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Former President Maithripala Sirisena has commended President Ranil Wickremesinghe for the efforts made thus far in stabilizing crisis-hit Sri Lanka.

Speaking to reporters earlier this week, Sirisena said that President Wickremesinghe has lifted the country out of the severe crisis it has been facing, to some extent.

He said, however, the President will face some form of pressure from the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) which could be an issue.

Responding to questions on the SLPP attempting to revive the party, MP Maithripala Sirisena jokingly questioned how they expect to revive under the current circumstances.

Commenting on SLPP bigwig Mahinda Rajapaksa being instrumental in the party’s revival, the former President said, “anyone can climb on to political stages, even a beggar can do this.”

The Deputy Assistant Secretary of the US Treasury for Asia Robert Kaproth arrived in Sri Lanka today (25).

In a Twitter message, US Ambassador to Sri Lanka Julie Chung said Robert Kaproth will meet with Sri Lankan government, and economic leaders during his visit.

She further said that the discussions will focus on the way forward in economic recovery for Sri Lanka.

South Korea is searching for answers after Halloween celebrations in the capital Seoul turned into one of the country’s worst disasters, with authorities declaring a national mourning period as they investigate how a chaotic crush left at least 151 people dead.

Tens of thousands of costumed partygoers – mostly teenagers and young adults – had poured into the popular nightlife neighborhood Itaewon to enjoy South Korea’s first Halloween celebration since it lifted Covid restrictions such as crowd limits and face mask rules.

But the festivities descended into chaos, with photos and videos on social media showing huge crowds crammed into a narrow alley. Eyewitnesses described partygoers being packed so tightly together it was difficult to move around or even breathe.

Suah Cho, 23, described walking through an alley when “suddenly, some people started pushing each other, and people were screaming.” The screaming went on for 15 minutes, she said, adding: “It was just panic.”

“Some people were going forward and some people were going backward, and then just they were pushing each other,” she added. She was able to escape into a building along the alley, where she watched the disaster unfold. She said some people had told her that “people were climbing the building to survive.”

Authorities are still investigating what caused the incident, but Choi Seong-bum, chief of the Yongsan-gu Fire Department, said it was a “presumed stampede” and that many people fell, injuring at least 82.

The dead included at least 19 foreign nationals, including people from Iran, Norway, China and Uzbekistan, he said. One Thai national is among the dead, the Thai Foreign Ministry said.

The chaos of Saturday turned into shock and grief across the country on Sunday. Many victims’ families have gathered at a nearby center in Itaewon, where officials are compiling the names of the dead and missing as they race to identify bodies.

So far, more than 90% of those killed have been identified, said Minister of Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min in a briefing on Sunday. He added that about 10 people can’t be identified because some are under the age of 17 – too young to carry a national ID card – and others are foreigners.

But many remain missing, with families left anxiously calling hospitals and visiting morgues. By 2 p.m. local time on Sunday, Seoul authorities had received more than 3,580 missing persons reports, said the city government.

One mother, Ahn Yeon-seon, told South Korean news agency Yonhap her 19-year-old daughter had gone out to celebrate with her boyfriend for one of their last dates before he left for mandatory military service.

Several hours after the couple left, her daughter’s boyfriend called crying, saying she had been “under a pile of people for over an hour and that he’d tried to pull her out but couldn’t,” Ahn said, according to Yonhap.

Since then, Ahn has been searching hospitals for her daughter, waiting for confirmation of what happened to her. “I’ll just keep searching,” she told Yonhap.

And, though the government has launched an investigation and promised new measures to prevent similar incidents from happening again, questions are emerging about how such a disaster could have occurred at all.

Cho, the 23-year-old who escaped the crush, said she saw no police or officials trying to control the crowd before the crush began. Even after they arrived later in the night, the sense of confusion and panic continued.

“The police officer was screaming, but we couldn’t really tell that was a real police officer because so many people were wearing costumes,” she said. “People were literally saying, ‘Are you a real police officer?’”

