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The Sri Lankan rupee ended weaker on Thursday (08) as outflows from government securities and stocks due to political uncertainty raised dollar demand.

Stocks fell for the fourth straight session, hitting its near two-week closing low and moving further away from their near two-month closing high hit last week, as the political crisis dented sentiment after the speaker of parliament said on Monday he would not recognise President Maithripala Sirisena's sacking of Ranil Wickremesinghe as prime minister and appointment of Mahinda Rajapaksa in his place. 

The bond market saw an outflow of about LKR 11 billion between Oct. 25-31, Central Bank data showed. 

This year, Sri Lanka has seen LKR 16.6 billion rupees in outflows from stocks and LKR 100.8 billion from government securities, Bourse and Central Bank data respectively showed. (Reuters)

A 9-member delegation of the Cambodian Mine Action Authority (CMAA) of the Cambodian government, with the intention of broadening their knowledge through Sri Lanka’s Humanitarian De-mining work, visited Muhamalai Humanitarian De-mining site on Wednesday (7) to share Sri Lanka's de-mining practices.
 
The delegation, comprised of Mr Prum Sophakmonkol Secretary General, CMAA, Mr Tep Kallyan, Deputy Secretary General, CMAA, Mr Rob White, Adviser, Strategic Management and Residual Contaminations, Mr Mao Bunnhath, Adviser Department Director of Victim Assistance, CMAA, Mr Ediwin Fraigmane, Chief of Technical Adviser Mine Action, UNDP Cambodia, Mr Tan Sara Department Director of Social Economic Planning and Database Management, CMAA, Mr Chim Chansideth, Department Director of Regulation and Monitoring, CMAA, Ms Ros Sophal, Deputy Data Base Manager, CMAA and Ms Buth Rothana, Programme Officer, Mines Advisory Group (MAG) Cambodia.

Major Waruna Ponnamperuma, Commanding Officer, 10 Field Engineer Regiment of the Sri Lanka Army Humanitarian De-mining Unit (HDU) presented a comprehensive briefing to the visitors on the status quo as regards the ongoing Army de-mining project in Muhamalai and adjoining areas.
 
After they were taken to the site, Army manual and mechanical de-mining teams staged field demonstrations, leaving space for them to interact with de-miners at work. Towards the end of the near 3-hour long live demonstration of Army de-miners, the delegation called at the HALO Trust resettlement site in Muhamalai itself where other non-governmental de-miners are at work.

Australian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Bryce Hutchesson in a tweet today said that they are 'seriously concerned at reports that opportunity for a confidence vote will be denied' when Sri Lanka's Parliament is convened on the 14th of November.

Hutchesson's comments come in the wake of several government ministers who said that the Parliamentary order paper has only the policy statement of the President Maithripala Sirisena. "President will deliver the policy statement on November 14 before Parliament is prorogued again,"  Parliamentarian Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena said yesterday (07).

The United States has urged Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena to reconvene his country's parliament right away and resolve the country's political crisis, US Department of State spokesperson Heather Nauert said in a statement on Wednesday.

"We urge Sri Lanka's president to reconvene parliament immediately to resolve the political crisis," Nauert said via Twitter.

A further delay would compound uncertainty and undermine Sri Lanka's international reputation as well as the aspirations of Sri Lankans for good governance, stability and prosperity.

On Monday, Sri Lanka Parliament Speaker Karu Jayasuriya said he would not recognize the country's new government until it proved majority in 225-seat parliament.

The statement came after Sirisena suspended the parliament shortly after sacking elected Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and replacing him with Mahinda Rajapaksa, the former president of Sri Lanka, on October 26.

Sri Lanka's Marxist party Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna says the party will support any motion brought to defeat the political conspiracy hatched by the President Maithripala Sirisena and former president Mahinda Rajapaksa.
 
The JVP on Wednesday said the conspiracy being carried out by Mahinda Rajapaksa and Maithripala Sirisena offering positions, privileges and black money should be defeated.
 
"As such the JVP would act to defeat this political conspiracy at the very first instance it gets," the Leader of the JVP MP Anura Dissanayake said.
 
