Another individual has fallen victim to the deadly novel coronavirus today (January 20), the Director-General of Health Services confirmed.
The deceased is a 53-year-old female residing in the Mallawagedara area in Negombo.
Upon being diagnosed as a COVID-19 patient, she had been transferred from the Negombo District Hospital to the Infectious Diseases Hospital (IDH) in Angoda.
However, she had succumbed to the disease today.
The cause of her death has been determined as acute diabetes and blood poisoning caused by coronavirus infection.
Thereby, the total count of fatalities Sri Lanka has witnessed due to COVID-19 is 274.
With 389 persons testing positive for COVID-19 infection the country total increased to 55,189.
So far 770 persons have been reported for the day.
In January more than 11,000 cases have been reported with a daily average of over 600. In January the daily reported numbers have been increasing and this is the Sri Lanka is now closing in on Montenegro in the list of worst affected countries. Yesterday Sri Lanka overtook Afghanistan with the cases reported.
Concertina razor wire tops the 2.4-meter ‘non-scalable’ fence that surrounds the US Capitol the day after the House of Representatives voted to impeach President Donald Trump for the second time on January 14, 2021, in Washington, DC. Image: Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images / AFP
According to the mainstream narrative, US President Donald Trump’s incitement of his supporters during the certification of Joe Biden’s electoral victory led to the insurrection” at the US Capitol on January 6, resulting in the banning of Trump’s social-media accounts and his second impeachment by Congress.
According to so-called conspiracy theories, however, Biden’s victory in the November presidential election was stolen” from Trump through electoral fraud, and the storming of the Capitol was staged or allowed to happen in order to bring about Trump’s impeachment and prevent him from coming back to power in 2024.
It may be even more complicated; a report by the Swiss Policy Research website, for example, suggests that the right-wing QAnon movement, heavily supportive of Trump and prominent at the event, like Russiagate, is the product of a psy-op (psychological operation) launched by the Federal Bureau of Investigation to discredit Trump.
The public may never know the truth behind the January 6 events, the mysterious Deep State” or the growing polarization between so-called pro-Trump white supremacist domestic terrorists” and the anti-Trump multicultural, progressive liberals.
However, the search for peace, justice and democracy at this critical time requires transcending simplistic polarizations and understanding the systemic roots of the conflict that is tearing America apart.
Polarization
Donald Trump is a member of the ruling elite representing its own interests. His assaults on the environment and mismanagement of the Covid-19 pandemic have put the entire country at risk.
While claiming to represent the interests of the alienated and underprivileged white population, he introduced massive tax cuts and corporate deregulation, worsening their social and economic positions. His rhetoric against minorities and immigrants has exacerbated racial and ethnic tensions and political extremism.
Joe Biden and the Democratic Party, heavily funded by the billionaire class, also represent elite interests at the expense of the general population. Under Barack Obama’s administration, economic inequality increased and black poverty, mass unemployment and police brutality persisted.
The identity-focused rhetoric of liberals has stimulated racial and ethnic politics, and the rise of groups like Black Lives Matter. Often portrayed as progressive and radical,” BLM has been significantly co-opted by corporate liberal interests and has received extensive funding from leading corporations including Amazon and Microsoft.
The corporate media have aided and abetted disunity and violence by silencing moderate and alternative voices that seek to understand and question the motives and strategies of both pro and anti-Trump extremists.
The polarization of politics and media hinder and mask an understanding and dialogue needed to move forward. For example, is there an equal risk of fascism, albeit more insidious, arising from the corporate liberals opposing Trump?
Reclaiming perspective
A handful of corporations led by big tech and finance control the US political process and practically all aspects of society. The overwhelming focus on identity politics deflects attention from the dangers of deepening techno-corporate control and the destruction of freedom of speech.
The events of January 6 have already contributed to plans for a federal law against domestic terrorism” and the criminalization of dissent, which would likely be based on the 2019 Confronting the Threat of Domestic Terrorism Act introduced by US Representative Adam Schiff. Anti-terrorism acts, such as the Patriot Act, are notorious for being used to crush dissent and marginalized groups.
Systemic violence and repression are not new to the United States. The noble ideals of democracy, freedom and human rights aside, the US was founded on plunder of the land and exploitation of people – native Americans, blacks, Asians, and underprivileged whites as well.
Likewise, the American Empire was established and maintained with systematic plunder and exploitation and massive military and political interventions around the world that continue today.
The Empire’s costly military adventures (the US defense budget approved for 2021 is now up to $740 billion), along with global economic shifts such as manufacturing and job outsourcing and displacement by technology, have impoverished large segments of the American population, both white and people of color.
Corporate deregulation and the decimation of labor unions weakened the working class and strengthened corporate authoritarianism. In recent decades, the Republican and Democratic parties have differed little in their pursuit of corporate and imperial interests.
While the United States has had a history of social movements for people’s rights including labor and civil rights, recent initiatives for systemic change have experienced serious setbacks.
The anti-globalization movement that came to prominence during the World Trade Organization meetings in Seattle in 1999 was undermined by the Patriot Act (with Joe Biden being a key architect) and other policies introduced soon after the terror attacks of September 11, 2001.
The Occupy Wall Street movement that emerged after the 2008 financial crisis and its slogan We are the 99%” brought attention to the excesses of the financial sector and growing economic inequality. But this movement also dissipated, largely because of state and corporate tactics of division, repression and propaganda.
In the electoral realm, despite an unprecedented grassroots movement backing him, Bernie Sanders was blocked from winning the Democratic presidential nomination by the party elite in both 2016 and 2020.
The ideals of true socioeconomic reform have been squashed and subverted by the liberal establishment adopting the language of the progressive left but equating justice with racial and gender diversity and playing down economic equality. This reframing channels progressive energy away from threatening corporate control and profit into a safe zone of identity politics, which only further divides and disempowers the general population.
Techno-oligarchy
Just as unemployed and uninsured Americans are pleading for support during the Covid crisis, the combined wealth of US billionaires surpassed $1 trillion in gains since March 2020 and the beginning of the pandemic,” according to a study by the Institute for Policy Studies.
The top five US billionaires – Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Warren Buffett and Larry Ellison – saw their wealth grow by a total of $101.7 billion, or 26%, during this short period. The increasing digitalization of life during this period represent an enormous augmentation of the political and ideological power of the technocratic oligarchs.
Silicon Valley tech firms, financial supporters of Joe Biden, withdrew attention from issues potentially harmful to his campaign. Even some left-leaning media platforms refused to publish an article critical of Biden just before the election. Such a move by The Intercept led its co-founder, investigative journalist Glenn Greenwald, to resign.
Social-media companies swiftly deleted the accounts of President Trump and thousands of others after the January 6 event on Capitol Hill on grounds that they incited violence and extremism.
While it is true that hate speech and incitement of violence should not be allowed, should a handful of unrepresentative, unregulated tech corporations, such as Facebook, Twitter, Google and YouTube, exercise social and political control that exceed that of the state elected to represent people’s interests? Who decides what is appropriate and inappropriate, and on what grounds?
