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A special hotline was launched by the Ministry of Finance and Media today to assist entrepreneurs with Enterprise Sri Lanka credit schemes.

Any entrepreneur can dial the special hotline, 1925, to submit their inquiries, complaints and feedback.

Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera said that the government hopes to create 100,000 entrepreneurs in the country within the first year of the program consisting of collateral free concessionary loan schemes for entrepreneurs.

Samaraweera further said that he expects to widen the scope of the programme in the upcoming budget.

The Ministry of Finance and Media, as envisaged in the Budget-2018 by Finance and Media Minister Mangala Samaraweera, has established a regulatory framework enabling Sri Lankan companies to initiate Business to Consumer (B2C) direct E-Commerce transactions with overseas customers.
 
Sri Lankan Customers do enjoy this B2C e-commerce facility via E-bay and other trading platforms but not vice versa. Accordingly, hereafter companies or exporters in Sri Lanka can send goods in any number worth maximum of 3000 US dollars each without submitting CUSDEC application to the Sri Lanka Customs. However, at the end of the particular month the exporter has to submit one CUSDEC application to Sri Lanka Customs covering all transactions.
 
The regulation issued by the Ministry of Finance introducing the E-Commerce Business to Customer will govern any approved online trading platform done by B2C operations by a Board of Investment approved Hub enterprise, B2C operations by a Board of Investment approved enterprises, B2C operations by any other registered business enterprise and B2C operations by any individual registered exporter.

A delegation from the U.S. Department of State’s Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement visited Sri Lanka from October 8 to 12, 2018 to observe U.S.-funded demining activities and meet with some of the beneficiaries of these projects.  The projects are part of the nearly 600 million Sri Lankan rupees ($3.5 million) in assistance that the U.S. Department of State has provided towards Sri Lanka’s demining efforts in fiscal year 2018. 

The group met with the Ministry of Re-settlement, the National Mine Action Center, and the Sri Lanka Army’s Engineering Brigade and traveled to Jaffna, Kilinochchi, Vavuniya, and Mannar to review mine clearance operations.  During meetings with families who had returned to their homes on land recently released back to them, the delegation heard about the impact mine clearance has made on the daily lives of local residents.  Thus far in 2018, U.S. funding has cleared 1.86 million square meters and safely removed 9,344 land mines and unexploded ordnance and 8,637 items of small arms ammunition.  

A female supervisor participates in a demining demonstration in Mannar

“We are proud to support Sri Lanka’s national mine action strategy and the goal of making Sri Lanka  mine-impact free by 2020,” said Chargé d'affaires Robert Hilton.  “Landmine removal directly supports peace and reconciliation in Sri Lanka by allowing citizens to return safely to their homes, businesses, schools, and places of worship.” 

Since 2002, the United States has provided more than 9.5 billion Sri Lankan rupees ($56 million) to clear explosive hazards in Sri Lanka.   Thanks to U.S. funding and in cooperation with the Sri Lanka Army, the Batticaloa District was declared mine-impact free in 2017.  U.S. funding continues to assist in clearance efforts in the other eight districts affected by landmine contamination and currently supports 664 de-mining jobs across the Northern and Eastern Provinces. 

The U.S. Government has assisted in clearance operations through its local partner the Delvon Association for Social Harmony and through international partners such as HALO Trust and the Mines Advisory Group.  U.S. funding has supported training and provided equipment to the Sri Lanka Army, including specially trained dogs for mine detection.  The United States has also funded mine risk education through the international partner Spirit of Soccer.

A year after they pleaded to avoid deportation to Sri Lanka, a Queenstown family have been granted residency and are giving back to the community that supported them. 

"I am so happy," an emotional Dinesha Wijerathne said, while working in her new chef job at the community project Let's Eat.

"I just want to thank everybody."

Husband Sam Wijerathne, a taxi driver, said they had struggled for eight years to reach a point of certainty for the family.

Dinesha Amarasinghe, her husband Sam Wijerathne and their children Subath, 12, Sunath, 9, and Binath, 11, have gained New Zealand residency after fearing deportation to Sri Lanka a year ago. Debbie Jamieson//stuff 

"We came here for a better life for my kids. It has been a hard life but now the boys are doing their job - their school work and all their teachers are happy with them."

