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President Sirisena claims he is the only president to have visited the North regularly. The President made these comments at the commencement of the rehabilitation of the Myliddy harbour in the North today. 

“No other President has visited the North as much as I have,” he said adding that during his visits he has tried to understand the problems faced by the people. 

Meanwhile, President Maithripala Sirisena also reiterated his decision to implement the death penalty in the country. Pointing out that certain problems in the country are not limited to the North such as the illegal drugs trade, he said the government will ensure the death penalty is imposed on those who are involved in drug smuggling.  “We will strictly enforce the laws against these crimes,” Sirisena said. 

During his speech, the President also promised to resolve a number of issues in the North such as those relating to land. “We have released 88 per cent of land once held by the forces,” he said adding that land on once where the Myliddy Maha Vidyalaya once stood will also be granted to the people in two weeks time. “The land of the people must be returned to them” he emphasized.

“Ikazuchi” a Naval ship belonging to the Japanese Maritime Self Defence Force, arrived at the port of Trincomalee yesterday on a goodwill visit. She was welcomed in accordance with naval traditions on arrival. Deputy Area Commander of Eastern Naval Command Commodore Nandana Jayarathna was also present on this occasion.

The Mission Commander of the ship Captain Ryoko Azuma accompanied by the Commanding Officer and other officers paid a courtesy call on Commander Eastern Naval Area, Rear Admiral Sumith Weerasinghe at the Eastern Naval Command Headquarters. They held cordial discussions focused on enhancing bilateral cooperation.

Further, The Mission Commander of “Ikazuchi” and the officers of the crew met the Training Captain of Naval & Maritime Academy Captain Kosala Wijesooriya at the Commandant’s conference hall. They discussed the matters related to the training of Navies of both countries and exchanged mementoes as a gesture of goodwill.

During the 3 day, official visit the ship’s crew is scheduled to visit the important places in Sri Lanka and to participate in several special programmes arranged by the Sri Lanka Navy in enhancing a mutual relationship.

The Cabinet has decided to revoke the Gazette Notification that imposed an age limit of 35 years on those who wanted to obtain a passenger three-wheeler driver license.

The Transport and Civil Aviation Ministry had issued the gazette notification permitting only those above 35 years of age to be eligible to apply for a driving license for three-wheelers carrying passengers considering the increasing number of fatal road accidents involving three-wheelers.

However, the Cabinet of Ministers has reportedly insisted that there should not be a bar on any age group over 18 to obtain a license.

Finance and Media Minister Mangala Samaraweera had previously expressed his views on the new rules regarding licenses to drive three-wheelers, saying he is against the 35 years of age limit. 

The Minister said he made a request to reduce the age limit to 25 years claiming he respects a person's freedom to choose any form of employment. It has been revealed that over half a million three-wheeler drivers in the country are under 35 years of age and about 1.2 million people are depending on their income.
 
Source : Colombo Page

former president Mahinda Rajapaksa hopes to return as the head of the state despite a constitutional provision that bars a person from contesting the presidential election for a third term.

"There is an opinion that I could contest again," the former president told reporters yesterday at Piliyandala, a Colombo suburb.

The former Sri Lankan strongman's nearly a decade-long rule was ended by Maithripala Sirisena in 2015.

Rajapaksa, 72, said his party, Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), will be inquiring with the Supreme Court whether under the 19th Constitutional Amendment, a person who had previously held the post of President twice, could contest the presidential election for a third term.

"We will explore that," said Rajapaksa.

The 19th Amendment adopted in 2015 bars those who had held the post of President twice from running to be president a third time.

Rajapaksa in 2010 had amended the constitution lifting the bar for a third term. The 2015 amendment annulled it.

His camp is of the opinion that the amendment was only adopted after Rajapaksa lost the presidency to incumbent Mathripala Sirisena so that there cannot be a retrospective effect.

The article 31 of the constitution was amended in 2015 to read “(2) No person who has been twice elected to the office of President by the people, shall be qualified thereafter to be elected to such office by the people”.

