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Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena today (31) endorsed the certificate on the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution Bill which was passed by a special majority in Parliament recently.

The Parliament of Sri Lanka said following the endorsement by the Speaker, the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution Bill will come into force as the 21st Amendment to the Constitution from today.

The twenty-second Amendment to the Constitution Bill was presented to the Parliament on August 10, 2022, by Minister Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe.

According to the Supreme Court’s determination related to the petitions against the bill, amendments were made at the Ministerial Consultative Committee on Judicial Affairs and approval was obtained.

The debate on the second reading of the twenty-second Amendment to the Constitution Bill was held in Parliament on the 20th and 21st of October.

At the end of the second reading, 179 MPs voted in favor and 1 voted against the Bill.

Thereafter, in the voting held for the third reading of the bill, 174 votes were in favor and one vote was against.

A special petition was filed with the Supreme Court today challenging the Inland Revenue (Amendment) Bill that was added to the Parliament agenda on the 21st of October 2022.

The petition was filed by Athula Saranga Ranaweera, a General Manager of a leading private company in Sri Lanka and seeks a determination from the Supreme Court that the Inland Revenue (Amendment) Bill is inconsistent with the constitution of the country.

The petitioner has named the Attorney General as the respondent.

The petitioner claims that if the Inland Revenue (Amendment) Bill is passed it would cause grave injustice to the professionals and the general public.

Therefore, the petitioner is seeking a Supreme Court determination on the Inland Revenue (Amendment) Bill stating that clauses 15, 16, 22, 29,36, and 39 must be removed from the Bill or a Special Majority is required in Parliament for the passage of the Bill.

The petition was filed through Attorneys H.M. Thilakaratne, Kanishka Witharana and Savane Rajakaruna.

President Ranil Wickremesinghe said that measures have been taken to strengthen the 74-year-old ties between the United States and Sri Lanka, adding that the support rendered by the United States whenever Sri Lanka was in difficulty would never be forgotten.

President Ranil Wickremesinghe made this statement while attending the official opening of the new building of the United States Embassy in Colombo on the 28th.

Expressing his views on the diplomatic relations and mutual understanding between the United States and Sri Lanka during the war, the President also recalled with gratitude the support given by the United States under the leadership of George Bush in 2001 during President Wickremesinghe's tenure as Prime Minister.

The President also recalled the support provided by the US government led by Bill Clinton to help Sri Lanka recover from the Tsunami disaster in 2004 and said that if not for the intervention of the US led by President Joe Biden, Sri Lanka would not have been able to make a success of the Maha Season.

President Wickremesinghe, who further pointed out the 74 years of US-Sri Lanka friendship, partnership and bilateral relations, expressed his appreciation for the support rendered by the United States for the preparation of the first monetary law and the well-drafted legal system for the establishment of the Central Bank.

Having experienced such a long and cordial relationship, Sri Lanka and the United States will work as close friends in the future as well, said the President, adding that the United States and Sri Lanka, as inseparable partners, will forge ahead with respect and confidence in each other to preserve peace and democracy.

Following is the full speech made by President Ranil Wickremesinghe:

“38 years ago, I stood in another building next to this witnessing President Jayawardena opens the new US Chancellor building. The earlier building was housed in the residence, which one time belonged to my great-grandmother, Helena Dep Wijewardhena before the Americans purchase the sea. I think that’s the only private beach in Sri Lanka much and that is the only Embassy which has a private beach, which I am sure will be really the cause of joy for your marine scene.

As the Ambassador mentioned it was 74 years ago that we started our diplomatic relations, so next year when we celebrate the 75th anniversary of our independence we also be celebrating the 75th anniversary of our relations with the US. But our contact with the US goes back far longer than that. Over 200 years ago, when missionaries arrived here in Jaffna to open schools I always wondered how those missionaries got on Jaffna with the British while burning the White House in Washington.

