News

The Supreme Court today (04) refused to grant leave to proceed with the five petitions filed against the Yugadanavi powerplant deal.

FR petitions were filed by Ven. Elle Gunawanse Thera, Archbishop of Colombo Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith, the Samagi Jana Balawegaya party, Government Ministers Wimal Weearwansa, Udaya Gammanpila, and Vasudeva Nanayakkara.

The petitioners challenged the Cabinet decision to transfer 40 percent of shares of the Yugadanavi Power Plant in Kerawalapitiya, to the US-based company, New Fortress Energy, adding that Finance Minister Basil Rajapksa had not presented a Cabinet paper on the matter.

Ukraine is claiming it has killed 5,840 Russian troops.

Its armed forces say the preliminary figures represent all losses inflicted on Russian forces since the beginning of the invasion.

The BBC cannot independently verify these claims, but the UK defence ministry believes that Moscow's forces have suffered heavy losses during its invasion of Ukraine.

The total Russian losses being claimed by Ukraine so far include:

5,840 troops

30 aircraft

31 helicopters

Up to 211 tanks

862 armoured patrol vehicles (APVs)

85 artillery systems

9 anti-aircraft systems

60 fuel tanks

355 vehicles

40 MLRS rocket launchers (captured)

(BBC)

The United National Party has criticised the Government's attempts to distract the public from the ongoing crisis in the country.

The UNP Deputy Leader, Ruwan Wijewardena, accused the Government of failing to address the growing issues faced by the public. Speaking at a meeting attended by UNP activists, Wijewardena commented on the recent sacking of two Cabinet Ministers. “The Government is treating the public like fools, they think that sacking two Ministers will make us think they are solving the problems in the country. This is just an attempt to distract us. A Cabinet Reshuffle is not the answer to the dollar crisis, if at all the President should remove the Central Bank Governor who has continued to pursue policies that have prevented dollars from entering the country."

He further highlighted that daily the problems faced by the public increase yet there has been no attempts made by the Government to solve them. “First there was a milk powder shortage, then a cement shortage, after this there was a gas shortage now there is a fuel shortage and 7-hour power cuts. We are also seeing yet another round of gas shortages. What has this Government done to solve these problems? For 18 months the UNP has been urging this Government to seek the assistance of the IMF, but they refuse to. What is their solution to this crisis?”

Wijewardena said that the UNP has continually offered their support for any meaningful efforts to solve the crisis in the country, “we stood up and offered to support the Government in addressing these problems but they have ignored us. They are now ignoring the public. It will not be long before the people come out on to the streets calling for this Government to go home”.

Central Media

Unit United National Party

4th March 2022

Sri Lanka has reiterated its opposition at the UN Human Rights Council to the evidence gathering mechanism it has established for the country.

It is unhelpful to the people, will polarize Sri Lankan society and adversely affect economic development, peace and harmony at a challenging time, foreign minister Prof. G.L. Peiris told the 49th session of the UNHRC in Geneva today (01).

It is also an unproductive drain on member state resources, he said.

The minister said Sri Lanka has participated actively and constructively in aspects of the UNHRC’s work that have been productive and beneficial and helped to ensure Sri Lankans live safer, longer and more dignified lives.

“We reject those that are punitive, politicized, divisive, unhelpful and initiated due to extraneous reasons,” he said.

Reproduced below is the full statement by Minister Peiris:

Minister of Energy Udaya Gammanpila and Minister of Industries Wimal Weerawansa were sacked from their portfolios by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

Following this evening's cabinet reshuffle, S.B. Dissanayake was appointed as the Minister of Industries, while Gamini Lokuge was appointed as the Minister of Energy.

Both Gammanpila and Weerawansa criticised the government’s conduct at an event held by 11 constituent parties of the government.

The Public Utilities Commission states that there will be a 5-hour power cut during the day and two and a half hours at night tomorrow (02).

” PUCSL is reluctantly compelled to approve CEB request (due to nonavailability of fuel ) for 7 and half hours long power cut island-wide for tomorrow (2/3/22). Power shedding for all areas will be 5 hours between 8 am to 6 pm. And further 2 and half hours between 6 pm to 11 pm.”, said the Chairman of the PUCSL.

The token strike launched by health professionals will be temporarily called off for 10-days from 8:00 AM on Friday (Mar. 4).

