News

The Colombo Zonal Education office has withdrawn an order it issued in February to Principals in Colombo schools demanding they pay due respect to Parliamentarians and PC members who attend special school functions.

In a letter dated February 20 sent to all schools in the Colombo Zonal Division, Zonal Education Director P.N. Silva ordered that parliamentarians and PC members, public representatives, be invited to special school functions.

The letter went a step further when it ordered the invitees, especially members of parliament, be ‘given due respect’ when they attended such events.

The order was revoked on April 9 following public criticism after it was released to the media. The revocation letter by Zonal Education Director Silva apologized for the inconvenience faced by principals.

Source : Daily Mirror

The re-authorised US generalised scheme of preferences (GSP) will become active for Sri Lankan exporters from April 22 Minister of Industry and Commerce Rishad Bathiudeen said.

US President Donald Trump re-authorised US GSP facility for 120 countries when he signed the US Omnibus Spending Bill on 23 March.

The re-authorisation opens opportunities for around 5000 products to be imported to US without tariff from 120 developing countries. Sri Lanka will now benefit from the renewed US GSP Scheme until 31 December 2020.

China on Wednesday refuted a U.S. research group report on the Belt and Road Initiative, reiterating that the initiative aims to achieve win-win economic cooperation.

According to the Associated Press, after analyzing 15 Chinese-funded port projects, a research institute called C4ADS concluded that the projects were not driven by win-win economic development, but intended to expand China's "political influence and military presence."

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying stressed at a daily press briefing that the Belt and Road Initiative is essentially about economic cooperation, and the core concept of the initiative is to promote common development by advancing connectivity in infrastructure and other fields.

The initiative has gained support from more than 100 countries and international organizations, with more than 80 of them signing cooperation agreements with China.

She noted this worldwide support would never have been impossible were the initiative not adapted to the trend of the times and beneficial to people of various countries.

The spokesperson emphasized that the initiative has been open and transparent, with all participants involved in consultations in both planning and project implementation.

"China has no geopolitical calculations, seeks no exclusionary blocs and imposes no business deals on others," she said.

"Belt and Road is a mutually beneficial and win-win initiative," Hua said, adding that it will allow other countries to share opportunities from China's development and help solve development problems facing the world.

"During the Belt and Road construction, the Chinese side sticks to market rules and takes all parties interests and concerns into consideration," Hua said..

She added that a large number of relevant cooperation projects are being carried out, and they have bettered the local economy and benefited the local people.

Source : Xinhua

Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) Ministers who recently walked out from the government are demanding the appointment of a new General Secretary for the SLFP.

Parliamentarian Dayasiri Jayasekara claims that the SLFP cannot continue under a General Secretary who backs the United National Party (UNP) referring to the current General Secretary, Minister of Agriculture Duminda Dissanayake.

According to Jayasekera SLFP members who left the unity Government recently will push for a new General Secretary.

Jayasekara said the request will be made at the Central Committee meeting scheduled to be held once President Maithripala Sirisena returns from London while they will also push the party to leave the unity Government.

A board of directors has been appointed to regulate Sri Lanka Army's overseas peacekeeping services. According to the Sri Lanka Army, the board commence their operations from April 12.

The board appointed according to a concept of the Commander of the Army, Lieutenant General Mahesh Senanayake, it will be located at an office named 'Sama Medura' set up at the Old Dutch building in Colombo.

Major General Mervin Perera has been appointed as the Director of Overseas Operations. The new Board of Directors consists of several units including the Operations Division, the Human Rights Unit, the Training Division and the Peace Planning Division.

The new board will provide troops with the ability to act legally and with the required discipline and skills necessary to overcome the challenges in the future world when providing peace keeping services.

It is further expected to deploy a military force complete with experience and skills to peacekeeping missions, as required by international peacekeeping forces.

Commander of the Army Lieutenant General Mahesh Senanayake said that by deploying military and police personnel with a high level of discipline for peacekeeping operations, opportunity will be presented to deploy more troops for international peacekeeping operations.

Moreover, Sri Lanka time to time has deployed over 20,000 military personnel for peacekeeping operations for more than thirty years, and they have provided a commendable service recognized internationally, the Commander noted.

Source : Colombo Page

The Scotland Police have defended a contract it has with the Sri Lankan Police despite concerns raised by human rights groups.

A reply to a freedom of information request by Police Scotland noted that its international contracts in 2017 included a training programme in Sri Lanka, a state accused of gross human rights abuses including Police torture.

Scots officers were sent to Jamaica and Sri Lanka to train their respective police forces, two projects criticised by human groups.

In reply, however, Superintendent Shaun McKillop of Police Scotland, said he fully acknowledged such concerns but added that not to engage with these nations would mean having no influence over improving the situation in the future.

“Sri Lanka remains one of the key places for the UK government, so we continue to work for them through the conflict, stability and security fund,” McKillop said. “We’ve done some work for the UK government in Pakistan, looking at crime investigation in the Punjab. We’ve also worked for the Scottish Government in Malawi and Zambia.”

When asked why state torture remains a problem in Sri Lanka nearly a decade after Police Scotland began its work there, McKillop said it was important to keep engaging with the country.

He said: “The British High Commission review our training on a regular basis, as well as our own monitoring. We are continuing to work with them and to press them.

SLFP General Secretary, Minister Duminda Dissanayake says that if false propaganda over the decisions taken by the SLFP in the no-confidence motion against the Prime Minister and the government continues, many leaders of the SLFP including himself will have to reveal the real truth behind the 16 who left the government.