The couple and their three cricket-mad, primary school-aged boys had lived, worked and studied in New Zealand for eight years when their world fell apart last year.

As they went through the residency application process, Dinesha Wijerathne, the primary visa holder, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) and was unable to work.

Their working visa applications were declined and the future looked grim.

However, their story touched the hearts of many people.

Queenstown Primary School was amongst the first to rally behind them. Tam Schurmann and the charity Baskets of Blessings realised the family's situation and became involved.

Local MP Hamish Walker stepped in too.

He assisted them to appeal to the Immigration and Protection Tribunal, buying time for the family, before requesting the Immigration Minister to intervene. 

When Dinesha Amarasinghe was facing deportation from New Zealand the people of Queenstown rallied around her. Now she has residency and a new job that allows her to give back to the community. DEBBIE JAMIESON/STUFF 

Walker, a first term National Party MP, lobbied Associate Minister of Immigration Kris Faafoi.

"Really I must thank him for allowing thIs family to stay in New Zealand," Walker said.

From the beginning Walker promised the family he would do everything he could to keep them in New Zealand, but knew the odds were against them.

"We didn't have long at the time. They were weeks away from being deported."

The incredible public support was a key factor, Walker believes. 

About 450 people marched through Queenstown in a display of community unity, and hundreds of others provided food, petrol vouchers and support.

Schurmann first met the family when Dinesha Wijerathne was nominated for a gift basket through the Queenstown charity Baskets of Blessing. 

"When that was delivered we realised there was a far greater need. We put the word out to the greater community - that they were unable to work and couldn't put food on the table.

"We were overwhelmed with unconditional love, from single mums dropping off half of their weekly groceries to residents from all walks of life."

The community fed the family for about eight months, she said.

"Not only has it now come full circle but Dinesha is now supporting a project that's providing for many more."

When Dinesha Wijerathne was given permission to work, MS was making it difficult for her to work fulltime as a chef in a traditional kitchen.

However, she was "snapped up" by the Presbyterian Churches of the Wakatipu as the catering manager for their already successful free Pasta Cafe and similar initiatives, Schurmann said.

The role has broadened with the introduction of the Let's Eat programme, another charity initiated by Schurmann, cooking up 400 frozen meals each week for distribution in the community, using food surpluses provided by supermarkets. 

"Dinesha oversees menu design, stock take, takes care of food safety...the most difficult thing is seeing what food she has to work with in the morning and coming up with simple recipes for the volunteers to make."

The family still has a difficult road ahead. Dinesha Wijerathne's health is challenging, they have a $30,000 bill to pay to immigration lawyers and they are living in a one-bedroom room in the former Queenstown Holiday Park, but Walker believes they deserve to stay.

"They have been tax payers in New Zealand for several years and I have no doubt the three boys will go on to became great New Zealanders in whatever field they choose."

At least one, 12-year-old Subath, already knows where that will be. Expect to see him in future as a Black Cap.

(Debbie Jamieson/ STUFF)

Courts this week ordered an analysis report on the Defender jeep given in 2011 to Former first lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa to carry out work of her Siriliya Saviya organization to ascertain if any traces of human remains or gunshot residue can be found in it. 

The Courts gave the order following a request by the CID this week and had also previously ordered the Jeep to be taken as evidence.

Magistrate Ranga Dissanayake gave the order after the CID said there is a clear doubt that the Defender may have been used in the abduction of Rugby player Wasim Thajudeen. 

Police was later able to trace the Defender registered under number WP KA - 0642 to Homagama and taken into their custody. CID also reported to courts that the colour of the Defender had been changed twice since the incident adding that sufficient evidence has been found that the jeep was used in the abduction of the Rugby player.

The commander of the Sri Lankan contingent in the UN peacekeeping operations in Mali has been ordered back home after a review of his human rights record, according to Stephane Dujarric, the spokesperson for Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. 

The decision to send Lt. Col. Kalana Priyankara Lankamithra Amunupure back was made after new information about him was received by the UN, Dujarric said on Friday, Besides the usual vetting for all peacekeepers, “there were some extra procedures done with the Sri Lankan contingents”, he said.

