News

Widespread flooding in the south and east of Sri Lanka has forced thousands to leave their homes and killed at least 17 people, officials said on Monday.

Rivers in the southern and western provinces overflowed in the weekend and started flooding the low areas and thrust thousands of people into relief centers. Though water level is receding, the landslide warning issued for 10 districts is still in effect.

While nearly 100,000 buildings have lost electricity, according to a close observation done recently, nearly 12,177 families have been affected by this calamity.

The flooding disaster comes as the country is struggling to cope with a potential environmental disaster after a ship carrying 25 tons of nitric acid and raw materials for plastic caught fire and began to sink off its coast.

The Government has allowed several local companies to import certain agro chemicals urgently needed for the plantation sector, reversing its ban on importing herbicides and pesticides with immediate effect.

The Finance Ministry has issued a gazette notification allowing the importation of certain agro chemicals including a range of herbicides under special import license regulations after 6th of this month.

The Gazette was issued under the Imports and Exports (Control) Act, by Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa in the capacity of Minister of Finance.

According to the gazette, importation of certain insecticides, herbicides including glyphosate as well as certain nitrogenous and potassium mineral or chemical fertilisers and nitrogenous, would be legal. However, certain agro chemicals were not listed either under the banned list or the positive list.

The Department of Imports and Exports also issued operating instructions to commercial banks not to proceed with any items that are not allowed under the gazette notification and without a valid import control licence.

Meanwhile, the government is yet to announce the date on when the proposed ban would come into force in terms of usage in chemical fertilisers and agro chemicals.

Agriculture Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage recently stressed that the government policy is to ban all imports of chemical fertilisers and agro chemicals in order to move into organic farming.

According to him, the country already has sufficient resources to manufacture organic phosphate and potassium based fertilisers.

The Minister expects to meet nitrogen fertiliser requirements through resources from the country’s sea beds, waste collections of local governments and animal waste in poultry and dairy industries.

U.S. Embassy Charge d’Affaires Martin Kelly and Secretary to the Ministry of Health Dr. S.H. Munasinghe commemorated the donation of critically needed emergency supplies, including pulse oximeters, protective goggles, examination gloves, and KN95 masks.

The donation arrived at Bandaranaike International Airport on Saturday.

As the United States continues to stand with the people of Sri Lanka in the battle against the COVID-19 surge, the airlifted supplies were donated by the American people at the request of the Sri Lankan Government, the U.S. Embassy in Colombo said today (08).

“The United States and Sri Lanka have worked closely together to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic since its outset,” said U.S. Embassy Charge d’Affaires Martin Kelly.

“We recognize the serious personal toll of the pandemic.  At the Government’s request, we’re providing these urgently needed supplies to the Ministry of Health to ensure they reach those in need as fast as possible,”  he added.

The shipment of these emergency relief supplies follows the White House announcement last Thursday that the United States will make available nearly 7 million vaccine doses for countries in South and Southeast Asia, including Sri Lanka.  

Since March 2020, the United States has provided USD 6 million, plus an in-kind donation of 200 ventilators, to control the spread of COVID-19, address the urgent health needs of the Sri Lankan people, and ultimately save lives.  

The Embassy said that this assistance has reached millions of people in all 25 districts and nine provinces of Sri Lanka to mobilize critical supplies and expertise to support the Sri Lankan Government’s response to the pandemic, adding that this funding will also help to mitigate the pandemic’s negative economic impacts and help the country recover.

A Chinese company has been given the long term petroleum supply contract for the first time surpassing other locally registered fuel suppliers, Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) sources said.      

The Cabinet of Ministers has cleared the path to award three long-term petroleum import bids to PetroChina International and one remaining bid to Swiss Singapore Overseas Enterprises.

Accordingly, PetroChina International, a wholly owned subsidiary of Beijing-based State-owned PetroChina secured the contract to supply approximately 1.12million barrels of diesel (maximum percentage of Sulphur 0.05) to Muthurajawela Single Point Mooring (SPM) owned by Ceylon Petroleum (CPC) during the period starting from 1st of June this year to 31st of January next year.  

