May 20 (CT) MP Athuraliye Rathana Thera has urged President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to appoint a Special Presidential Commission to investigate the 9 May riots and attacks on anti-Govt protesters at Galle Face. Thera, who represents the nine independent parties, has written to the Prez stating that the commission should be able to complete its work in three months. He addressed the Media on behalf of nine Communist parties more..

May 20 (ICC) SL have named their provisional squads for the upcoming Test and white-ball series at home against Australia, beginning 7 June. Australia will tour SL to play three T20Is, five ODIs and two Test matches. ODIs will be a part of the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup Super League, while the Tests will be a part of the World Test Championship 2021-23 cycle. Australia have already named a full-strength squad for the tour, with the Test team being led by Pat Cummins and the white-ball sides more..

May 20 (DM) SLFP MPs have accepted Ministry Portfolios in contrary to the decision by the party, SLFP Chairman Maithripala Sirisena said today. He told Parliament that the SLFP has decided to support the govt only in its constructive proposals without accepting ministry portfolios. He said even though the SLFP proposed to form an interim govt or an all party govt, the govt which is being formed has none of them and added that it was the same regime which was in power previously. more..

May 20 (AD) The govt of Japan, through UNICEF and the World Food Program (WFP), has granted humanitarian emergency assistance of USD 3 million to Sri Lanka for the procurement of essential medicines and food. Accordingly, USD 1.5 million of this grant will be utilized to procure the most urgently needed 25 types of life-saving medicines within the next two months through UNICEF for over 1.2 million people, among them 53,000 pregnant and lactating mothers & nearly 122,000 children. more..

May 20 (BN) SL is trying to come up with cash to pay for oil that’s been sitting on tankers off its coast, amid the south Asian country’s worst economic crisis in a generation. Unloading procedures for one cargo of gasoline have begun but the ship cannot berth yet because there’s no space for it to do so, according to the harbor master at the port of Colombo. Meanwhile, PM Ranil Wickremesinghe said the govt is also trying to find the cash to complete a rare purchase of crude oil from Russia. more..

May 20 (ABC) China says its initiative to build ports and other infrastructure across Asia and Africa, paid for with Chinese loans, will boost trade. But in a cautionary tale for borrowers, SL's multibillion-dollar debt to Beijing threatens to hinder efforts to resolve a financial crisis so severe that the Indian Ocean nation cannot import food or gasoline. SL’s struggle is extreme, but it reflects conditions across dozens of countries from more..

May 20 (CT) SLFP MP Angajan Ramanthan said that People wanted a breathing space, and the last two months have been a struggle to achieve political stability, whether you like Ranil Wickremesinghe or not. “It may have arrived after people had been cornered, but an interim government is now required,” he quipped. He said the Tamil National Alliance has promised to support PM Wickremesinghe to help revive the economy, and that the SLFP will also support interim govt. more..

May 20 (Reuters) Finance ministers and central bank governors of the Group of Seven wealthy democracies said on Friday they have mobilised $19.8 billion for Ukraine and pledged to give more financial support if needed. The financial leaders of the US, Canada, Japan, Germany, France, Italy and Britain - the G7 - held talks in Germany to finance Kyiv as it struggles to fend off Russia’s invasion and is running out of cash. “In 2022, we have mobilised 19.8 billion US dollars of budget support, more..

May 20 (DM) Sri Lanka, or its more fanciful name, Serendip – from a British play that used a variant of the Arabic name for that magical island – is now in deep, deep trouble. Worse, there is little hope they can find a way clear soon. Sri Lanka’s travails, while more severe than many nations, point to problems many other countries may have to confront in our chaotic age. Years ago, when we lived in Mbabane, Eswatini, more..

May 20 (AD) SLPP MP Namal Rajapaksa has left the CID after giving a nearly 4-hour long statement regarding the incidents at Galle Face and Kollupitiya on the 09th of May. CID had summoned the MP to record a statement from him with regard the unrest that unfolded on the 9th of May. He left the CID, a short while ago, after being questioned for around four hours. Statements were obtained from MP Pavithra Wanniarachchi, her husband Kanchana Jayaratne & MP Indika Anuruddha yesterday. more..

May 20 (AD) COPE has instructed Litro Gas to distribute 60% of its LP gas cylinders to highly populated areas like Colombo and Gampaha and districts with limited alternative energy sources. Accordingly, it was decided that 60% of the gas cylinders distributed daily would be distributed to Colombo and Gampaha districts. It has also been revealed that the gas supply could be maintained in the next three months through the USD $ 120 million received from the Indian credit facility. more..

May 20 (DM) Newly appointed Cabinet Ministers Harin Fernando and Manusha Nanayakkara asserted that they will push Prez Rajapaksa to step down. Fernando said that they still maintain that Prez Rajapaksa had failed. Minister said that they had taken a risk by deciding to accept cabinet portfolios. However, he said that was a risk they were prepared to take in the best interest of the country. He said they were also aware that they could be the next target of demonstrators more..

