News

JVP MP Bimal Ratnayake has announced that the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) will field its own candidate for the upcoming presidential polls. 

The MP claimed the party is prepared to fully support the implementation of the 20th amendment to the constitution which will abolish the executive presidency. However he said failing which the party will field its own candidate at the upcoming election. 
 
He also said however the party has not made the decision as to who will be put forward as the Presidential candidate and will discuss prior to making such a decision.
 
He also confirmed the candidate will be a JVP member and will not be a common candidate as previously. 
 
(Ravaya)

Sri Lanka has introduced a procedure for re-payment of the 15% VAT to foreign tourists on their departure for the goods purchased by them during their stay in Sri Lanka. The system will be implemented with effect from Tuesday (11), the Ministry of Finance and Media said today.

Minister of Finance and Media Mangala Samaraweera will open the special counter at the departure terminal of the Katunayake Bandaranaike International Airport by tomorrow evening.

This procedure is another budget proposal of the 2018 budget that has come to fruition and will be implemented by the Department of Inland Revenue (IRD).  Businesses are required to register with the IRD under this programme for repayment of VAT to become eligible under this scheme.

18 shops that sold goods and garments have already been registered under the Department of Inland Revenue in order to be qualified under this procedure.  Any enterprise that is willing to be stakeholders of  this system can register under the Department of Inland Revenue based on their permanent VAT number.

Under the VAT refund process, foreign tourists must present the tax refund forms obtained at customs offices, along with the VAT receipts issued by participating shops and the items purchased, to customs offices, along with the VAT receipts issued by participating shops and the items purchased, to customs officers to be checked and stamped upon departure from Sri Lanka.

The objective of this programme is to attract more foreign tourists to Sri Lanka to bolster the island nation's effort of positioning itself as a vibrant trading hub of Asia, in line with the Budget Proposals of 2018.

A minor earth tremor has been felt near Trincomalee bay early this morning (15), stated Geological Survey and Mines Bureau. According to the Bureau’s Director General Dr. Chandrawimal Siriwardena, the tremor measured between 3.5 and 3.8 on the Richter Scale.

The tremor had occurred at around 12.35 am today and it has been recorded in Hakmana, Mahakanadarawa and Pallekele seismic stations as well, he said. The Director General confirms that no harm has been reported from this earth tremor.

Indian Railways will supply modern locomotives and train sets worth USD 82.64 million for the supply of 160 passenger coaches from India under concessional financing. 

Sri Lankan Railway Department signed an agreement to purchase these compartments under the Indian credit line project and they would be purchased from the RITES Company of India. 

The company had earlier exported 20 DMU train sets, three locomotives to Sri Lanka, besides providing expertise for setting up railway maintenance facilities and training of the island nation's railway officials during the period 2008-12.

(AFP) - Animal sacrifices at Hindu temples could be banned in Sri Lanka under new plans announced Wednesday, after growing protests over the rituals from the country's Buddhist majority as well as moderate Hindus.

The cabinet approved a proposal put forward by the Hindu Religious Affairs minister to outlaw the ancient practice that is still observed at several temples across the country.

"The legal draughtsman was asked to prepare a bill to ban animal and bird sacrifices at Hindu temples," the government said in a statement.
During religious festivals, some devout Hindus sacrifice goats, chickens and buffalos, expecting good fortune in return.


AFP/File | Hindus constitute about 12 percent of Sri Lanka's 21 million population, which is mainly Buddhist

But the practice has offended animal rights activists, as well as many other Sri Lankans.

Although there is currently no clear law prohibiting animal sacrifices at places of worship, Sri Lankan courts from time to time have issued temporary bans on such practices.

Hindus constitute about 12 percent of Sri Lanka's 21 million population, which is mainly Buddhist.

Muslims, the third largest religious group in the country, also conduct ritualistic animal sacrifices -- although it appears the law would apply only to Hindus.

The country has experienced waves of religious tension in recent years, with anti-Muslim riots in March leaving three people dead and hundreds of mosques, homes and businesses reduced to ashes.

Inspector General Pujith Jayasundara and the National Police Commission (NPC) has been asked to resolve their issues in two weeks time. The duo was summoned before the constitutional council after widespread reports of disagreements between them with the IGP failing to implement certain recommendations made by the NPC. 

National Police Commission (NPC) and Inspector General of Police (IGP) Pujith Jayasundara appeared before the council on Thursday. 

Among the issues between them were problems pertaining to the promotion of Kilinochchi SSP Palitha Siriwardena, promotions of 129 officers subjected to political revenge, removal of OIC Narammala from his post, investigations into educational qualifications of DIG Nalaka De Silva and the Suspension of OIC Statistics Division.

According to Police sources IGP Jayasundara has been blocking several of the recommendations on various grounds. Sources say for example the list containing 129 names of officers who claim to have been subjected to political revenge by the previous government, however, includes names of certain police officers known to have had close connections to the earlier regime, creating serious doubts regarding the vetting process utilized by the NPC to recommend promotion on the basis.

Sri Lanka's national airline said on Wednesday that it has stopped serving cashews after the President Maithripala Sirisena flew into a rage over nuts served to him on a flight to Colombo.

"Returning from Kathmandu, I was served some cashews on board a SriLankan flight, but it was so bad even a dog wouldn't eat it," Maithripala Sirisena said on Monday.

"I want to know who authorised the purchase of these nuts," the President told a meeting of farmers.

An airline spokesman said it has responded by clearing its stock of cashews -- only served in business class -- and would change its Dubai-based supplier.

This is not the first time that the nuts served by the airline have prompted outrage.