PetroChina also secured the contract to supply approximately 1.341 million barrels of petrol (92 Unl) and 0.46 million barrels of petrol (95 Unl) to the country during the same period.

In addition, PetroChina will also be unloading approximately 1.12 million barrels of diesel (maximum percentage of Sulphur 0.05) to Colombo Dolphin Tanker Berth (DTB) and Muthurajawela SPM during the period.

Meanwhile, Swiss Singapore Overseas Enterprises Pte Ltd, a unit of India-based Aditya Birla Group,secured the other remaining bid to supply approximately 2.7 million barrels of Petrol (92 Unl) during the same period.

The relevant resolutions to award these contracts were submitted by the Power Minister in terms of the recommendations of the Special Standing Procurement Committee appointed by the Cabinet of Ministers in relation to the procurement of fuel, according to the Government Information Department.

At a time where the genuine vehicle importers, franchise holders and motor traders are on the verge of collapse due to import restrictions, the government's decision to allow assembly of cars using used imported spare parts and knocked down parts will push the country into further difficulties, Industry stakeholders said.

This will open flood gates for unscrupulous, dubious and fraudulent businessmen in the vehicle trade to continue their past practices unabated by cheating Sri Lanka Customs and the Department of Motor Traffic, they complained.

Issuing a special statement, the Ceylon Motor Traders Association (CMTA) noted that it has been understanding of the Government’s decision to restrict vehicle imports in order to safeguard foreign exchange reserves and keep the currency stable in the wake of COVID-19 from early 2020.

However, the CMTA was disappointed to learn that a Cabinet proposal to allow assembly of vehicles with used parts was being considered and if passed would be violating many laws and regulations for vehicle assembly.

The CMTA has vehemently opposed this proposal, which raises many concerns over the safety standards, durability and reliability of vehicles assembled from used parts of questionable quality.

CMTA Chairman, Yasendra Amerasinghe said, “This proposal puts the potential owners of these vehicles, as well as the general public at grave risk. There are no practical means to ensure that the parts being used are without defects that could lead to road accidents, or even vehicles catching fire.

It also means that the Government will be defrauded of billions of tax revenue as this proposal will enable the assembler to pay only spare parts duty on the depreciated value of the used parts, which is only a small fraction of that of an imported car.”

Furthermore, the CMTA argues that it is extremely unfair to the motor industry to consider such a proposal while many LCs' that had been opened before the import restrictions are still on hold by the Government.

Moreover, in March 2021, the CMTA, at the request of President's Secretary Dr. P. B. Jayasundera, had submitted a proposal on a quota system for a minimum level of vehicle imports that would allow the industry to survive without needing to resort to further job cuts.

The CMTA urges the government to prioritise and take necessary action regarding this critical issue faced by the entire motor industry, which is also affecting the general public who have been subjected to soaring vehicle prices due to the lack of supply of vehicles to the market.

Founded in 1920, the Ceylon Motor Traders Association (CMTA) is the only Ceylon Chamber of Commerce affiliated trade body that represents vehicle manufacturers through their locally appointed franchise holders (commonly called ‘agents’).

Such vehicles are always provided with a full manufacturer’s warranty against manufacturing defects, for the complete peace of mind of vehicle owners.'

The Sri Lanka Agricultural Economics Association has warned that there is a grave risk in using imported organic fertilisers which are likely to have seeds of weeds, pathogenic bacteria, fungi, nematodes, etc.

Such organisms could cause disease outbreaks in crops, livestock, and human society, leading to heavy economic losses, it said in a letter addressed to the President.

“Imported organic fertilisers also pose a high risk of contaminating our soils and water resources. Once the pollutants enter into our eco-system and destroy it, it is not easy to recover from the damage,” the statement added.