But I must thank them because they started one of the first hospitals in Sri Lanka. The green hospital, where they did yeoman service in Jaffna during wartime, it was not only a Christian missionary We all know of Col. Alcott, and the services he has done and there are many sons who standing here who comes from the school he started, Ananda College.

It’s not only the field of education or religion; they were in trade actually our graphite trade phosphate, because Americans were some of the main purchases of graphite at that time. These are all parts which written in history. Our relationship was not only in trade, not merely education, not merely religion it was also military. In 1942, General Joseph Silvon, Wnnieger Joe was the deputy commander of the Southeast Asia command which was housed here in Kandy under Admiral Lord B.. of Batton at that time, He control the Chinese troops in India, Burma, and China. So that’s how our military connection began.

And our economic connections after the war when we got the help of Joe Nickson to prepare the first monetary law and to set up the Central Bank, that piece of legislation is one of the most well-drafted legislation that I have seen. The political alliance was also built up, especially in 1951, when the then Secretary of State had to rely on our representative there then finance Minister J.R. Jayawardena to make a speech in support of the Japanese peace treaty when some of the other Asians backed them. So even during significant times, we have been there.

So these are the needed a friendship which continued whenever we needed, going into Galle face to take relief to the flood-affected areas in 1957.

and when I became the Deputy Minister of foreign affairs in 1977, it was an important era when President Ronald Reagan, Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and Prime Minister Nakasone all gave me the ship to this region together with Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew and Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser and President JR Jayawardena. It was a turning point that contributed to the last geopolitical changes which took place in 1989 with the collapse of the Soviet Union.

I remember in 1993 when I went to the UK it was because Vice President Al Gore wanted me to sign an agreement bringing Sri Lanka onto the internet just imagining what would happen if I didn’t go and didn’t sign. So that has a long friendship. It is obvious that I must mention here the help that was given to me when I was the Prime Minister in 2001 by President George W. Bush, I must say for the help for to bring around the peace talks and keeping the LTTE in line and again when the cyclone struck us how he gave help and his father, president, George Bush and President Clinton here to be with us. So we have not forgotten. It’s a friendship that has gone on for so long and as the Prime Minister again I had your help when we restored the democratic principles and upheld the rule of law and the freedom of expression.

This is what Sri Lanka committed to we will not move you from that. This is as I say the democracy that we all know and we pride ourselves on the fact that some 1931 we are a practising democracy I can assure you the fights in our house some times better than fighting your house of representatives. Are we to exchange notes on that we can ask the Hon. Speaker?

President Biden, I met when he was a senator and I had to go and meet him and again in 2017 on a unique occasion we were both listening to a speech by President Xi.

I don’t think the end of the beginning. Again, I say being with both of them at the same time, but nevertheless, I must thank President Biden for the help he has given us in this critical moment. We appreciate it and I must say, without your help, we will not be having a successful “Maha Season” Thank you. So, what this building symbolizes, in a way, is the coming together, the brick-and-mortar human relationship which had held us all together. The two countries together it’s wrong, it cannot be broken. But this new building also is, in a way, a symbol of a new era in which the relationship has to develop. When the Indian Ocean is getting more attention, is coming under attention and the world itself is changing we are seeing from last year onwards how fast the geopolitics is changing and in this world that we will have to carry out our new relationships and we have worked together for so long, I have no doubt that we will carry on respecting each other and working closely to each other to uphold the peace and democracy.

Thank you.”

Hon, Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardhena, U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka Julie Chung, the U.S. Department of State’s Under Secretary for Management John Bass, several Ministers, officials and private citizens from both countries attended this occasion.

(PMD)

The Ceylon Electricity Board on Thursday (27) said that the 2.5% Social Security Contribution Tax will be added to the monthly electricity bill with effect from 1st October 2022.

As per the Social Security Tax Act, electricity supply by Ceylon Electricity Board is subject to the Social 2.5% Security Contribution Tax.

