Jan 2 (CT) SL political leaders have had their inspirations from and seen their role models in national political leaders in other countries. In the last century, Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru were standard inspirational sources and role models for the entire spectrum of the nascent political class in SL. The irreverent left looked up to Marx and Engels, Lenin and Trotsky, and Stalin and Mao. SWRD Bandaranaike, according to his biographer, betrayed intellectual fascination for more..

Jan 2 (CT) President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, who met newspaper editors on Monday (27), said he was unable to fully implement the Vistas of Prosperity and Splendour Policy as he had to concentrate on battling the Covid-19 pandemic from just one month after being elected to office. “For the first two years of my term I had to focus on controlling the Covid-19 pandemic. I could not fully focus on fully implementing policies outlined more..

Jan 2 (ST) A New Year in the Gregorian calendar has dawned against the backdrop of the pain and suffering from as many as 15,000 deaths due to the COVID-19 virus, the lengthy but necessary lockdowns, mass countrywide protests and strikes by every conceivable trade union every day. And yet, with each January comes fresh hopes of a new beginning. 2022 though has arrived with a nation in great anxiety. Whether hope alone is enough to pull it through one of the most difficult periods more..

Jan 2 (ST) My dear PB, I thought I must write to you as my first task for the New Year. That is because everyone seems to be talking about what would happen to you in the coming days. No one appears to be quite certain whether you will be in office as the highest-ranking public servant in the country for much longer. Rumour has it that you want to resign and that you have even submitted your letter of resignation to Gota maama. You must spare a thought for him: He is receiving a lot of more..

Jan 2 (Island) Our regular contributor, Sanjeewa Jayaweera who’s written another article on economizing on our overseas missions in this issue of our newspaper has picked exactly the right word, tokenism, to describe what the govt has done a few days ago to reduce SL’s 67-strong overseas missions by three by closing the high commission in Nairobi and two consulates in Frankfurt and Cyprus. He had previously made the point that about half our embassies, high commissions & consulates more..

Jan 2 (ST) Sri Lanka were beaten comprehensively by 9 wickets as India grabbed the Under-19 Asia Cup for the seventh occasion in Dubai on Friday, but Head Coach Avishka Gunawardene believes it’s not at all the end of the road for the Lankan youth side. After having won all games in the concluded regional cricket competition among youth teams, SL lost total grip of the crucial final game only to be defeated by an Indian side for the fifth time. SL had reached the final of the Under-19 Asia Cup more..

Jan 2 (ST) The secrecy surrounding the resignation of Presidential Secretary P. B. Jayasundera, has reached ridiculous heights with even the President’s Media Unit claiming it cannot confirm or deny anything–not the date of resignation, the reason for it nor whether or not it is happening. They would have us believe that, apart from the key actors of this drama, nobody else has information, which might well be true. more..

Jan 2 (Island) The Army calendar for 2022 carries a photograph of Gen Shavendra Silva with a quote from him underneath it in block letters. It reads: The SL Army is capable of developing and maintaining a prosperous and sustainable nation. In a democracy the task of developing and maintaining a prosperous and sustainable nation is not the task of the Army. This is also true of systems that are not liberal democracies. In China and Russia, the Army would dare not assert that it is more..

Jan 2 (Island) When the big three; Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene and T.M. Dilshan retired around the same time six years ago, we expected the transition to take two or maybe three years and young players to fill their big shoes. However, transition took longer than we expected. Injuries, a fragile First Class tournament, vast gap between domestic and int'l cricket have seen our cricket being pushed to the doldrums. SL’s rankings in cricket dropped at an alarming rate. more..

Jan 2 (ST) On the eve of 2022, SLC was busy interviewing candidates to replace former Head Coach Mickey Arthur, whose contract was not extended beyond the two years he was first hired for. Mahela Jayawardena-led 6-member selection panel interviewed six out of eight shortlisted candidates on Friday. The two remaining candidates will be evaluated in the new year with a view to finalising the appointment by mid-January. more..

Jan 2 (Island) Former Chairman of Sri Lanka Cricket Mr. Hemaka Amarasuriya and the leading sponsor of the sport prior to that at a time when the game was in dire straits has sent us the following response for the article titled Mahanama’s book reveals Ranil backed Thilanga undermining Amarasuriya that appeared in last week’s Sunday Island. “I write with reference to the above article and wish to point out certain misstatements and inaccuracies pertaining to the Book written by more..

Jan 2 (ST) Hasali Gajaba snatched the Under-16 Girls Singles title while Akeesha Silva and Movindi Fernando bagged the Under-14 Girls Doubles at the 106th National Tennis Championship, which is currently being worked off at the SLTA courts. Gajaba came out victorious against Saajida Razick in the Under-16 Girls Singles, record a straight win of 2-0, while the pair of Silva and Fernando saw off Hesara Imihamy and Ralindee Mallawaarachchi in straight sets in U-14 Girls Doubles. more..