May 20 (TM) In a letter sent to both the Chief Justice and the Attorney General, Bar Association of SL (BASL) has expressed its concern over reported attempts of unlawful interference into functions of the judiciary in respect of pending cases relating to protests. The letters dated today mentioned that the same had been brought up by MP Thalatha Athukorala in parliament as well. “BASL notes that there is a concerted effort by certain parties interested in discrediting the judiciary and more..

May 20 (TM) As the first phase of the first term of all grades of govt schools and govt-approved private schools ended prematurely yesterday, Ceylon Teachers’ Union (CTU) said that if the current shortage of fuel is not resolved within the next few days, the conduct of the GCE O/L Exam, to be held from 23 May to 1 June, will inevitably be hampered. CTU President Priyantha Fernando said: “More than half a million students are sitting for O/L more..

May 20 (CT) SL College of Paediatricians (SLCP) appealed for donors for medicines and medical devices for children receiving treatment at all hospitals. A spokesperson for the College said, that paediatricians across the country were supporting the medicaldonations.lk programme. Paediatricians around the country update the SLCP by informing it of specific drugs that are lacking for treating paediatric cases. He said the list of drugs have been included in the SLCP’s website (slcp.lk). more..

May 20 (AD) The Chairman of the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) Dumith Fernando who has served in this role since July 01, 2020, has informed the Board of his intention to retire by rotation on June 23, 2022 at the conclusion of his current term as a Director. Subsequently, at its regular monthly board meeting held on May 19th, 2022, the Board of the CSE has elected Director Dilshan Wirasekara to succeed Mr. Fernando as Chairman with effect from June 24th, 2022. more..

May 20 (TM) In a letter addressed to Public Security Ministry Secretary, (Retd.) Maj. Gen. Jagath Alwis, dated 6 Dec 2021, written by the IGP C.D. Wickramaratne, the latter has stated that out of the 184 Police officers appointed to the post of OIC during the period of 1 Jan 2021 to 3 Nov 2021, 120 have not appeared for an interview. In addition, the letter states that 3 officers who participated in the interview and more..

May 20 (FT) Understanding the importance of breaking new ground to reap the benefits of Enterprise premium cloud services, SLT-MOBITEL, the National ICT Solutions Provider, has become the country’s first-ever service provider to enable VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) deployment in the island and importantly the first telco provider to have two clouds. Amidst the changing dynamics, the deployment milestones are supporting SLT-MOBITEL’s Cloud program in accelerating more..

May 20 (TM) The Special Committee on Fertiliser appointed by PM Ranil Wickremesinghe has decided to take necessary steps to provide farmers with fertiliser at a price of around Rs. 10,000 per bag at least by the coming Maha cultivating season. The Committee’s Head, former Minister Akila Viraj Kariyawasam said: “Fertiliser prices have risen sharply due to the current shortage of fertiliser and the sharp depreciation of the Sri Lankan Rupee against the United States Dollar. more..

May 21 (DM) The spontaneous public revolt against the Rajapaksa regime began on April 9 at the Galle Face Green opposite the Presidential Secretariat and opposite Temple Trees which the protestors named as MynaGoGama. GotaGoGama is still continuing for the 43rd day despite the brutal attacks by Mahinda Rajapaksa supporters and their thugs on those who were peacefully protesting outside the MynaGoGama. Thugs later moved to Galle Face Green where they attacked those who more..

May 21 (DM) There seems to be a far cry between the aspirations of politicians and the people of this country. This has been very much evidenced during the proceedings of the Parliament where the politicians are always playing their power game, despite them arguing that this is not a time for politicking. In fact the masses are craving for making their ends meet. They do not have big hopes these days; they are just waiting hours, if not days in queues to get a few litres of petrol, more..

May 21 (DM) Ranil Sriyan Wickremesinghe known as Ranil is in the seat of power again as PM of Sri Lanka for the sixth time. The new PM was neither elected to office by the people in a general election nor endorsed by a majority of MP’s in Parliament. Ranil is the leader of the UNP that had been roundly defeated at the last Parliamentary poll. He is the sole representative of the UNP in Parliament now. more..

May 21 (GV) Counterterrorism and protecting human rights has been a long standing dichotomy on a global scale. The same fate was experienced in the SL context with the civil war and internal insurrections. Among all counterterrorism measures, Prevention of Terrorism Act (Temporary Provisions) (PTA) of No. 48 of 1979 has been the most debated. The PTA was enacted on July 15, 1979 as a temporary urgent bill. It was presented to the Parliament by Prez J.R. Jayewardene, more..