Clearly, democratic policies and institutions are needed to oversee the right of free speech guaranteed under the First Amendment of the US constitution.
Elizabeth Warren, a candidate for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, called for corporate accountability and planned to introduce policies for deregulation including the breakup of monopolistic companies like Facebook, Amazon and Google.
However, given lack of support from the dominant corporate wing of the Democratic Party, Warren was not able to secure even the vice-presidential nomination over Kamala Harris, the choice of the liberal corporate establishment.
System change
The mainstream narrative propagated around the world paints a rosy picture of a return to a post-Trump era of freedom and democracy with the Biden-Harris inauguration this Wednesday.
However, even if Trump is barred from running for office in 2024, the attitudes and grievances of the 70 million or more Americans who voted for him are unlikely to dissipate without serious efforts for change from those in power, and not just a return to corporate-dominated gesture-liberalism.
Indeed, all the issues of polarization and the inherent racism of society cannot be reduced to economic inequality and corporate dominance. Yet there has to be recognition of the suffering and despair of ordinary people on both sides, be they incarcerated blacks or unemployed whites.
As economic inequality deepens and the middle class disappears, vast segments of people of color as well as whites have become economically desperate and politically alienated from the status quo.
In the absence of genuine leaders to unite people and bring fundamental change, self-interested parties exploit and fuel discontent, anger and hatred by directing it toward one another. Use of epithets such as criminals and rapists” against Latino immigrants by Trump and basket of deplorables” against Trump supporters by Hillary Clinton have only fueled division and animosity.
Political street warfare” between the extreme-right Trump supporters and extreme-left anti-fascist groups is now a common occurrence across the US.
It is urgent that more and more people speak up and help move society beyond the polarization that is helping solidify techno-corporate totalitarianism and the police state. The us-vs-them, good-vs-bad dualism needs to be overcome with an appreciation of inherent human and planetary interdependence and the need for freedom and justice for all.
To quote the words of Robert F Kennedy on the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr on June 6, 1968:
In this difficult day, in this difficult time for the United States, it is perhaps well to ask what kind of a nation we are and what direction we want to move in. You can be filled with bitterness, with hatred, and a desire for revenge.
We can move in that direction as a country, in great polarization … filled with hatred toward one another. Or we can make an effort … to understand and to comprehend, and to replace that violence, that stain of bloodshed that has spread across our land, with an effort to understand with compassion and love.…
What we need in the United States is not division; what we need in the United States is not hatred; what we need in the United States is not violence or lawlessness; but love and wisdom, and compassion toward one another, and a feeling of justice toward those who still suffer within our country, whether they be white or they be black.”TAGGED:Joe BidenOpinionUS Capitol siegeUS politics
ASOKA BANDARAGE
Asoka Bandarage PhD is the author of Sustainability and Well-Being, The Separatist Conflict in Sri Lanka, Women, Population and Global Crisis, Colonialism in Sri Lanka and many other publications. She serves on the boards of the Interfaith Moral Action on Climate and Critical Asian Studies and has taught at Yale, Brandeis, Mount Holyoke, Georgetown, American and other universities. More by Asoka Bandarage
” I would only say that the tragedy of
Waco should serve to illustrate that life is not black and white, yes or no.
In reality, life is complicated and nuanced. There were
good people on both sides of the incident and some bad decisions made on both
sides as well. Many seem to want to condemn one side or the other
exclusively, not wanting to delve into the facts surrounding this real-life
tragedy. I am proud my negotiation team secured the safe release
of 35 people, including 21 children, but saddened by the tragic outcome.
While I have been a critic of some FBI management decisions at Waco, my
firm belief is that David Koresh held it within his power to safely lead his
people out every single day of the siege, yet refused to do so”
Bhutan, Maldives, Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar, and Seychelles will begin to receive Covid 19 vaccines from India tomorrow, according to a media release issued by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs.
Sri Lanka too could have been on this list and could have begun to receive shipments of the vaccine tomorrow yet that will not be the case because Sri Lanka is yet to provide “confirmation of necessary regulatory clearances” to India.
The release by the Indian External Affairs Ministry notes that it is awaiting necessary clearances from Sri Lanka Afghanistan and Mauritius to begin shipping the vaccine.
The Government of Sri Lanka has been busy preparing for the arrival of tourists from other countries as they are all set to reopen the airports on the 21st. However, Sri Lankans will have to wait a while longer to see airplanes touching down on Sri Lankan tarmacs with life-saving vaccines.
A candidate COVID-19 vaccine known as EpiVacCorona, Russia’s second to be registered, proved 100% effective” in early-stage trials, Russian consumer health watchdog Rospotrebnadzor has told local media.
The data, based on Phase I and II trials, were released before the start of a larger Phase III trial which would normally involve thousands of participants and a placebo group as a comparison, Reuters reported.
The effectiveness of the vaccine is made up of its immunological effectiveness and preventative effectiveness,” the TASS news agency reported, citing Rospotrebnadzor.
According to results of the first and second phases of clinical trials, the immunological effectiveness of the EpiVacCorona vaccine is 100%.”
The Phase I and II studies tested the safety, side-effects and immunogenicity of the potential vaccine in 100 people aged 18-60, according to the state trials register.
Typically early-stage vaccine tests on humans are based on blood readings showing an immune response in participants who have not been exposed to the virus, while the results of larger late-stage trials are based on actual infections suffered by participants in their normal lives.
Russia began testing EpiVacCorona, which is being developed by Siberia’s Vector Institute, in November.
Earlier that month, Moscow said its other approved vaccine, Sputnik V, was 92% effective at protecting people from COVID-19 based on interim results.
Russia has said it can inoculate 60% of its population against COVID-19 this year, and although the Sputnik V vaccine has been readily available in Moscow, the rollout across the country has been slow.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered mass vaccinations to start this week.
EpiVacCorona will be used in mass vaccinations from March, Deputy Prime Minister Tatiana Golikova told the Interfax news agency.
Russia has reported 3,612,800 coronavirus cases, the world’s fourth-highest total. Its death toll from the virus stands at 66,623.
India will begin supplying Covid-19 vaccines to six neighbouring and key partner countries with effect from tomorrow (January 20).
Thereby, Bhutan, Maldives, Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar and Seychelles will be the first recipients to get acquire the India-manufactured vaccines.
However, India is still awaiting the confirmation of necessary regulatory clearances from Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Mauritius.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) of India, in a statement published today (January 19), said the country has received several requests for the supply of Covid-19 vaccines manufactured in India.
In keeping with its stated commitment to using India’s vaccine production and delivery capacity to help fight the Covid pandemic, India plans to kick off vaccine export tomorrow.
The immunization programme is being implemented in India, as in other countries, in a phased manner to cover the healthcare providers, frontline workers and the most vulnerable, the statement read further.
