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On June 16, several Members of Parliament representing the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) signed a 10-point motion of no-confidence against Energy Minister Udaya Gammanpila, citing the recent ‘arbitrary’ increase in fuel prices.

Accordingly, The no-confidence motion brought against the Energy Minister was defeated yesterday (20) by a majority of 91 votes with  61 MPs voting in favour while 152 voting against it.

Speaking to media at his ministry, the Minister said that once the vote on the motion against Minister Gammanpila would be taken the entire world would come to know that the government still commands its undisputed power in Parliament.

"This would build confidence in the government by many foreign nations and other international bodies. Apart from that it would also prove that parliamentary democracy is fully-functioning here while many other countries could not even cope with the global pandemic.

We are a democratic alliance of parties with various ideologies. Our alliance is so democratic that the alliance members could voice their opinions even sometimes to the level of expressing their unhappiness of some decisions that we make. But that does not mean our members would go and vote with Sajith Premadasa and his group," he said.

The vote on the motion against minister Gammanpila would also show the world how disorganised the opposition parties are, Minister Fernando said.

“The UNP says that it would vote for a motion against the government and not against Minister Gammanpila. It seems that the UNP would not vote with others in the opposition. The JVP says that the SJB’s motion would end up in a loss boosting government’s confidence. Then some SJB members say that the motion is not against the minister but against the fuel hike. Likewise their opinion is divided. They are in disarray and have nothing meaningful to do. So they resort to this type of political nonsense,” the Minister added.

The EMA’s Handbook, lists out detailed safety and hygiene standards and protocols to ensure that all future events will be hosted in a responsible manner - minimizing the risk of COVID-19 transmission at events in order to avoid further shutdowns of an industry that is already on the verge of collapse after 14 months of closure.

The EMA represents the interests of an array of business segments, from event management companies, wedding planners, equipment rental companies (sound systems, lighting, LED, etc.) stage & set fabricators, furniture & infrastructure rental companies, and digital creatives companies to venues, florists, musicians, event support services, entertainers, dance troupes, artists, designers, technicians and many more. In total, the entire sector is estimated to contribute as much as Rs. 30 billion towards the national economy.

“We express our collective gratitude to the Government for taking a positive decision that will allow our members to earn a living after several painful months. While we welcome the opportunity for events to be hosted once more, extremely strict enforcement of comprehensive safety protocols is essential to avoid transmission of COVID-19 at events,"  Roshan Wijeyaratne, President, EMA stated.

“Many event companies have made massive investments into infrastructure, equipment, and development of skills with investments ranging from Rs. 10 Mn to Rs. 800 Mn per business. They are now on the brink of collapse and are struggling to pay wages and meet financial commitments. Without assistance, they face impending bankruptcy. This will affect 130,000 direct and 600,000 indirect jobs and the people and families who depend on our industry for their livelihood,” Sajith Kodikara, Vice President, EMA.

Events are considered essential to businesses as a vital tool of ‘live communication’ which enables a cross-section of industries to present new products to the market and generate sales. In that regard, a high frequency of corporate events is often correlated with a healthy economy.

For countries that are beginning to emerge from COVID-19, face-to-face meetings and events are a priority feature of work they are looking to restart. A study of 125 New Zealand-based organisations found that 97% are planning to hold a business event in 2021 – up from 94% of respondents to a survey conducted in May 2020 . Another recent study found that business travel has increased by 55% since restrictions eased while 37% of respondents expect to resume travel in 2021.

“Another crucial factor to consider is the potential for Sri Lanka to be positioned as a ‘safe event hub’ for MICE and destination event tourism which will accelerate Sri Lanka’s economic revival. That is provided we are able to get the health crisis under control with a scientific approach and a sustainable way forward for the industry. If we delay, we will most certainly lose out on business to other countries in the region,” Nishan Wasalathanthri, Treasurer Member, EMA.

In emulation of global best-practices adopted as a solution to ensure compliance of guidelines, the EMA Handbook proposes the appointment of ‘safe-event ambassadors’ tasked with reporting on non-compliance of guidelines.

“The handbook is created to simplify the organisers’ tasks of planning and hosting events and to mitigate the risk of weaker standards being applied. While the guidelines are already comprehensive, we expect to update it with additional information shortly,” Minha Akram, Committee Member, EMA added.