The Rajapaksa camp in the recent times has been promoting Rajapaksa's younger brother Gotabhaya to be the candidate in the next election which must be called by the end of next year and must be held before January 8, 2020.

Last week, Rajapaksa was questioned by Sri Lankan police in connection with a 2008 abduction and assault case of a journalist.

His return to politics could pose a new threat to Sirisena, whose Freedom Party has split

Rajapaksa has emerged as the de facto leader of a rival political faction and is expected to name his choice of candidate to contest presidential elections slated for 2019.

Rajapaksa lost his re-election bid in January 2015 and also failed to secure the prime minister post after parliamentary elections later that year.

The former leader and members of his family are under investigation for murder and large-scale financial fraud during his decade as president. All deny any wrongdoing.


(This story has not been edited by isis.lk staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

One-time top government trade negotiator Gomi Senadhira yesterday urged the ruling coalition to immediately halt the importing of garbage of all sorts in accordance with the Sri Lanka-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (SL-SFTA).

"Stop it now or face the consequences," Senadhira, who served successive government over a period of 32 years as a commercial diplomat told The Island.

The former Director General of Commerce (2009-2011) and Sri Lanka’s Permanent Representative to the World Trade Organization (2004-2006), Senadhira called the much-touted agreement a total sell-out.

"I’m shocked, angry and disappointed at the way the government concluded such a dangerous agreement," Senadhira said.

Senadhira had served Sri Lankan missions in Baghdad, Kuwait, Moscow, Geneva, Washington (1998-2001)Brussels (2001-2003) before returning home to assume duties as Director General of Commerce.

In an exclusive interview with The Island, Senadhira faulted the Development Strategies and International Trade Ministry for causing irreparable damage to the country by finalizing an agreement inimical to the country’s interests.

Development Strategies and International Trade Minister Malik Samarawickrema, over the weekend, declared that the SL-SFTA had been in operation since May 01, 2018.

Responding to a query, Senadhira said that he hadn’t been really interested in SL-SFTA and didn’t bother to examine it though it was signed in late January this year. "But about two weeks ago, some interested party consulted me on this matter.

Therefore, I examined the relevant sections and what I found stunned me. In fact, SLSFTA is a one-sided document which totally neglected Sri Lanka," the former Senior Trade Advisor for policy and Negotiations to Government of Seychelles said.

According to him, the SL-SFTA in respect of ‘goods’ as well as ‘services’ hadn’t brought any tangible benefits to Sri Lanka. Referring to ‘goods’, Senadhira said that Singapore received duty free benefits to the tune of USD 10 mn annually whereas Sri Lanka didn’t receive anything.

Asked whether he felt the SL-SFTA should be abrogated, Senadhira asserted such a course of action wouldn’t be in Sri Lanka’s best interest. "What we can do is to halt the import of garbage now, and prevent Singapore from setting up a massive operation which can transform Sri Lanka into one huge garbage dump.

The veteran trade negotiator said that there couldn’t have been a worse agreement negotiated by Sri Lanka ever under any circumstances.

Senadhira said that SL-SFTA should be examined against the backdrop of the world’s biggest garbage buyer China halting the importing of a range of solid waste, including plastic waste from living sources, vanadium slag, unsorted waste paper and waste textile material.

"The Chinese ban came into operation by the end of last year. Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia, too, followed China," Senadhira said. Obviously, Singapore has no alternative but to look for other destinations for its plastic waste and recycle-sables, Senadhira said, adding that Sri Lanka was picked as the next importer.

Referring to large scale import of garbage by India, Senadhira pointed out that garbage hadn’t been included in the positive list in the India-Singapore FTA. Therefore, there was no requirement on India’s part to halt the import of garbage, he said, adding that for want of proper consultations among relevant government ministries. Senadhira alleged that Singapore had taken advantage of Sri Lanka in the absence of proper parliamentary scrutiny.

The former Director General Commerce pointed out that ministers were on record as having said that parliamentary approval was not required for an agreement like SLSFTA.

The Development Strategies and International Trade Ministry and those who represented Sri Lanka in negotiations with Singapore owed an explanation as to how a range of harmful items were accommodated in the positive list, thereby guaranteeing them market access, he said.