Keeping in view the domestic requirements of the phased rollout, India will continue to supply COVID-19 vaccines to partner countries over the coming weeks and months in a phased manner. It will be ensured that domestic manufacturers will have adequate stocks to meet domestic requirements while supplying abroad.”
Prior to the delivery of vaccines, a training programme, covering administrative and operational aspects, is being conducted on 19th and 20th of January 2021 for immunization managers, cold chain officers, communication officers and data managers of the recipient countries, both at national and provincial levels.
India had earlier supplied hydroxychloroquine, Remdesivir and paracetamol tablets, as well as diagnostic kits, ventilators, masks, gloves and other medical supplies to a large number of countries during the COVID19 pandemic.”
India has also provided training to several neighbouring countries to enhance and strengthen their clinical capabilities, under the Partnerships for Accelerating Clinical Trials (PACT) programme. Separately, several training courses have been organized for healthcare workers and administrators of partner countries under the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) programme, sharing our experience in dealing with the pandemic.
India says it will continue to supply countries all over the world with vaccines, in keeping with the ongoing efforts. This will be calibrated against domestic requirements and international demand and obligations, including under GAVI’s Covax facility to developing countries.”
Sri Lanka has confirmed three new Covid-19 related deaths today (January 19), says the Department of Government Information.
Following the new development, total lives in the country claimed by the coronavirus outbreak reached 273.
The first victim is a 68-year-old man who was residing in Aranayake area. He was transferred from Mawanella Base Hospital to Anuradhapura Teaching Hospital after testing positive for the virus. According to reports, he was suffering from an infection in the respiratory system caused by Covid-19 pneumonia, at the time of his passing yesterday.
A 48-year-old woman from Colombo 06 area also fell victim to novel coronavirus. She had been under medical care at a private hospital in Colombo. However, upon testing positive, moved to Dr Neville Fernando Teaching Hospital where she died on Sunday (January 17). The cause of death was cited as Covid-19 infection and heart attack.
In the meantime, a 70-year-old woman who was identified as a resident of Maligawatte area died of respiratory failure caused by Covid-19 infection. She was under medical care at Dr Neville Fernando Teaching Hospital at the time of her death.
Sri Lanka registered 332 more positive cases of Covid-19 today (January 19) as the daily total climbed to 669.
Department of Government Information confirmed that 323 of the newly-identified patients are close contacts of earlier cases linked to the Peliyagoda fish market.
The remaining 09 positive cases were confirmed as arrivals from foreign countries; 08 from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and 01 from Poland.
As per statistics, the total number of Covid-19 infections confirmed in the country to date now stands at 54,419.
Recoveries from the virus meanwhile climbed to 46,594 earlier today, as 774 more patients regained health.
However, 7,555 active cases are still under medical care at selected hospitals and treatment centres located across the island.
The Attorney General has declared the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Compact to be inconsistent with the Constitution of Sri Lanka.
According to State Counsel Nishara Jayaratne, the Coordinating Officer of the Attorney General, the Attorney General has advised the Secretary to the President on the matter through a 20-page detailed instruction letter.
The advice of the Attorney General has been based observations made by relevant state and other institutions, the report of the Committee appointed by the Prime Minister, provisions and conditions of the MCC Compact and relevant articles, and observations made by the Foreign Resources Department and the Foreign Ministry.
The Attorney General has found that the MCC Compact and the Program Implementation Agreement (PIA) and Articles of Association of MCA are inconsistent with the written laws and the Constitution.
Therefore, the Attorney General informed the Secretary to the President that there are legal impediments to the implementation of these agreements as they are.
On the request of former PM Ranil Wickremesinghe, the MCC had conducted an evaluation in terms of their investment criteria and selected Sri Lanka as a qualified country to receive grant funding under their Compact Investment Program.
Under the grant, MCC had agreed to kick off a USD 350 million transport project and a USD 67 million land project in Sri Lanka. The remaining USD 63 million was to be allocated to support technical assistance, feasibility and design studies, project administration, and monitoring and evaluation.
However, the proposed grant assistance agreement was met with strong disapproval from various parties citing that it adversely affects the sovereignty of the country as it would pave way for defense deals with the US.
An Experts’ Committee was appointed by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to review the proposed MCC Compact MCC and its final report submitted to the government in June 2020, urges the government to reject the agreement.
Subsequently, MCC decided to discontinue the proposed compact of USD 480 million with Sri Lanka last December.
India has
signed many military agreements with US and has cemented a firm military link
with USA. In recognition of this, in
December 2020 US President Trump presented Prime Minister Narendra Modi with
America’s highest military decoration, Legion of Merit. This is a
rarely-awarded, prestigious decoration. It shows how highly US rates its link
with India.
US and India
both wish to contain China, but India does not intend to be a junior partner to
US. An ally of the US may be, but not a pawn, said analysts. India wishes to
increase her stature as the number one power in the region. However, by
taking a leadership role in the Quad, India has moved away from the basic
principles of Panchaseela and Non-alignment, commented critics.
India wishes
to continue its relationship with its former ally, Russia. In 2018 India had a
deal with Russia to purchase S-400
air defense system, ignoring US warning.
In September 2019 India signed an ‘agreement on reciprocal logistical support”
with Russia.
India has its
own military plans. In 2017 India obtained logistics facilities in Singapore
for Indian warships to refuel and get water in their operational
turnaround. Since 2018, India has been
given logistics facilities at Nha Trang on the Cam Ranh Bay, Vietnam. India is the
only country to receive this facility.
But India
will not find it easy. India has failed to establish good relations with its
two most powerful neighbors, China and Pakistan. Instead India has angered both and now China
and Pakistan are getting ready to hit
India. Pakistan is a formidable military power.
It will be a
simple matter for Pakistan and China to join hands in attacking India. The
possibility of collusion between these two military adversaries of India is
high, said experts in 2020. In January 2021, Indian army stated that there was
a visible collusion between China and Pakistan and it is now manifesting itself on the ground. India
is aware that Pakistan and China are sharing intelligence.
When they
attack, China will grab a chunk of the north Indian border and Pakistan will
try to seize Kashmir, since Indian troops would be reduced in Kashmir. India will have to face a two-and-a-half-
front- war, said experts, China in the north, Pakistan in the west, and a well
planned insurgency in Kashmir. India
cannot possibly win such a war.
India is completely unprepared for a two-front
conflict, let alone a two-and-a-half front war, said India’s military. India’s army is not large enough or well
equipped. It will not be possible to move troops and resources from one front
to another, either. However hard the Indian
army fights it will not be able to win against the combination of China and
Pakistan.
India must now hurry up and settle matters with either Pakistan or
China, said advisers. China is a bigger challenge than Pakistan so it is best to approach China. But that will be difficult. The Chinese have
got a vision and a plan, admitted India.
China plans to challenge India on all possible fronts. In 2019,
India revoked the limited autonomy granted to Jammu and Kashmir and turned them
into union territories of India. The Chinese Permanent Representative to the
United Nations complained about this in a closed-door informal session of the U.N.
