News

President Ranil Wickremesinghe has issued instructions to ensure the effective execution of the “Aswasuma” social welfare initiative, aiming to leave no one behind, the President’s Media Division (PMD) reported.

Moreover, the PMD mentioned that those who were unable to register previously for the welfare benefits scheme would be given the opportunity to do so during the month of August.

Additionally, provisions have been put in place to allow the submission of written appeals and objections until July 10, according to the PMD.

The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) has announced the launch of the next phase of its e-billing system, which will come into effect from July 01, 2023.

In a press release, the CEB said the customers residing in Dehiwala, Kelaniya and Sri Jayewardenepura areas would ‘exclusively’ receive their electricity bills in a digital format, either through SMS or e-mail.

With the introduction of the e-billing system, the conventional practice of issuing printed paper bills will be discontinued.

The CEB is encouraging its customers to promptly register for the e-billing system, as the issuance of printed paper bills will gradually be suspended in the coming month.

Seeking the attention and cooperation of the public to ensure the successful implementation of the e-billing system, the CEB said this initiative is expected to save approximately 100 million sheets of paper annually.

“In light of this significant environmental impact, we invite all our customers to join us in embracing this digital transformation and take advantage of the CEB’s digital services ahead of the mandatory rollout.”

Registration via SMS: Type REGfollowed by A/C Number and send it to 1987.

Online registration: Visit http://ebill.ceb.lk and follow the instructions

The National Lotteries Board and the Development Lotteries Board have announced an increase in lottery ticket prices.

Accordingly, the lottery prices will be increased from Rs. 20 to Rs. 40.

The price hike will be effective from July 06, 2023.

Sri Lankan authorities have declared a five-day closure of financial markets from Thursday ahead of move to restructure the government's domestic debt amounting to more than $51 billion.

Central bank governor Nandalal Weerasinghe said authorities had ordered that Friday will be a holiday, on top of existing religious holidays on Thursday and Monday and the weekend.

He told local television networks that it would be unhealthy for markets to remain open while the debt restructuring was being discussed in parliament.

Weerasinghe said deposits of individuals would not be affected, but the government plan is to restructure treasury bills and bonds held by commercial banks and pension funds.

The government is still in talks with its foreign creditors to restructure external debt, a key condition to continue with the four-year $2.9 billion IMF rescue package.

Air Vice Marshal Udeni Rajapaksa has been appointed to the post of Air Force Commander.

The President’s Secretary, Mr. Saman Ekanayake, handed over the appointment letter to AVM Rajapaksa at the Presidential Secretariat yesterday (28).

In recognition of his exceptional service and in line with his new appointment as the Commander, President Ranil Wickremesinghe has promoted Air Vice Marshal Udeni Rajapaksa, to the rank of Air Marshal, effective from tomorrow, the 30th.

As the 19th Air Force Commander of the country, Air Vice Marshal Udeni Rajapaksa proudly represents his alma mater, Ananda College, Colombo, being the first Air Force Commander to be appointed from Ananda College.

His journey began in 1988 when he joined the Kotalawala Defence College as a cadet, and subsequently, he excelled in flight training at the Anuradhapura Camp No. 01, achieving the distinction of being the best cadet in the 33rd Air Cadet Course.

With a combination of local and foreign training, he demonstrated outstanding performance as a flight officer. Prior to his current appointment, he held the second position of command within the Air Force, as the Chief of Staff, and now assumes the prestigious role of Air Force Commander.

The Court of Appeal was today given an assurance by the Department of Wildlife and Conservation that they will not be taking steps to export toque macaque monkeys from Sri Lanka to China.

The assurance given by the Department of Wildlife and Conservation was informed to the Court of Appeal by the Attorney General when the petitions filed against the move were taken up for hearing today.

The case will be taken up before the Court of Appeal next on 6th July 2023 to record the undertaking given to the Court by the State.