The Association also expressed its support for the Government’s efforts to control the pandemic and re-start the Sri Lankan economy.

“As with many sectors of the economy today, our industry is in dire peril. There is however a light at the end of the tunnel, in the form of mass vaccination. We take great encouragement from the Government’s emphasis and continuing rollout of vaccines to the public and request the prioritization of vaccines for industry members.

“In order for all sectors of the economy to scale up activity, and have a meaningful chance at recovery, we need to achieve 60% vaccination as soon as possible. Only then will we be able to see larger scale events take place. We also take this opportunity to urge the public to continue cooperating with public health measures to speed our progress to recovery,” Gerry Jayasinghe, Advisory Counsel, EMA said.    

The EMA handbook will be available online on www.emalk.org from 19 July 2021.

It has been imposed provisions by the 12th section of the constitution as no citizen shall be discriminated against on the grounds of race, religion, language, cast, sex, political opinion, place of birth or anyone of such grounds.

However, the Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act, which governs Muslim marriages and divorces, has included specific provisions that discriminate against women, and various women's organizations belonging to the Muslim community and Muslim law scholars have pointed out the need to repeal such provisions from the law.

Therefore, under the common law governing the marriage and divorce of the citizens of Sri Lanka, it has become appropriate to provide them with alternative opportunities to govern the marriage and divorce of people of the Muslim community as well.

Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers has approved the proposal tabled by Justice Minister Ali Sabry to amend the Civil Procedure Code and the Civil Procedure Code which contained the Marriage procedure enabling to govern under the said act on condition that persons who believe in Islam intend to get married under the Marriage Registration Ordinance.

Addressing the press at the JVP Headquarters, he said that Cabinet approval had been obtained on Monday to hand over 40% shares of the Yugadanavi Power Plant to a US Company.

"The Treasury Secretary had signed an agreement with the New York-based gas-to-power developer New Fortress Energy to construct a new offshore LNG terminal," he disclosed.

Currently, its shares belong to the Treasury and four other state institutions.

The Kerawalapitiya Power Plant consists of 300 MW in operation today and is ultimately expected to grow to over 1,000 MW by 2025 according to this plan, Dissanayake said, adding the power plant will eventually become the largest in Sri Lanka and 40% stake is to be given to a US firm.

“This is the latest instance of the government selling off the country’s assets to super powers. This has become part of the foreign policy of the incumbent government. It sells off the assets to China, India and the US from time to time. The Colombo Port City Economic Commission Act which was recently passed in the Parliament has given a lot of power to a Chinese company and now there are discussions ongoing to hand over the oil tanks in Trincomalee and its Harbour to India," he added.

Ministry of Health says that 20 to 30 percent of COVID-19 infections reported from the Colombo District can be of the Delta variant.

Deputy Director-General of Health Services Dr. Hemantha Herath said that this is revealed through the testing of samples collected from reported infections.

“We find information on the variants only through the samples. We don’t carry out gene sequencing on every positive PCR result. Therefore, we don’t receive information on every COVID-19 patient identified.

The universities have given us an estimate that 20-30 percent infections from Colombo are of the Delta variant.”

Dr. Herath points out that it can be concluded that the Delta variant has spread to all areas of the country seeing as reports of the variant are received from even North.

The Chinese Embassy in Colombo has suspended Nawaloka hospital from its list of designated hospitals for PCR and IgM anti-body tests.

The Embassy said that several passengers from Sri Lanka holding the negative reports of PCR and IgM anti-body tests issued by Nawaloka hospital were diagnosed as COVID-19 patients after they entered China.

"In order to ensure the health and safety of all passengers to China, the Chinese Embassy in Sri Lanka will suspend Nawaloka hospital as the designated hospital for PCR and IgM anti-body tests and will not accept the reports of PCR and IgM anti-body tests issued by Nawaloka hospital from July 13, 2021," the Embassy said.

A donation by the United States of America, these vaccines are given at no cost to the Sri Lankan government as part of America’s commitment to ending the global pandemic and our enduring partnership with the people of Sri Lanka.  

"They will help Sri Lankans get back to work and to stay healthy, a gift we make in reflection of the long-standing friendship between the United States and Sri Lanka,” said Alaina Teplitz, the U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka and Maldives.

