being taken by both countries to increase bilateral economic co-operation, and conveyed his thanks for the support extended by India for the Sri Lankan economy”.

Modi said Sri Lanka had a central role in India’s Neighbourhood First policy and maritime SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) doctrine. He also noted the potential for increasing bilateral tourist flows, including through joint promotion of Buddhist and Ramayan circuits.

Speaking to The Indian Express, an official said Delhi was pressing” Colombo to quickly finalise the two connectivity” projects at Palaly and Kankesanthurai. Both projects will help Colombo resuscitate its tourism industry after the double blow of the Easter bombing in 2019 and the pandemic from 2020, the official said.

The two sides are also looking at restarting a ferry service between Thalaimannar in north-western Sri Lanka and Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu.

The Palaly airport was opened to civilian flights from Chennai in October 2019 after a partial refurbishment of the runway, but has been closed since the pandemic. Colombo has shown no sign of reopening the facility, now known as Jaffna International Airport. India had helped in lengthening the runway at Palaly before its reopening, and has expressed interest in further development.

The two countries had signed an MoU on developing the Kankesanthurai harbour in 2018, with Exim Bank providing funds for carrying out feasibility studies, preparing a detailed project report, conducting geo-spatial surveys and removing wreckage. The project has not progressed.

The two projects will add to India’s portfolio in the Tamil-dominated north-east and the theatre of its three-decade civil war that ended 2009.
On March 11, Indian companies concluded two other major agreements for projects in the region: an agreement between National Thermal Power Corporation and Ceylon Electricity Board to set up a solar power plant at Sampur in Trincomalee and a deal by Adani Group to set up two renewable energy projects worth $ 500 million, likely at Mannar in the north-west.

While the terms of the Adani agreement are not in the public domain, both agreements are significant given that at India’s protest last year, Colombo cancelled a Chinese renewable energy project in the islands off Jaffna. In January, India and Sri Lanka signed a deal for the joint development of the Trincomalee Oil Tank farm, another project that had faced many obstacles.

The Sri Lanka High Commission said Modi and Rajapaksa discussed a wide range of bilateral issues”, and that other than tourism and fisheries, renewable energy was also discussed. The statement referred to digitalisation”, which likely relates to a recent pact to replicate the Aadhaar model in Sri Lanka.

NBCNews

Anger is growing over a worsening economic situation that has brought fuel shortages and spiraling food prices, prompting officials to seek international help.

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Opposition leaders led a march of hundreds of protesters through Sri Lanka’s main city of Colombo on Tuesday as anger grows over a worsening economic crisis that has brought fuel shortages and spiraling food prices.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s government said it will begin talks next month with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for assistance, while Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa flew into New Delhi to sign a $1-billion credit line to tackle the situation.

Even after working about 14 to 16 hours a day, we still can’t make enough money to support our families,” said rickshaw driver Nissanka Gunewardena, one of those who marched on a tree-lined boulevard in central Colombo.

How can anyone live like this?” added Gunewardena, 34, who has two young children and wore a black headband that read Gota Go Home,” referring to the president.

Historically weak government finances, badly timed tax cuts and the coronavirus pandemic, which hit the lucrative tourism industry and foreign remittances, have wreaked havoc on the economy, leading to a currency devaluation last week.

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Sri Lanka’s foreign exchange reserves have fallen 70 percent in the last two years to about $2.31 billion, leaving the Indian Ocean island nation struggling to pay for essential imports, including food and fuel.

Last week’s devaluation stoked further inflation, inflicting more distress on Sri Lankans battling rolling power cuts and fuel shortages.

We have told the government time and again to change their policies,” said Eran Wickramaratne, a leader of the opposition alliance, Samagi Jana Balawegaya.

The government, led by the Rajapaksa brothers, another of whom is Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, has pushed Sri Lanka’s 22 million people deep into hardship, he added.

This is the only country in the world where the president and the finance minister have no idea about economic management.”

After months of resistance to seeking IMF help, Rajapaksa’s government said on Tuesday it would begin talks with the multilateral lender next month after the cabinet authorized the finance minister to draw up proposals.

Cabinet spokesman Ramesh Pathirana said the government would firm up plans on IMF assistance in the next few weeks as the finance minister prepares to visit Washington in mid-April for the discussions.

In New Delhi this week, the finance minister will sign the $1-billion credit line previously agreed with India to bring in key imports of medicine, food and fuel. He will also meet India’s finance and energy ministers.

Now we are all very disappointed,” said Gunewardena, the protester, adding that he had voted for Rajapaksa in the last presidential election in 2019.

We think this government should go. We want change.”

Jubeda Chowdhury Dhaka city

January 13, 2022, marked the 50 years of bilateral ties between Myanmar and Bangladesh. Myanmar recognized Bangladesh as a sovereign state on January 13, 1972. But there weren’t any seminars, discussions, statements, reciprocation, felicitations between the two neighbors to mark the special day. There were many ups and downs between the tow neighbors over 50 years. But Myanmar-Bangladesh needs to strengthen ties for ensuring the greater interest of the two regions such as South Asia and Southeast Asia.

When Bangladesh celebrated its glorious journey of 50 years, many countries in the world felicitated Bangladesh. Even Pakistan PM Imran Khan has felicitated Bangladesh marking the 50 years of Bangladesh’s independence. But it’s a matter of sorrow that its neighbour, Myanmar didn’t congratulate Bangladesh. Even both countries’ respective embassies remained silent on the issue. Why this is? Because the relations between Bangladesh and Myanmar are strained now. But this strained tie must be smoothed for ensuring greater regional interest.

However, the relationship between Myanmar-Bangladesh has never been smooth and has gone through frequent ups and downs over the last 50 years on a number of issues. Despite having many possibilities, the two countries have not been able to build a real relationship with each other. The people from both sides are deprived of enjoying neighborly advantages for these stained relations.

The improved ties between the two neighbors can ensure some common regional advantages. Geographically, Myanmar is located in the eastern part of Bangladesh with a 271 km border. To its southeast, it is at least 150 km wide, due to its hilly terrain and dense forest cover. Strategically, Myanmar enjoys a distinct position between the two Asian giants, China and India. The same position applies to Bangladesh. Naturally, both Bangladesh and Myanmar enjoy important strategic positions in South Asia and Southeast Asia. Basically, Myanmar and Bangladesh both can be used as a gateway between South Asia and Southeast Asia.

Myanmar can use Bangladesh as a transportation route to reach the markets of Bhutan, Nepal, North East India easily.  Bangladesh and Myanmar share some regional common platforms such as the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Co-operation (BIMSTEC), an organization made up of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand which seeks strategic and economic development. If Bangladesh and Myanmar improve their relations with each other, their dependence on China and India could be reduced and could increase trade with other countries in Southeast Asia and South Asia.

Bangladesh can be used as an important hub to connect ASEAN and SAARC. Myanmar too, as an ASEAN member, can access the SAARC free-trade bloc through Bangladesh if the Myanmar-Bangladesh ties can be improved.

In the case of bilateral relations, there were two issues that caused some annoyance between them. The first was the demarcation of the sea-boundary between them. It is a matter of satisfaction that the matter was settled peacefully by the 1982 International Tribunal of the Sea Convention in March 2012. As Myanmar and Bangladesh, both share the Bay of Bengal area and 271km long border, Myanmar and Bangladesh both can take part in tackling nontraditional security threats in the Bay of Bengal such as tackling piracy, illegal drug dealing, human trafficking, environmental degradation, countering terrorists in the region.