The Sri Lanka Agricultural Economics Association predicts massive economic losses due to potential yield losses, in the absence of proper substitutes for chemical fertilisers and pesticides, with the implementation of the import ban on fertilisers and pesticides.

They further went on to note that the immediate adverse impacts on food security, farm incomes, foreign exchange earnings, and rural poverty can be detrimental.

It will not be possible to counter the 30 per cent to 50 per cent drop in paddy production and the resulting increase in the price of rice.

Farmers confirm the massive reduction in output, with many wondering how they could survive unless expected prices more than double at the farm gate.

If the ban in chemical fertiliser is implemented, there will be a massive reduction in agricultural output in the near term creating shortages, riots and unprecedented price rises of products and we will simply not be able to feed the population without a substantial increase in imports

In a communication addressed to FAC Chair Representative Gregory Meeks (Democrat/New York) and Ranking Member Representative Michael McCaul (Republican/Texas), the Sri Lanka Government expressed itsconcern regarding the Resolution.

The Government vehemently opposes the contents of the resolution which contains allegations relating to Sri Lanka that are inaccurate, biased and unsubstantiated, raising grave suspicion regarding the intention of the resolution.

The communication was accompanied by a detailed analysis of the resolution, which laid out paragraph by paragraph, its prejudicial nature.It was observed that the proposed resolution which equates the LTTE – proscribed by the US since 1997 and named by the FBI in 2008 as “among the most dangerous and deadly extremists in the world.”

The branding of LTTE as an ‘armed independence organisation’, exposes the resolution’s origins and purpose, it said, adding that the Resolution encourages separatism and questions even the nature of the Sri Lanka State, by references to ‘Traditional Tamil Homelands’.

This not only misrepresents established historical facts, and present-day realities, but also contributes to supporting the dismemberment of Sri Lanka, which is the ultimate goal of the LTTE and its supporters.

The number of total confirmed COVID-19 cases surpassed the 200,000 mark with 3,094 more cases being reported today.

Accordingly, the toll of COVID-19 cases stands at 201,534.

Meanwhile, 166,132 COVID-19 patients have so far recovered and been discharged from hospitals.

Sri Lankan authorities were helplessly watching as an audience for two weeks until the Singapore-registered X-press ship had been on fire until its oil spill into the deep waters of the sea.

The Disaster Management Center (DMC) warns that the upper catchment areas of the Kelani River basin may cause flooding in the next 24 hours.

Accordingly, the residents in the relevant areas are urged to remain vigilant.

Meanwhile, the prevailing adverse weather has claimed 10 lives while another person has gone missing.

Further, two more individuals have sustained injuries due to the inclement weather.

A total of 219,027 have been afflicted by the adverse climate conditions so far, DMC said.

The government has been urged to rescue the local film industry and safeguard stakeholders’ interests, consult them to help maintain the industry for present and future generations.

They claim that the film industry has been ignored completely in post-COVID recovery, look in to reopen cinemas with rapid national vaccination program and take action to increase in occupancy  rate to at least 50% post-restrictions

The film industry yesterday said COVID-19 and travel restrictions had put several cinemas out of business, prompting fresh calls for help.

“There are a number of small and medium-scale cinemas countrywide that have gone bankrupt. Most of them are unable to maintain their business with no operations to pay rents and salaries,” film industry sources said.

Sri Lanka National Film Corporation (NFC) has now become a liability to the modern local cinema due to malpractices, irregularities and inefficiency since its inception in 1971, industry stakeholders complained.    

They demanded the government to maintain this corporation as a regulator of the Cinema Industry stripping of its additional role as a film distributor and film hall owner as its bureaucratic bungling has prevented the development of the industry for over three decades.

The need of the hour is to fully liberalise the distribution and import of films and allow cinemas to operate without any undue influences, they said.

Sri Lanka has vehemently opposed a Resolution introduced in the United States House of Representatives, the Foreign Ministry said.