It would be interesting to know whether President Maithripala Sirisena, in his capacity as the minister in charge of environment portfolio knew inclusion of garbage in the positive list, Senadhira said. The government certainly should explain whether it was aware of impending China’s waste ban followed by Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia at the time Development Strategies and International Trade Ministry negotiated SL-SFTA, Senadhira said.

Senadhira said that China had announced its decision in July last year and the notification was circulated in line with Article 10.6 of the WTO.
Sri Lanka struggling to cope with Colombo garbage was opening the entire country to foreign waste, Senadhira said, adding that unless the government acted swiftly and decisively now the country could experience unprecedented health risks.

Senadhira said that the threat posed by Meethotamulla garbage mountain couldn’t be compared with forthcoming Singaporean operation. Sri Lanka could end up receiving massive stocks of harmful toxic waste via SL-SFTA, Senadhira said, calling for urgent intervention by parliament.

Senadhira emphasised that he was not absolutely interested in getting involved in ongoing protest campaign against SL-SFTA.

Those opposed to the SL-SFTA had been demanding the formulation of national trade policy as a remedial measure to prevent the government from entering international trade agreements harmful to Sri Lanka. However, Sri Lanka as a member of the WTO had a trade policy, Senadhira said, pointing out no country could be in that organisation without having its own trade policy. Senadhira explained the development of trade policy by different categories of countries with Sri Lanka’s being updated in 2016.

Responding to another query, Senadhira asserted that those opposed to SL-SFTA hadn’t really examined the agreement, hence their inability to comprehend the full implications.

The former official noted the appointment of a five-member committee by President Maithripala Sirisena to examine the disputed sections in the SLSFTA. Senadhira was responding SLFP spokesman Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe’s recent declaration that the government would act on the recommendations made by the committee. Samarasinghe is on record as having said that amendments could be made within one year after the signing of the agreement.

Senadhira said that the government should act before Singapore went ahead with its plan to make significant investment in waste management operation. Referring to the SL-SFTA, Senadhira said that it envisaged setting up waste management operation in the North Western Province subject to the approval of NWP Environmental Authority.

He explained how systems and mechanisms could be manipulated by those immensely influential parties hell-bent on achieving their objectives.

Quoting from UN trade data, Senadhira pointed out that Singapore in 2016 exported approximately 42,000 tonnes of plastic waste to China, Malaysia, Vietnam and Indonesia. "Hope our politicians realize that the SL-SFTA should not be implemented even for a specific period. It’ll go until we are overwhelmed by foreign garbage."

Senadhira called for a national discussion on the matter without further delay.

Source : The Island

Three suspects of the Matara Nileka Jewellery store heist has been identified by two witnesses today (20) during an identification parade held at the Matara Magistrates Court. 

The suspects included, the main suspect Kosgoda Tharaka, his brother Madhuka Nirmal Wijesekara and Athula Kithsiri Kumara alias Narammala Mala. The case will once again be taken up on August 24. 

The group led by Kosgoda Tharaka attempted to rob the store on June 22 after which a shootout between the group and the Police led to the death of one cop.

Public Health Inspectors (PHIs) Union of Sri Lanka has informed Health Minister Dr. Rajitha Senaratne that there are 107 towns in Sri Lanka which do not sell cigarettes, a Health Ministry spokesman said.

According to the spokesman, the Union launched several programmes to educate the public on the ill effects of smoking and as a result shop owners and businessmen from many towns stopped selling cigarettes.

There are 22 towns in the Jaffna district, 17 towns in the Matara district, 16 towns in the Kurunegala district which do not sell cigarettes. The total number of towns which do not sell cigarettes is 107.

Minister Senaratne admired the contribution made by PHIs to minimise smoking in the country and expressed hope on increasing the number of towns which do not sell cigarettes up to 200 by by 2019 (next year), he said.

Several steps were taken under the direction of Minister Senaratne during past three years to discourage smoking in the country. “Increasing the tax on tobacco up to 90 percent, increasing the pictorial warning covering 80 percent of the cigarette packet, banning the sale of cigarettes around a radius of 100 metres from a school and banning smoking in public places are some of those steps,” the Minister added.