The JVP leader said this political conspiracy should be defeated within Parliament as well as outside it and therefore, the JVP has organized seminars in 4 main towns in the island on the 9th November.
 
On the 12th November, the party has organized a 'Forum' in Colombo where a broad discussion with the participation of representatives of mass organizations, professionals and intellectuals would be held.
 
The JVP also asked the Speaker to convene Parliament immediately since a majority of Parliamentarians have requested the Speaker to do so.
 
The party asked the Speaker not to accept the proroguing of Parliament since the Speaker had not been informed regarding proroguing Parliament. Also, the Gazette has been issued without informing the Speaker definitely about the reconvening of Parliament.
 
The Marxist party noted that the Speaker has released a special statement saying that he would not recognize new changes and he recognizes the earlier positions in parliament until the Parliament is convened.
 
"The JVP considers this statement of the Speaker as a very strong decision and thanks the Speaker for taking such a decision," MP Dissanayake said.
 
The JVP said it would support if a vote is taken against the positions that have been appointed violating the Constitution. Also, if the new government presents budget proposals or any such bill the party would take measures to defeat it, the JVP Leader said.

Speaker Karu Jayasuriya stated that after the meeting in Parliament on 14th November, standing orders should be suspended and an opportunity must be provided for majority opinion on the ability to form a stable government. An unofficial meeting of the party leaders was held today (07) at the office of the Speaker. Issuing a press release, the Office of the Speaker stated that the agenda of the parliament for November 14th was discussed at the meeting.

Sri Lanka's Speaker has decided to suspend the standing orders and test the majority when the parliament reconvenes on the 14th, a statement issued by the Speaker's Media Office said.

The decision was taken at an unofficial meeting of party leaders held Wednesday (November 7), at the Speaker's office to determine the agenda of Parliament on the 14th.
 
The UPFA Government's stand on the day's agenda was to adjourn the parliament for the day after the Secretary General of Parliament read President's order to reconvene parliament.
 
Other party leaders have held a contrary opinion, and pointed out that in addition to the parliamentary business for the day, the majority opinion to establish a stable government should be tested.
 
Secretary of parliament reading of the quorum of the Hon. President's address by the day had to be closed and the congregation should be postponed on that day.
 
Considering the arguments from both sides, the Speaker stated that he would act in accordance with the opinion of the 116 Parliamentarians, who had in writing requested him to reconvene the parliament, and decided to suspend the Standing Orders and allow the majority to decide on the possibility of forming a stable government.
 
The Speaker emphasized that through establishing a majority government, the recent collapse in the foreign investment and stock market, as well as the adverse effects on the economy due to the current political crisis will be averted and a credible position of the country can be restored. (Colombo Page)

The reason behind National Freedom Front (NFF) leader Wimal Weerawansa not receiving a ministerial portfolio is due to a condition laid down by the founder of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) Basil Rajapaksa, internal sources of the government said.

Basil had stressed that any person with on going court cases should not accept posts in the new government until they are acquitted in the court of law. Basil had further stated that the same condition applies to him as well.

He had also explained the need to clear themselves from court cases that were filed as part of political revenge under the good governance regime and had requested senior government officials including Lalith Weeratunga and Gamini Senarath to not take any posts until such time.

However, several leaders of the National Freedom Front have requested Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa to give Wimal Weerawansa a cabinet portfolio immediately .

Making a feeble and clumsy attempt to whitewash the homophobic references made by President Maithripala Sirisena at the recent rally held in Battaramulla, Co-Cabinet Spokesperson Mahinda Samarasinghe yesterday said President Maithripala Sirisena did not make any sexual innuendo when he made a reference to ‘Butterflies’ when speaking of Premier Ranil Wickramasinghe and his group of Ministers. “They entered in to a butterfly way of life” the President had said which was taken as a homophobic comment made against Wickramasinghe. 

“What he means was the UNP group like Butterflies would fly from flower to flower and meddle in everything” he said as an explanation. However when journalists brought up the fact that in society ‘butterfly’ is accepted as a derogatory term against homosexuals, Samarasinghe asked the journalists not to give the word their own interpretation. “Butterfly is just an innocent animal” he said reiterating that it was not a homophobic comment. He also admitted that people are using the comment made to cross over as well. 