Accordingly, the Ceylon Electricity Board will charge the said tax from the 1st of October, 2022.

The Chairman of the Public Utilities Commission Janaka Ratnayake said that the PUCSL suggested the Ministry of Finance exempt electricity consumption from this tax.

The Ministry of Finance has informed the PUCSL that according to the relevant Act, the electricity supply of the Ceylon Electricity Board is subject to this tax.

Former President Maithripala Sirisena has commended President Ranil Wickremesinghe for the efforts made thus far in stabilizing crisis-hit Sri Lanka.

Speaking to reporters earlier this week, Sirisena said that President Wickremesinghe has lifted the country out of the severe crisis it has been facing, to some extent.

He said, however, the President will face some form of pressure from the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) which could be an issue.

Responding to questions on the SLPP attempting to revive the party, MP Maithripala Sirisena jokingly questioned how they expect to revive under the current circumstances.

Commenting on SLPP bigwig Mahinda Rajapaksa being instrumental in the party’s revival, the former President said, “anyone can climb on to political stages, even a beggar can do this.”

The Deputy Assistant Secretary of the US Treasury for Asia Robert Kaproth arrived in Sri Lanka today (25).

In a Twitter message, US Ambassador to Sri Lanka Julie Chung said Robert Kaproth will meet with Sri Lankan government, and economic leaders during his visit.

She further said that the discussions will focus on the way forward in economic recovery for Sri Lanka.

South Korea is searching for answers after Halloween celebrations in the capital Seoul turned into one of the country’s worst disasters, with authorities declaring a national mourning period as they investigate how a chaotic crush left at least 151 people dead.

Tens of thousands of costumed partygoers – mostly teenagers and young adults – had poured into the popular nightlife neighborhood Itaewon to enjoy South Korea’s first Halloween celebration since it lifted Covid restrictions such as crowd limits and face mask rules.

But the festivities descended into chaos, with photos and videos on social media showing huge crowds crammed into a narrow alley. Eyewitnesses described partygoers being packed so tightly together it was difficult to move around or even breathe.

Suah Cho, 23, described walking through an alley when “suddenly, some people started pushing each other, and people were screaming.” The screaming went on for 15 minutes, she said, adding: “It was just panic.”

“Some people were going forward and some people were going backward, and then just they were pushing each other,” she added. She was able to escape into a building along the alley, where she watched the disaster unfold. She said some people had told her that “people were climbing the building to survive.”

Authorities are still investigating what caused the incident, but Choi Seong-bum, chief of the Yongsan-gu Fire Department, said it was a “presumed stampede” and that many people fell, injuring at least 82.

The dead included at least 19 foreign nationals, including people from Iran, Norway, China and Uzbekistan, he said. One Thai national is among the dead, the Thai Foreign Ministry said.

The chaos of Saturday turned into shock and grief across the country on Sunday. Many victims’ families have gathered at a nearby center in Itaewon, where officials are compiling the names of the dead and missing as they race to identify bodies.

So far, more than 90% of those killed have been identified, said Minister of Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min in a briefing on Sunday. He added that about 10 people can’t be identified because some are under the age of 17 – too young to carry a national ID card – and others are foreigners.

But many remain missing, with families left anxiously calling hospitals and visiting morgues. By 2 p.m. local time on Sunday, Seoul authorities had received more than 3,580 missing persons reports, said the city government.

One mother, Ahn Yeon-seon, told South Korean news agency Yonhap her 19-year-old daughter had gone out to celebrate with her boyfriend for one of their last dates before he left for mandatory military service.

Several hours after the couple left, her daughter’s boyfriend called crying, saying she had been “under a pile of people for over an hour and that he’d tried to pull her out but couldn’t,” Ahn said, according to Yonhap.

Since then, Ahn has been searching hospitals for her daughter, waiting for confirmation of what happened to her. “I’ll just keep searching,” she told Yonhap.

