News

The European Union will consider stripping Sri Lanka of its duty-free access if it backs off commitments on rights, the EU ambassador said, amid worries stoked by the president's replacing of the elected premier by a wartime nationalist.

The European Union is worried the return of Mahinda Rajapaksa, as prime minister, could derail halting progress made towards national reconciliation following a war with ethnic  minority Tamil separatists that killed tens of thousands, many during the final stages under his watch as president.

"The government got GSP on the basis of certain commitments, if these commitments are not met, then we would consider withdrawal," EU ambassador to Sri Lanka, Tung-Lai Margue, told Reuters on Thursday.

Margue was referring to Generalised System of Preferences Plus status, under which Sri Lanka’s top exports of garments and fish get lucrative concessions in the world's largest single market.

Margue was among a group of diplomats who met President Maithripala Sirisena this week for a briefing on the crisis sparked by his sacking of the prime minister.

The EU provides the trade concessions to developing countries, while it also monitors certain conditions including human rights.

Sri Lanka promised the EU in 2016 it would work toward reconciliation with Tamils, who mostly live in the north and east of the predominantly Buddhist nation, through greater political and economic autonomy.

Sri Lanka also pledged to provide justice and reparations to victims of human rights violations committed during the 26-year civil war, many of which were blamed on Rajapaksa and his brother, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who was his defence secretary.

Both say the military only targeted insurgents, not civilians.

Margue said some progress had been made towards human rights by the administration of sacked prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, such as the establishment of a missing persons' office to trace the thousands of Tamils and minority Muslims who disappeared during the war.

But more needed to be done and there were questions about whether a government led by Rajapaksa would pursue justice for victims as vigorously.

"I don't know what his policy on reconciliation would be like. I have fears it won't be the one we agreed on," Margue said.

Rajapaksa was not available for comment, but his son Namal Rajapaksa, who is a member of parliament, defended the family's record and cautioned against pre-judging policies of the administration.

"Reconciliation has, and always will be, a focal area for us. If there is concern that GSP will need to be withdrawn, these concerns are unfounded and presupposed in error," he said.

Soon after he was appointed prime minister on Oct. 26 Rajapaksa also struck a conciliatory note, saying he would "eschew the politics of hate", protect human rights and the independence of the judiciary and establish law and order".

STRONGEST WARNING

Sirisena suspended parliament last week, after he sacked Wickremesinghe. Wickremesinghe has denounced his removal as illegal.

Both the United States and the EU have called for parliament to be convened at the earliest to let lawmakers decide who should be prime minister of the country of 21 million people.

On Friday, the speaker of parliament said Sirisena had agreed to summon a session on Wednesday next week.

The EU warning on trade is the strongest yet from Western powers which, along with India, the island's nearest neighbour, have urged Sirisena to abide by the constitution.

On the other hand, China, which invested billions of dollars during Rajapaksa's presidency, has called for non-interference and said Sri Lanka could tackle its own problems.

Diplomats said trade was key to Sri Lanka's US$87 billion economy and the EU is its biggest export market, accounting for nearly a third of exports in 2017.

Sri Lanka regained the GSP plus preferential treatment in 2017. Its exports to the EU have since jumped 18 percent, and the financial year was not yet over, Margue said.

Fish exports had jumped 100 percent, he said.

China, in contrast, has faced criticism for its big projects that have left Sri Lanka so much in debt it had to hand over control of a port to China.

"It's better to do trade than have friends, friends who give loans," said a Western diplomat referring to China's lending.

Sri Lanka's garment industry is its second-biggest hard currency earner, after remittances, worth about US$5 billion a year, with goods

supplied to top brands including Victoria’s Secret, Tommy Hilfiger, Nike and Marks & Spencer.

(Reuters)

All staff at the Prime Minister's office on Flower road have been issued with a ban on using mobile phones within the building and its premises without prior approval. 

The directive was issued by Prime Minister’s Additional Secretary (Planning and Development) A.H Sunil Gunawardene on the directive of Mahinda Rajapaksa who has been appointed as the Prime Minister of the conspiracy government 

According to sources the decision was taken due to fears that news of happenings within the office were being immediately communicated to Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe. 

While the SLFP and JO have been trying to muster the 113 MP’s needed with rumours rife that some on their side are planning to defect to the United National Party, Mahinda Rajapaksa is said to be under a lot of strain and stress as the Tamil National Alliance talks for support also fell through.

Sri Lanka’s trade deficit widened further as the growth in import expenditure outpaced the rise in earnings from exports, although earnings from services exports, including tourism, and workers’ remittances helped cushion the external current account deficit to some extent, Central Bank claimed.  

Amidst the widened trade and current account deficits, which were partly due to the increased expenditure on fuel imports and imports of motor vehicles and gold, the balance of payments (BOP) also experienced pressure from the emerging market selloff caused by tightening global financial conditions and the strengthening of the US dollar.

