News

As part of India’s unwavering commitment to positively contributing towards the Capability Building of Sri Lankan Armed Forces, a Webinar was conducted by the Defence Wing, High Commission of India on 13 January 2021 at Hotel Taj Samudra between officers of Indian and Sri Lankan Armed Forces along with representatives from Indian defence manufacturing companies.

The Webinar was chaired by Vinod K. Jacob, Deputy High Commissioner and Maj Gen AWAPK Thilakarathne psc, Chief Signal Officer, Sri Lanka Army. The Sri Lankan delegation had large number of representatives participating from all three services.

The Deputy High Commissioner, highlighted the impetus being given by India to further the interest of Sri Lankan Defence Forces and the opportunities that can be provided by the highly evolved defence production industry in India.

During the Webinar, products of interest of Sri Lankan Defence Forces were presented with the aim that such close interactions with Sri Lankan Armed Forces would valuably contribute in effectively countering common security threats in the region and towards realisation India’s Vision of Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR).

In a letter dated January 15 addressed to the missions of the 47 member states of the UNHRC, they called on to establish an evidence gathering mechanism such as the one on Syria with a strict one-year time frame.

They urged for a new resolution on Sri Lanka’s accountability. Sri Lanka faced three consecutive UNHRC resolutions since 2013 which called for an independent international investigation into alleged war crimes committed by both government troops and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) during the final phase of the civil war back in 2009.

The Tamil and civil society groups in the letter recalled that the then UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in 2009 after his tour to Sri Lanka’s battle zones had said that the Sri Lankan government had agreed to investigate violations of rights and international humanitarian law.

The groups say that UNHRC is due to meet next month and in March to evaluate Sri Lanka’s commitments made.

They called for a fresh resolution, saying Sri Lanka has failed and that resolution must stipulate that the UN Security Council must take up the matter and take suitable action through the International Criminal Court and an effective international accountability mechanism to inquire into Sri Lanka’s alleged abuses of human rights.

The current government had already withdrawn from the resolution co-sponsored by Sri Lanka in 2015, 2017 and 2019 under the previous government.

According to the UN figures, up to 40,000 civilians were killed by the security forces during Mahinda Rajapaksa''s regime that brought an end to nearly three-decades long civil war in Sri Lanka with the defeat of LTTE in 2009.

This proposal takes into consideration the sustainability of both the industry and livelihoods of plantation workers, the Planters Association said in a media release.“After a very productive meeting with the Minister, RPCs have arrived at a final consensus on what we can sustainably offer, while providing the highest possible earnings potential for our workers. Our final offer amounts to a 30% increase in earnings on the fixed model, and there is no upper limit to what workers can earn under the productivity-linked components," RPCs noted.

"This is the first step to modernising our entire industry, and moving beyond a basic daily wage system which is a relic of the colonial era and long overdue for an update.

We have gone well beyond the LKR 1,000 daily wage demand of trade unions, and this follows a 40% increase from just two years ago.

At a time when others in the apparel and leisure sectorS are slashing wages and retrenching workers, ours is one of the precious few export industries which has shielded our employees from the negative impacts of the pandemic, and is actively pursuing a wage increase.

This is no easy feat, and without improvements in productivity, it will still be extremely difficult for any RPC to remain financially sustainable.

There is clear understanding from the Government on our position, and it is now up to trade unions to make the right decision."

Under the final proposal, RPCs are offering a fixed daily wage of LKR 1,105, with the re-introduction of attendance and productivity incentives - a feature which trade unions had strongly and consistently opposed in the past, but have since reversed their position in the most recent negotiations.
 

At a news conference, Suga explained that the government had changed its position to temporarily halt all business travel as new COVID-19 infections spread domestically, saying that additional steps needed to be taken at borders to prevent new coronavirus variants from entering the country.

“To protect people’s lives and livelihoods, and to remove potential risks (over the pandemic), I have decided to temporarily suspend” the entry of foreign business travelers, Suga said.