The Minister further stated that the two small groups of United National Party (UNP) and Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) are working towards creating clashes within the government. Dissanayake also claimed that 23 MP’s of the party withheld from voting at the NCM in a bid to protect the 16 who left the government but certain individuals have been trying to link him along with Minister Mahinda Amaraweera to the UNP.

However, he stressed that he nor Amaraweera has any intention to join the UNP.

In order to help Small States get access to global markets, Sri Lanka pledged financial contribution to setup the Small States Trade Financial Facility yesterday (17), on the margins of the ongoing Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in the United Kingdom. Mangala Samaraweera, Minister of Finance & Mass Media signed this agreement on behalf of Sri Lanka.

Initiated at the CHOGM 2013 Summit in Colombo, the Commonwealth recognised the importance of trade finance for the development of Small States and introduced this innovative blended finance support totalling USD 5 million. It is expected that commonwealth Small States will have access to USD 300 million of incremental trade finance over a three-year period from this programme. As an anchor investor, Sri Lanka has donated USD 1.5 million towards this fund since 2015.

Minister Samaraweera stated that Sri Lanka’s pledge towards this scheme reflects our commitment towards espousing the values and the spirit of this organization in assisting the more vulnerable members in the Commonwealth to develop their economies whose populations productive capacity and domestic markets are limited.

The other countries supporting this endeavour by pledging financial commitment towards this initiative are India, Mauritius and Malta.

It is being reported that following the political change on May 8 former Test Cricket Captain of Sri Lanka, Minister Arjuna Ranatunga will be appointed as the new President of the Sri Lanka Cricket Board (SLC).

The current chief of the SLC, Thilanga Sumathipala was appointed to the post on January 3, 2016, and according to regulations at the time, the term of office of any board of a national sports association was two years.

Accordingly, the term of the current board ended on January 3, 2018. As a result, a general meeting had to be called prior to March 31 to appoint a new board. However according to new regulations gazetted by Former Minister of Sports, Dayasiri Jayasekara this should happen prior to June 1. The new regulations have also increased the term of the board to four years.

It is said that the current SLC board is, therefore, looking to adopt the new regulations but if they do so they will not be required to hold an election before June 4 giving the current board two more years to be in their positions.

Due to an attempt to postpone the elections scheduled to May 20, several UNP MP’s have suggested that the board should be dissolved and a committee should be appointed instead headed by Minister Arjuna Ranatunga.

According to sources the request to accept the post has been made to Ranatunga by the UNP party leadership and a number of senior cricketers.

The move comes especially at a time where the current President of SLC, Sumathipala supported the no-confidence motion against the Prime Minister resulting in him becoming politically isolated. Allegations have also been rife that Sri Lanka cricket suffered during his tenure as SLC Chief.

Therefore if an election is called Ranatunga is expected to gain the full support of the UNP.

A soldier of the 3 Sri Lanka National Guard (SLNG) of the Kawantissapura camp at Kataragama managed to save the lives of four three-wheeler passengers, trapped in a raging inferno in the recent accident where a three-wheeler had a head-on-collision with a bus near the 'Aluth Para' junction on Colombo - Kataragama main road, close to Ambalantota on Monday (16). The soldier had fought the blazing fire at the risk of his own life to save the accident victims.

According to sources four members of one family, including one toddler and a child in the three-wheeler has been returning from Kataragama when a speeding passenger bus from the opposite direction collided with it head on, igniting a blazing fire in the three-wheeler while all the passengers remained trapped under the bus.

Lance Corporal M.G Chandana of 3 SLNG had been on board the Kataragama-bound bus had acted immediately to save the victims. Accusations were rife after the accident that many witnesses to the accident had been reluctant to help and was seen instead taking photographs at the accident spot.

The lives of all four victims are said to be now out of danger and the Police are conducting investigations.Meanwhile, Ambalantota Police station, as well as the SLNG, are planning to felicitate the heroic soldier for his timely intervention and the rescue of four live while risking his own life.

Engineers of the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) have announced they will work to rule commencing from May 8. According to the Union, the action will be based on several demands including salary anomalies.

‘Water Creatures Beach Guest Restaurant & Surf Bar’ in Mirissa, where a group of Dutch tourists were brutally assaulted, has been shut down following an order from the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) today.

Six suspects were earlier arrested by Weligama Police in connection with the incident and remanded until April 19.

According to the SLTDA the establishment was not registered with the Sri Lanka Tourist Board (SLTB), as stipulated by the Tourism Act No. 38 of 2005, a spokesman for the SLTB said.

According to the spokesman, the SLTB is set to take legal action against the establishment through its newly formed enforcement unit if they continue to operate without a valid licence. Meanwhile, it has also been revealed that the establishment had obtained a liquor licence despite being an unregistered tourist establishment.

While Police investigations into the incident have been expedited at the request of the Ministry of Law and Order as well as the Inspector General of Police, the SLTB has offered to sponsor the complainants to revisit Sri Lanka to assist the Police in the investigations.

“If they can identify the suspects we will sponsor them to return to the country” the spokesman confirmed.

Meanwhile, the Police claim following this incident, they have received a complaint from an Australian tourist of a similar incident at the same establishment.

According to sources from the Police tourist division, the tourist claimed females were harassed at a beach party held previously at the same establishment which goes by the name of Water Creatures Restaurant. While the restaurant claims the alleged incident on April 7, had occurred on the beach and not within the restaurant, Police say eye witnesses who have come forward refute this.

According to the complainants, the females in the group were sexually harassed by a group of local men and they were later assaulted for speaking out against the harassment.