The second is on the Rohingya refugee issue. Between August and November 2017, it was reported that a military operation in Myanmar had forced more than 700,000 Rohingya to cross the border into neighboring Bangladesh.

The Bangladesh government has faced the Rohingya crisis many times. In 1978, an anti-insurgency operation by the then military government of Myanmar in Rakhine State resulted in a massive brutal crackdown, with some 300,000 Rohingya crossing the border into Bangladesh. This is again in 1991-92, the second wave of more than 250,000 Rohingyas fled to Bangladesh to escape the ongoing military repression. The two countries have resolved the issue peacefully through bilateral talks. But current 2017 Rohingya crisis needs a fruitful sustainable solution between Myanmar and Bangladesh to bolster the ties. Definitely, Bangladesh and Myanmar should find a durable Closer Bangladesh-Myanmar ties have great economic potential – but the Rohingya issue must be resolved. Enhanced bilateral ties between Bangladesh and Myanmar could contribute to the growth of trade and investment relations with ASEAN and BIMSTEC countries.

There are other routes to bilateral cooperation. Myanmar is rich in natural resources such as tin, zinc, copper, tungsten, coal, marble, limestone, natural gas, hydropower, etc. Myanmar could thus be a major source of energy for Bangladesh to ensure its energy security.

Myanmar is also a major supplier of natural wood to the world. While it has traditionally eyed foreign investment in the oil and gas sector, the country has recently shifted its focus to attracting production-based investment. The country is well ahead in power generation following a good investment in hydropower generation. The tourism industry is also a promising sector of the country. Religious tourism can be a source of potential. There are many Buddhists Biharis in Bangladesh.

A number of important Buddhist archeological sites have already been uncovered in different parts of Bangladesh. Bangladesh is believed to be a rich repository of South Asian Buddhist heritage. In order to draw the world’s attention to the rich Buddhist heritage in Bangladesh, the Government organized an international event in collaboration with World Tourism Organization in October 2015.

There are a number of magnificent modern-era Buddhist temples in Bangladesh. The Golden Temple at a hilltop in the Bandarban district is probably the most charming Buddhist temple in Bangladesh. Gigantic Buddha status in Dhaka, Chittagong, and other parts of Bangladesh are special attractions for devotees and tourists. There are also a number of Buddhist learning centers and pilgrimage spots in Bangladesh.

This area of archaeological sites refers to Paharpur in Naogaon, Mahasthangarh in Bagura, Mainamati in Comilla, and Bikrampur in Dhaka district. Each of these sites has unique qualities as part of history. Some archaeological sites are important for both Hindu and Buddhist investigation because religious sculptures of each can be found. Thus, Myanmar and Bangladesh can exchange religious tourism.

Through the import of gas and electricity, Bangladesh can obtain its future energy security. The two countries can jointly explore oil and gas fields in the Bay of Bengal. Bangladesh can also contribute to the development of Myanmar’s infrastructure.

The proposed construction of the Asian Highway, funded by the Asian Development Bank, can increase land connectivity between the two countries and increase trade in products such as fertilizers, plastics, cement, furniture, etc. Bangladesh is on the way to the completion of its railway project Dohazari-Cox’s Bazar railway line. The line will run from Dohazari in Chattogram to Cox’s Bazar (one of the most popular tourist destinations in the country).  This line can be extended to North East India, Nepal, and Bhutan. If this line can be extended to China-South East Asia via Bangladesh’s Ghundhum- Myanmar as part of the proposed Trans Asian Railway Network Asian Highway Network, the whole region can definitely benefit.  Myanmar should take such an initiative to join the Trans Asian Railroad. 

Myanmar, which at present does have sophisticated manufacturing, can import electronics and pharmaceutical products that are readily produced from Bangladesh and benefit from the technology transfer.

However, the two countries can also increase agricultural production through joint ventures. Apart from adopting joint investment projects, Bangladesh can increase imports of various agricultural products including pulses, spices, fish, and rice.  Enhanced bilateral ties between Bangladesh and Myanmar could contribute to the growth of trade and investment relations with ASEAN and BIMSTEC countries. This will create an opening to solve the Rohingya problem and stop militant activities.

Basically, the Rakhine region of Myanmar can be used as a trade hub between Bangladesh and Myanmar. The agro-products in Rakhine need a viable market. Bangladesh can be a big market for the goods that are produced in Rakhine. On the other hand, Bangladesh has vast and tremendous experience in garments and production of agricultural sectors. Myanmar can exchange Bangladeshi expertise to benefit. Myanmar’s products (Known as Burmese products are very popular in Bangladesh), Myanmar and Bangladesh can set up some border hats (border market) between Bangladesh and Myanmar to boost up the trade. India and Bangladesh are benefitting from such kinds of border hats at the border. Thus, strengthening people-to-people contact, bolstering public diplomacy between the two sides can mend the strained ties between two neighbors.

Politics in Sri Lanka

DID NOT JVP LEADER ANURA KUMARA DISSANAYAKA KNOW THAT FORMER PM RANIL WICKRAMASINGHA HAD MAINTAINED CONTACTS WITH MAKUNDURE MADUSH (THE BIGGEST NARCOTICS DEALER IN SRI LANKA, )

1) THE COURT HAS RECENTLY GRANTED BAIL TO ANURA KUMARA DISSANAYAKA FOR HIS INVOLVEMENT IN POLITICAL VICTIMIZATION OF OPPOSITION POLITICIANS DURING 2015-2020 GOVERNMENT OF WHICH RANIL WICKRAMASINGHA WAS THE PM.

HOPE YOU ARE AWARE OF THE FACT THAT THE DISCUSSIONS REGARDING THESE VICTIMIZATION TOOK PLACE IN RANIL WICKRAMASINGHA OFFICIAL RESIDENCE ARALIYAGAHA MANDIRAYA” .  ANURA KUMARA DISSANAYAKA WAS A FREQUENT VISITOR AND MAINTAINS VERY CLOSE CONTACTS WITH THE PM RANIL WICKRAMASINGHA.

2)  a) ABOUT 5 YEARS BACK PM RANIL WICKRAMASINGHA CAME TO WATTALA AND DECLARED OPEN A CAR RENTAL FIRM BELONG TO NARCOTICS DEALER MAKANDURE MADUSH.

b) MAKANDURE MADUSH WAS REPORTED TO HAVE GIFTED A VALUABLE JEWELLERY ( GEMS EMBEDDED) TO RANIL WICKRAMSINGAH ON HIS BIRTHDAY.

c) WESTERN PROVINCE INTELLIGENCE OFFICERS RECOMMENDED AND ARRANGED PROTECTION FOR THE WEDDING OF THE SON OF MAIN NARCOTICS DEALERS SON DURING 2015-2020 GOVERNMENT . THE COUPLE WAS ESCORTED LIKE PRESIDENT UPTO THE CHURCH AND BACK. ( THESE EXPENSES BORN BY GENERAL PUBLIC ALTHOUGH RANIL WICKRAMASINGHA’S SEEMED TO HAVE AUTHORIZED )

d) THE KALUTARA SOUTH SI WHO WAS CAUGHT WITH SOME 50KG HEROIN HAD BEEN IN OPERATION  FOR NEARLY 5 YEARS WHEN HE WAS CAUGHT BY STF IN AN EXPRESSWAY. KALUTARA DISTRICT INTELLIGENCE OFFICERS REPORTS DID NOT HAVE HIS NAME.

e) DEMATGODA RUWAN WHO WAS ACCUSED BY PNB AS THE ONE WHO SMUGGLED 1000’S OF KILOS OF NARCOTICS, HAD ALSO BEEN IN OPERATION FOR ABOUT 5 YEARS WHEN HE WAS ARRESTED. THERE AGAIN INTELLIGENCE OFFICERS REPORTS DID NOT HAVE HIS NAME. INDIAN POLICE INFORMED ABOUT HIM.