“Our partnership with the Sri Lankan Ministry of Health, UNICEF, and other global COVAX partners to deliver these vaccines is critical to controlling the pandemic, slowing the emergence of new variants, and helping to restart the global economy,” she added.

This vaccine delivery builds on the United States government’s ongoing leadership on global vaccination efforts as the world’s largest donor to COVAX.

The 1.5 million doses delivered to Sri Lanka today are part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to providing equitable global access to safe and effective vaccines.

The United States has worked closely with Sri Lanka since the pandemic began to protect public health, providing over USD 8 million in emergency supplies and critical services, plus an in-kind donation of 200 ventilators, to support the Sri Lankan Government’s response to the pandemic.

According to the U.S. Embassy in Colombo, this assistance has reached millions of people in all 25 districts and nine provinces of Sri Lanka to control the spread of COVID-19, address the urgent health needs of the Sri Lankan people, mitigate the pandemic’s negative economic impacts, and ultimately save lives.

The UN has been urged to intervene to save Sri Lanka from the dangerous situation it is in as a consequence of intensifying human rights violations committed by the growing military control in the country.

Ceylon Teachers’ Union (CTU) had written to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet, expressing concerns that oppression in the country has increased with the forcible detention of a number of activists including Joseph Stalin, who protested against the militarization of education.

“Through this letter, we requested the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to intervene to ensure the people’s democratic right to expression, assembly, association and peaceful protest,” CTU Chairman Priyantha Fernando told journalists, after handing over the letter to the UN office in Colombo.

A group of activists who were arrested for staging a protest in Colombo against militarization of education were released on bail by the court on 8 July. However, subsequently, the police forcibly took them to an air force camp in the Mulliativu district where they are being detained at present.

Speaking in Parliament, former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremsinghe had warned that the steps taken by the government against Joseph Stalin would cause the loss of the GSP+ tax concession granted by the European Union.

Through the letter handed over to the UN, CTU had expressed fears of the second Rajapaksa-led government that came to power entrusting the country’s civil administration to the military and task forces that are not answerable to Parliament.

“The Covid-19 response and management also presided by a head of military resulted poor management of Covid-19 second and third waves in Sri Lanka and made lots of controversial decisions that resulted in the violation of rights of human rights defenders and minority community in Sri Lanka, including the decision to cremate the bodies of Covid-19 infected Muslim persons against their community’s will,” said the letter, signed by Priyantha Fernando and Vice Chairman Rasika Handapangoda.

CTU had expressed fear about the increasing number of military personnel deployed to work with the police and the recent use of excessive force against peaceful protesters.

“Considering growing concerns over shrinking space for dissent domestically, the CTU thinks international organization and diplomatic missions are the only platforms where Sri Lankan civil society has the possibility to engage openly in dialogue with the government and other States on human rights concerns in Sri Lanka, and even this space is increasingly under threat due to deepening risks of reprisals against Sri Lankan civil society actors who discuss the human rights situation with the international community. Those human right defenders are increasingly vilified as “traitors” in both mainstream and social media purposefully.”

CTU further requested the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to assess whether Sri Lanka adheres to international human rights laws, and to strengthen the investigations conducted by international bodies and diplomatic missions, in order to ensure the protection of human rights in the country.

The joint statement signed by China, Belarus, Bolivia, DPRK, Iran, Russia, Sri Lanka, Syria and Venezuela urged the UK Government to face up to its human rights problems, immediately stop all human rights violations, address the root cause of racial discrimination and hate crime, and carry out thorough and impartial investigations into cases of unlawful killings of civilians and other crimes, bring the perpetrators to justice and provide victims with remedies.

The party said that these comments by the government will only serve to jeopardise Sri Lanka's vaccination programme especially at a time when the U.K. government has pledged their excess Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines to countries around the world who are facing shortages.

While the country is desperately in need of these vaccines as 600,000 citizens are awaiting their second dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine, the UNP requested the U.K. government to not withhold the supply of these urgently required vaccine doses due to the comments of a few individuals.

Meanwhile, former Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera said that Sri Lanka is the only democracy that has signed the joint statement initiated by China.

He said that by adding our country's signature, Sri Lanka has thrown in its lot with the last vestiges of oppression and repression left, exposing the regime's innate contempt for democracy.

Schools in Sri Lanka remain closed because of the coronavirus pandemic and lessons are conducted online.

Eleven education trade unions say that three union leaders and many others were illegally detained at the quarantine centers after being arrested at protests last week.

