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In a significant move to address Sri Lanka’s fuel supply challenges, a contract agreement was signed with Sinopec, a leading international petroleum company.

The agreement, signed today (22), marks a crucial step in ensuring a steady and uninterrupted fuel supply for the nation.

The signing ceremony took place at the Presidential Secretariat, with representatives from both Sri Lanka and Sinopec in attendance.

Secretary of the Ministry of Power and Energy Mr. M.P.D.U.K. Mapa Pathirana and Mr. Chen Chengmin, Managing Director of Fuel Production and Marketing Department of Sinopec Company, signed the agreement in front of the President.

On the Sri Lanka side, the Secretary of the Ministry of Power and Energy, the Chairman & Managing Director of the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation, and the Chairman of the Ceylon Petroleum Storage Terminals Limited participated. From Sinopec, representatives from Sinopec Fuel Oil Lanka (Private) Limited, Sinopec Fuel Oil Sales Co. Ltd (People’s Republic of China), and Sinopec Fuel Oil (Singapore) Pte. Ltd. were present to formalize the agreement.

In response to the on-going foreign exchange crisis in Sri Lanka, the Ministry of Power and Energy has taken this decisive action to ensure an uninterrupted fuel supply to consumers. With the inability to provide sufficient foreign exchange for fuel shipments, the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) and Lanka Indian Oil Company (LIOC) faced significant challenges.

To tackle this issue, the Ministry explored various strategies and one of them involved inviting Expression of Interests (EOIs) from reputable petroleum companies established in producing countries. The goal was to import, store, distribute, and sell Petroleum Products in predetermined Distribution Dealer operated Networks in Sri Lanka. The Cabinet of Ministers approved this initiative.

One of the key requirements for new retail suppliers entering the market was their ability to secure forex requirements without depending on the domestic banking sector. It was mandated that these companies source their own funds for fuel procurement through foreign sources, at least during the initial one-year period of operation.

After receiving EOIs, the companies that were shortlisted were invited to submit detailed proposals in response to a Request for Proposal (RFP) document. The Cabinet Appointed Special Committee (CASC) and the Technical Evaluation Committee (TEC) thoroughly scrutinized the proposals and recommended awarding contracts to the following companies, subject to negotiations:

 # M/s Sinopec Fuel Oil Lanka (Private) Limited, F5, Hambantota Maritime Center, Mirijjawila, Hambantota, Sri Lanka
# M/s United Petroleum Pty Ltd, 600 Glenferrie Rd, Hawthorn, Victoria 3122, Australia
# M/s RM Parks, 1061 N. Main St, Porterville, CA 93257, USA, in collaboration with Shell PLC  

The Cabinet of Ministers, considering the recommendations made by the CASC and the Committee Appointed by the Cabinet, granted approval to award the contracts to the selected suppliers.

Sinopec, along with its affiliated companies, is set to commence operations in Sri Lanka within 45 days following the issuance of the license. This development brings hope for a more stable and reliable fuel supply, boosting the country’s energy sector and providing assurance to consumers.

Minister of Power and Energy Kanchana Wijesekera, State Ministers D.V. Chanaka, Indika Anuruddha, Shehan Semasingha, President’s Senior Advisor on National Security and Chief of Staff Sagala Ratnayaka, President’s Secretary Saman Ekanayake, Central Bank Governor Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe, Chinese Ambassador Qi Zhenhong and representatives of Sinopec Oil Lanka Pvt. Ltd, Sinopec China Pvt Ltd and Sinopec Singapore Pvt Ltd were present on this occasion.

14th National War Heroes Commemoration held under patronage of President, Prime Minister

The National War Heroes Commemoration Ceremony took place today (19) at the Battaramulla War Heroes Memorial, under the patronage of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces President Ranil Wickremesinghe and Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena.

This year marks the 14th anniversary of the victory over LTTE terrorism that lasted for three decades. A total of 28,619 heroes from the Army, Air Force, Navy, Police, and Civil Security Department (CSD) sacrificed their lives for the freedom of the motherland, while over twenty-seven thousand war heroes were rendered disabled. The ceremony was a proud expression of the nation’s gratitude towards these brave individuals.

The ceremony began with the playing of the National Anthem, followed by a two-minute silence observed by the President, the Prime Minister, and others in honour of the fallen war heroes.

The event commenced with religious observances and a special war drumming performance,paying tribute to the courageous soldiers from the Army, Air Force, Navy, Police, and CSD who sacrificed their lives to protect the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The commemoration ceremony was organised by the Ranaviru Seva Authority.

Madhushan Chandrajith of the University of Peradeniya has been appointed as the new Convenor of the Inter-University Students’ Federation (IUSF).

Former IUSF convenor Wasantha Mudalige in a statement said that the new appointment was made during the IUSF meeting held at the Rajarata University, yesterday ( 20).

President Ranil Wickremesinghe says the government will be able to consider the privileges including financial concessions sought by the university lecturers, after the domestic debt restructuring program is successfully completed by September and the country’s economy is stabilized.

His remarks came during the meeting with the Federation of the University Teachers’ Association (FUTA) at the Presidential Secretariat this evening (May 18).

Academic staff representatives from all state universities were in attendance for this meeting during which a wide range of topics including the issues faced by the lecturers, the possible solutions for these problems and how to maintain the university system in the prevailing economic downturn were taken up for discussion at length.

The President also instructed the authorities to submit a cabinet memorandum regarding filling the necessary vacancies in the university system.

The university lectures emphasized that the existing educational facilities are insufficient compared to the number of students that enrol in the universities annually.