May 21 (CT) Few days ago, The Hindu an Indian newspaper published a news citing an information purportedly given by Indian Intelligence that LTTE was regrouping in Mullivaikal on May 18th on the day of Tamil genocide Remembrance Day for an attack (1). While reading this news, one may recall the SL radio news during the war, where many blatant lies and fabrications were unraveled quoting a news agency called Lanka Puvath. Whenever India makes a major political move in SL more..

May 21 (CT) UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe after being sworn-in as the Prime Minister, for the sixth time, assumed duties at the PM’s Office last Friday. PM visited the Buddha Shrine room at the PM’s Office and offered flowers. As he was coming out after concluding religious activities an old employee at the PM’s Office came and greeted the new Premier and wished him well. The PM accepted his well-wishes with more..

May 21 (CT) The current US dollar crisis in SL resulting in further job losses has plunged more Sri Lankans into poverty. This has to be looked at in the context that prior to the dollar crisis, World Bank (WB) estimated that over 500,000 Sri Lankans became poor consequent to the loss of employment caused by the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic that took place two years ago in 2020. This estimate comes in the backdrop that Census and Statistics Dept said SL’s poor totalled 3.04 m in 2019, more..

May 21 (Island) Former Minister Chamal Rajapaksa has told Parliament that his younger brother, Mahinda, should have quit politics after completing his second term as the Prez. This is something Chamal Aiya could have told Mahinda Malli in private. Why did he make such a statement on the floor of the House, of all places? Mahinda is not alone in trouble; all members of the Rajapaksa family find themselves in hot water. Their properties have come under mob attacks, and more..

May 21 (FT) While the country at large waited for Rajapaksa Bros. & Co. to go home today or tomorrow, its citizens commemorated two important events of yesteryear. The first of these was the Easter Sunday suicide bombings of 2019. The other was the end to the militarised phase of our island nation’s protracted civil war. Though Black Easter – as much as Black July and its aftermath – will never be forgotten, it is important to remember both right. A large part of the healing process for a land more..

May 21 (Island) So, a woman has lost again to a man. I refer here to Matale District SJB MP Rohini Kaviratne having to concede her bid for Deputy Speaker of Parliament to some bod of the Pohottu Party, who, sad to say makes only a negative impression on Cass. Conversely, Kaviratne looks competent, capable, trustworthy, able to communicate and command, and most importantly speaks and conducts herself well balanced. So different from most of the MPs, more..

May 21 (CT) “We came here to join the kerosene queue at about 5:30 a.m. We do not have gas to cook. That is why we are so desperate to buy a bottle of kerosene, so we can cook something for our children. We waited for more than 10 hours without any shelter. Why cannot the Govt ensure us having our basic needs? Now they say, kerosene will not arrive today. Why they make us suffer like this? It would have been better if they line up us more..

May 21 (FT) Tourism Minister Harin Fernando and Foreign Employment Minister Manusha Nanayakkara expressed confidence in boosting foreign exchange inflow to the country, whilst suggesting on initiating a campaign titled Sri Lanka Can. “Tourism is one of the key sectors that can generate foreign income easily. By mid-June, we will bring in tourists once again,” Fernando told journalists. He pointed out that SL recorded the highest number of tourist arrivals of 2.3 mil more..

May 21 (Island) Due to the pandemic, there wasn’t much sporting activities in schools for two years and basketball players showed lot of enthusiasm as their sport was in full swing since April holidays. SL Schools Basketball Association despite many challenges successfully conducted the All Island Under-20 basketball tournament at Sugathadasa Stadium this week. Girls and boys in ‘A’, ‘B’ and ‘C’ Divisions competed over a month and there were some thrilling encounters. more..

May 21 (EN) SL’s main stock index closed higher on Friday, recouping losses made in the previous sessions after the new govt under PM Ranil Wickremesinghe appointed a new cabinet, dealers said. But concerns over how SL is going to come out of the ongoing economic crisis and the sovereign debt default still remained. The main All Share Price Index (ASPI) closed 1.12% or 91.75 points higher at 8,265.61 at the close. Nine ministers were appointed to the new cabinet on Friday as new govt more..

May 21 (FT) COPF decided to summon the CB Governor, the Secretary to the Ministry of Finance and other officials. The decision was taken when the Committee met under the Chairmanship of MP Anura Priyadharshana Yapa. Committee met to discuss regulations that were enacted under the Import and Export (Control) Act to impose import control license requirements for the importation of 369 non-essential items. These regulations will be applicable to the importation of goods more..

May 21 (ST) Police have identified several suspects who led and were involved in the attacks on two prominent hotels and related buildings in Negombo as residents who took part in the pillage continued to return the items they looted from the establishments. A senior police officer said a group with political affiliations had instigated area residents, urging them to attack the two establishments as they were owned by more..