Investigation and recovery

Authorities received the first emergency calls of people being “buried” in crowds at 10:24 p.m. in Seoul (9:24 a.m. ET). As the news broke, Yonhap reported that some people had suffered from “cardiac arrest,” with others reporting “difficulty breathing.”

However, officials said there were no gas leaks or fires on site.

Lee Sang-min, Seoul’s interior and safety minister, said on Sunday that “a considerable number of police and security forces” had been deployed to another part of Seoul on Saturday to deal with protests there.

Meanwhile in Itaewon, the crowd had not been unusually large, he said, so only a “normal” level of security forces had been deployed there.

But as the disaster unfolded, it prompted a massive response. More than 1,700 emergency response forces were dispatched on Saturday night, including 517 firefighters, 1,100 police officials, and about 70 government workers.

Social media videos showed police had taped off an area where people were performing compressions on other partygoers lying on the ground as they waited for medical help. Others showed people dressed in Halloween costumes lying on the street and on stretchers as first responders rendered aid and ambulances lined up to take away the injured.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol convened an emergency meeting in the early hours of Sunday, and later visited the scene to receive briefings from emergency officials.

Addressing the nation, he called a national period of mourning “until the handling of the accident is concluded.” Prime Minister Han Duck-soo later said the period of mourning would end at midnight of November 5.

“A tragedy that should not have happened occurred in the middle of Seoul last night on Halloween,” Yoon said. “I pray for those who died in an unexpected accident and hope that the injured will recover quickly.”

He also said the disaster would be investigated, with measures put into place to ensure similar incidents never happen again.

“We will have relevant ministries such as the Ministry of the Interior and Safety conduct emergency inspections not only for Halloween events but also for local festivals and thoroughly manage them so they are conducted in an orderly and safe manner,” Yoon said, adding that a “multi-purpose emergency system” would support both the injured and the families of the dead.

Foreign nationals among the dead

People fly into Seoul from all over Asia to celebrate Halloween in Itaewon, and this year’s event was seen as a welcome return of festivities after the pandemic. Hotels and ticketed events in the neighborhood had been booked solid ahead and large crowds were expected.

One eyewitness, Sung Sehyun, said the space was like a “jammed subway,” and that he had to push his way through the throng earlier in the night to get clear of the busy streets.

“I was lucky to get through (but an) hour later, I heard people got killed. Because people got stamped on … and people got jammed together,” he said

Juliette Kayyem, a disaster management expert and national security analyst for CNN, said the city’s density – and how common crowds are in Seoul – may have played a role in the tragedy.

(CNN)

Sri Lanka has decided to increase the fuel quota allocated for Three-Wheelers.

The President's Media Division said that President Ranil Wickremesinghe has approved to double the fuel qouta for three-wheelers.

The first stage will be from the Western Province and the registration of three-wheelers will commence from the 1st of November 2022.

The PMD said that QR refueling on the increased fuel quota will commence from the 6th of November 2022, and the other provinces will follow in stages.

A petition has been filed at the Supreme Court on Friday (28) seeking a ruling that the Inland Revenue Amendment Bill is in violation of the Constitution of Sri Lanka.

The petition has been filed by Chartered Accountant Prasad Dassanayake.

Dassanayake has pointed out in the petition that some of the clauses contained in the draft will damage the business sector, especially the import and export sector, and by imposing a heavy tax burden, the relevant sector may collapse entirely.

The petitioner further requests that its articles be passed by a two-thirds majority vote in Parliament or via a referendum.

Earlier, three parties filed petitions at the Supreme Court against the Inland Revenue Amendment Bill submitted by the government to Parliament on 21st October.

The Annual taxes imposed on Casino's has been increased by 150% from Rs. 200 Million to Rs. 500 Million.

The hike in the taxes imposed on casinos is in effect from the 1st of August 2022.

The Gaming and Gambling tax was also increased, State Finance Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya said on Monday (24).

The State Finance Ministry in a statement said that the following amendments will be made to the Betting and Gaming Levy Tax Act No. 40 of 1988.

1. Impose a high registration fee for casinos, and impose a entrace fee of USD 20 for any Sri Lankan entering the premises.