I MENTIONED 5 YEARS” THREE TIMES HERE. I CAN WRITE 100 MORE SIMILAR INCIDENTS. SO YOU CAN IMAGINE WHO RANIL WICKRAMASINGHA IS.

3)  THE BILLION DOLLARS QUESTION IS DID NOT ANURA KUMARA DISSANAYAKA  KNOW ABOUT THESE INCIDENTS WHEN HE WAS A FREQUENT VISITOR TO PM’S OFFICIAL RESIDENT  DURING 2015-2020 GOVERNMENT”

IF ONE ACCUSES ANURA KUMARA DISSANAYAKA OF ENJOYING WITH MONEY EARNED BY NARCOTICS DEALINGS, CAN WE SIMPLY REJECT SUCH QUESTIONS AS BASELESS.

4) THIS IS SUMMARY OF JVP. (AND ALSO ABOUT THEIR NEW PARTY NAME JATHIKA JANA BALAVEGAYA OR SOMETHING)

a) THE LEADER ANURA KUNMARA DISSANAYAKA DOES EVERYTHING TO PLEASE RANIL WICKRAMASINGHA .

b) THE SECRETARY TELVIN SILVA FOLLOWS (AND NEVER FAIL TO CARRY OUT) THE INSTRUCTIONS OF MAHINDA RAJAPAKSA’S AND OTHER SENIORS CLOSE TO HIM.

c) THE STRUCTURE OF THE PARTY(JVP)  IS TOTALLY ARRANGED ACCORDING TO REQUIREMENT OF TWO MAIN POLITICAL PARTIES. NO MEMBER WHO IS READY TO FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS OF THE TWO MAIN POLITICAL PARTIES IS ALLOWED TO COME TO A HIGHER POSITION IN THE PARTY. YOU CAN GET TO KNOW BETTER REGARDING THESE  IF YOU CONTACT FORMER MINISTER WIMAL WEERAWANSA.

SO YOU WOULD NOT GAIN ANYTHING BY VOTING JVP (OR AFFILIATED PARTY). IT IS BETTER TO VOTE RANIL WICKRAMASINGHA OR MAHINDA RAJAPAKSA THAN VOTING JVP. I AM WRITING THIS BECAUSE THESE DAYS I HEAR SOME PEOPLE ARE SAYING I AM FED UP WITH BOTH MAIN PARTIES. SO I AM GOING TO VOTE JVP THIS TIME”. GO AHEAD IF LIKE TO BE TREATED AS A BLOODY FOOL.

ජයන්ත හේරත්

අත්තනගල්ලේ 

අමරසිංහ 

මගේ පළමු වසරේ

කටුබැද්ද 

නේවාසිකාගාරයේ

මිතුරු රූමාය.

වර්ෂය 1974 ය.

ඔහු එවිට

පස් වන

අවසන් වසර

විදුලි ඉංජිනේරු 

උපාධිය

ඉවර කරමින් සිටියේය.

අමරේ

ගණිත ගැටලු විසඳන්න

පාවිච්චි කලේ

කාමරේ

සිමෙන්ති බිම

Chalk වලින් ය.

ලියලා

මකලා

ලියනවාය.

ගණිත ගැටලු

විසඳුම්

ලියන්න

කඩදාසි ගනන්ය.

උපාධිය

ලැබීමෙන් පසු

CEB electrical engineer

රැකියාවක් ලබා ගැනීමට

තවත්

වසර පහක් ගත විය.

අතරතුර කාලය

ගමේ

කෙසෙල් වැවීම

ඔහුගේ රැකියාව විය.

ඔහුගේ

විදුලි ඉංජිනේරු ගැටළු විසඳීම

මාව

විදුලි ඉංජිනේරුවෙක් වෙන්න

උත්තේජනය කළා.

මම හිටියේ

යාන්ත්‍රික

වෙන්නය.

මල්ලී

electrical එන්ජිනියරින්ග්

කලාට ජොබ්ස් නැහැ

ඔහු මට

නිතර අවවාද කළේය.

අපි

කැම්පස් ගියේ

කෙසෙල් වත්තේ

වැඩ කරලාය.

අමරේ

5 year

උපාධිය අරගෙන

කෙසෙල් වත්තක

වැඩ කළා

5 years.

සාධාරණ

නොවන

ජීවිත යයි මට සිතේ.

රූමා

කටුබැද්ද බිහි කල

පළමුවන

අත්තනගල්ලේ

විදුලි ඉන්ජිනේරු උපාධිධාරියාය.

චන්ද්‍රසේන පණ්ඩිතගේ විසිනි

ජනාධිපතිතුමාගේ කතාව ඇසීමට අපි සියලු දෙනාම බලා සිටියේ නොඉවසිල්ලෙනි. කතාව නිමවීමත් සමග අපට මහත් හිස් භාවයක් දැනුනි. ඇයි මෙතුමාට මෙහෙම කලේ ? මේ පැනය අපි අසන්නේ එතුමාගේ උපදේශකයින්ගෙන් හා මේ කතාව සකස් කර නැවත නැවත කියවමින් ශෝධනය කල එතුමා වටා සිටින මණ්ඩලයෙනි.

මේ කතාවෙන්, පෝලින්වල ගෑස් අපේක්ෂාවෙන්, ඩිසල් අපේක්ෂාවෙන්, පෙට්‍රල් අපේක්ෂාවෙන්, බුමිතෙල් අපේක්ෂාවෙන්, සිටින මිනිසුන්ට දෙනු ලබන පණිවුඩය වන්නේ “මේ අර්බුදය මා විසින් ඇතිකරන ලද්දක් නොවේය” යන්නයි. එමෙන්ම විදුලිය නොමැතිව අඳුරේ සිටින මිනිසුන්ට දෙනු ලබන පනිවුඩයද වන්නේ “මේ අර්බුදය මා විසින් ඇතිකරන ලද්දක් නොවේය” යන්නයි.

මිනිසුන් ඉතිහාසගත ජයග්‍රහණයකින් මෙතුමාව ජනාධිපති බවට පත්කොට කැවුම්, කිරිබත් කමින්, උත්සව පවත්වමින්, රටපුරා වීථි අලංකාරවත් චිත්‍ර වලින් ඔපවත් කලේ, මේ සියලුම ප්‍රශ්න යහපාලන රජය කල බව මැනවින් අවබෝධ කරගෙන, ඒවාට පිළියම්, තමන් බලයට පත්කළ ජනාධිපති ගෝඨාභය රාජපක්ෂ කෙසේ හෝ විසඳන බව දැනගෙනය. අද ඒ විශ්වාසය බොඳවී ඇත. ඔවුන් එතුමාගේ කතාව තුලින් අපේක්ෂා කලේ පවතින බලශක්ති අර්බුදයට එතුල දෙන විසඳුම කුමක්ද යන්නයි.