Source : Daily News

National Police Commission (NPC) has demanded an explanation from IGP Pujith Jayasundara over his failure to act according to recommendations made by the NPC. The NPC is said to have handed over a letter to the IGP following the NPC meeting held last Thursday.

According to sources they have requested him to show cause as to why he did not enforce their proposals regarding six promotions within the force.

Jayasundara will not be required to hand over a written explanation to the NPC regarding this.

Sri Lanka and Japan have discussed ways to strengthen defence corporation, the President’s Media Division said.

This was disclosed during the meeting between Japanese Minister of Defence Itsunori Onoderaand President Maithripala Sirisena held at the Presidential Secretariat, today (21).

This is also the first time a Japanese Defence Minister has visited the country.

During discussions, President Sirisena and Itsunori Onodera reviewed the progress of the implementation of the agreements entered during Sirisena’s recent visit to Japan, the President’s Media Division added.

As a result of the discussions held between President Maithripala Sirisena and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the Japanese Government took steps to provide two patrol boats for the Sri Lankan Coast Guard at a cost of LKR 1.8 billion.

President Sirisena said that he was happy that the Japanese Defence chief will be travelling to the Hambanthota and Trincomalee ports and added that the cooperation between the two countries will be strengthened through jointly conducted programmes on coastal security.

Japan has sent its Minister of Defence Itsunori Onodera on an official visit to Sri Lanka and India aiming to advance its push for a "free and open" Indo-Pacific and to counter the Chinese influence in the region, Japanese media reported.

Onodera is scheduled to hold discussions with President Maithripala Sirisena on Japanese assistance to the Sri Lanka Navy. This also marks the first-ever trip by a Japanese Defence Minister to the country.Onodera plans to visit Sri Lanka's Hambantota port, which is under a 99-year lease to a Chinese operator. Beijing has expanded its influence in the Indian Ocean area as part of its Belt and Road infrastructure initiative -- a trend Japan hopes to curb through greater security cooperation in the region.

Sri Lanka's Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera slammed attempts by sections of the elected ruling class to recreate a serfdom of planned occupations by blocking enterprising youth from entering the taxi business with a 35-year age limit.

Sri Lanka's Transport Ministry, which comes under Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva, is attempting to stop people below the age of 35 from operating three wheelers, because people in high society and factory owners did not have enough manual workers.

Critics say the attempt to recreate a serfdom or the Wedawasam system where people are slotted into slots and fixed jobs based on the requirement of a ruling class should not be allowed in a modern democracy.

"I fully agree with that," Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera said. "I believe everyone should have the freedom to engage in a job of their choice.

"I am going to speak against this restriction at this week's cabinet meeting"

Labour mobility or the freedom of a person to move from job to job on their own volition is a key feature that distinguishes a free society from that of a feudal serfdom and also a soviet style planned economy and authoritarianism.

The jobs may have risks and it may even fail, but that is also fundamental feature that distinguishes a free society from serfdom and slavery where a job is assured by there is no freedom.

In Sri Lanka the public bus service in a shambles due to an allegedly corrupt route licensing system and an overly rigid regulatory system and pricing, which have stifled innovation and adjustments to market needs.

Buses are idle for long periods of the day, there are no peak and off peak pricing to encourage use. There are also no night pricing, and buses disappear off the roads after 6.30 pm killing any possibility of a strong night economy, unlike in East Asia.

The night economy, such as it is, is made possible by three wheelers.

The free market, ( and mercifully unregulated, economic analysts say) taxi system has innovatively filled the gap created by the over-regulated public transport system, with prices held down by productivity gains and rising capital output ratio driven by call centres, ride-sharing apps and smart phones.

In East Asia, especially in countries like Vietnam, similar trends were seen with the motorcycle taxi (Xe Om). With online e-commerce taking off, there is a new revolution in parcel delivery in many countries.