The focus was on improving the facilities of the university system while maintaining the current financial allocation restrictions, and President Wickremesinghe advised to pay more attention to the develop the facilities of medical, engineering and science faculties.

The President further directed the authorities to consult with the Attorney General and reach a decision on the possibility of re-granting the research allowance of the currently suspended university lecturers.

Attention was also drawn here on the need to get appropriate advice to suit the current world in decision-making and improving educational reforms regarding the country’s university education.

Minister of Education Susil Premjayanth, President’s Secretary Saman Ekanayake, President’s Senior Adviser on Economic Affairs Dr. R.H.S. Samaratunga, Secretary of the Ministry of Education Nihal Ranasinghe, Chairman of the University Grants Commission Senior Professor Sampath Amaratunga and the heads of line institutions of the government including officials of the Ministry of Finance also attended this discussion.

Ms Jalani Premadasa has demanded Rs One billion as compensation from journalist Chamuditha Samarawickrama for the insult and character assassination done to her during an interview with keerthi Ratnayake.

A letter of demand forwarded today (20) through lawyer Dimuthu Kuruppuarachchi.

It is stated that during the interview conducted with Mr. Keerthi Ratnayake, he has seriously insulted his servant Mrs. Jalani Premadasa by presenting false facts.

Accordingly, it is mentioned in the relevant letter of demand that if the relevant compensation amount is not paid within 14 days, a lawsuit will be filed.

The Attorney General today (May 18) told the Court of Appeal that sufficient protection is provided to former Director of Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Shani Abeysekera.

Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Rohantha Abeysuriya conveyed this when the petition seeking protection filed by the former CID chief was called before the Appeals Court judge bench.

Appeals Court president Nissanka Bandula Karunaratne and Justice A. Marikkar sat for the hearing.

ASG Abeysuriya also mentioned that additional security officers and motorcycles too have been provided to Abeysekera.

Appearing on behalf of the former CID chief, President’s Counsel Upul Jayasuriya said his client intends to present submissions against the respondents in the petition over contempt of court for failing to comply with the order issued by the National Authority for Protection of Victims of Crime & Witnesses.

Thereby, the former CID chief was allowed to submit a revised petition on June 28, 2023.

President Ranil Wickremesinghe stated that he intends to seek the Japanese Government’s assistance during his upcoming visit to Japan, to establish a Maha Vihara University, an international standard university to study Theravada Buddhism.

The President expressed that the hope is to get the contribution of Buddhist countries like Thailand and Bhutan for this purpose. President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who first arrived at the Malwathu Maha Vihara this morning, visited and received the blessings of the Chief Prelate of the Malwathu Chapter, Most Venerable Thibbatuwawe Sri Sumangala Mahanayaka Thera, and engaged in a brief discussion.

Senior Adviser to the President on National Security and Chief of the Presidential Staff Sagala Ratnayake was also present on this occasion and the Maha Sangha led by Chief Incumbent of the Malwathu Chapter chanted Pirith, and offered his blessings to the President and the delegation.

According to the request made by the Chief Prelates of the Malwathu and Asgiri Chapters, at the Presidential Palace in Kandy on February 19, the bill was completed in three months and presented again for the admonition of the Chief Prelates.

The Federative Republic of Brazil through the Brazilian Cooperation Agency (ABC) donated to Sri Lanka a consignment of medical supplies including 10, 000 vials of regular human insulin and 08 million polypropylene tips.

State Minister of Foreign Affairs Tharaka Balasuriya received the donation of medical supplies from Brazilian Ambassador to Sri Lanka Sergio Luiz Canaes at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Colombo on 17 May 2023.

Highlighting the longstanding friendly relations between Sri Lanka and Brazil, State Minister of Foreign Affairs expressed appreciation for this goodwill gesture by the Government of Brazil.

Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs O.L. Ameerajwad and other officials participated. The Embassy of Sri Lanka in Brazil coordinated the donation.

An electronic passport is likely to be issued within this year, the Department of Immigration and Emigration said.

Accordingly, the Controller General of the Department of Immigration and Emigration, Harsha Ilukpitiya, noted that measures in this regard have already been taken, adding that several foreign countries have also stepped forward to facilitate the shift.

New governors have been appointed for three provinces, the President’s Media Division (PMD) says.

Thereby, the following governors were sworn in before President Ranil Wickremesinghe at the Presidential Secretariat this morning (May 17):

• Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena – North-western Province

• P.S.M. Charles – Northern Province

• Senthil Thondaman – Eastern Province

The new appointments were made after the governors of the Eastern, Northern and North-western provinces were removed by the Head of State on Monday (May 15).

Shammi Silva has secured another term as the President of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC).

He was elected uncontested for the period 2023-2025. Silva’s election marks his third term in office as the President of SLC, and the 2nd time, being elected uncontested.

The 62nd Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the national cricket board is taking place today (May 20) at the JAIC Hilton in Colombo.

During the AGM, the elections conducted by the ‘SLC Elections Committee’ are held to elect the new office bearers for the period 2023-2025.

The AGM commenced at 10:00 a.m. with the participation of the stakeholders of the cricket board.

Following the completion of the AGM, the national cricket board will also convene a media briefing.

The SLC elections come in the backdrop of the International Cricket Council (ICC) probe into Sports Minister Roshan Ranasinghe’s political interference, following a complaint filed by the SLC officials with the ICC.

President Ranil Wickremesinghe has appointed K.A. Rohanadheera to the position of Parliamentary Secretary General with effect from May 23, with the approval of the constitutional council.

Mrs. Rohanadheera is the current chief-of-staff and deputy secretary-general of parliament.