ඇත්තටම කලයුතු විසඳුම කුමක්දැයි, එතුමා දනී. එය එතුමා තුල තිබෙන, මේ වනවිට දිය හැකි, හොඳම විසදුමයි. ඒ සුර්ය බලශක්තියයි. සෑම ගෙයකම වහලය මත සවිකරන, සුර්ය කෝෂ මගින් මුළු රටටම විදුලි බලය ලබාදීමට කටයුතු කරන බවත්, එවිට උයන්නට ගෑස් නොව විදුලිය භාවිතා කල හැකි බවත්, තමන්ගේම ළිඳකින් ජලය පොම්පකර ලබා ගැනීමට මේ විදුලි බලයම උපයෝගී කරගත හැකි බවත්. ජනාධිපතිතුමා විදුලි බලයෙන් ක්‍රියාකරන වාහන පමණක් ගෙන්වන බවට මේ වනවිටත් ජනතාවට පොරොන්දුවක් දී ඇති බැවින්, ඒ රථ සියල්ලම බල ගැන්වීමට තමන්ගේම විදුලි බලයෙන් හැකි බැවින් ඒ සඳහා පෙට්‍රල් අවශ්‍ය නොවන බවත් පෙන්වා දිය හැකිව තිබුණි.,

මේ මගින් අනාගත ලංකාව තුල ගෑස් පෝලින් නැති. පෙට්‍රල් පෝලින් නැති, ඩිසල් පෝලින් නැති, කිසිදාක ලයිට් නොකපන සමාජයක් මම ඔබට නිර්මාණය කර දෙමි, යයි පැවසුවේ නම් කොච්චර වටිනාකමක් තිබේද?  එපමණක්ද නොව එමගින්, විදුලිය ඉපයීමට යන ඩිසල් වලට වැයවෙන ඩොලර්, පෙට්‍රල් වලට වැයවෙන ඩොලර්, ගෑස් වලට වැයවෙන ඩොලර්, ඉතිරිවෙන ආකාරය පහදාදී ඒ සියල්ලක්ම රට සංවර්ධනය උදෙසාම යොදවන බව පහදාදීමට ඉඩ තිබුණි.

ජනාධිපති උපදේශක වරුනි, ජනතාව පිඩාවට පත්ව සිටින ගැටලුව කුමක්දැයි පළමුව වටහාගෙන එයට දෙන පිළියම කුමක්දැයි පැහැදිලි කරන කතාවක් සකසා දීමට කටයුතු කිරීම තුලින් අපි හැමදෙනාගේම ගෞරවය ආරක්ෂා කරන්න

උපුටා ගැන්ම ලංකා සී නිව්ස්

ආර්ථික අර්බුදය පිළිබඳව නිසි තීරණයක් ගැනීමට නොහැකිව මේ වනවිට ආණ්ඩුවේ ආර්ථිකය හසුරුවන කණ්ඩායම දෙකට බෙදී ඇති බවත් බැසිල් රාජපක්ෂගේ කණ්ඩායම සහ මහ බැංකු අධිපතිවරයාගේ කණ්ඩායම අතර මත ගැටුමක් හටගෙන තිබෙන බවත් පාර්ලිමේන්තු මන්ත්‍රී ආචාර්ය හර්ෂ ද සිල්වා මහතා අනාවරණය කරයි.

කොළඹදී මාධ්‍ය අමතමින් මන්ත්‍රීවරයා පැවසුවේ මේ කඹ ඇදිල්ල නිසා ආර්ථික අර්බුදය දිනෙන් දිනම උත්සන්න වෙමින් පවතින බවයි. මෙරටට පැමිණි මූල්‍ය අරමුදලේ නියෝජිතයින් සමග සාකච්ඡා කිරීමට මුදල් අමාත්‍ය බැසිල් රාජපක්ෂ මහතා සහ මහා භාණ්ඩාගාර ලේකම්වරයා කටයුතු කළත් ආර්ථිකය පිළිබඳව වැදගත්ම තනතුරක් දරන මහ බැංකු අධිපතිවරයා මූල්‍ය අරමුදලේ නියෝජිතයින් මුණ නොගැසුණු බව මෙහිදී මන්ත්‍රීවරයා කීය.

සමාජ මාධ්‍යවල කතාවක් යනවා. මේ ආණ්ඩුව මහ බැංකු අධිපතිවරයාව ඉවත් කරන්න හදනවා කියල. ඒකෙ ඇත්ත, නැත්ත මම දන්නෙ නෑ. හැබැයි, සුපුරුදු පරිදි මේ ආර්ථික අර්බුදයත් කාගේ හරි ඇඟේ ගහල අත පිහදාගන්න රාජපක්ෂල අර අඳිමින් ඉන්නවා. ඒ කොහොම වුණත් මෙදා සැරේ ජනතාව රවටන්න අමාරු වේවි.” යනුවෙන් මෙහිදී මන්ත්‍රීවරයා පැවසීය.

එසේම, මූල්‍ය අරමුදලේ නියෝජිතයින් විසින් මෙරට අර්ථික අර්බුදය ඔඩු දිවීමට හේතුවූ කාරණා 06 ක් ආණ්ඩුවට දැනුම් දී ඇතැයිද මන්ත්‍රීවරයා මෙහිදී කීය.

සමගි ජන බලවේගය විසින් ඊයේ පැවැත්වූ විරෝධතාවයට සමාජයේ සියළුම පන්තීන් නියෝජනය කරමින් ජනතාව සහභාගී වූ බවත් වෙනදා පෙළපාලි සඳහා සහභාගී නොවූ ජනතාවත් දැන් මහ පාරට පැමිණ තිබෙන බවත් මන්ත්‍රීවරයා මෙහිදී වැඩිදුරටත් පැවසීය.

උපුටා ගැන්ම ලංකා සී නිව්ස්

රටේ ආර්ථිකය කඩා බිද දැමීම සදහා මුදල් අමාත්‍යවරයා සිතා මතා සැලසුම් සහගතව කටයුතු කරණ බවට පිවිතුරු හෙළ උරුමයේ නායක නීතිඥ උදය ගම්මන්පිල මහතා චෝදනා කර සිටියේය.

ඒ මහතා මේ බව සදහන් කර සිටියේ මුළු රටම හරි මගට යන තේමාව යටතේ බොරැල්ල එන් එම් පෙරේරා මධ්‍යස්ථානයේ දී පැවති මාධ්‍ය හමුවක් හා එක්වෙමිණි.

එහිදී වැඩි දුරටත් අදහස් දැක්වූ පිවිතුරු හෙළ උරුමය නායකයා මෙසේ අදහස් දැක්වීය.