Amunupure was reportedly involved in atrocities against Tamils during the civil war in Sri Lanka when tens of thousands of civilians perished and the UN has said that war crimes were committed. A human rights group, International Truth and Justice Project (ITJP), said in an April press release from London that it had sent the UN a list of 56 paramilitary Special Task Force (STF) personnel who should be barred from serving as peacekeepers because of their human rights record.

It said they “are either alleged perpetrators or were involved in frontline combat in the final stages of the war when the UN says system(ic) crimes were committed by security force units”. 

Of Sri Lanka’s 682 peacekeepers, about 200 are deployed in the West African nation with the operation known as UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in Mali.

Col. Amunupure is not guilty of any HR violations: SL Army
Director of Media and Military Spokesman Brigadier Sumith Atapattu/Army.lk

Meanwhile, Military spokesman Brigadier Sumith Atapattu said today that the Sri Lanka Army would disprove the allegations leveled against Lt. Col. Kalana Amunupure as he was not guilty of any Human Rights abuses in the last stages of the war. 

Atapattu said however that it would comply with the UN request and take steps to recall Lt. Col. Amunupure, when an official request was received.

"It was only a verbal request. We will recall the Commander according to the formalities following an official request. If the UN does not want him there, we have to recall him.

“However, we do not agree with the allegation. He has not done anything wrong. He has not committed any war crime. We will appeal and send him back,” Brigadier Atapattu said.

UN Spokesman Stephane Dujarric announced that the request for Lt. Col. Amunupure to leave Mali was made “based on recently received information".

A total of 19,000 members of the Sri Lanka Army have to-date served in UN peacekeeping missions either as Combat Troops, Military Observers (156), Staff Officers or as Assistants to Staff Officers in several parts of the worl.

Following a public bashing of MP Gamini Lokuge by Joint Opposition Parliamentarian Kumara Welgama, Lokuge says he has no need to answer people who have lost their mind. 

Responding to Welgama’s claims that Former Secretary of Defence, Gotabaya Rajapaksa is against democracy, Lokuge says it was Rajapaksa and the Armed forces that protected the democracy of this country for all its people. 

“When you get up on stage and people clap more than deserved even I would feel I can become President,” Lokuge said taking a jab at Welgama who has been vehemently opposing the possibility of Rajapaksa becoming the JO’s presidential candidate.

The decision to divest Hilton and Hyatt hotels, which are non-strategic holdings of the Government, was decided by the Cabinet of Ministers and proposed in several budget speeches, the Ministry of Finance and Media said in a statement today (22) .

Hyatt Hotel, which is partially completed has so far cost the Employees Provident Fund, Sri Lanka Insurance and Litro gas, all state-owned organizations and accountable to the people, over Rs 15 billion. Furthermore, these same state organizations would have to put more money and give guarantees to banks for a much higher amount to complete the hotel. Public money, especially that of the EPF, should not be spent on building hotels, where the returns on investment can take many years. Therefore, the Hyatt hotel has to be divested to a reputable investor with the financial strength to complete the hotel without this being a burden to the State.
 
The Hilton Hotel, which has been profitable, to reach its full potential and compete with newer hotels needs to upgrade the hotel rooms, which have not been done for 30 years. The cost of refurbishment is expected to over Rs 4 billion. Also, this hotel has a foundation built for an additional hotel tower and 2 acres of land on which new investment in commercial property or serviced apartments can take place. As a Government owned enterprise, the hotel does not have the financial strength to undertake these new investments and if it does, the Government will have to fund this or expensive loans have to be taken. Therefore, it is justified to divest this hotel to a financially strong investor who can proceed with these new investments and generate more employment opportunities.
 
Importantly, the Treasury, EPF, Insurance Corporation and Litro Gas can put the money received from the divestiture to better use for the benefit of the public. In addition, the Government is committed to give a number of shares in the Hilton hotel to its employees on a scheme to be finalised and advised in due course. Therefore it is in the best interest of all stakeholders and the country’s economy to attract new foreign and local private investments into these assets.
 