Nearly 30 petitions were filed in response to a previous statement made by Minister of Agriculture Mahinda Amaraweera claiming that there were plans being made to export toque macaque monkeys from Sri Lanka to China.

The petitioners were filed by several animal activists and environmentalists, including the Wildlife and Nature Protection Society of Sri Lanka, before the Court of Appeal seeking a Writ of Certiorari, quashing any decision to export toque macaque monkeys to China.

President’s Counsel Sanjeeva Jayawardena with counsels Prashanthi Mahindaratne, Dilumi De Alwis, Lakmini Warusevitane and Rukshan Senadira instructed by attorney-at- law Amila Kumar appeared for the Petitioners.

Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe has come in for sharp criticism in the social media for his comment when he mocked a questioner - “if you can’t speak in English, speak in Tamil, I understand Tamil" - thereby avoiding to answer a core question from Dr. Sockalingam Yogalingam, a Tamil based in London.

He hit back saying, “I hope there are others who understand my English”.

“What is being done to stop happenings in the North, such as genocide, militarization, land grabbing, Buddhistization?," he questioned the island nation’s president.

Dr. Yogalingam representing the Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE) raised the above question when Ranil Wickremesinghe was interacting at a meeting organized by the Conservative Environment Network in London. A few years back in Oxford too he confronted Wickremesinghe and was arrested.

Instead of answering his question, Ranil mocked him when the questioner said, “It is called a democratic Sri Lankan government, which I don’t believe in”. Immediately intervening, President Wickremesinghe said he can “understand Tamil”.

The chair of the meeting Thomas Heilmann - a member of the German Parliament Bundestag cut short Dr. Yogalingam. The meeting was also attended by Elbegdorj Tsakhia, former President of Mongolia and Vicky Ford, former UK Minister for Development.

Netizens have condemned Ranil's reaction as ‘arrogant’ and ‘unbecoming of a president’. They have also questioned ‘if Ranil can understand Tamil, why doesn’t he understand the Tamils' issues?’

A few weeks earlier, he snubbed the Director General of Archeology Anura Manathunga in a meeting saying “if he doesn’t know history he will teach him”.

The government is committed to preventing any injustice towards the “Aswesuma” welfare beneficiaries, the President’s Media Division (PMD) said.

Meanwhile, the PMD further stated that the government urges all applicants to reach out to the Divisional Secretaries during the appeal period until July 10, since it emphasizes the importance of not yielding to political instigation or external influences.

Earlier today, State Minister of Finance Shehan Semasinghe stated that the Welfare Benefit Board would intervene if any injustice is observed in the beneficiary selection process.

Taking into Twitter, he also notified that the relevant officials have been informed so that the people can hand over appeals and objections under the ‘Aswasuma’ welfare benefits program personally at the Divisional Secretariats across the island.

For any further inquiries, the general public can contact the hotline number 1924 which is operational on weekdays from 8.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m., according to the minister.

Award-winning writer and teledrama director Gaya Ramya Alwis has died, aged 52.

Alwis, who worked as a senior producer at Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation, had been admitted to Ragama Hospital due to illness, where he breathed his last.

He was the youngest son of renowned songwriter Dalton Alwis.

An inmate at the Welikada Prison was arrested when attempting to flee the premises in an attire similar to a prison guard's uniform.

The Department of Prisons said a death row inmate at the Welikada Prison escaped when he was taken out of the cell for a religious program on Sunday (25).

Prison officers had later arrested him while he was boarding a train at the Maradana Railway Station and brought him back to the Welikada Prison.

The inmate was convicted of murder and sentenced to death by the Gampaha High Court in 2015.

He is a 42-year-old resident of Pannala.

The Prisons Department said an investigation will be conducted under the Prison Superintendent of the Colombo Remand Prison.

President Ranil Wickremesinghe assured that the restructuring of domestic debt will have no impact on the membership balance of any public funds, including the Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF).

He emphasized that the rate of return for superannuation funds will not be affected in any way.