ජනතාව පෝලිම් වල ඉන්නේ මුදල් ඇමතිගේ වරදින්

අව්වේ වේලෙමින් වැස්සට තෙමෙමින් අපේ රටේ බහුතර ජනතාව අද ඩීසල් පෝලිම්වල ගෑස් පෝලිම්වල බෙහෙත් පෝලිම්වල දුක් විඳිනවා. එහෙම ජනතාවටට දුක් විඳින්න සිදු වුනේ මුදල් ඇමතිගේ වරදින්. පසුගිය වසරේ අපේ ආනයන වියදම ඩොලර් බිලියන 20.6යි. ඒක ඉතිහාසයේ වාර්තා වුණු ඉහලම ආනයන අගයක්. එයින් ඛනිජතෙල්, ගල් අඟුරු, ගෑස්, ඖෂධ සහ වෛද්‍ය උපකරණ යන අත්‍යාවශ්‍ය භාණ්ඩ වලට වැය කරලා තිබෙන්නේ ඩොලර් බිලියන 4.6යි. අත්‍යාවශ්‍ය නොවන භාණ්ඩ සඳහා ඩොලර් බිලියන 6කට ආසන්න මුදලක් වැය කරලා. 2020 ඔක්තෝම්බර් මාසයේ 20 වෙනිදා ඉදන් ආණ්ඩුවට කියූ ආකාරයට අත්‍යාවශ්‍ය නොවන භාණ්ඩ ආණයනය සීමා කලා නම් අද අත්‍යාවශ්‍ය භාණ්ඩ සදහා පැයගණන් නෙවෙයි දවස් ගණන් මෙ රටේ ජනතාවට පෝලිම් වල දුක් විදින්න වෙන්නේ නෑ.

2020 ඔක්තෝම්බර් මාසයේ 26 වෙනිදා ඒවකට රාජ්‍ය අමාත්‍ය නිවාඩ් කබ්රාල් මැතිතුමා අමාත්‍ය මණ්ඩලයට නිර්දේශ කලා ආර්ථික අර්බුදයක් කරා යමින් ඉන්නවා ඉන් ගොඩ ඒ්මට ගත යුතු පිළියම්. ඒම නිර්දේශයන්හි 26 වෙනි පිටුවේ නිර්දේශ කරන්නේ අත්‍යාවශ්‍ය නොවන භාණ්ඩ සීමා කල යුතුයි කියන එක.

ඒදා ඒ් දේ නොකල නිසා පිළිකා රෝගයට‌ෙ හෘද රෝගයට ‌බෙහෙත් නැතිව මේ රටේ කවුරුන් හෝ මිය යනවනම් ඒ් සෑම මරණයකම වගකීම මුදල් අමාත්‍ය බැසිල් රාජපක්ෂ මහතා බාරගත යුතුයි. පෝලිම් වල දුක් විදින ජනතාවගේ අදෝනා වලට වගකීම මුදල් අමාත්‍ය බැසිල් රාජපක්ෂ මැතිතුමා භාරගත යුතුයි.

2021 ඔක්තෝම්බර් 1 දා මහ බැංකුව විසින් ආර්ථිකය ගොඩ දාන මාස හයක සැලසුමක් හදලා මුදල් ඇමතිට දුන්නා මේකට ඇමති මණ්ඩල අනුමැතිය අරන් දෙන්න කියලා. මම අමාත්‍ය දූරයේ සිටිය දී විදේශ ගතවූ ඒක් අවස්ථාවක් හැර සෑම අමාත්‍යමණ්ඩල රැස්වීමකටම සහභාගී වුනා. අද දක්වාම මේ වාර්ථාව ඇමතිමණ්ඩලයේ අනුමැතිය සදහා මුදල් අමාත්‍යවරයා විසින් ඉදිරිපත් කර නෑ. ඒ් නිසා තමයි අපි කියන්නේ, මේ රටේ ආර්ථිකය කඩා බිද දැමීම සදහා මුදල් අමාත්‍යවරයා සිතා මතා සැලසුම් සහගතව කටයුතු කරණවා කියන චෝදනාව අපි එල්ල කරන්නෙ මේ වගේ කරුණු නිසයි.

රුපියල කඩා වැටීමට හේතු පොකුරක්

ඉන්ධන මිල ඉහල නැංවීමට වඩාත් බල පෑ රුපියල පා කිරීමේ දී මෙතරම් දරුණු කඩා වැටීමක් සිදු වුණේ රුපියලේ විනිමය අනුපාතය වසරකට වඩා වැඩි කාලයක් කෘතිමව අල්ලා ගෙන සිටීමේ ප්‍රතිඵලයක් ලෙසයි. දැවැන්ත ඩොලර් කළු කඩයක් බිහි වුණා. බැංකු පද්ධතිය හරහා මේ රටට ඩොලර් ඒවූ විදෙස්ගත ශ්‍රමිකයන් මේ කළු කඩය හරහා ඩොලර් එවන්නට පටන් ගත්තා.

මැද පෙරදිග රස්සාව කරන ලාංකිකයෙක් ඒ රටේ දී කළු වෙළඳපොලට ඩොලර් සීයක් දුන්නොත් පැය කිහිපයක් ඇතුලත ලංකාවේ ගමේ ඉන්න අම්මාට දුරකතන ඇමතුමක් ලැබෙනවා. ඊට පස්සේ තාත්තාගේ බෙහෙත් තුණ්ඩුව වට්ස්ඇප් කර ගන්නවා. අම්මාගේ කඩෙන් ගන්න බඩු ලැයිස්තුව වට්ස්ඇප් කර ගන්නවා. දවස ඇතුලත බඩුත් අරගෙන ගෙදරට යනවා. ඉතිරි සල්ලි අම්මා අතට දීලා ලදුපතක් අත්සන් කර ගන්නවා. ඊට පස්සේ අම්මා තාත්තා එක්ක ඉඳලා සෙල්ෆියක් අරගෙන සෙල්ෆියයි බිල් ටිකයි අම්මා අත්සන් කල ලදුපතයි පුතාට වට්ස්ඇප් කරනවා. මේ සියල්ලටම යන්නේ පැය විසි හතරයි.

දැන් බැංකුවෙන් ඩොලරයට රු275ක් ගෙවනවා කියලා මේ තරුණයා නැවත බැංකු පද්ධතිය හරහා ලංකාවට සල්ලි එවයි ද? කළු කඩෙන් ලබා දෙන සේවය බැංකුවලට ලබා දෙන්න පුළුවන් ද? බැංකුවට සල්ලි එව්වාම සල්ලි එවලා දවසක් දෙකක් බලාගෙන ඉන්න වෙනවා ගිණුමට සල්ලි එනතුරු. සල්ලි බැංකුවෙන් ගන්න අම්මාට පෝලිමේ ඉන්න වෙනවා. ඊ ලඟට ෆාමසියේ සුපිරි වෙලඳසැලේ පෝලිම්වල ඉන්න වෙනවා. වයසක අම්මාට ඒ දුක දෙනවාට වඩා හොර ක්‍රමයට සල්ලි එවන්න පුතා කැමැතියි. දැන් රුපියල පා කළ පමණින් එදා බැංකු පද්ධතිය හරහා ගනුදෙනු කළ අය නැවත බැංකු පද්ධතිය වෙත පැමිණේවියැයියි කියලා අප නම් හිතන්නේ නැහැ. නැති කරගන්න එක ලේසි ආපහු ගෙන්න ගන්න එක නම් අමාරුයි.

මේ හේතු වලට අමතරව බරපතල ලෙස මුදල් අච්චු ගැසීම, උද්ධමන වේගයට වඩා අඩු අනුපාතයකින් පොලිය පවත්වා ගෙන යෑමෙන් ජනතාව ඉතිරි කිරීම වෙනුවට පරිභෝජනය පෙලැඹීම, අපනයන ආදායම සහ ආනයන වියදම අතර දැවැන්ත පරතරයක් පවත්වා ගෙන යෑම සහ ආනයන භාණ්ඩ මත රැඳෙන වැඩ ලක්ෂය වැනි නව ව්‍යාපෘති ඇරඹීම වැනි ආර්ථික විද්‍යාත්මක කාරණා ගණනාවක් රුපියල බරපතල ලෙස කඩා වැටීමට බල පා තිබෙනවා.