The decision was reached based on the response of the authorities following a discussion held with the Secretary to the Ministry of Health last night, Ravi Kumudesh, the Convenor of the Federation of Health Professionals told News 1st.

Moreover, the strike was temporarily called off taking into account the difficulties faced by the people as a result of the prevailing power and fuel crises, he added.

The decision to call off the strike was reached at a meeting of the Executive Committee of the Federation of Health Professionals held on Thursday.

Health professionals attached to 17 trade unions launched the strike action on Tuesday (Mar. 2) citing the failure of the authorities to resolve several issues including salary anomalies.

The treatment of patients, the issuance of medicines, laboratory services, and radiology services at Government Hospitals.

The strike will be carried out until 8:00 AM on Friday (4).

Former President MP Maithripala Sirisena addressing the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) District Convention in Polonnaruwa stated that he had handed over a beautiful country with no problems.

Pointing out that blaming the government for the situation befallen the country at the moment provides no solution, the former President suggested that all those who are involved and not involved in governance must be getting up on one stage for the country.

“Following my term end I handed over a beautiful country with no problems. People had their meals, farmers cultivated well. I am not saying there were no problems in my time, but the daily life of the citizens and the people of this country was not as it is today. This problems will not be solved by blaming the government. This is a moment where all those who are involved or not involved in governance must be getting up on one stage. It is time for all the political parties and leaders of the country to come together on one platform and come round to one table to save the country, stop the country from falling apart and lift it up. Although rocks are thrown at our direction, our characters are being defamed and I am being called a thief and insulted, we will not fall. In the 54 years of party politics in my life, I am well adapted to defamation, insults and slander. There are many problems in our country today. The farming community lives in tears. I have been talking about the sorrows of the farming community for about a year in Parliament. Other than me, there are three government ministers and MPs in Polonnaruwa who have been elected by the people of Polonnaruwa. Have you ever asked even one of them whether they have spoken about the suffering of these farmers on or off Parliament? No. They say, “Yes Sir, No Sir” to everything. That’s all,” Sirisena added.

LNW

Former Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena has called on the government to be more flexible to discuss the issues that have burdened the people.

“The people are in dire straits and in anger. We must cast aside our party differences and call for an all-party convention that will be represented by the leaders of all parties in Parliament,” Sirisena, the Chairman of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, told an event in Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte on Wednesday (2).

He was speaking at the launch of a resolution ‘Taking The Nation On The Correct Path’ to solve the economic crisis suffered by Sri Lanka.

A collective of 11 political parties affiliated with the government was present to launch its National Statement “Mulu Ratama Hari Magata” and it comprised of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, the Democratic Leftist Party, Lanka Samasamaja Party, the Communist Party of Sri Lanka, the National Freedom Front, the National Congress, the Pivithuru Hela Urumaya, the Sri Lanka Mahajana Pakshaya, the Vijaya Dharani National Council, the Eksath Mahajana Pakshaya and Yuthukama National Movement.

Maithripala Sirisena said that before the 2020 Parliamentary Elections, the Sri Lanka Nidahas Podujana Sandanaya was formed and he was appointed as its Chair, however, to-date this alliance has not met.

“If this is how they want to work, how can we express our views to the government?” lamented the Former Head of State, adding without dialogue one cannot solve issues.

He said it is for this very reason that 11 political parties affiliated with the government were brought to one common platform to raise their issues.

“The government is responsible for forcing the 11 parties with 30 MPs to meet separately,” he said while calling on the opposition to come to the table for a common goal, rather than dreaming about securing power in governance.

Russian forces captured the southeastern Ukrainian city of Melitopol on Saturday, Russia’s Interfax news agency reported, as Moscow launched coordinated cruise missile and artillery strikes on several cities, including the capital Kyiv.

Ukrainian officials were not immediately available for comment on the fate of Melitopol, a city of about 150,000 people. If the Interfax report citing the Russian defence ministry is confirmed, it would be the first significant population centre the Russians have seized since their invasion began on Thursday.

Earlier, Ukrainian officials said Russian forces fired cruise missiles from the Black Sea at Mariupol, also in the southeast, as well as Sumy in the northeast and Poltava in the east.

Kyiv authorities said a missile hit a residential building, and a Reuters witness said another hit an area near the airport. There was no immediate word on casualties. Gunfire erupted near city-centre government buildings at around dawn, a Reuters witness said. The cause was not clear.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, speaking in a video message from outside his Kyiv office, was defiant.

“We will not put down weapons, we will defend our state,” he said.