They say the leaders and other protesters were pushed inside vehicles and taken away to the quarantine centers as they walked out of courtrooms after having been released on bail.

Meanwhile, the Bar Association of Sri Lanka has also expressed concern that the right to peaceful protests is being violated. (AP)

Rear Admiral Gurcharan Singh CSO (Ops), Western Naval Command, Indian Navy, Rear Admiral PS Mahawithana, Director General Operations, Sri Lanka Navy and Colonel Hilmy from Maldives National Defence Force were among the senior officers that participated in the inaugural session of TTX-2021 on 14 July.

The exercise is being coordinated by the Maritime Warfare Centre, Mumbai.

TTX-2021 is aimed at enhancing mutual understanding and exchange of best practices/ procedures for countering common trans-national maritime crime like curbing narcotics and assistance in Maritime Search and Rescue in the region. The exercise gains additional relevance in light of the successful Operation Sagar Aaraksha 2 executed in support of MV X Press Pearl.

The seamless cooperation achieved between the Navies was the result of continued engagements like the TTX to evolve common SOPs.

TTX-2021 exemplifies the deep trilateral engagement between India-Maldives-Sri Lanka which has strengthened immensely in maritime domain over the past years.

Interaction between the three neighboring counties in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) has also grown significantly in recent years, in consonance with India’s policy of ‘Neighbourhood First’ and vision of ‘Security and Growth for all in the Region (SAGAR)’.

It may be recalled that India, Sri Lanka, and Maldives agreed to focus on ways of enhancing maritime security cooperation in the IOR at the fourth National Security Adviser (NSA)-level trilateral meeting held in Colombo in November last year. The meeting was attended by India's National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, Defence Secretary General (Retd) Kamal Gunaratne, and Maldives' Defence Minister Mariya Didi.

The Sri Lankan government has used a strict lockdown, first imposed on May 21, 2021, and other measures, including travel bans and bans on public gatherings, to contain a fresh wave of Covid-19 cases.
However, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa ordered garment factories to remain open. Trade unions and public health inspectors have reported numerous virus outbreaks in factories, as well as in the congested boarding houses where many workers live, and alleged that employers were under-testing and under-reporting cases to maintain production levels.

“Sri Lanka’s garment workers are entitled to work in safety and be properly paid even when they fall sick or need to quarantine,” said Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “The government and employers should fully implement existing agreements and guidelines, be transparent about Covid-19 infections in factories, and provide for workers’ welfare instead of intimidating and silencing them.”

One in seven Sri Lankan women work in the garment sector, according to the International Labour Organization (ILO). There have been repeated outbreaks in garment factories since April. Yet, five labor rights activists from four organizations told Human Rights Watch they have received complaints from workers that factory managers pressured workers to work without adequate occupational health and safety measures.

All five said that numerous workers from different factories complained to them that they lost pay when they fell sick or needed to quarantine. The activists said that the police or military personnel had intimidated them to stop them from speaking out.

Following an October 2020 Covid-19 outbreak in a factory owned by Brandix Lanka Limited, the government made it mandatory for all factories to have a Covid-19 health committee, including management and workers’ representatives. As of early July, people interviewed said, most factories had not established the committees.

On October 25, the Sri Lankan government issued guidelines requiring garment factories to take occupational health and safety measures for ventilation, screening, testing, and isolating infected workers. Labor rights activists have consistently raised concerns in written statements that employers were flouting guidelines, despite government claims that health measures are enforced. “Labor rights are reserved to a piece of paper,” one activist said, adding that workers, “are scared of losing their jobs, so even when they have symptoms they continue to go to work.”

Another labor activist said, “If factories are aware of a positive test, they don’t do anything about it or share the information” with health authorities. An activist who had assisted workers who were sick with the virus said, “The employers are busy with their orders and workers are not given PCR [Covid-19] tests, because if they are positive, they will not be able to employ them in production.”

Many, though not all, garment factories in Sri Lanka are located within industrial areas called Free Trade Zones (FTZs). Systematic data on Covid-19 cases in the garment sector, which contributes 6 percent of Sri Lanka’s GDP and 44 percent of exports, is not available.