වත්මන් ආණ්ඩුවත් 77 සිට බලයේ සිටි සෑම ආණ්ඩුවක් ම මේ රුපියල බරපතළ ලෙස කඩා වැටිලා උද්ධමනය ඉහළ යාමට වගකීම භාරගන්න සිද්ධ වෙලා තියෙනවා. අපි අනුගමනය කරපු වැරදි ආර්ථික ප්‍රතිපත්ති සහ විශේෂයෙන්ම වත්මන් ආණ්ඩුවේ වැරදි ආර්ථික ප්‍රතිපත්ති නිසයි රුපියල කඩා වැටිල දැවැන්ත උද්ධමනයකට මුහුණ පාන්නට සහ පීඩනයට ලක් වන්නට අපේ රටේ ජනතාවට සිද්ධවෙලා තියෙන්නේ කියලා අපි සිහිපත් කරන්නට අවශ්‍යයි.

– media unit

Courtesy MailOnLine

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) – Sri Lanka´s president said Wednesday that his government was in discussions with the International Monetary Fund, other agencies and countries on deferring loan repayments and requested people’s support by limiting electricity and fuel consumption to cope with the worst economic crisis in memory.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in his televised address asked the nation not to be discouraged and have faith in his steps to salvage the situation. His appeal comes amid widespread public anger at the severe shortages of essential goods including medicine, cooking gas, fuel and daily power cuts.

He said the government has initiated talks with international financial institutions and “friendly countries regarding repayment of our loan instalments.”

“Yesterday´s discussion with the International Monetary Fund was also held for this purpose,” he said.

His government’s decision to deal with the IMF marks a policy shift after it had resisted calls from experts and politicians to seek the agency’s help. It had argued that asking international financial institutions for assistance could bring along conditions detrimental to the country’s interests.

Sri Lanka’s usable foreign reserves are said to be less that $400 million, according to experts, and it has nearly $7 billion in foreign debt obligations for this year.+2View gallery

Supporters of Sri Lanka’s main opposition sit on the fence of the Chinese owned Port City project as they gather a protest outside the president’s office in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Tuesday, March 15, 2022. The protestors were demanding the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa as the country suffers one of the worst economic crises in history. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

The dollar shortage has led to authorities struggling to pay for shiploads of fuel, cooking gas and food items docked at Colombo port. At the same time, people and vehicles were forming long lines near gas stations and cooking gas dealers for hours.

Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa was currently in India, where he is expected finalize a $1 billion credit line to buy essential supplies.

Rajapaksa said that along with his decision to free float the local currency and positive signs about a revival of tourism and exports after a respite in the COVID-19 pandemic, he expects a better inflow of foreign currency and hopes the deficit can be managed at around $2.4 billion this year.

Rajapaksa said fuel makes up about 20% of Sri Lanka’s total imports. Recent sharp rises in fuel prices were the result of the increase of crude oil prices globally, he said.

“Therefore, by limiting the use of fuel and electricity as much as possible, the citizens too can extend their support to the country at this time. I hope that you will understand the responsibility lies with you at this challenging time,” he said.

Political parties and citizen groups have launched protests around the country, accusing the government of being responsible for the economic crunch. The main opposition party in Sri Lanka’s Parliament held a demonstration near the president’s office on Tuesday demanding Rajapaksa’s resignation.+2View gallery

Supporter of Sri Lanka’s main opposition burn placards and a coffin during a protest outside the president’s office in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Tuesday, March 15, 2022. The protestors were demanding the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa as the country suffers one of the worst economic crises in history. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

Courtesy Business Standard

PM Modi conveyed to visiting Sri Lankan Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa that India would always stand with the island nation as it occupies a central role in New Delhi’s ‘neighbourhood first policy’.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday conveyed to visiting Sri Lankan Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa that India would always stand with the island nation as it occupies a central role in New Delhi’s ‘neighbourhood first policy’.

Sri Lanka is expecting a USD 1 billion Line of Credit (LOC) from India to tide over its economic crisis and a pact on the additional financial assistance is likely to be finalised on Thursday, people familiar with the developments said.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said Rajapaksa briefed Modi on initiatives being taken by both countries to increase bilateral economic cooperation, and conveyed his thanks for the support extended by India for the Sri Lankan economy.

Modi and Rajapaksa also had a “comprehensive discussion” on the complex fishermen issue and agreed on the urgent need to find a lasting solution, according to the Sri Lankan High Commission.

There have been frequent attacks on Indian fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy and it has remained a sticky issue.

“The prime minister spoke about the central role that Sri Lanka occupies in India’s ‘neighbourhood first’ policy and its SAGAR (Security and Growth for all in the Region) doctrine. He reiterated that India would continue to stand with the friendly people of Sri Lanka,” the MEA said.

Last month, India extended a USD 500 million line of credit to Sri Lanka to help it purchase petroleum products as the island nation has been reeling under a severe foreign exchange and energy crisis.

“Had a good meeting with Sri Lanka’s Finance Minister @RealBRajapaksa. Glad to see our economic partnership strengthen and investments from India grow,” Prime Minister Modi tweeted.

Rajapaksa called on Modi during which he thanked the prime minister for all the assistance that India has provided to Sri Lanka at this “critical time”, the Sri Lankan High Commission said.

“Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi stated that India would always stand with Sri Lanka, a close friendly neighbour, when the visiting Sri Lankan Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa called on him this afternoon,” the High Commission said in a statement.

It said Modi and Rajapaksa discussed a wide range of issues pertaining to bilateral ties including in areas of agriculture, renewable energy, tourism and fisheries.

“The two dignitaries also agreed that cooperation in the development of renewable energy in Sri Lanka is mutually beneficial and should be pursued with vigour,” the high commission said.

It said that Modi and Rajapaksa recognised the “complex and multidimensional” aspects of the fishermen issue.

“Prime Minister Modi and Minister Rajapaksa had a comprehensive discussion on the fisheries issue between the two countries and recognised its complex and multidimensional aspects including humane treatment of fishermen, livelihood, enforcement, ecology of the ocean, early release of arrested fishermen and their boats, etc,” it said.

“The two dignitaries also agreed on the urgent need to find a lasting solution to this complex issue,” it added.

The MEA, in its statement, said Rajapaksa noted the deepening people-to-people relations between both countries, including in the cultural sphere.

“The prime minister pointed to the potential for increasing tourist flows, including through the joint promotion of Buddhist and Ramayan tourism circuits,” it said.

In the evening, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla called on Rajapaksa.

“FS @harshvshringla called on the visiting Finance Minister @RealBRajapaks of Sri Lanka. Discussed bilateral economic & commercial cooperation & opportunities post-pandemic. Sri Lanka is integral to our #NeighbourhoodFirst policy. India will always be a reliable partner for Sri Lanka,” MEA Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi tweeted.

Courtesy MailOnLine

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) – Anti-government protests roiled Sri Lanka’s capital on Tuesday amid demands that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa resign, as the country suffers its worst economic crisis within memory.

Tens of thousands of people gathered outside of the president’s office in Colombo, led by supporters of the opposition party of the United People’s Force.

Opposition leader Sajith Premadasa addressed the demonstration, declaring it marked the beginning of a campaign to oust the government.