And, though the government has launched an investigation and promised new measures to prevent similar incidents from happening again, questions are emerging about how such a disaster could have occurred at all.

Cho, the 23-year-old who escaped the crush, said she saw no police or officials trying to control the crowd before the crush began. Even after they arrived later in the night, the sense of confusion and panic continued.

“The police officer was screaming, but we couldn’t really tell that was a real police officer because so many people were wearing costumes,” she said. “People were literally saying, ‘Are you a real police officer?’”

Investigation and recovery

Authorities received the first emergency calls of people being “buried” in crowds at 10:24 p.m. in Seoul (9:24 a.m. ET). As the news broke, Yonhap reported that some people had suffered from “cardiac arrest,” with others reporting “difficulty breathing.”

However, officials said there were no gas leaks or fires on site.

Lee Sang-min, Seoul’s interior and safety minister, said on Sunday that “a considerable number of police and security forces” had been deployed to another part of Seoul on Saturday to deal with protests there.

Meanwhile in Itaewon, the crowd had not been unusually large, he said, so only a “normal” level of security forces had been deployed there.

But as the disaster unfolded, it prompted a massive response. More than 1,700 emergency response forces were dispatched on Saturday night, including 517 firefighters, 1,100 police officials, and about 70 government workers.

Social media videos showed police had taped off an area where people were performing compressions on other partygoers lying on the ground as they waited for medical help. Others showed people dressed in Halloween costumes lying on the street and on stretchers as first responders rendered aid and ambulances lined up to take away the injured.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol convened an emergency meeting in the early hours of Sunday, and later visited the scene to receive briefings from emergency officials.

Addressing the nation, he called a national period of mourning “until the handling of the accident is concluded.” Prime Minister Han Duck-soo later said the period of mourning would end at midnight of November 5.

“A tragedy that should not have happened occurred in the middle of Seoul last night on Halloween,” Yoon said. “I pray for those who died in an unexpected accident and hope that the injured will recover quickly.”

He also said the disaster would be investigated, with measures put into place to ensure similar incidents never happen again.

“We will have relevant ministries such as the Ministry of the Interior and Safety conduct emergency inspections not only for Halloween events but also for local festivals and thoroughly manage them so they are conducted in an orderly and safe manner,” Yoon said, adding that a “multi-purpose emergency system” would support both the injured and the families of the dead.

Foreign nationals among the dead

People fly into Seoul from all over Asia to celebrate Halloween in Itaewon, and this year’s event was seen as a welcome return of festivities after the pandemic. Hotels and ticketed events in the neighborhood had been booked solid ahead and large crowds were expected.

One eyewitness, Sung Sehyun, said the space was like a “jammed subway,” and that he had to push his way through the throng earlier in the night to get clear of the busy streets.

“I was lucky to get through (but an) hour later, I heard people got killed. Because people got stamped on … and people got jammed together,” he said

Juliette Kayyem, a disaster management expert and national security analyst for CNN, said the city’s density – and how common crowds are in Seoul – may have played a role in the tragedy.

(CNN)

Sri Lanka has decided to increase the fuel quota allocated for Three-Wheelers.

The President's Media Division said that President Ranil Wickremesinghe has approved to double the fuel qouta for three-wheelers.

The first stage will be from the Western Province and the registration of three-wheelers will commence from the 1st of November 2022.

The PMD said that QR refueling on the increased fuel quota will commence from the 6th of November 2022, and the other provinces will follow in stages.

A petition has been filed at the Supreme Court on Friday (28) seeking a ruling that the Inland Revenue Amendment Bill is in violation of the Constitution of Sri Lanka.

The petition has been filed by Chartered Accountant Prasad Dassanayake.

Dassanayake has pointed out in the petition that some of the clauses contained in the draft will damage the business sector, especially the import and export sector, and by imposing a heavy tax burden, the relevant sector may collapse entirely.