Security Council saying that this affected the Ladakh border area.
China increased its troops in
eastern Ladakh in 2020, enabling
eyeball-to-eyeball confrontation in the future. China has also massed troops 500 to 1,500 km
away from the border. These troops could be brought to the border in 24 to 48
hours, admitted India.
China then suggested to India
that the eight mountainous spurs jutting out of the Sirijap range in Ladakh be turned into a buffer zone.
India refused, because that area is under India at present. India did not wish
to cede control over territory presently patrolled by Indian Army.
There are
ongoing tensions between India and Pakistan as well. Ceasefire violations at
the Jammu-Kashmir border have increased significantly. There were 2,158
ceasefire violations by India in 2020. There has
been a sharp increase in ceasefire violations by Pakistani forces all along the
border in 2020.
Now, Pakistan
has started tunneling into Kashmir. India has detected two tunnels so far. They are professionally constructed .The
second tunnel is three-feet-wide and constructed at a depth of25 to 30 feet. Pakistan
is sending infiltrators into Jammu and Kashmir, said India’s military.
India has not
changed its attitude towards Sri Lanka and Sri Lanka has not changed its
attitude towards India. Sri Lanka does not trust India. Sri Lanka has not
forgotten the ‘parippu’ drop. The current objection to giving the Eastern
terminal of the Colombo port to the Adani
group is also anti-India.
India wishes
to gain control of Sri Lanka by making Sri Lanka dependant on India for its energy
needs. India wishes to build an overhead
electricity link with Sri Lanka. India
aims to have a regional power grid which will cater to Myanmar, Bhutan,
Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka.
India has
provided assistance to Sri Lanka amounting to USD 3.5 billion in January 2021.
The bulk of this assistance is for the north, east and estate areas. In 2021 India will help in renovation of 27
schools in north, build 3200 sanitation units in Batticaloa and a temperature
controlled warehouse at Dambulla.
Indian
Foreign Minister, Dr. S. Jaishankar, had wanted to visit Sri Lanka in November
2020, but Sri Lanka was unable to accommodate the visit. Minister Jaishankar visited Sri
Lanka in January 2021. It was a hurriedly arranged visit, less than five days’
notice was given to Colombo, said the media.
Jaishankar
met with President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, of course, but that was not all. Jaishankar
met UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe and Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa as
well. He invited Sajith to visit Delhi. He met Sri
Lanka business leaders and discussed trade opportunities. Then he met a
delegation from the TNA. TNA were delighted to meet him and gave him a copy of
the TNA’s constitutional proposals.
Jaishankar
was hosted to dinner at the Wijerama residence of Prime Minister Mahinda
Rajapaksa. The only minister to take part in the event was G.L. Peiris.
Conspicuous by his absence was Foreign Minister Gunawardena, said the media.
Jaishankar’s
whistle-stop visit to Colombo was prompted largely by New Delhi’s concerns over
China’s ‘influence’ in Indian projects, such as the proposed partnership to run
the East Container Terminal in the Colombo Port, said the media. .Jaishankar had
also specifically requested the Sri Lankan Government not to hand over the oil
tank farm to anybody else.
Jaishankar clearly did not come to woo Sri Lanka. He
came to advise, meddle and instruct. Jaishankar said India supported
devolution, reconciliation, Provincial Councils and the 13th Amendment.
There was no direct response from Sri Lanka to this, observed the media.
Government said that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa is committed to the
wellbeing progress and opportunities of all our citizens.”
The intelligentsia however, responded. Even
after a lapse of 30 years and the removal of most of the major factors
associated with Tamil politics in India and Sri Lanka, India continues to see
Sri Lanka from the perspective of Tamil politics, they said.
But India
also has its supporters in Sri Lanka. India has quietly but carefully been a
major grant donor to Sri Lanka, especially in the task of postwar reconstruction,
said Harim Pieris. The Sri Lankan Government railways beyond Omanthai, as well
as rolling stock, the Palaly Airport development and indeed the 50,000 houses
programme in the Central, Northern and Eastern Provinces, together with ADB
funded road reconstruction, have formed the core of postwar rebuilding in the
former war affected provinces of Sri Lanka.
It is clearly
an irritant to India, that with fast track and increasing Government approval
for China to pile on debt laden costly infrastructure projects in Sri Lanka of
questionable utility value, such as the Port City and the Lotus Tower, Indian
investments on more mutually beneficial commercial terms, such as the Colombo
Port’s East Terminal development, are [getting] stalled, continued Harim.
However,
geography, history and, most importantly, modern-day economic reality, means that
Sri Lanka needs to nurture and protect India, our closest and giant neighbour.
Sri Lanka, much more than India, stands to benefit from closer economic ties
between the two neighbors, ideally establishing ourselves as a services,
logistics and knowledge hub for the giant economy next door, as well as a
low-cost entry point to the subcontinent’s economy, concluded Harim Pieris. (continued)
The dialog
is expected to provide policy-makers of the two countries with a
better
appreciation of the ground situation,challenges, opportunities and priorities that may affect
the Sri Lanka – US bilateral relationship.
The US
delegation will be led by Robert O. Blake Jr., former Assistant
Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs under the Obama
Adminstration and former Ambassador to Sri Lanka, the Maldives and
Indonesia. The Sri Lankan delegation will be headed by Bernard
Goonetilleke, former Sri Lankan Foreign Secretary and Ambassador to the United
States.
The conclusions
reached at the discussion will be presented to the two
governments for consideration.
The Gotabaya Rajapaksa government in Sri Lanka is unfazed by the possibility of Western nations’ taking a hostile stance at the March session of the UN Human Rights Council UNHRC) in Geneva.
In sharp contrast to the past, Sri Lankan Tamil leaders (mainly from the Tamil-majority Northern province) have united and presented a joint charter of demands to the UN. For the first time, disparate and mutually antagonistic leaders like R.Sampanthan, C.V.Wigneswaran and Gajendrakumar Ponambalam, have banded together.
The unity was brought about by the powerful and moneyed Tamil Diaspora in the West. The current unification will mark a sea change in Tamil politics if the unity on key issues is maintained beyond the March session of the UNHRC.
However, the Gotabaya regime in Colombo is unfazed by the prospect of facing intense hostility. A top source in the regime pointed out that the Western nations (which will stand in for the United States as the US is not a member of the UNHRC) will not have the gumption to lecture to Sri Lanka about human and democratic rights after the Black Lives Matter movement and the vandalism and riotous behavior of defeated President Trump’s followers at the Capitol. Colombo feels that America’s failure to control COVID-19 and increasing unemployment only shows that there is no magic wand to solve national problems.
The US, which pushed anti-Sri Lanka resolutions at the UNHRC in the past, is not only in a dire state of disarray at home, but is also not a member of the UNHRC. Interestingly, the Trump Administration had showed little respect for the integrity of the UNHRC when it quit the council saying it was biased. The US had thus lost its moral authority to use the council to browbeat Sri Lanka, the source said.