“You have been suffering now for two years. Can you suffer further?” he told the large crowd carrying signs and anti-government banners.

Premadasa described the sitting government as “evil” and blamed it for many of the country’s economic woes.

Demonstrators accused the government of mismanaging the economy and creating a foreign exchange crisis that has led to shortages of essentials like fuel, cooking gas, milk powder and medicine.+10View gallery

Supporters of Sri Lanka’s main opposition sit on the fence of the Chinese owned Port City project as they gather a protest outside the president’s office in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Tuesday, March 15, 2022. The protestors were demanding the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa as the country suffers one of the worst economic crises in history. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

Sri Lanka is struggling to pay for imports as its foreign reserves are at an all-time low.

Rajapaksa is scheduled to address the nation on Wednesday. He is expected to speak about the economic crisis and possible solutions.

Fuel shortages have curbed transportation within the country, including of essential supplies, and have led to hours-long daily power cuts.

In the face of the fiscal crisis, Sri Lanka’s Central Bank floated the national currency last week, resulting in its devaluation by 36% and a further sharp rise in prices.

Authorities have expanded banned imports to include some fruits and milk products, alongside the existing ban on imports of cars, floor tiles and other products, to staunch the outflow of foreign currency.

Sri Lanka’s fiscal crisis is partly driven by outstanding foreign debts of some $7 billion.+10View gallery

Supporters of Sri Lankan main opposition beat a portrait of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa during a protest outside the president’s office in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Tuesday, March 15, 2022. The protestors were demanding the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa as the country suffers one of the worst economic crises in history. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)+10View gallery

Supporters of Sri Lanka’s main opposition block a road during a protest outside the president’s office in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Tuesday, March 15, 2022. The protestors were demanding the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa as the country suffers one of the worst economic crises in history. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)+10View gallery

Supporter of Sri Lanka’s main opposition burn placards and a coffin during a protest outside the president’s office in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Tuesday, March 15, 2022. The protestors were demanding the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa as the country suffers one of the worst economic crises in history. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)+10View gallery

A supporter of Sri Lanka’s main opposition displays a loaf of bread to highlight the rising food prices during a protest outside the president’s office in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Tuesday, March 15, 2022. The protestors were demanding the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa as the country suffers one of the worst economic crises in history. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)+10View gallery

Supporters of Sri Lanka’s main opposition shout slogans as they carry a coffin pasted with a portrait of Power and Energy Minister Gamini Lokuge during a protest outside the president’s office in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Tuesday, March 15, 2022. The protestors were demanding the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa as the country suffers one of the worst economic crises in history. Sinhalese reads, “Taken the power ministry, now in the cart” (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)+10View gallery

Supporters of Sri Lanka’s main opposition shout slogans as they carry a coffin pasted with the name of Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa during a protest outside the president’s office in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Tuesday, March 15, 2022. The protestors were demanding the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa as the country suffers one of the worst economic crises in history. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)+10View gallery

Supporters of Sri Lanka’s main opposition shout slogans during a protest outside the president’s office in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Tuesday, March 15, 2022. The protestors were demanding the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa as the country suffers one of the worst economic crises in history. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)+10View gallery

Supporters of Sri Lanka’s main opposition shout slogans during a protest outside the president’s office in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Tuesday, March 15, 2022. The protestors were demanding the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa as the country suffers one of the worst economic crises in history. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)+10View gallery

Supporters of Sri Lanka’s main opposition wearing masks of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, second left and Prime Minster Mahinda Rajapaksa, center, march during a protest outside the president’s office in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Tuesday, March 15, 2022. The protestors were demanding the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa as the country suffers one of the worst economic crises in history. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

Written by Nirupama Subramanian Courtesy The Indian Express

Rajapaksa, who arrived in Delhi on Wednesday for a three-day visit, met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and is scheduled to meet External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to finalise the credit line.

AS INDIA prepares to sign off on a $1-bn emergency credit line to Sri Lanka for food and essential commodities during Lankan Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa’s visit, it will push Colombo for the finalisation of earlier proposals on the joint development of Palaly airport and Kankesanthurai harbour, both in the Jaffna peninsula close to the Tamil Nadu coast.

Rajapaksa, who arrived in Delhi on Wednesday for a three-day visit, met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and is scheduled to meet External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to finalise the credit line.

India has extended $1.4 bn to Colombo since January — a $500 mn line of credit, $400 mn currency swap and $500 mn for loan deferment with Asian Clearing Union — after Rajapaksa’s last visit in December 2020.A mountain destination like no otherSponsored by NEOMLearn more

The Ministry of External Affairs said Rajapksa briefed Modi on initiatives being taken by both countries to increase bilateral economic co-operation, and conveyed his thanks for the support extended by India for the Sri Lankan economy”.

Modi said Sri Lanka had a central role in India’s Neighbourhood First policy and maritime SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) doctrine. He also noted the potential for increasing bilateral tourist flows, including through joint promotion of Buddhist and Ramayan circuits.

Speaking to The Indian Express, an official said Delhi was pressing” Colombo to quickly finalise the two connectivity” projects at Palaly and Kankesanthurai. Both projects will help Colombo resuscitate its tourism industry after the double blow of the Easter bombing in 2019 and the pandemic from 2020, the official said.

The two sides are also looking at restarting a ferry service between Thalaimannar in north-western Sri Lanka and Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu.

The Palaly airport was opened to civilian flights from Chennai in October 2019 after a partial refurbishment of the runway, but has been closed since the pandemic. Colombo has shown no sign of reopening the facility, now known as Jaffna International Airport. India had helped in lengthening the runway at Palaly before its reopening, and has expressed interest in further development.

The two countries had signed an MoU on developing the Kankesanthurai harbour in 2018, with Exim Bank providing funds for carrying out feasibility studies, preparing a detailed project report, conducting geo-spatial surveys and removing wreckage. The project has not progressed.

The two projects will add to India’s portfolio in the Tamil-dominated north-east and the theatre of its three-decade civil war that ended 2009.
On March 11, Indian companies concluded two other major agreements for projects in the region: an agreement between National Thermal Power Corporation and Ceylon Electricity Board to set up a solar power plant at Sampur in Trincomalee and a deal by Adani Group to set up two renewable energy projects worth $ 500 million, likely at Mannar in the north-west.

While the terms of the Adani agreement are not in the public domain, both agreements are significant given that at India’s protest last year, Colombo cancelled a Chinese renewable energy project in the islands off Jaffna. In January, India and Sri Lanka signed a deal for the joint development of the Trincomalee Oil Tank farm, another project that had faced many obstacles.

The Sri Lanka High Commission said Modi and Rajapaksa discussed a wide range of bilateral issues”, and that other than tourism and fisheries, renewable energy was also discussed. The statement referred to digitalisation”, which likely relates to a recent pact to replicate the Aadhaar model in Sri Lanka.