After weeks of warnings from Western leaders, Russian President Vladimir Putin invaded from the north, east and south, an attack that threatens to upend Europe’s post-Cold War order.

Putin said he had to eliminate what he called a serious threat to his country from its smaller neighbour and he cited the need to “denazify” Ukraine’s leadership, accusing it of genocide against Russian-speakers in eastern Ukraine.

Kyiv and its Western allies dismiss the accusations as baseless propaganda.

In a televised meeting with Russia’s Security Council on Friday, Putin appealed to Ukraine’s military to overthrow their “neo-Nazi” leaders.

“Take power into your own hands,” he said.

‘UNDER CONTROL’

Western countries have announced a barrage of sanctions on Russia, including blacklisting its banks and banning technology exports. But they have stopped short of forcing it out of the SWIFT system for international bank payments.

At the United Nations, Russia vetoed a draft Security Council resolution deploring its invasion, while China abstained, which Western countries took as proof of Russia’s isolation. The United Arab Emirates and India also abstained while the remaining 11 members voted in favour.

The White House asked Congress for $6.4 billion in security and humanitarian aid for the crisis, officials said, and Biden instructed the U.S. State Department to release $350 million in military aid.

Russia’s defence ministry said their forces used air- and ship-based cruise missiles to carry out overnight strikes on military targets in Ukraine, Interfax said.

It said Russian troops had hit hundreds of military infrastructure targets and destroyed several aircraft and dozens of tanks and armoured and artillery vehicles.

Ukraine’s air force command earlier said one of its fighters had shot down a Russian transport plane. Reuters could not independently verify the claim.

Mykhailo Podolyak, adviser to the president’s office, said the situation in Kyiv and its outskirts was under control.

“There are cases of sabotage and reconnaissance groups working in the city, police and self-defence forces are working efficiently against them,” Podolyak said.

Ukrainian authorities have urged citizens to help defend Kyiv from the advancing Russians. Some families took cover in shelters and hundreds of thousands have left their homes to find safety, according to a U.N. aid official.

Ukraine said more than 1,000 Russian soldiers had been killed. Russia did not release casualty figures. Zelenskiy said late on Thursday that 137 soldiers and civilians been killed with hundreds wounded.

Ukrainians voted overwhelmingly for independence at the fall of the Soviet Union and Kyiv hopes to join NATO and the EU - aspirations that infuriate Moscow.

Putin says Ukraine, a democratic nation of 44 million people, is an illegitimate state carved out of Russia, a view Ukrainians see as aimed at erasing their more than thousand-year history.

‘READY TO TALK’

The United States imposed sanctions on Putin, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov. The European Union and Britain earlier froze any assets Putin and Lavrov held in their territory. Canada took similar steps.

The invasion triggered a flurry of credit rating moves on Friday, with S&P lowering Russia’s rating to “junk” status, Moody’s putting it on review for a downgrade to junk, and S&P and Fitch cutting Ukraine on default worries.

But even as the fighting grew more intense, the Russian and Ukrainian governments signalled an openness to negotiations, offering the first glimmer of hope for diplomacy since Putin launched the invasion.

A spokesman for Zelenskiy said Ukraine and Russia would consult in coming hours on a time and place for talks.

The Kremlin said earlier it offered to meet in the Belarusian capital Minsk after Ukraine expressed a willingness to discuss declaring itself a neutral country, while Ukraine had proposed Warsaw as the venue. That, according to Russian spokesman Dmitry Peskov, resulted in a “pause” in contacts.

“Ukraine was and remains ready to talk about a ceasefire and peace,” Zelenskiy spokesman Sergii Nykyforov said in a Facebook post. “We agreed to the proposal of the President of the Russian Federation.”

But U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price said Russia’s offer was an attempt to conduct diplomacy “at the barrel of a gun” and Putin’s military must stop bombing Ukraine if it was serious about negotiations.

Source: Reuters -Agencies

The Archbishop of Colombo His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith on Wednesday (3) met with Michelle Bachelet, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

The meeting took place on the sidelines of the 49th session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.

Speculations have arisen whether the bus fare will increase in the near future?

The Secretary of the All Ceylon Private Bus Owners Association, Anjana Priyanjith demanded for a special subsidy from the Government for buses with the increase in the price of diesel.

Priyanjith further stated that if such a subsidy is not granted, there will be no other option remaining than to increase bus fares.