2. Other tax amendments ;

– Live Betting Centers: Annual tax of Rs. 600,000/- will be increased to Rs. 1 Million – Live Betting Centers: 10% tax on turnover to be increased to 15%

– Annual Tax on Betting Agents to be increased to Rs. 5 Million from Rs. 4 Million.

– Annual tax on Non-Live Betting Centers to be increased from Rs. 50,000/- to Rs. 75,000/-.

The State Finance Ministry announced that after imposing the above taxes, the said businesses will be taxed 40% of their profits.

In addition, a 75% will have to be imposed on a bottle of liquor.

An 85% tax will have to be imposed on one cigarette.

Debt restructuring talks between Sri Lanka's creditors will take place next week, the President's Media Division said today.

Accordingly, crucial discussions between the creditor nations are scheduled to be held on November 03.

President's Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor on National Security Sagala Ratnayaka met a delegation from the International Monetary Fund including outgoing IMF Resident Representative for Sri Lanka Tubagus Feridhanusetyawan and his successor Sarwat Jahan at the Presidential Secretariat yesterday (27) ahead of the talks between the creditor nations.

The three-member IMF team met with Sagala Ratnayaka to exchange views on prior action and debt restructuring with the latter assuring the delegation that he would brief President Ranil Wickremesinghe on the matters that were discussed at this meeting and convey his response to them.

President’s Senior Adviser on Economic Affairs Dr. R.H.S. Samaratunga also joined the discussion.

President Ranil Wickremesinghe has pardoned 08 LTTE prisoners, including three who were convicted for attempting to assassinate former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga (CBK).

The President’s Media Division (PMD) said the President had granted amnesty to the prisoners by the powers assigned to the President, under Article 34 of the Constitution of Sri Lanka, in connection with granting amnesty to a person convicted by a court of Sri Lanka.

As a result of several discussions between Tamil MPs and the President on several occasions, steps were taken to release these prisoners.

Before their release, a preliminary investigation had been carried out on them with the intervention of the Ministry of Defence on the instructions of the President.

The PMD said that this decision has been reached after consulting the Minister of Justice and through him the Attorney General about the consent report.

Three of the LTTE prisoners who were pardoned were those accused of attempting to assassinate former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga.

The PMD said before proceeding with the process of releasing these prisoners, the President’s Secretary Saman Ekanayake had sought the approval of former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga on the advice of the President, and the relevant arrangements were made after obtaining her consent.

Accordingly, the four detainees with connections to the LTTE organization who were detained at the Colombo Magazine Prison were released after their sentence was reduced.

Two prisoners linked to the LTTE are to be released after the cases filed by them in the Court of Appeal are withdrawn and two more LTTE prisoners are to be released soon under the presidential amnesty.

The PMD said among the pardoned prisoners, three had been sentenced to 30 years in prison and had served 22 years. One prisoner had been sentenced to 11 years and had served 14 years, one had been sentenced to 10 years and had also served 14 years, and two prisoners had been sentenced to five years but had served for14 years.

The PMD added that another person who had been sentenced to 19 years in prison and had served 11 years of his sentence so far, was also among those who were pardoned by the President.

A special petition was filed with the Supreme Court today challenging the Inland Revenue (Amendment) Bill that was added to the Parliament agenda on the 21st of October 2022.

The petition was filed by Athula Saranga Ranaweera, a General Manager of a leading private company in Sri Lanka and seeks a determination from the Supreme Court that the Inland Revenue (Amendment) Bill is inconsistent with the constitution of the country.

The petitioner has named the Attorney General as the respondent.

The petitioner claims that if the Inland Revenue (Amendment) Bill is passed it would cause grave injustice to the professionals and the general public.

Therefore, the petitioner is seeking a Supreme Court determination on the Inland Revenue (Amendment) Bill stating that clauses 15, 16, 22, 29,36, and 39 must be removed from the Bill or a Special Majority is required in Parliament for the passage of the Bill.