On May 20, a court in Galle detained a manager from the Koggala FTZ on charges under the Quarantine and Prevention of Diseases Act, after the manager allegedly concealed information and failed to follow instructions from public health officials following an outbreak in the factory. Although this prosecution was unusual, activists told Human Rights Watch they believed factory violations of quarantine rules are widespread.

In April, police dispersed a workers’ protest outside a factory in Bingiriya, where the management was alleged to have kept staff working despite an outbreak. On July 8, trade unionists were detained at a labor rights protest in Colombo and forcibly taken to a Covid-19 quarantine facility, two days after the government banned public protests on purported public health grounds.

Quarantine facilities are run by the Sri Lankan military, which the government has placed in control of its response to the pandemic. When employees are sent to quarantine facilities, their absence is typically deducted from their annual allowance of 14 days unpaid leave.

Following the major outbreak at a Brandix factory in October, trade unions filed a complaint with the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka alleging that soldiers “rounded up” 98 workers in the middle of the night and arbitrarily detained them in an unsanitary quarantine facility. In response, the army accused the complainants of pursuing “hidden plans,” and said the military should not be “insulted or downgraded.” Human Rights Watch wrote to Brandix seeking information about the October outbreak but received no response.

Many factories have hired former army officers in management roles, and their tendency to enforce military-style discipline has “instilled fear” in workers, activists said. One activist said that she was threatened earlier this year by a garment factory manager, a retired army officer, who called her and told her he had “dealt with terrorists” and warned against “raising issues.”

The labor rights activists also reported increased surveillance and intimidation by government security agencies. One woman said military intelligence asked her organization why it had spoken to the international media. Another activist said that members of the police Criminal Investigation Department visited her office in April.

“It’s very risky for anyone to talk about these things,” one activist said. “People are very afraid to speak out,” said another.

The government has also taken formal steps to prevent the sharing of information related to the pandemic. In May, the health secretary, Maj. Gen. Dr. S H Munasing, issued a circular banning health officials from speaking to the media, because they were allegedly sharing “incorrect” information and “criticizing health policies.”

In June, the police issued a statement entitled “circulation of fake news, photographs, videos causing disunity, hate and obstructing the Covid-19 programme.” The Bar Association of Sri Lanka said the powers cited “could be misused by police officers in order to stifle the freedom of speech and expression.”

Security force intimidation of workers is particularly acute in the Tamil-majority north of Sri Lanka, which has remained heavily militarized since the end of the civil war in 2009. In Maruthankerny, security officials reportedly told workers they would lose pay and benefits if they did not report for work, despite safety fears related to the spread of Covid-19.

Most garment workers in FTZs live in crowded boarding houses operated by private landlords. Workers’ representatives said that because people with suspected or confirmed cases of Covid-19 are frequently not placed in isolation but instead sent back to their boarding house, there is a risk of transmitting the virus among workers of different factories who live in the same building.

Many garment workers come from parts of the country different from where their factory is located, so they do not qualify for the Rupees 5000 (US$25) relief packages distributed by local governments to low-income workers whose incomes have been affected by the pandemic.

The government and factory owners should take effective steps to isolate workers who test positive, and ensure that those receiving treatment or in isolation or quarantine receive full pay, Human Rights Watch said. Relief packages should be distributed to workers irrespective of which part of the country they come from, and safety measures and guidelines previously agreed upon with worker representatives should be followed.

Attempts to intimidate or coerce workers and their representatives, attacks on freedom of association, including the right to join a trade union, and attempts to stifle freedom of expression, should be immediately withdrawn. Foreign companies that buy clothes from Sri Lanka, and trading partners, including the European Union, whose GSP+ trading arrangement includes commitments to uphold labor rights, should press Sri Lanka to adhere to its commitments.

International and local labor rights groups from numerous countries have started a campaign for brands to help support workers and shore up social protection systems by joining a Wage Assurance Fund and Severance Guarantee Fund. Brands should support such initiatives, Human Rights Watch said.

Sri Lankan garment manufacturers have applied for loans from the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a part of the World Bank Group. The IFC should rigorously ensure that companies receiving loans adhere to its performance standards on labor and working conditions, and uphold fundamental labor rights enshrined in ILO conventions, including freedom of association and collective bargaining.

“Sri Lankan garment workers don’t just provide for their families, they help to keep the entire economy afloat during these very difficult times,” Ganguly said. “Their safety needs to be protected and their rights respected by the global garment industry that relies on their labor."