These developments resulted in a sharp depreciation of the Sri Lankan rupee, and the Central Bank intervened in the market at times to prevent disorderly adjustment of the exchange rate while allowing demand and supply conditions to determine its direction, Central Bank announced.

In the meantime, a senior official of the bank noted that the performance was mixed on the fiscal front, with the overall budget balance and the primary balance improving during the first eight months of the year, while the current account balance deteriorated marginally.

Nevertheless, the lower than expected revenue collection is likely to challenge the achievement of the targeted budget deficit for 2018, despite the slowdown observed in expenditure, he added.

An Assistant Director of Maithripala Sirisena and a National Coordinator of the National Sustainability Division of the Presidential Secretariat has submitted her resignation. She made the announcement on Twitter today. Thisuri is the youngest National Award-winning authour. 

Sources say other academics and professionals who joined President Sirisena following his win in 2015 are now planning to leave his side in protest after the recent political upheaval engineered by him.

UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe wife, Prof. Maithree Wickramasinghe, has intervened last night to cancel a dinner organized for the UNP Parliamentary group at Temple Trees by insisting that all MPs eat the same 'Buth packets’ distributed to 5,000-odd supporters gathered at the Temple Trees premises.

A UNP Parliamentarian had sponsored the dinner in support of all MPs gathered at the official residence of the Prime Minister in support of Ranil Wickremesinghe. 

Prof. Wickramasinghe had intervened to cancel the dinner stating no Parliamentarian should get better meals than the ordinary supporters protecting the party leader. 

Asian Mirror learns that Prof. Wickremasinghe walked into a meeting of a UNP MP group to ensure the cancellation of the dinner. 

It is also learnt that the  UNP MPs had commended Prof. Wickramasinghe's effort and complied with her request. She was also seen at the forefront of the protest organized by the UNP supporters, earlier this week, outside Temple Trees. 

Source : Asian Mirror

Ambassador Alaina B. Teplitz officially began her tenure as the U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka today (01) after presenting her credentials to President Maithripala Sirisena.  The ceremony was held at the President’s official residence.  Ambassador Teplitz was accompanied by her husband, Robert Saul. 
 
“I am honored to serve as the U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka at this critical moment for the country and region.  For seven decades, the United States has supported Sri Lanka on its path to peace and prosperity.  I look forward to joining you on this journey as we work together to address the challenges and seize the opportunities that lay ahead to ensure a safe and thriving Indo-Pacific region.  Together, we can help ensure a future in which democracy empowers the people and all rest assured of respect for human rights,” said Ambassador Teplitz. 
 
Ambassador Teplitz served as U.S. Ambassador to Nepal from 2015-2018.  A career member of the Senior Foreign Service with the rank of Minister Counselor, she joined the State Department in 1991.  She was the Director of the Under Secretary for Management’s Office of Policy, Rightsizing, and Innovation (M/PRI) from 2012-2015, where she identified innovative ways to improve how the U.S. diplomatic service operates and championed efforts to enhance knowledge management, data use, and risk management.  Prior to leading M/PRI, Ambassador Teplitz was the Minister Counselor for Management at U.S. Embassy Kabul from 2011-2012.  She directed a team providing oversight for U.S. Government Chief of Mission civilian activities in Afghanistan and planned for the impact of the eventual military force reduction.

Due to the recent political conspiracy by President Sirisena and Former President Rajapaksa the government is said to be at the risk of losing the funds for the Light Railway System project amounting to USD 1.4 from Japan. 

Minister of Megapolis and Western Development, Patali Champika Ranawaka was informed of this when he visited the Ministry today (02). 

According to sources, the Japanese government providing funds had decided to halt the funds due to the political instability in the country at the moment. However, the Minister had instructed all officials to continue with the development work unhindered. 

The Minister had also said the conspiracy government does not have the required numbers and it was proven at the party leader meeting today. The Minister also declared all decisions being made by the new government are illegal and adding that once issues are normalized the necessary action will be taken against them.

The Sri Lanka rupee hit a record low today with the selling rate at 177.32 while the buying rate is marked at 173.42 against the US dollar. 

Stocks slipped from a nearly six-week closing high hit in the previous session as foreign investors exited after President Maithripala Sirisena's contreversial ouster of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.

Sources close to Prime Minister Wickremesinghe said that he appreciated the exchange of views with the former Secretary to the Ministry of Defence, Gotabaya Rajapaksa. 

It was revealed that both Wickremesinghe and Rajapaksa have agreed on the need to avoid violence in the country when Gotabaya visited Temple Trees yesterday.

Wickremesinghe had stressed that the only way to resolve this matter is through parliament and called for it to be convened immediately.