Jan 2 (SO) A country renowned as a frontline cricketing nation across the world due to some of its charismatic performances, SL has been able to prove her image as a competitive nation on and off the big stage. School cricket is one of the foremost pillars of the SL cricketing structure and has been a vital cog for the sport’s growth over the years where it helped to produce a number of global superstars that came up through school cricketing ranks. The period 2020/2021 was a season that more..

Jan 2 (TM) Sri Lanka national selection committee, headed by Pramodya Wickramasinghe, are to play some young talent in the national side whilst the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) hierarchy, especially one of its senior vice presidents, is allegedly lobbying against this ‘youth policy’ of the selectors. This is before the forthcoming three-match One-Day International (ODI) series, country’s first international assignment for year 2022, starting in Kandy on 16 January. The Sunday Morning reliably learnt more..

Jan 2 (TM) Two financial aid packages from India amounting to $ 900 million will reach SL this month. Indian Govt sources confirmed that the $ 400 million swap facility and the $ 500 million credit line for fuel would both reach Sri Lanka this month. It is believed that one of the facilities will reach the island’s coffers by 10 Jan. “India will release the three requests for financial assistance presented by the Govt of Sri Lanka. more..

Jan 2 (SO) Anna-Marie Ondaatje, SL’s first rhythmic gymnast who was overlooked for the Tokyo Olympics last July, was captured in her integrity and genuine value as she gifted mobile phones and tabs to nine athletes who won medals at last month’s Asian Youth Para Games in Bahrain. The youngsters performed extremely well in Bahrain winning a total of 12 medals under the guidance of swimming legend Julian Bolling, who accompanied them as team manager. more..

Jan 2 (ST) Sri Lankan expatriate workers are even more determined to withhold foreign exchange earnings in their respective countries of residence moving to the latest dollar surrender rule by the Central Bank (CB). Some workers employed in West Asia told the Business Times that now they have resorted to using e-commerce for most of their transactions in Sri Lanka. They pay utility bills, buy groceries, pay children’s school fees, and execute many other transactions via e-commerce.” more..

Jan 2 (SO) Re-elected head of the National Olympic Committee of SL, Suresh Subramanian, claimed that his honesty, integrity, transparency and efficiency were the ingredients that made up his character that gave him victory by a wide margin at the election of office bearers last Tuesday while at the same time said that he will ensure SL will not field athletes on wild card entries at the 2024 Olympics. SL fielded an unprecedented nine athletes who were more..

Jan 2 (EN) SL has fully vaccinated 63% of the 21 million population against Coronavirus with 18.4% getting a third dose of Pfizer by the end of 2021, with daily deaths around 20 persons, official data show. Sri Lanka’s successful vaccination campaign was driven by Sinopharm, with China making available large volumes of the vaccine when it was not available from other sources. Up to 50.2% of the population has been vaccinated with Sinopharm and 54% had got the first dose. more..

Jan 2 (Hindu) Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa would lead a delegation to the Vibrant Gujarat summit to be held from Jan 10 to 12, official sources said. He is likely to hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during this visit, his second to India in about a month. The Minister — the youngest brother of SL’s ruling clan and an influential politician — would travel to India a day after Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi concludes his two-day visit to the island nation, more..

Jan 2 (ST) The formation of a holding company titled National Enterprises Authority to manage five loss-making State-Owned Business Enterprises (SOBEs) including SriLankan Airlines has been recommended at the highest levels of govt. These SOBEs are to undergo structural changes in their operations in line with the modern practices and market requirements, according to the Guidelines on Corporate Governance issued more..

Jan 2 (Hindu) The Centre on Friday told the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court that Indian consular officials in Jaffna had met the 68 fishermen who were arrested and remanded in Sri Lanka. The officials had provided basic relief items to them, including clothes, toiletries, masks and snacks. The fishermen were also facilitated to make phone calls to their family members in India, it was submitted. In the status report, the Centre said the consular officials and High Commission in Colombo more..

Jan 2 (AD) The construction of the new entrance wall of Menik River at the Ruhunu Kataragama Maha Devala commenced today (1) under the patronage of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. The Head of State, Minister Chamal Rajapaksa, Minister Mahinda Amaraweera, State Minister Shasheendra Rajapaksa and Basnayake Nilame of the Ruhunu Kataragama Maha Devala Dishan Gunasekara laid the foundation stones for the construction. Additionally, Ministry of Environment donated more..

Jan 2 (ST) The crisis over lack of US dollars in SL’s banks has spread to the export sector with shipping lines demanding that their freight charges be paid in dollars. Leading exporters, including those in the tea and rubber sectors, have been formally and informally informed that clearance of the shipments could be arranged only if US dollar payments are made. Exporters in turn have raised the issue with the EDB, CB and the CASA more..

Jan 2 (ST) Kuwait Airways pulled out from flying into Sri Lanka this week in the midst of the dollar crisis threatening tourism arrivals with airlines reluctant to increase flights as local offices have fallen back on settling dues. The airline, which only resumed operations to Sri Lanka in September–and that, too, just one flight per week, has pulled out, with no reason officially given. The last flight was on Wednesday and authoritative sources said that the airline’s “yields were also too low more..