The US has to first put its house in order, restore democracy, instill in its population and leaders respect for the law and the constitution and curb racism. The Biden Administration, which will come into being on January 21, will be busy doing precisely this,” the source added.
The Gotabaya Administration has already declared that it will not co-sponsor any resolution against itself. And therefore, any resolution will have to be re-worded, incorporating new content.
The contents of the new resolution will have to take into account, the Tamils’ new and radical demands, new issues like the burial of Muslims who had died of COVID, and of course Colombo’s contention that the Tamil or the Muslim issue is a domestic issue to be solved internally in Sri Lanka without outside interference. Colombo’s argument is that a lasting solution for a national question can be found only through domestic mechanisms and the engagement of the parties directly concerned with the problem uncomplicated by foreign hands or foreign interests.
The Tamil parties’ have proposed that the UN Security Council and the General Assembly should take up the Tamil case and refer the matter to the International Criminal Court or any other international accountability mechanism to inquire into allegations of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. The Tamils are also asking for a UN evidence gathering mechanism such as the one set up in the case of Syria with a 12-month timeframe to finish its work.
The Tamils’ letter embodying these demands had been sent to the UN and UN officials in Colombo had discussed the contents with the Lankan Foreign Ministry. The various inputs will eventually be incorporated in the UNHRC resolution.
Commenting on the Tamils’ demands, the Foreign Ministry source said: These demands will only harden the stand of the majority community, whose views no democratic country can ignore. It’s time the Tamils realized this and accepted the thesis that the liberation of all Sri Lankans, irrespective of ethnic or other identities, lies in economic development on an equitable basis.”
A lone England cricket fan who waited 10 months in Sri Lanka to watch his team play had unexpected phone call Monday from team captain Joe Root after they beat the hosts in the first Test.
After winning the by seven wickets, Root telephoned Rob Lewis, who had been cheering from Galle fort overlooking the cricket stadium.
The 37-year-old stayed in Sri Lanka after England quit the tour in March without playing a test because of the coronavirus pandemic.ADVERTISING
With spectators and media banned, Lewis was kept away from the stadium when the match eventually started last week.
He was forced off the ramparts on the first day, but the Sri Lankan cricket board later intervened to get him a place on the 16th-century fort.
Root said Lewis was a “beacon for everyone at home”.
“Rob? Hello mate, how are you? It was nice to see you finally up on the fort,” said Root.
“That’s why I wanted to come over, on behalf of all the lads we really appreciate your support and it’s an incredible story and journey that you’ve been on.”
Lewis said the call was “an unbelievable gesture”, and that he would be watching when the second Test starts Friday.
Root tweeted a video of him making the call to Lewis who could be seen on the ramparts of the UNESCO world heritage site.
Whilst in Sri Lanka, Lewis has worked remotely as a web designer and done stints as a nightclub DJ.
Sri Lanka is famous for its picturesque beaches, but the country’s tourism industry has been devastated by the pandemic
Sri Lanka will reopen its borders to foreign tourists this week after a 10-month hiatus, officials said Monday, with travellers subject to tough Covid-19 protocols.
The announcement came despite a surge in Covid-19 cases and deaths, as authorities sought to revive a once-lucrative tourism sector devastated by the deadly 2019 Easter bombings and the pandemic.
“Every precautionary measure has been set in place to make the island getaway as safe, secure and serene as possible for visitors,” the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau said in a statement, with borders due to open on Thursday.
The sun-soaked island nation, famous for its picturesque beaches, last month welcomed some 1,700 Ukrainian tourists on charter flights in a “pilot project to test our systems”, the government said.
Sri Lanka is also currently hosting the England cricket team for a two-Test series, with the matches played behind closed doors.
Under the protocols, tourists will be allowed to stay in 55 designated hotels — off limits to locals except for staff — across the country.
Visitors will be required to produce a negative result from a PCR test taken up to four days before their arrival.
They must undergo two more tests for a visit of up to seven days, and three tests if they stay for more than a week.
Tourists are also required to fork out US$12 for insurance that will cover up to US$50,000 in Covid-19 related medical costs.
For the first two weeks of their visit, they will have to be accompanied by officials when travelling to designated tourism spots.
Those who test positive during their stay will be isolated in their hotel rooms if they are asymptomatic, and taken to a hospital if they show symptoms.
Passengers who have spent up to two weeks in Britain before arriving will not be allowed to enter the country, and flights from the UK remain banned in an effort to keep out a more contagious coronavirus variant.
Officials did not say if more airlines would resume services to Sri Lanka.
Qatar Airways, Emirates and several other airlines currently operate repatriation and transit flights. National carrier SriLankan Airlines has also been flying on a limited schedule.
Sri Lanka has seen a surge in virus cases since October, with the total number of infections passing 53,000 and deaths rising to over 260 from just 13 in October.
Sri Lanka will once again welcome tourists on January 21, this time under a bio bubble, following a successful pilot programme to assess the country’s capability in managing tourists under a bio bubble amid the pandemic.
A daily limit of 2,500 inbound tourists has been set. While tourists do not need to undergo mandatory quarantine, they have to abide by a strict set of rules. Travellers must obtain their visas online along with confirmed hotel booking, pre-purchased PCR tests and mandatory Covid-19 insurance coverage of US$50,000 on hospitalisation or medical bills for a month. They must also produce a valid PCR test taken 96 hours before arrival.
Sri Lanka will allow in a maximum of 2,500 tourists per day under a bio bubble arrangement
Vaccination will not exempt travellers from these health and safety protocols.
The first PCR test on Sri Lankan soil will be conducted on arrival at the hotel; the second will come five to seven days later or when symptoms develop; and the third will be conducted 10 to 14 days of their stay.
Travellers staying in Sri Lanka for more than a week will need to pay for all three tests ahead of time, with each costing US$40.
Under the bio bubble, all arriving travellers must stay in one of 40 certified hotels for the first 14 days of their trip. These hotels will not accept any local guests nor local events. After this period, travellers are free to move to their hotel of choice and mingle with locals.
During this same period, travellers are restricted to only 14 attractions and tourist sites.
With the reopening of Sri Lanka’s borders, scheduled flights by key airlines such as SriLankan Airlines, Emirates and Singapore Airlines will resume from January 21.
Sri Lanka Tourism officials said the first arriving tourists were likely to be a group of Germans who would come through Bandaranaike International Airport.
The East Container Terminal of the Colombo Port will not be sold or leased, Sri Lanka has confirmed.
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa said the plan was to develop the terminal as an investment project that has 51% ownership by the state-owned Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) and the remaining 49% as an investment by India’s Adani Group and other stakeholders.
The President said that the East Container Terminal Development was planned after reviewing all the factors including the regional geopolitical concerns, sovereignty of the country, revenue and employment generation potential”.