In 2014, a South Korean heiress famously ordered a Korean Air plane back to its gate to eject a cabin crew member after she was served nuts still in their packet.

Last month, Colombo renewed its search for an equity investor in the loss-making and heavily indebted SriLankan after the International Monetary Fund warned that the airline was dragging the country's economy down.

In May last year, attempts to privatize the national carrier collapsed after a US private equity firm withdrew its bid for a 49-percent stake.
The airline was profitable before Mahinda Rajapakse, when he was president, cancelled a management agreement with Emirates in 2008 following a personal dispute.

The carrier had refused to bump fare-paying passengers and give their seats to Rajapakse's family.

Rajapakse removed the Emirates-appointed chief executive of Sri Lankan and made his brother-in-law Nishantha Wickremasinghe the head of the company.

Wickremasinghe is now under investigation for corruption and mismanagement.

The recent criticisms against the Sri Lanka Army by Former Army Commander Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka has gone down well with the current Army Commander Mahesh Senanayake. Releasing a statement today the Sri Lanka Army Headquarters noting that recently retired Army officers keep commenting on the Army’s war preparedness said they cannot comment on the strength of the force while being outside the Army. “They have no moral right to do so” the release issued by SLA HQ said.

“We condemn such comments being made against the government, Ministry of Defence and the Army to gain personal and political mileage” it further added. The Army, therefore, has also requested the public to not believe in such false propaganda. 

However, the release also claimed the Army is prepared to discuss with former Commanders and Officers in a bid to exchange ideas so that the Army can be strengthened further.

A troop of naval personnel attached to SLNS Gotabhya in the Eastern Naval Command rescued a Whale Shark (Rhincodon Typus) that was stranded to Alampil beach area in Mulaithivu and supported it to swim deep waters, on Monday. 

On the information given by Mullaitivu Fisheries Inspector Mohan Kumara to the Naval Detachment in Alampil, the distressed Shark was guided about 03 nautical miles into the sea by Naval personnel attached to SLNS Gotabhya with a strenuous attempt under the directives of its Commanding Officer.

This creature is a one of the largest species belongs to the Shark family and weighs about 9000 Kg and about 9m in length. Their lifetime is around 70-100 years and included in the Red List as well.

Maharagama Urban Council workers are continuing their strike against the alleged attack on four fellow workers by Maharagama Urban Council Chairman Tiraj Lakruwan.

Out of the four, two workers of the Maharagama Urban Council were admitted to the Homagama Hospital after being allegedly attacked by the Chairman.

Opposition member of the Maharagama Urban Council Ruwan Jayasinghe said the Chairman had allegedly assaulted these two workers after taking them to a room, accusing them of being drunk at the time. Condemning the alleged attack on public servants, the UC member said that the Chairman has no right to attack UC workers and he should have taken disciplinary action against them, if they were found to have consumed alcohol while on duty.

While the strike will continue, the Health section of the UC will report to work tomorrow due to Garbage piling up in the UC area. Others will however continue till the issue is resolved UC sources said.

Sri Lanka’s Central Bank on Monday refuted a report that the island nation was at risk of an impending currency crisis. 

In a report compiled by Nomura Holdings Inc. Sri Lanka, South Africa, Argentina, Pakistan, Egypt, Turkey and Ukraine were identified as countries most at risk with Sri Lanka being described as having the worst outlook “due to still-weak fiscal finances and a very fragile external position”. Senior Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, Dr. P. Nandalal Weerasinghe pointed out a serious anomaly in the Nomura report. He stated that Sri Lanka’s debt is nowhere near the US $ 160 billion figure quoted by Nomura.

Dr. Weerasinghe also pointed out that the actual figure is estimated at US $ 14.3 billion.

"Given the fact that Sri Lanka’s short term external debt is nowhere near the US$ 160 billion figure that Nomura analysts have quoted, it appears that Nomura Holdings have made a serious computational error with regard to Sri Lanka’s external vulnerability,” Dr. Weerasinghe said.
“As such an erroneous report could to trigger an unwarranted panic amongst investors, particularly in the context of current volatile global market conditions, the Central Bank of Sri Lanka has already written to Nomura Holdings, and requested them to correct this error without any delay.”

The People's Liberation Front (JVP) in Sri Lanka moved a motion in Parliament to abolish the Executive Presidency and replace it with a new one in which the Prime Minister is the head. 

The JVP yesterday presented to Parliament a bill titled 20th Amendment to the Constitution to abolish the executive presidency. The bill was presented to the House by JVP MP Vijtiha Herath. The bill will seek to amend Article 4 of the constitution, which has vested the executive power in the President, elected by the people

Security around the Parliament was beefed up, after intelligence reported that the joint opposition was likely to converge. 

"This was an unkept promise over a long period of time. There were many pledges to abolish the executive presidency but it was never implemented," Vijitha Herath said in Parliament. 

According to Herath, the new motion aims at preventing too much power being conferred on a single individual. 

"This (the existing system) has made an individual too powerful," he said. 

The current president headed system was introduced in 1978 after Sri Lanka was under a Westminster model parliamentary system since 1948. The system has been blamed for most of the political ills in the island country, including the long standing dispute with the Tamil minority for their demand for power sharing. 

Since it was introduced, all parties have pledged to abolish it. Every president, since 1994, have elected to honour the pledge to abolish the presidency. However, the pledge was never kept. 

In the event the motion gets approved, former president Mahinda Rajapaksa may stand to gain as he would then be free from the term bar in the current Constitution. The 73 year old Rajapaksa was twice elected to the post, but is constitutionally barred from running for Presidency again.