He further said that he commands the support of the people to safeguard parliamentary democracy and is prepared  to go beyond parliament, if necessary, to prove it.

President Maithripala Sirisena will reconvene parliament on Nov. 5, newly appointed Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa said today (11), as international pressure builds to resolve a political crisis.

Sirisena named the pro-China Rajapaksa as prime minister on Friday after abruptly dismissing the government of Ranil Wickremesinghe.

Wickremesinghe has said his removal is unconstitutional and has demanded he be allowed to prove his parliamentary majority.

"President has decided to reconvene the parliament on 5th," Rajapaksa said addressing a meeting at the prime minister's office.

Sirisena had earlier prorogued the parliament till Nov. 16 but political parties and foreign powers urged an earlier session to resolve the crisis.

The anti-democratic conspiracy orchestrated by President Sirisena that resulted in the unconstitutional removal of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and the appointment of Mahinda Rajapaksa to the post of Premiership was clearly revealed in Parliament today (11).

The official government under the leadership of Premier Wickremesinghe along with other members of parliament met speaker Karu Jayasuriya today.

It was revealed that, except for the parliamentarians representing the Sirisena-Mahinda faction and the five members who crossed over after allegedly receiving millions of dollars in addition to ministerial portfolios, all other parliamentarians have pledged at the meeting that they will intervene to defeat this anti-government conspiracy and move to establish democracy once again.

A significant feature of this meeting was the way in which the Tamil National Alliance, the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress, the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna along with all other constituent parties came together, under the leadership of Premier Wickremesinghe, ensuring their support to safeguard democracy in the country.

Accordingly, 118 MPs were present in parliament including Opposition Leader R. Sampanthan and JVP MP Vijitha Herath.

It was reported that the Speaker was apprised of how they (UNP parliamentarians) were offered ministerial portfolios as well as millions of dollars to cross over the to the illegal government by the masterminds behind the constitutional coup. Minister Harsha de Silva had tweeted during the meeting that Palitha Range Bandara was offered a staggering USD 2.8 million to cross over.

(WASHINGTON) - The United States weighed in Wednesday on a political crisis that has engulfed the Indian Ocean island nation of Sri Lanka since the president abruptly fired the prime minister and replaced him with an authoritarian former leader who has been accused of serious human rights abuses.

State Department spokesman Robert Palladino told reporters, “It’s up to the parliament to decide who the prime minister is.” That follows the Sri Lankan president’s sacking last week of Ranil Wickremesinghe and his replacement with former leader Mahinda Rajapaksa, which critics say violates the constitution.

President Maithripala Sirisena swore in a new Cabinet under Rajapaksa on Monday despite a warning from the parliament speaker of possible violence if lawmakers were not summoned immediately to resolve the crisis. Sirisena suspended Parliament in an apparent move to give Rajapaksa time to muster enough support to survive any no-confidence vote.

The political upheaval and challenges to the democratic process could endanger improvements in U.S.-Sri Lanka relations since Rajapaksa lost power in elections in 2015. He had presided over the defeat of ethnic Tamil rebels in the nation’s quarter-century civil war that ended in 2009. However his government became alienated from the West over its failure to address allegations of war crimes in the final months of the conflict and his crackdown on dissent.

For the past three years, as Sri Lanka has had a fragile unity government, the U.S has expanded relations that were curtailed during the later years of Rajapaksa’s rule, including renewed military cooperation. Sri Lanka has a strategic location on sea lanes linking Asia to Africa and Europe, where Washington vies for influence with China.

The U.S. has also increased development aid. The government-funded Millennium Challenge Corporation has been preparing a five-year assistance package, or compact, worth hundreds of millions of dollars that was expected to be finalized in the coming weeks. That could now be thrown into doubt.

“No actions are being taken either to move the compact forward or to suspend it while we assess the situation in country,” MCC said in a statement to The Associated Press. The agency said it expects Sri Lanka “to remain committed to democratic governance, which includes respect for fundamental freedoms and rule of law.”

The developments in Sri Lanka will also cause concern in Congress, which has conditioned assistance to the island on post-war justice and the restoration of civil and human rights.

Vermont’s Sen. Patrick Leahy, the top-ranking Democrat on the powerful Appropriations Committee, said that if the appointment of Rajapaksa as prime minister stands, “it will pose a grave challenge to U.S. engagement with that government.”

He said that when Rajapaksa was in power, he ran “the government as a criminal enterprise, making sweetheart deals with China, persecuting the Tamil minority and wrongly imprisoning political opponents and journalists.”

In addition, allegations of rights abuses, Rajapaksa’s government came under fire in Sri Lanka for taking out billions of dollars in loans from China to build a scantly used port. He was also criticized for the lavish lifestyles of his three sons and nepotism that saw his brothers holding sway in many key institutions.

(Time)