He explained that the Eastern Terminal will be sustainably developed” under the investment programme. India contributes 66% of the East Terminal re-export operations. 9% is re-exports to Bangladesh and the rest to several other countries.
The operation of the West Container Terminal will be handed over to the SLPA.
What’s the history?
The previous administration had agreed to sell the East Terminal to India. The agreement envisaged obtaining a loan from Japan after sale and purchasing construction equipment with the loan money. The President said that after the present Government negotiated with India on the contract it was possible to reach an agreement to retain 51% of the ownership and the control of the terminal under the SLPA.
The previous Government had leased the Hambantota Port to the Government of China for 99 years. After coming to power, the present government, in consultation with China, took over the responsibility for the security of the port, the president noted.
The Colombo High Court has served indictments on former minister Rajitha Senaratne and 2 others for causing losses to the state when leasing out Modera Fisheries Harbour in 2014.
Indictments were served on the defendants before Colombo High Court Judge Pradeep Hettiarachchi.
After the indictments were served, the court ordered the three defendants including MP Rajitha Senaratne to be released on a personal bail of Rs 1 million.
The judge then ordered that fingerprints of the accused be obtained and called for a report on their previous offences.
The attorneys representing the defendants requested the court for a date to to review and inform of any shortcomings in the documents handed over to their clients.
The court accepted the request and decided to take up the case on April 22 to consider it.
In August last year, the Bribery Commission filed indictments against the former minister and the other two defendants, for allegedly causing losses to the state when leasing out the Modara Fisheries Harbour in 2014.
The other two defendants in the case are former Chairman of the Ceylon Fisheries Harbour Corporation (CFHC) Upali Liyanage and its former Managing Director Neil Ravindra Munasinghe.
The indictment had been filed under section 70 of the Bribery Act and on five charges.
They are accused of causing losses to the government by persuading the Director Board of the Ceylon Fisheries Harbour Corporation to lease the Modara Fisheries Harbour to a private company for an insufficient sum between the period from August 01 and November 01, 2014.
The Attorney General has declared that Ranjan Ramanayake’s seat in the parliament has fallen vacant due to his conviction and prison sentence.
The Attorney General has advised the Secretary-General of the Parliament on this matter today (18), according to the Coordinating Officer of the Attorney General State Counsel Nishara Jayaratne.
On January 12, MP Ranjan Ramanayake was sentenced to four-year rigorous imprisonment by the Supreme Court regarding a contempt of court case.
Another six coronavirus-related deaths reported today (January 18) have brought Sri Lanka’s total fatality count to 270.
One of the deceased is a 63-year-old woman from Colombo 13 who succumbed to COVID-19 pneumonia and acute diabetes. She had passed away at the Colombo National Hospital on January 17.
A male, aged 80 years, from Colombo 15 has succumbed to COVID-19 pneumonia upon admittance to Colombo National Hospital on January 15.
Another male – a 75-year-old from Modara – has also died on January 15 from COVID-19 pneumonia. He had been a resident of an elders’ home where he passed away.
Meanwhile, a 65-year-old man from Kalutara South had died on admission to Kalutara District General Hospital over COVID-19 pneumonia, a heart condition, and acute diabetes. He had passed away on January 14.
One of the victims is a 63-year-old male from Dehiwala. He had been transferred from Negombo District Hospital to the Iranawila Treatment Center after being diagnosed with COVID-19. He had died today of bronchopneumonia caused by coronavirus infection.
Another person has fallen victim to the COVID-19 pandemic today at the Homagama Base Hospital. the 65-year-old had been transferred from the Ratnapura Teaching Hospital after being diagnosed with the virus. The cause of his death has been determined as COVID-19 pneumonia.
Sri Lanka’s Covid-19 numbers saw another surge today, as 295 more persons were tested positive for the virus. Department of Government Information confirmed that all 295 of the newly-identified patients are close contacts of earlier cases linked to the Peliyagoda fish market. Accordingly, a total of 627 new cases have been reported within the day. As per statistics, the total number of Covid-19 infections confirmed in the country to date now stands at 53,750. Recoveries from the virus meanwhile climbed to 45,820 earlier today, as more patients regained health. However, 7,660 active cases are still under medical care at selected hospitals and treatment centres located across the island. Sri Lanka has also witnessed 270 deaths related to Covid-19.
The Minister of Education, Prof. G. L. Peiris, has entered into a period of self-isolation, sources say.
This is after being identified as a contact of State Minister Piyal Nishantha who has been diagnosed with COVID-19.
Earlier today (18), State Minister of Women and Child Development, Pre-School & Primary Education, School Infrastructure & Education Services Piyal Nishantha was confirmed to have contracted the novel coronavirus following a rapid antigen test.
State Minister Nishantha is the 4th Member of the Parliament to have been diagnosed with COVID-19 infection.
State Minister of Women and Child Development, Pre-School & Primary Education, School Infrastructure & Education Services Piyal Nishantha has been diagnosed with the novel coronavirus infection.
This was confirmed following a Rapid Antigen test for the virus, Ada Derana reporter stated.
State Minister Nishantha is the 4th Member of the Parliament to contract COVID-19.
Meanwhile, Minister of Education Prof. G. L. Peiris entered into self-isolation as he was identified as a contact of the State Minister.
A medical heritage of a country could be cited as one of its best treasures and most powerful weapons. Sri Lanka has proven that its medical legacy was protected by ancient kings as part of governance policy and aspects, such as agriculture, belief system/spirituality and diet encompassing the concept of health.
We can only imagine that if there was a ‘Ministry of Health’ as we have today, in ancient times, how it would have been integrated to ensure the optimum health of its citizens; through what we cultivate, how we cultivate it, through hydraulic sustainability to prevent hunger, disease and being indebted to other countries for essentials, such as medicine and food.
To talk of the pre-Ayurvedic Deshiya Chikitsa (Sinhala Wedakama) medical heritage of Sri Lanka is to talk of a wisdom driven medical tradition nurtured for centuries.
Robert Knox, if he were alive, would have been able to explain to us what he wrote in his book, An Historical Relation of the Island Ceylon where he detailed the medical expertise of the country and stated that this knowledge was with all citizens who were physicians in their own right.
Today this knowledge, even the use of basic herbs and indigenous plants, may have been erased from the minds of the public, because we have not realised as a nation the value of safeguarding it through an education system accessible to all.
Traditional knowledge
Yet, there are still families and persons in whom this knowledge is still alive, emotionally and intellectually, thanks to the childhood learning they have had from their parents, grandparents and great grandparents who have stored this knowledge in practice and in theory, with the aid of books coming down from hundreds of years.
Some of these persons specialised in other jobs take to renewing the traditional medicine knowledge passed on by their families at a time when they feel destiny wants them to do so. Laxman J. Embuldeniya, 56, at Elwela, Matale, who had qualified in the 1980s in Systems Engineering from the British Computer Society, having worked abroad pertaining to technology, maintains that he is one such person.