In addition to “the deeply troubling” domestic coronavirus situation, there were cases of a cluster attributed to a variant from an individual who returned from the U.K. and of another new variant from several individuals who returned from Brazil, Suga said, explaining the reason behind the decision.

The entry restrictions will take effect from Thursday through Feb. 7, when the state of emergency declared for 11 prefectures is set to expire.

Immigration authorities already halted new entries of nonresident foreign nationals in December following the discovery of a deadly new strain of the coronavirus in the United Kingdom. However, authorities preserved the travel mechanism for business travelers to minimize disruptions to economic activities, Suga’s top priority.

Japanese and foreign nationals with valid legal statuses are permitted to return to the country under the latest entry restrictions.

The prime minister had previously said last week that business entry would be immediately suspended once a variant is detected in a participating country.

The latest policy announcement is essentially a concession by Suga, who had been said to be hesitant to halt business travels over the economic repercussions. Even some of his fellow conservative Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers have pressed him to implement restrictions on business travels to beef up border control measures.

The countries and regions affected are: Vietnam, China, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Malaysia.

Japan has additionally concluded mutual “business track” agreements with China, Vietnam, South Korea and Singapore to facilitate exchanges. Under the framework, business travelers from those four countries as well as Japan are exempted from quarantine at an airport but are required to obtain a negative result from a virus test before departing. The travelers are exempted from a 14-day self-quarantine period in exchange for the submission of an activity plan.

Between Jan. 4 and last Sunday, as many as 11,546 people, mainly from Vietnam and China, had entered Japan using the reciprocal business travel programs, according to Justice Ministry data.

Under the contract agreement, if the Light Rail Transit (LRT) project is suspended or delayed due to renegotiation, the Government will incur a loss of around USD 100 million, in addition to penalties from the Japan International Cooperation Agency.

The treasury, on the advice of Presidential Secretary Dr. P.B. Jayasundera, has informed JICA it could not proceed with the LRT for the next five years because it did not have borrowing space.
 
It is not clear how the JICA project would affect the Government’s financial situation as the project contract includes a 12-year grace period for the commencement of loan repayment.

The USD 270 million JICA loan for the project is provided under Special Terms for Economic Partnership, carrying interest rates of 0.1% per annum for civil works and equipment cost.

It has offered 0.01% p.a. for engineering services cost with a 40-year repayment period including a 12-year grace period, in order to promote technology transfer and economic cooperation between Sri Lanka and Japan.

The LRT project was expected to boost transportation capacity, save travel time, and improve the safety and comfort of public transportation over 15.7 kilometres of track with 16 stations in and around Colombo.

The Sri Lanka government has already spent a sum of around LKR 3 billion from the loan facility for the project obtained under the loan agreement signed on 11 March 2019.
 
State Minister Nalaka Godahewa noted that the government has to pay a penalty for the termination of the project which will amount to twice the total cost incurred to build the Hambantota port.

He noted that they are deeply saddened about the inhumane response of the present regime to innocent Sri Lankans who are suffering in many foreign countries across the world.

Addressing a press conference today (14), the former speaker pointed out that all migrant workers who are stranded abroad can be repatriated using Sri Lankan airlines for less than Rs. 9 billion.

"As far as we are aware, a huge sum of money amounting to nearly Rs. 14 billion has been accumulated in three funds affiliated to the Bureau of Foreign Employment. It is also possible to repatriate these people through our own airlines for less than Rs. 9 billion. We see it as a humanitarian act that can be done in this dire situation. We hope this appeal is brought to the attention of the Government," he said.

Jayasuriya said that these migrant workers were responsible for the net foreign exchange income to this country in the last few decades and therefore, they have rendered the most important service to this country in recent times.

"But how does a country that relies on their sweat and tears treat them today? How is it possible to ignore the grievances of those people in the Middle East who are extremely helpless and who are living in parks as they have no place to live. Should we not feel shame about a country that is allowing a gang of cronies to exploit the Covid pandemic to take away everything they have earned through sweat and tears over the years?" he said.