Courtesy The Island

In the nineties with the emergence of the Newly Industrialised Economies (NIEs) or so-called Asian Giants or Asian Miracle, theorists all over the world began to talk about Easternisation” as against Westernisation”, Asianness”, Borderless World” and Blurring of Borders”. In present day Sri Lanka, we witness a new kind of blurring of borders”, that is between Viyath Maga and Jara Maga”. The Sunday night (13 March) newscasts and Monday dailies (14 March) flashed a news item, i.e. Chairman of the Committee of Public Enterprises (COPE) lambasting the Chairperson and her cohorts of the Marine Environment Protection Authority (MEPA) over its handling of the fire onboard the crude oil carrier MT New Diamond and the sinking of X-Press Pearl carrying chemicals in 2020 and 2021 respectively. With this news item it came into the public domain for the first time that this Chairperson is an activist of Viyath Maga. Still we do not know why these Viyath Maga” grandees entered parliamentary politics and hold office. If they had entered the arena with the intention of cleaning the Augean Stables and changing the system” they should be reminded that, Systems Theory” is a very important management tool for the managers as well as the politicians. But I doubt whether the people who were harping on changing the system” had an iota of knowledge of the Systems Theory. Space do not permit me to explain what the Systems Theory is. Instead of introducing clean” politics and effective management tools they all have fallen into this quagmire and traversing along the path taken by their elder cousins” proving mere grandiloquence does not give us foreign exchange, gas, fuel, cement, drugs, feretiliser, flour or essential foodstuffs. All of them have proven their inefficiency, from the top man who heads the Central Bank of Sri Lanka.

According to The Island report, only Rs. 51 million out of, estimated Rs. 3,480 million, due from New Diamond, had been received as compensation by MEPA. Though the compensation in respect of X-Press Pearl had been estimated at USD 37 million, the shipowners had agreed to pay only USD 29.5 million. The Chairperson of MEPA had admitted that an organisation that had represented the interests of ship owners and insurers had advised the MEPA, too. It’s a case of getting advice from the mother of the biggest rogue!

COPE’s allegation that the MEPA had collaborated with the shipowners to prevent them from paying for environmental damage in the first case and the organisation that represented the interests of shipowners and insures would have been able to manipulate the whole process to the advantage of shipowners and insures in the second case is indictable that should receive urgent attention of law enforcement authorities in the context of the present economic, political and social turmoil. It is very conspicuous that this allegation, coming from another Viyath Maga” grandee, whatever the motive. We wish the Chairman of COPE courage to investigate Litro, another failed agency headed by another well connected Viyath Maga” activist and the members of the sugar mafia.

The MEPA deal” questions the credentials of just an attorney-at -law who had performed as the Legal Officer of the said Agency, prior to being appointed as its Chairperson, that involves highly technical matters related to marine biology and marine ecology. Soon after the formation of this government a Viyath Maga” neophyte was appointed as the Chairman of the National Library and Documentation Centre, an institution headed by eminent library scientists and top-level academics from its inception. To his credit he has translated into Sinhala the autobiography of a Viyath Maga” State Minister who is in charge of marine-related matters. This person participated in a late night SLRC show, Subhani Rath” singing Hindi popular hits. Very soon he was rewarded with SLRC chairmanship. The man who had exposed the garlic racket was thrown into wilderness. The replacement of MILCO novice is growing grass promising us to give milk powder in late April. He is wise enough not to carry out an islandwide artificial insemination programme!

SENA THORADENIYA

By Shamindra Ferdinandoa Courtesy The Island

‘Yahapalana Govt. paved way for 20A’

Former Auditor General Gamini Wijesinghe has presented an eight-point plan to restore democracy, good governance and accountability. He has declared that far reaching remedial measures are required as an utterly corrupt political party system, has caused irreparable damage to the country.

Wijesinghe’s proposals pertain to the Executive, the Legislature and the Judiciary. The country couldn’t be saved unless the Executive, the Legislature and the Judiciary were brought under the law, Wijesinghe has said, referreing to the 2015 and 2016 Treasury bond scams and USD 6.7 mn payment made to China last year for a consignment of carbonic fertiliser rejected by Sri Lanka to highlight the collapse of the accountability process.

 Wijesinghe examined what he called a pathetic situation against the backdrop of developing economic crisis at a public meeting organised jointly by the election watchdog PAFFREL and the 12 March Movement. The former AG also called for abolition of all legal/constitutional protections for politicians, to subject political parties for State audit, restoration of financial discipline, safeguards for agriculture, support for local industries, creation of sub economy by way of implementation of CESS projects and finally constant update of laws.

Wijesinghe retired in April 2019 having served the public sector for over three decades.

Wijesinghe functioned as the Auditor General during yahapalana administration (2015-2019).

Alleging that the 20th Amendment to the Constitution enacted in Oct 2020 crippled the State auditing process, Wijesinghe questioned the integrity of Members of Parliament.

In one of the harshest criticism of the Sirisena-Wickremesinghe administration, Wijesinghe alleged that the then political leadership lacked the will to operationalise the Independent Commissions. The public got fed up with Independent Commissions because the then government crippled key outfits, Wijesinghe said. In fact, those who had enacted the 19th Amendment without its proper implementation paved the way for the dictatorial 20th Amendment, the former AG said.

Wijesinghe explained how successive governments exploited what they fondly called collective responsibility of the cabinet-of-ministers to their advantage. The retired public servant with an impeccable record said that lawmakers’ responsibility should be for those who voted for them not a selected group of persons-cabinet of ministers that pursued agendas, sometimes inimical to the country.

At the onset of the meeting organized to mark Sri Lanka receiving right to vote 90 years ago, at the Sri Lanka Foundation, Executive Director of PAFFREL and Co-convenor of the March 12 Movement Rohana Hettiarachchi said that except for a few, the Members of Parliament largely represented the interests of the business community, criminals, drug dealers, multinational companies and external powers.

Hettiarachchi asked whether the executive, the legislature, Provincial Councils and Local Governments addressed the grievances of the people. Pointing out that there were as many as 10,000 elected and nominated representatives at different levels-from the Executive to Local Government, Hettiarachchi explained how corrupt political party system plunged the country into crisis. They perpetrated corruption with impunity and facilitated waste, corruption and irregularities at every level, Hettiarachchi alleged.

Among those in the audience were heads of watchdog committees, Anura Priyadarshanaya Yapa of the Committee on Public Finance (COPF) and Prof. Tissa Vitharana of the Committee on Public Accounts (COPF).

Referring to the much criticized 20th Amendment and the recently endorsed Bill that provided for the Regulation of Processing of Personal Data, Hettiarachchci asked whether the laws were enacted for political reasons. Claiming that those so-called people’s representatives hadn’t been at least aware of public woes, Hettiarachchi said that the Parliament neglected its primary responsibilities, namely public finance and enactment of laws. The civil society activist declared that the parliamentary system had failed and the failure on the part of Parliament to cut down on waste and expenditure at a time the country was on the verge of economic calamity exposed the corrupt system in place.

Ex-AG Wijesinghe, in his well-received speech said that the Parliament had done everything except its primary tasks, namely ensuring transparency in public finance and enactment of laws. The political set up was in such a heinous state today some questioned whether Sri Lanka could cope up with universal franchise, Wijesinghe said, discussing how the ignorant electorate ended up creating a set of rogues whoever in power. Wijesinghe explained how political parties in their quest for power had destroyed existing laws in place. The former official questioned how the presidential pardon and the power enjoyed by the executive to dissolve the Parliament impacted the public.

Successive governments had taken massive loans over the past several decades today country was in a debt trap, Wijesinghe said. The situation is so bad we do not know the total amount taken as loans.”

Referring to the recent set of proposals unveiled by an alternative group of the SLPP, the former AG said that such plans were irrelevant. Wijesinghe accused successive governments and even those within various administrations of pulling in different directions at the expense of political stability.

Political parties couldn’t be allowed to pursue agendas that were contrary to State policies any more, he emphasised.