His father and grandparents from his mother as well as father’s side had functioned as physicians and held a repository of ancient knowledge in the form of books and pamphlets, he said.
For the past 25 years, he has been researching Deshiya Chikitsa (Sinhala Wedakam) techniques passed on by his father and grandparents, using some rare knowledge in Sri Lanka’s medical tradition, for diseases, such as Dengue, Diabetes and conditions, such as Autism and neurological disorders, such as Epilepsy. He is confident that the branch of Sinhala Wedakama he uses can cure Autism. He said he has records to prove he has done it.
Meanwhile, a letter, dated July 26, 2017 signed by the Private Secretary to the then Minister of Health introduces him as follows to the National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA):
Bearer Indigenous Medical practitioner, Dr. Laxman J. Embuldeniya, has developed a herbal medicine apparently effective for treating all conditions of Dengue Haemorrhagic fever and has demonstrated its efficacy on several patients in Kalutara and Matale.”
The letter said that he has presented his medical experiments for Dengue to the then President, Maithripala Sirisena and requested an expert committee to assess the efficacy of the treatment.
According to Embuldeniya, he is following up with NMRA now on his medicines submitted for Dengue in 2017, having used the past four years to collect reactions from patients who have taken the medicine.
Proof on efficacy
Several senior Allopathy doctors knew of my research into Dengue as they had seen how Dengue patients whom Western medical professionals could not cure and sent away for last resort alternatives, such as Bodhipuja took my medicines and recovered in less than 48 hours.
Not a single Dengue patient in the worst case category, who came to me, often sent by Allopathy doctors, died. I have records to prove this,” he said.
In Sinhala wedakama, it is prohibited to test medicines on animals – creatures who cannot speak. My medicines developed from a strong research backdrop under the Sinhala Wedakam tradition – mainly the Rajapriya tradition (traditions preferred by the king) are administered only on humans.
By the time, the NMRA was informed of my Dengue medicines, hundreds of patients had recovered consuming my medicines. Since then I have further strengthened the medicine based on feedback,” said Embuldeniya, stating that along with Dengue, his aim is to cure any other ailment the patient would have had, such as diabetes and cholesterol.
Now, however, he is receiving local and international fame for developing what could be described as a vaccine equivalent for Covid-19; in liquid form, which needs only two yoghurt spoonful quantities to be taken – just once and administered on to the tongue, prior to sleep.
Asked if it is once in a lifetime treatment like a vaccine is supposed to be, he does not insist that this is so, but said that this is how he has designed the medicine, made from herbal components.
He said he has received queries from foreign doctors, officials as well as Sri Lankans from countries, such as Italy, New Zealand, Switzerland, Israel, Bangladesh and Nigeria.
Covid-19 treatment
I am pursuing these correspondences seriously and discussing with these countries. I am considering bulk sales of this Covid-19 treatment. Several Allopathic professionals in Sri Lanka and abroad had understood the rationale of my work and supported me throughout my research for developing my medicines,” he said.
According to him, around 15,000 persons, mainly in Sri Lanka, have taken his Covid-19 curative and preventive treatment, out of which from feedback, at least 100 – 200 were Covid-19 positive patients who have recovered.
He said that the strength of the herb composition of the medicine ensures that recovery is successful within hours, using the minimalistic quantity rationale as used in the Rasa Wedakam tradition of ancient Sri Lanka.
In the local pandemic scenario, he considers one of his main contributions to be the prevention of the Dambulla market Covid-19 incidence.
He said that following a media intervention by a provincial journalist familiar with the efficacy of his medicine, many vendors in the Dambulla market, who had been exposed to those who had contracted the virus, had taken treatment.
Feedbacks from patients
I do not advertise and there is no board where I make my medicines. I have declined many media interviews. Somehow word spreads. We courier the medicines well sealed within Aluminium foil. This has to be refrigerated.
We are daily couriering – many dozens of packs – and several government officials and the private sector as well as military officials have taken this treatment.
We collect the different reactions of those who take the treatment, mostly as a protective mechanism.
We have not had a single reaction of the medicines failing. Many persons are reporting that their cholesterol, diabetes and other ailments have disappeared,” Embuldeniya said.
The latest most encouraging Covid-19 related reaction pertaining to his treatment concerns a government official from Nuwara Eliya, whose colleague had last week tested positive for the virus.
The official, prior to knowing his friend had become afflicted by the virus, had accidentally worn his colleague’s face mask for a long while before realising the error.
The official who had consumed my Covid-19 preventive medicine about two months back telephoned me on Thursday, informing that although he should definitely have got the virus as he had worn his Covid-19 positive colleague’s face mask, a PCR testing on himself last week had been negative.”
This is most encouraging for me as it proves that my medicines have worked. I have requested those taking the medicine to report back such reactions so that I could file these declarations by them,” he said.
Non-toxic herbal components
According to Sinhala Wedakama, there is information of diverse ‘families’ or ‘categories’ of viruses and whatever the new viruses emerging in the world are within those categories.”
During the first phase of Covid-19 in Sri Lanka last March, I began changing the composition of my Dengue medicine to be used for Covid-19 prevention and cure and researched which ingredients – all of which are non-toxic herbal components – could be increased and which new ones to be added to treat the virus.
I refrained from using Bee honey as a base because the number of Bees is decreasing. It is difficult to find pure Bee honey in large quantities.
Bee honey can in some instances become toxic as per different preparation methods and affect diverse people differently,” Embuldeniya said.
He said that the Covid-19 treatment he finalised by March, should be administered on the tongue for signalling the brain.
This treatment is aimed at allowing the brain to respond to the RNA of the Covid-19 virus and destroy it,” he said.
His appeal is for Sri Lankan authorities to look at Sri Lanka’s traditional medicine with honour and respect, especially during the time of global health challenge.
The way science was understood in ancient times in the country through which we developed many world marvels and the way it is understood now has to be contemplated upon.
As someone qualified in systems engineering, I am well aware that what I am doing using our age old traditional medical science is another method of programming; re-programming the human body,” Embuldeniya said.
He does not see a difference on the basis of knowledge in modern computer technology – systems engineering and the ancient knowledge of Sinhala Wedakama which draws on a vast body of universal knowledge that is not visible to the human eye.
He holds the view that Sinhala Wedakama can stand alone as a distinct body of medical expertise within the Sinhala tradition that could be separated on many aspects from Ayurveda.
China, unlike
India is getting on just fine in South Asia. China has held three multilateral
dialogues with South Asian countries. The first in July, 2020 was attended by
Pakistan, Nepal and Afghanistan. At this dialogue, China proposed extending the
China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to Afghanistan, as well as taking
forward an economic corridor plan with Nepal, called the Trans-Himalayan
Multi-dimensional Connectivity Network. China said the four countries were connected
by mountains and rivers”.