The petition was filed through Attorneys H.M. Thilakaratne, Kanishka Witharana and Savane Rajakaruna.

Sri Lanka commenced their Super 12 campaign with an impressive nine-wicket triumph over a disappointing Ireland in Hobart on Sunday.

Namibia slip-up long forgotten

There were many fears for Sri Lanka when they were thrashed by Namibia in the opening match of the First Round, but the reigning Asia Cup champions are slowly gathering some momentum.

While the nine-wicket victory over Ireland was expected by most, the way the island nation went about it was ultra-impressive as they clinically dispatched of their opponents in clinical style with plenty of improvement to come.

Star spinner Wanindu Hasaranga (2/25) took his eighth and ninth scalps of the tournament thus far and he was well supported by fellow spinner Maheesh Theekshana (2/19), who was thrust into the bowling crease during Ireland's batting Powerplay.

Not only did Sri Lanka take wickets at regular intervals, but they also kept the run rate down as Ireland's batters were unable to gather much momentum and were restricted to 128/8 from their 20 overs.

Sri Lanka's run chase was a mere formality, with in-form opener Kusal Mendis (68 from 43 balls) continuing his excellent tournament thus far with another half-century .

Ireland struggle for fluency

Much of the good Ireland managed from eye-catching victories over Scotland and the West Indies was undone against Sri Lanka, with the European side unable to back-up their strong showings from the First Round.

Veteran opener Paul Stirling (34 from 25 balls) got a handful of big shots away early, but young gun Harry Tector (45 off 42) was the only other player to look assured at the crease.

Their bowling didn't fare much better, with spinner Gareth Delany (1/28) the only wicket-taker as Ireland started their Super 12 campaign in disappointing style.

The road ahead

While Sri Lanka will be buoyed by their easy victory, the good news for them is they still have plenty of improvement left in them and can play much better.

First-choice opener Pathum Nissanka missed the clash against Ireland due to a groin injury, while the rest of their batting line-up – outside of Mendis – are yet to really hit their straps.

There is still four more matches Sri Lanka must negotiate during the Super 12 if they are to reach the semis, with their next test coming in Perth on Tuesday against tournament hosts Australia.

Ireland have two full days to lick their wounds and recover, with a difficult match-up against England their next assignment at the MCG on Wednesday.

Sri Lanka: Kusal Mendis (wk), Dhananjaya de Silva, Charith Asalanka, Ashen Bandara, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Dasun Shanaka (c), Wanindu Hasaranga, Chamika Karunaratne, Maheesh Theekshana, Binura Fernando, Lahiru Kumara.

Ireland: Paul Stirling, Andrew Balbirnie (c), Lorcan Tucker (wk), Harry Tector, Curtis Campher, George Dockrell, Gareth Delany, Mark Adair, Simi Singh, Barry McCarthy, Joshua Little

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The Ceylon Electricity Board on Thursday (27) said that the 2.5% Social Security Contribution Tax will be added to the monthly electricity bill with effect from 1st October 2022.

As per the Social Security Tax Act, electricity supply by Ceylon Electricity Board is subject to the Social 2.5% Security Contribution Tax.

Accordingly, the Ceylon Electricity Board will charge the said tax from the 1st of October, 2022.

The Chairman of the Public Utilities Commission Janaka Ratnayake said that the PUCSL suggested the Ministry of Finance exempt electricity consumption from this tax.

The Ministry of Finance has informed the PUCSL that according to the relevant Act, the electricity supply of the Ceylon Electricity Board is subject to this tax.

Eight former LTTE cadres who were convicted by courts for LTTE activities have received a Presidential pardon.

According to Prisons Spokesman Chandana Ekanayake, this special amnesty was granted in accordance with the powers granted to the President by Article 34 of the Constitution.

As a result, four LTTE cadres held in Magazine Prison were released on 21 October.

He stated that two LTTE cadres would be released following the withdrawal of pending cases in the Court of Appeal.

In addition, the other two cadres will be released once the rehabilitation process is completed. He stated that it was referred to the Attorney General and that he will follow the AG’s instructions.