Speaking further, he said that,

"According to reports received, about 60,000 Sri Lankans are currently waiting to return to their homeland. We must not forget that some countries in the world have repatriated their citizens at the expense of the government. How unfair would it be if they have to spend their hard-earned money to return?

Many Sri Lankans abroad who spoke to us said that as soon as this government came to power, it had recalled a number of officials attached to the Foreign Employment Bureau in embassies in the Middle East. As such, there is information that those embassies do not have sufficient staff to provide services to Sri Lankans in those countries today.

Many have reported to us that in countries with large numbers of Sri Lankan migrant workers, there were at least 3-4 senior officers affiliated to the Foreign Employment Bureau for welfare purposes. They said in the absence of these officers now, they often do not get the support they are entitled to receive.

The Government should pay special attention to these matters. We call on the government to provide humanitarian assistance to these Sri Lankans in need as soon as possible.

After the Hon. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa came into power, his main request was that his faction be given a two-thirds majority in parliament to ensure good governance in the country. Due to the immense trust that the people of this country had placed in the Hon. President, they fulfilled the request made. This is why the present government got a two-thirds majority. Thereafter, the Hon. President as well as other leaders of the current Government pointed out the need to bring in the 20th Amendment to the Constitution. The government used the power they had obtained to gain even more power that no previous ruler in this country had through the 20th Amendment to the Constitution.

Have these unlimited executive powers been used for the benefit of the people of this country? Sadly, the answer is no. But using this unlimited power, it is possible to make a list of all the anti-democratic activities that have been and are still being carried out.  In fact, instead of the beautiful world that people had hoped for, the 20th Amendment has turned it into a pit of fire on their heads.

The other thing that shocked us during the week was the massive destruction of the environment by the use of political force. One such instance in particular was the environmental destruction in the Wattala area reported by His Eminence Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith. It was later reported that the necessary permission had been obtained for this project. However, we hope that a proper investigation will be carried out as obtaining permission for any project can be done very easily in Sri Lanka.

The other tragedy was the felling of valuable trees believed to be over 100 years old to create a flower garden at the Buwanekabahu Park in Kurunegala. We consider this a national crime. In many parts of the world, it is a common practice to preserve such historic trees and design gardens. How practical would it have been if the same was followed in this instance?

Although it was later stated that government permission was obtained for this project as well, we have seen many instances where the law of this country is bent to achieve various ends. It has been several months since the demolition of the Buwaneka pavilion of archaeological value, but those responsible are still roaming free.

Have the people who once instilled strong faith in one country, one law, made it a reality today? There is nothing more laughed at today than the law of this country. This is a horrendous situation. There is no worse destruction that can be done to a country other than the misuse, abuse and making light of its law.

This is evident from the dramatic acting by various responsible persons following the recent incident at the Mahara Prison. Today the truth and reality behind the incident has been revealed. It has now become clear that all these were shootings and murders. But has justice been done? Is there even a semblance of justice being done?

This is evident from the dramatic acting by various responsible persons following the recent incident at the Mahara Prison. Today the truth and reality behind the incident has been revealed. It has now become clear that all these were shootings and murders. But has justice been done? Is there even a semblance of justice being done?

So what exactly can happen in a situation like this? What is the most important lesson that world history has taught us? It is that justice cannot always be walked over. There is no man in the world clever enough to stop people from coming forward to demand justice at the right moment. Therefore, it would be ideal if all the rulers of this country realise this fact."

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic hit Sri Lanka, the daunting problem faced by the ceramic tiles and sanitary ware industry was that their manufactured goods piled up in large quantities without being sold due to surge of imports of cheap ceramic and sanitary ware to the country.

Discussions with President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on handing over the Eastern Terminal (ECT) of the Colombo Port to India have concluded unsuccessfully and in a deadlock, trade unions said.