Jan 2 (ST) Little heed was paid to COVID health guidelines, by events organisers and revellers alike as many danced and dined the night away to usher in 2022. Health Ministry guidelines were largely observed in the breach, with organisers making little effort to impose even the face mask requirement, let alone social distancing. Large crowds gathered at hotels, parks, roadsides and public places such as the Galle Face green to welcome the New Year, ignoring warnings that new COVID variant more..

Jan 2 (TM) The rollout of newly-introduced safety standards and the inability to open Letters of Credit (LCs) have resulted in Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) supply shortages. LAUGFS (Pvt) Ltd. Chairman W.K.H. Wegapitiya stated that there continued to be a shortage of LPG in the market due to these two main reasons. He explained that out of the two, the main reason was the inability to open LCs to import gas, a matter more..

Jan 2 (TM) An important meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers is scheduled to take place tomorrow (3), which will also be the first meeting of the Cabinet for 2022. The Cabinet, which last met on 20 Dec 2021 under the patronage of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, had decided to call Central Bank of SL (CBSL) Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal and Treasury Secretary S.R. Attygalle to discuss the current economic challenges faced by the country and the way forward at tomorrow’s Cabinet meeting. more..

Jan 2 (Island) Veteran award-winning cinema artiste, Dr. Somaratne Dissanayake, accused the govt last week of not helping artists to survive the pandemic induced economic crisis. He said that a large number of artistes were suffering immense hardship as their industry was in its death throes due to the impact of the pandemic. “Some have taken bank loans, mortgaging their homes and risk losing their properties soon,” he said. “I mortgaged my house to make Tsunami but could not screen it more..

Jan 2 (ST) A new year where people do not have to stand in queues anymore; that was the new year’s wish of one man who spoke to television crews while standing in a long queue for LP Gas cylinders this week. No doubt others in line with him and those waiting in lines for other essentials throughout the country on a daily basis wish the same. With Sri Lanka limping into 2022 with an unprecedented economic crisis, however, more..

Jan 3 (DM) The signs of economic collapse are everywhere. Bakeries don’t have bread, and if they do, the prices are too high. Canteens are no longer serving tea. Milk powder and cooking gas are on and off the shelves. Fuel prices are reducing people’s travel. Clearly four decades of neoliberal policies have brought the economy of a country blessed with so many natural resources to the brink of starvation. So, I want to start the New Year, certainly not a Happy New Year, more..

Jan 3 (DM) While we wish our readers a very happy New Year, for most of us, 2022 is going to be a very difficult one. Although our land is bountiful, today our people are facing difficulty in keeping the wolf from the door. In addition, the country is facing galloping inflation,- inflation having jumped 3 percentage points between Nov and Dec 2021. Inter and intra-govt squabbling is on the rise. Cabinet ministers have appealed to the courts of the land to halt the implementation of Cabinet decisions more..

Jan 3 (TM) The Yugadanavi power plant deal has already caused too many controversies, and it is discussed in many contexts such as national security, sovereignty, the power sector’s future, and corruption among politicians. While the political arena seems to have become divided over the advantages and disadvantages of the deal, the Govt’s main decision making body, the Cabinet of Ministers is also divided. more..

Jan 3 (DM) Last week, the former Prez Maithripala Sirisena revealed how he successfully negotiated with the IMF (convinced them to further enhance our debt burden?) and obtained loans for the Yahapalana govt headed by him. Explaining the art and science of persuading the funding agencies, he also warned the incumbent heads on certain criteria that we have to fulfill before we go to them with the begging bowl. He emphasised the fact that democracy and Human rights were more..

Jan 3 (ST) On the very day that the powerfully resonant voice of South Africa’s anti-apartheid advocate and priest Desmond Tutu was stilled (Dec 26), SL announced a preposterous rule potentially requiring citizens who marry foreigners to obtain security clearance from Ministry of Defence. There is an awful coincidence in these two happenings, continents apart as they may be. This is exactly how totalitarianism flowers, from seemingly benign rules justified on one ground or another, more..

Jan 3 (CT) China's State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi visiting SL next week will be symbolic, as the diplomatic row between SL over the fertiliser issue and India (over China making inroads in the north of SL) escalates. Yi would be the first high-profile visitor to SL in 2022, scheduled between 8-9 Jan, in the wake of the prolonging fertiliser dispute between China and SL. Yi will pay an official visit to SL to launch the celebration more..

Jan 3 (TM) President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has an attitude problem. While a person’s attitude is personal and all individuals are wholly entitled to maintain their own, the President’s attitude has transcended the merely personal to encompass the social, due mainly to his title. In short, his personal attitude is having national-level consequences, as it is one from which most other problems stem. The results have been increasingly catastrophic, and Sri Lanka as a nation is paying dearly. more..

Jan 3 (ST) Like a farmyard hen cackling in a barn after laying a single egg, Central Bank Governor Nivard Cabraal was over the moon on Wednesday, flapping his wings and squawking frantically for all to hear how he had hatched a golden egg which had miraculously raised the nation’s puny dollar reserves by US$1.6b to end the dying year on a note of cheer. Don’t tell him and rob him his moment of triumph but it was later claimed it was from an unutilized line of credit former CB Governor more..