Furthermore, the President stated that the restructuring of domestic debt will not pose any threat to the stability of the country’s banking system, whether it be public or private banks.

He specifically mentioned that the deposits of more than 50 million bank depositors will remain unaffected, and there will be no changes to the current interest rates paid on bank deposits.

President Ranil Wickremesinghe also announced that proposals for restructuring both foreign and domestic debt will be presented to the Cabinet tomorrow (28).

The President made these statements while inaugurating the Gampaha District Secretariat Administrative Complex, ‘Laksiyane Mandiraya,’ which has been constructed with the aim of providing efficient and regular government services to the people of the Gampaha district.

The complex, with an expenditure of nearly Rs. 4 billion, stands at seven stories tall.

It was highlighted that Sri Lanka’s total public debt, comprising both domestic and foreign debt, amounted to $83,700 million by the end of 2022, representing 128.3% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Of this amount, the foreign debt totalled $41,500 million, accounting for 63.6% of the GDP. The President also noted that the domestic debt at that time stood at $42,100 million, which constituted 64.6% of the GDP.

The President highlighted the urgency of restructuring the country’s debt, stating that without such measures, the public debt would exceed 100% of the GDP by 2035.

He emphasized that foreign creditors have already expressed their agreement to participate in the debt restructuring process.

To ensure debt sustainability in Sri Lanka, the President emphasized the need for restructuring both external and domestic debt.

Acknowledging the significant burden carried by foreign creditors, he mentioned that the country is set to receive 17 billion US dollars from them in the next five years.

The President emphasized the importance of local creditors also contributing to this effort.

The proposed debt restructuring plan has been designed with the primary objective of safeguarding the public’s bank deposits.

The President underlined the responsibility of protecting the depositors of all banks regulated by the Central Bank. He assured that the proposed domestic debt restructuring method poses no harm to bank depositors and will not lead to a collapse of the banking system. On the contrary, it will pave the way for a restructuring process that can rebuild the economy.

The President further stated that the country’s economic recovery, reduction in interest rates, the government’s ability to provide subsidies easily, and the reduction of both domestic and foreign debt burden in the next decade will yield positive results benefiting the people of the country.

During his official visit to France, the President engaged in discussions with Commonwealth Secretary General Patricia Scotland, International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva, Netherlands Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Sigrid Kaag, American Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, and Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi regarding foreign debt restructuring. The President highlighted the progress being made in Sri Lanka’s financial sector during these discussions. He expressed satisfaction that they were all eager to assist in reversing the crisis in Sri Lanka and affirmed their commitment to contribute significantly to the country’s economic recovery.

The President also said that during a recent telephone conversation with the Indian Finance Minister, Mrs. Nirmala Sitharaman, she had expressed her country’s intention to positively contribute to Sri Lanka’s debt restructuring and economic stability. The President said that he would hold detailed discussions on the matter during his upcoming visit to India.

The President also mentioned that Foreign Minister Ali Sabri, who is currently on an official visit to China, has agreed to enhance bilateral relations and strengthen economic ties between the two countries. Minister Sabri held fruitful discussions with China’s Foreign Minister, Mr. Qin Gang, sharing their views on deepening cooperation.

President Ranil Wickremesinghe further revealed that, during a meeting with the Chinese Finance Minister, Liu Kun, in Beijing, he was briefed on the economic stabilization and progress plan of the country. Minister Ali Sabri expressed gratitude for China’s special contribution during the previous crisis.

During the visit, the President held discussions with the Chairman of the Chinese Exim Bank, Wu Fulin, and other Chinese officials appointed for the purpose of restructuring Sri Lanka’s foreign debt. They assured their commitment to contribute to the debt restructuring process in the best possible manner.

The Constitutional Council has granted approval to appoint Professor Manjula Fernando to the post of Chairman of the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka.

The new appointment came after the resolution to remove Janaka Ratnayake from the post of Chairman and Member of the Public Utilities Commission was passed in Parliament on the 24th of May.