On the divestiture process, the government is following a transparent mechanism. First, since this is an investment, it is required that investors are provided with a detailed information memorandum that would enable them to carry out a due diligence and investment appraisal. Therefore, the Government decided to appoint an independent financial adviser with offices globally who has experience in divesting hotel assets. Via a cabinet appointed consultancy procurement committee, after issuing a RFP, Lazard Asia of Singapore and MTI Consulting of Sri Lanka were selected as financial advisers with the approval of the Cabinet. They were selected out of 16 international local and foreign financial advisory firms who responded.
 
Then a Cabinet Appointed Negotiating Committee will be appointed to overlook the divestiture process with the assistance of the Financial Advisers and National Agency for Public Private Partnership. The first step in the process is to call for expressions of interest. This is only for the purpose of identifying who the bidding party is. Via the EOI advertisement placed, interested parties have to indicate their business, financial strength and which hotel asset they have an interest in purchasing. When they contact the financial advisers, the investors will be sent a simple one page format to fill out basic information about themselves and information on the hotels that is non-confidential will be given to them. If investors need more time to respond to the one page format, they can request for this. Therefore, the expression of interest does NOT require a priced bid.
 
Meanwhile, Lazard and MTI through their global offices have already begun to reach out to international real estate investors covering many countries.
 
Why this is being done this way is that both hotels are governed by management agreements with Hilton and Hyatt International hotel management companies and these agreements have confidentiality clauses, which restricts the hotel owning companies from releasing sensitive commercial information.
 
It is for this reason that parties who express interest will be first shortlisted and then bound to sign a Non-Disclosure and Confidentiality Agreement. Only after this is signed will the interested investors (not brokers) be given more than 100 pages of detailed financial and other information and given access to a security controlled data room. It is after this that the transparent bidding process will start under supervision of the relevant Cabinet appointed committee, where prospective investors will have ample time over several months to prepare financial bids and bid conditions.

The Sri Lanka Army has rejected allegations levelled by the UN which has called for the immediate repatriation of the Commander of its Peacekeeping force in Mali, citing a review of his human rights background, saying that while the Army would comply, they would also appeal.

Military Spokesman Brigadier Sumith Atapattu told the Daily News that it would comply with the UN request and take steps to recall Lt. Col. Amunupure when an official request is received.

“This is merely an allegation, the Commander has not committed any crimes to warrant such an action, hence its our responsibility to appeal upon his return,” he said.

“We will not be sending anyone else in the interim, since this contingent will be completing their mission by the end of this year.”

UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric announced on Friday that the request for Lt. Col. Kalana Amunupure to leave the troubled West African nation was made “based on recently received information.” He gave no details.

“This mission has been in Mali for the last nine months, we find it odd that such intimation has been received many months into the mission. It is noteworthy to mention that this is Lt. Col. Amunupure’s second mission to Mali for which he was granted approval following a stringent vetting process.”

Brigadier Atapattu said that they have only received a verbal request so far and would comply once a formal intimation is received.

“We will comply with the official notification in keeping with protocols. However, the Commander has not committed any crimes and the army is prepared to appeal.” In a response to Inner City Press which had questioned the UN spox on the request for repatriation, they were told the decision was reached following “a review of the human rights background of the Commander.

The Secretariat has requested Sri Lanka to immediately repatriate him. This will be done at their cost, as per normal procedure. This decision to repatriate the commander was made following a review, based on recently received information. The Secretariat remains engaged with the Permanent Mission on this matter.”

Despite the setback, sources say that the Sri Lanka Army is in the process of obtaining clearance for the next contingent which will leave the country next year.

Lt.Col.Kalana Amunupure leads a 200-strong Combat Convoy Company (CCC) contingent which will complete their one year tenure in Mali in December. According to him, 20 officers and 240 other rankers commanded by Lt.Col. K.L.I. Karunanayake with Major P.G.J Suriyasena as his Second-in-Command, would undertake responsibilities in Mali as replacement for the first CCC. (Daily News)

Two elephants were killed and another critically injured on Sunday while crossing railway tracks in Sri Lanka, officials said, in yet another tragic collision involving the protected animals and speeding trains.

A Jaffna-bound night train rammed into two elephants at Ambanpola, 150 kilometres north of Colombo, killing one and injuring the other.
In a separate accident, a passenger train derailed after hitting and killing an elephant near Palugaswewa, 160 kilometres north-east of Colombo.

No passengers were injured in either accident.