This dialogue
was followed by a second meeting in November 2020 attended by China, Pakistan,
Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. The third dialogue was held virtually in January,
2021.it brought together every country in the region except India, Bhutan and
the Maldives. Pakistan, Nepal, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh attended. Pakistan
and Nepal are emerging as supports in China’s regional strategy, observed
analysts.
China’s economy
continues to be strong. Chinas trustbusters are investigating Alibaba. China now
leads in e-commerce, said Economist. China has very advanced online shopping
platforms which blend digital payments, group deals, social media, gaming,
instant messaging, short form videos and live streaming celebrities. This model
is followed in India and Latin America. Retailers everywhere should look to
China.
China’s
relations with Sri Lanka are also excellent. China has minted a coin for the
Central Bank to celebrate its 70th anniversary. This is the first coin minted
in China for Central Bank. It was done
by China Banknote Printing and Minting. It is a limited edition commemorative
20-rupee Aluminum Bronze collector coin. The first coin was officially
presented to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, by CB Governor Prof. W D Lakshman on
December 31, 2020. Some coins were sold
to the public on January 1 for Rs.1300.
The Colombo
branch of the Bank of China is in its second year and it is doing well. A plan
to start a second branch in Hambantota is on hold due to the pandemic. A major
Chinese bank was badly needed in view of the strong investment and trade
relations between our two countries. We have among our clientele some of the
leading names of Sri Lanka.
We also actively assist Sri Lankan companies to participate in
major investment and export promotion fairs conducted in China, create match
making” links between local and Chinese companies, providing access to China’s
export, import and the investment sources. Our assistance is also frequently
sought and happily given to local Banks who need assistance with the Chinese
language when dealing with other Chinese financial institutions, said the Bank.
In January
2021, Chinese Ambassador Qi Zhenhong thanked Sri Lanka for standing by China
during the COVID-19 crisis and said that China was committed to helping Sri
Lanka overcome the pandemic.
We will never
forget that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa gifted Ceylon Tea to China, Prime
Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa organized a pirit ceremony to invoke blessings on
the people of Wuhan, while all Sri Lankan friends from different religions and
ethnic groups have been praying for China, the ambassador said.
China
declared the people of China and Sri Lanka have a history of friendly
exchanges for nearly two thousand years and thus the two countries have the
ability conduct relations without the interference of a third party. The two
countries could continue strengthening strategic communication, expanding
practical cooperation, and jointly bringing China-Sri Lanka relations to a
higher level in the years to come.
China also
said it had no problem with Sri Lanka having diplomatic relations with other
countries. As a sincere friend of the Sri Lankan people, China is happy to see
the island developing healthy relations with other countries. China believes
that all countries, regardless of size, have the right to independently develop
foreign relations based on their own interests.(continued)
Colombo, January 15 (Daily Mirror) – According to Bloomberg data, the Colombo Stock Exchange’s (CSE) benchmark All Share Price Index (ASPI) is the second best performing stock index in the world as of Wednesday with a rate of return of 9.88 percent.
Chile’s S&P CLX IPSA Index has been ranked as the top performing stock index of the world while the third places goes to KOSPI Index of Korean Stock Exchange.
Bloomberg says CSE is the second best performing stock market in the world! As the State Minister for Capital Markets since August 12, 2020, I’m naturally pleased. Truly humbled by the confidence displayed by investors on our economy,” said State Minister for Money & Capital Market and State Enterprise Reforms, Ajith Nivard Cabraal.
ASPI has gained 75 percent since falling to its lowest point in a decade on 12th May 2020 and closed at 7,443.23 points on Wednesday.
The daily average turnover of CSE topped Rs.7.4 billion for the eight trading days of 2021.
Meanwhile, the CSE in a media release this evening said it has taken measures to increase regulatory supervision given the increased level of market activity.
Given the increased level of market activity the CSE has taken measures to heighten the level of regulatory supervision, market surveillance and monitoring of risk.
The CSE has been proactively taking such measures in the past and will continue to do so,” the statement said.
It also noted that the regulatory framework of the stock market has been strengthened on several aspects in recent times including the supervision of stock broker firms, monitoring of market risk and credit risk and market surveillance and enforcement mechanisms for listed companies.
As the operator of the stock market, the CSE remains strongly focused on maintaining the confidence of investors by preserving the market’s integrity and quality and being fully aware that it is only by operating a fair, orderly and transparent market that it will be possible to sustain this level of investor confidence and performance,” the statement concluded.
This media release appears to have been prompted by the claims of certain Opposition lawmakers that the CSE is again going to witness a ‘pump-and-dump’ scenario, similar to what happened in 2012-13.
The Inspector General of Police (IGP) has issued a special circular to officers-in-charge of all police stations and all senior ranked officers to take legal action against the persons who are interfering with investigations conducted by the police.
Police Spokesman DIG Ajith Rohana said, police have received telephone calls from various individuals claiming they were close relatives or friends of the IGP.
They have informed respective officers-in-charge of police station to conduct the investigation in favour of those ‘concerned’ parties,” he said.
Accordingly, the IGP issued a special circular on January 8, issuing orders to take action against those hidden hands the police.
In addition, the police officers have been instructed to conduct investigations impartially, DIG Rohana said.(DSB)
Sri Lanka has registered 08 more deaths from the coronavirus pandemic, the Director-General of Health Services confirmed.
A 63-year-old woman from Kolonnawa has passed away at the Colombo National Hospital on January 13 from COVID-19 pneumonia.
A 75-year-old male from Borella had been transferred from a private hospital in Colombo to the Mulleriyawa Base Hospital where he succumbed to COVID-19 pneumonia and high blood pressure on January 14.
Meanwhile, a 27-year-old youth have succumbed to COVID-19 infection and a lung infection on January 15. The Udupussellawa resident had been transferred to the Nuwara Eliya District Hospital from the Udupussellawa Hospital after being identified as a COVID-19 patient.
On January 16, two men, one from Kegalle (87) and another from Dehiwala (72) had died at the Homagama Base Hospital.
The 87-year-old had died from acute bronchitis caused by COVID-19 and a heart condition.
The Dehiwala resident had been transferred from a private hospital in Colombo upon being diagnosed with coronavirus. He had succumbed to COVID-19 pneumonia and a heart condition.
A total of 03 COVID-19 related deaths have occurred today (January 17).
One among them is a 66-year-old male from Polonnaruwa. He had been transferred from the Welikanda Base Hospital to the Infectious Diseases Hospital (IDH) in Angoda where he succumbed to acute liver infection, blood poisoning, and coronavirus infection.
Another patient at the IDH, an 83-year-old male from Colombo 08, fell victim to sepsis shock, multiple organ failure, and COVID-19 pneumonia. He had been transferred from a private hospital in Colombo.
The other victim is a 75-year-old male from Ududumbara. He had been transferred to the Mulleriyawa Base Hospital from Avisswella District Hospital. The cause of his death has been determined as a severe respiratory infection, COVID-19 pneumonia, and a heart condition.
With the new developments, Sri Lanka’s total fatality count now has reached 264.