The petitioner further requests that its articles be passed by a two-thirds majority vote in Parliament or via a referendum.

Earlier, three parties filed petitions at the Supreme Court against the Inland Revenue Amendment Bill submitted by the government to Parliament on 21st October.

The Annual taxes imposed on Casino's has been increased by 150% from Rs. 200 Million to Rs. 500 Million.

The hike in the taxes imposed on casinos is in effect from the 1st of August 2022.

The Gaming and Gambling tax was also increased, State Finance Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya said on Monday (24).

The State Finance Ministry in a statement said that the following amendments will be made to the Betting and Gaming Levy Tax Act No. 40 of 1988.

1. Impose a high registration fee for casinos, and impose a entrace fee of USD 20 for any Sri Lankan entering the premises.

2. Other tax amendments ;

– Live Betting Centers: Annual tax of Rs. 600,000/- will be increased to Rs. 1 Million – Live Betting Centers: 10% tax on turnover to be increased to 15%

– Annual Tax on Betting Agents to be increased to Rs. 5 Million from Rs. 4 Million.

– Annual tax on Non-Live Betting Centers to be increased from Rs. 50,000/- to Rs. 75,000/-.

The State Finance Ministry announced that after imposing the above taxes, the said businesses will be taxed 40% of their profits.

In addition, a 75% will have to be imposed on a bottle of liquor.

An 85% tax will have to be imposed on one cigarette.

Debt restructuring talks between Sri Lanka's creditors will take place next week, the President's Media Division said today.

Accordingly, crucial discussions between the creditor nations are scheduled to be held on November 03.

President's Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor on National Security Sagala Ratnayaka met a delegation from the International Monetary Fund including outgoing IMF Resident Representative for Sri Lanka Tubagus Feridhanusetyawan and his successor Sarwat Jahan at the Presidential Secretariat yesterday (27) ahead of the talks between the creditor nations.

The three-member IMF team met with Sagala Ratnayaka to exchange views on prior action and debt restructuring with the latter assuring the delegation that he would brief President Ranil Wickremesinghe on the matters that were discussed at this meeting and convey his response to them.

President’s Senior Adviser on Economic Affairs Dr. R.H.S. Samaratunga also joined the discussion.

President Ranil Wickremesinghe has pardoned 08 LTTE prisoners, including three who were convicted for attempting to assassinate former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga (CBK).

The President’s Media Division (PMD) said the President had granted amnesty to the prisoners by the powers assigned to the President, under Article 34 of the Constitution of Sri Lanka, in connection with granting amnesty to a person convicted by a court of Sri Lanka.

As a result of several discussions between Tamil MPs and the President on several occasions, steps were taken to release these prisoners.

Before their release, a preliminary investigation had been carried out on them with the intervention of the Ministry of Defence on the instructions of the President.

The PMD said that this decision has been reached after consulting the Minister of Justice and through him the Attorney General about the consent report.

Three of the LTTE prisoners who were pardoned were those accused of attempting to assassinate former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga.

The PMD said before proceeding with the process of releasing these prisoners, the President’s Secretary Saman Ekanayake had sought the approval of former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga on the advice of the President, and the relevant arrangements were made after obtaining her consent.

Accordingly, the four detainees with connections to the LTTE organization who were detained at the Colombo Magazine Prison were released after their sentence was reduced.

Two prisoners linked to the LTTE are to be released after the cases filed by them in the Court of Appeal are withdrawn and two more LTTE prisoners are to be released soon under the presidential amnesty.

The PMD said among the pardoned prisoners, three had been sentenced to 30 years in prison and had served 22 years. One prisoner had been sentenced to 11 years and had served 14 years, one had been sentenced to 10 years and had also served 14 years, and two prisoners had been sentenced to five years but had served for14 years.

The PMD added that another person who had been sentenced to 19 years in prison and had served 11 years of his sentence so far, was also among those who were pardoned by the President.