"Train services have been disrupted, but we are working to remove the carcass and repair the track on the eastern line," an official said by telephone.

Speed restrictions are imposed on trains passing through elephant habitats but these are difficult to enforce.

Only 10 per cent of Sri Lanka's trains are believed to be equipped with speedometers, local media reported Sunday.

Two weeks ago, a passenger train struck and killed three elephants. A fortnight before that, a mother elephant and her two calves were hit and killed in the east of the country.

Sri Lanka considers elephants a national treasure and they are protected by law.

But conflicts between humans and elephants near wildlife sanctuaries remains a problem.

Official figures show 1,200 elephants have been killed by humans in the past five years, with 375 people trampled to death by the beasts.

The government announced in August it would erect 2,651 kilometres of electric fencing to keep elephants out of villages bordering wildlife reserves.

It is estimated there are 7,500 wild elephants in Sri Lanka.

Archaeologists from Shanghai Museum have unearthed a large number of ceramic pieces, most of which appear to be have been made in China, from the Allaippidy ruins in Sri Lanka, a country on the Indian Ocean.

This shows the links that existed between China and other countries through the ancient maritime Silk Road.

Archaeologists sift the dirt carefully (left) to discover the ancient ceramic pieces (right) at the Allaippidy site in Sri Lanka, majority of which appear to have been made in China and have traveled along the ancient maritime Silk Road. The discovery was announced on Sept 29. [Photo provided to China Daily] 

The archaeological team set out on its first overseas mission to Sri Lanka in August, when they took 40 days making a comprehensive survey of the harbor city of Jaffna and its surroundings, as well as the excavation sites in the Allaippidy and Kayts Fort ruins, according to Chen Jie, head of the team.

Chen and his colleagues excavated in an area of 92.4 square meters at the Allaippidy ruins, where 650 pieces of ceramic were found, more than 600 of which were made in China, he said.

Majority of the Chinese ceramic pieces date to the late half of the 11th century or the early 12th century, according to Lu Minghua, a researcher on Chinese ceramic with Shanghai Museum. There were bowls, plates, saucers and pots, mostly produced in places that are now located in present-day provinces of Guangdong and Fujian for the overseas sale.

The museum has increased its study of the ancient maritime Silk Road, according to museum director Yang Zhigang.

Historical documents in Sri Lanka and China show that visits between China and Sri Lanka started 2,000 years ago. In 1911, a stone tablet with inscriptions discovered in Sri Lanka spoke of Chinese explorer Zheng He making multiple visits to the island country to expand trade and friendship between the two countries.

The archaeological achievement will play an important role in the studies of the trading route of the ancient maritime Silk Road, transportation networks as well as cultural communication between China and Sri Lanka, Yang says.

The museum has signed a five-year partnership contract with the Central Cultural Foundation of Sri Lanka to research the history of the ancient maritime Silk Road, perform excavations in some of the important ruins and sites in Sri Lanka, present joint exhibitions and initiate staff exchanges.

It takes many hours by road from Colombo, the commercial capital of Sri Lanka, to Jaffna, which is situated in the north of the country. The Shanghai museum team also shared their expertise with colleagues in Sri Lanka on aviation photography, 3D modeling and ancient Chinese ceramic conservation, such as knowledge about characteristics of Chinese ceramic from different periods.

Shanghai Museum had a "successful excavation" in Qinglong town in suburban Shanghai two years ago, revealing the town's history as a trading center of Chinese ceramic, and the discoveries were showcased at a special exhibition.

"With the help of our partners in Sri Lanka, we hope to do the same with this project," Yang says.

India's External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj called on visiting Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on Saturday and reviewed progress on development projects being implemented on the island nation with India’s aid.

“Continuing commitment to deepen our partnership with a close friend,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted following the meeting.

Swaraj and Wickremesinghe also discussed ways to boost ties between the two countries. 

Home Minister Rajnath Singh also called on Wickremesinghe on Saturday to discuss issues related to security and anti-terror cooperation between India and Sri Lanka. 

Wickremesinghe arrived here on Thursday on a three-day visit to boost ties in a range of areas, including trade, investment and maritime security. This is the Lankan Premier's  fifth visit to India since assuming office in 2015.