Complaints that there were no manual workers or 'servants; to do housework were also heard among elites in the 1980s, when the then United National Party under President J R Jayewardene and President Ranasinghe Premadasa started garment factories giving jobs with overtime and weekends off to village girls. Some of the opposition for younger drivers also comes from older existing drivers who do not want to see competition.

"The 35 year old limit was also suggested to me by some taxi driver associations," Samaraweera observed said.

The taxi driver association is also playing the game of oligopolists and artisn guilds, trying to limit competition, taking leaf from the book of Government Medical Officers Association who are opposing free trade.

Older taxi drivers have earlier tried to block entry of new supply to the market by keeping younger drivers off parking places. The state has aided and abetted in the anti-market with local government bodies limiting the number of taxis per parking area.

But ride-sharing apps have enabled new three-wheeler owner drivers, especially from rural areas to enter cities and cruise without requiring parking.

Sri Lanka's three wheelers are so completive, and there is no regulatory premium to arbitrage that even Uber has found it hard going.
US-based Uber also started a tuk-tuk service last week in a 'if you can't beat them, join them strategy.

The willingness of the ruling elites to ban youth from the service sector with no conscience or shame may be a lingering effect of Sri Lanka's caste system, some analysts say.

With three wheelers, less affluent youth are directly entering the service sector, filling a valuable and growing market need. With rising incomes transport requirements tend to grow.

Operating a three wheeler provides a higher quality of life with the overwhelming majority of them being owner-drivers who are taking the full financial risk and rewards.

Three wheeler owners are able to drop their kids off at school, pick them up, go home and have a siesta, which even business executives who do not have a driver can do.

Three wheeler taxis are also earning foreign exchange, providing vital transport in out-of-the way tourist spots that are now rapidly opening up.

Without a fast growing three wheeler population entire newly created tourist hotspots in remote areas, which are pouring money into the rural economy would go out of business.

Especially in rural areas, the three-wheeler is taking produce to market faster and more importantly, saving lives by taking sick people to hospital. The village three-wheeler is the de facto ambulance.

For every one accident in a three where, several people may be saved by three wheelers, some say. In assessing accidents and fatalities analysts say the number of passenger miles driven by three wheelers have to be taken into account.

Samaraweera said there were complaints that drugs and crime was being committed using three wheelers but it had to tackled through other laws not by limiting entry.

"It is a practice among some people to criticize less-affluent people," Samaraweera said. "When the children of rich people take drugs and get into accidents in BMWs there are no complaints," he pointed out.

Critics say limiting the age of entry into three wheeler ownership and driving to 35 years makes no sense as by that time, people in established occupations who will have acquired certain skills and progressed in their careers will have to change jobs.

In Sri Lanka the highest unemployment is in the 20-24 age group at 21.2 percent, even with three wheelers, easily disproving claims that the taxi system was creating a shortfalls of youth for other occupations.

As incomes rise and the service sector picks up there is also reluctance to engage in so-called 3-D (demanding, dirty, dangerous) jobs, a phenomenon that was also seen in fast growing East Asian nations and in the West.

This will require imports of manual workers to solve. In construction, it is already happening.

Sri Lanka has enacted several laws in the past which prevented social mobility and kept people tied to jobs of the choice of the rulers, including the Paddy Land Act, all of which has made the country lag behind East Asia.

Source:Economy Next

Office on Missing Persons (OMP) will release an interim report on August 30. The Interim Report, which will be released to commemorate the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances on August 30, will make recommendations to the Government on several issues of the missing and disappeared.

The OMP Chairman, PC Saliya Peiris said the commemoration is especially symbolic given that the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance Act (No 5 of 2018) was passed by Parliament in March 2018 and the OMP was established in February 2018 marking significant achievements in addressing the issue of the missing and the disappeared.

The day will also be marked by an event organized by the OMP from 3:00 pm. to 5:00 pm. at the JR Jayewardene Centre, 191 Srimath Anagarika Dharmapala Mawatha, Colombo 7 where families of the missing and disappeared and civil society will participate.

The keynote address will be delivered by Dr. Deepika Udagama, the Chairperson of the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka, and members of the families of the missing and disappeared will also speak at the event.