However the local LGBT community taking offence have launched a series of protests against the pathetic comments made by the President. Senior Lecturer of University of Colombo and Activist T. Waradas has called on the President to apologies for hurting the sentiments of the community.

The United States has granted exemptions to eight countries allowing them to temporarily continue buying Iranian oil, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said, as Washington reimposed sanctions on Iran’s banking, energy and shipping industries. 

A senior official of the Ministry of Petroleum Resources Development said that the United States has not informed Sri Lanka about a waiver to import Iranian oil as it has expressed deep concern on the current political crisis.  

The Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) is testing crude oil from Algeria to widen its supply sources for the Sapugaskanda oil refinery. However, the refinery is optimised for Iranian crude that is now subject to American sanctions, the official said. 

He also said that the CPC was no longer importing Iranian crude oil and it was looking for alternative crude blends to diversify its sources of supply. 

Following the threat of snapback sanctions against Tehran by the White House, Sri Lanka’s state oil corporation had earlier mulled paying for its oil imports and debts with tea. Iran, a big consumer of tea, imports 90 percent of the commodity from India and Sri Lanka.

A prolonged power struggle between Sri Lanka’s President and his sacked Prime Minister has paralysed the island’s Government and must be solved immediately, a key MP said Wednesday. 

President Maithripala Sirisena is yet to appoint several Ministers since controversially dismissing Ranil Wickremesinghe’s administration last month and appointing former strongman Mahinda Rajapaksa in his place.  

The move, which has been described as illegal by opponents, has triggered a constitutional crisis.  Sirisena has filled only 20 of 30 Cabinet positions – purposefully keeping some portfolios vacant to tempt legislators of Wickremesinghe’s party to defect to his and Rajapaksa’s side ahead of a Parliamentary vote on 14 November. 

The vote will determine whether Wickremesinghe or Rajapaksa has a majority to form a Government. 

“Our country is going down the precipice. No one is working in Government offices,” Kumar Welgama, a senior member of Rajapaksa’s party and an influential Sri Lankan politician, told reporters in Colombo. 

“Public servants want to know who the real PM is. People are confused,” he added, calling for the suspension of Parliament to be lifted so that the issue of who is the rightful Prime Minister can be settled. 

“Today, we are the laughing stock of the world. One Prime Minister is in the Official Residence and the other is in the PM’s Office. 
“We need to settle this issue through Parliament,” he said. 

Sirisena sacked Wickremesinghe on 26 October due to an intense personality clash between the two. 

Wickremesinghe says his dismissal was illegal and claims to command a majority in Parliament. 

Rajapaksa also maintains that he has a majority, however, leaving the country in the unusual position of having two people claiming to be Prime Minister. 

Sirisena shut Parliament a day after sacking Wickremesinghe. He has refused calls to reconvene it at the earliest opportunity, saying it will not reopen until 14 November. 

According to latest counts, Wickremesinghe has 103 MPs from the 225-seat assembly after gaining a defection on Tuesday, while Rajapaksa and Sirisena have 101. 

Most of the remaining 21 MPs are set to oppose Rajapaksa, observers say. (AFP)

Editors Note: The following is the text of an open letter sent in by Dr. Devanesan Nesiah, a retired civil servant who has who has served the country since 1959. In 2017, he was awarded with the National Honours by President Sirisena.

7th November 2018His Excellency Maithripala Sirisena,President,Sri Lanka.

Your Excellency,

I write as a loyal citizen of Sri Lanka and a proud recipient of the great titular honour of 'Deshamanya' that Your Excellency saw fit to confer on me in March of 2017. My children, grandchildren, other relatives and close friends gathered from three continents in celebrating the award and the Presidential recognition of my services to our great nation.

I barely knew you earlier but my family, friends and I were greatly elated when you were elected President. That elation and hope, Your Excellency, has given way to disappointment over your very blatant flouting of our seventy year old democracy, in recent weeks.

As a loyal and patriotic Sri Lankan but I see no alternative to regretfully return the 'Deshamanya' medal and certificate that you awarded me.

I am currently overseas and will make arrangements to return the medal and certificate to your office, when I come back to Sri Lanka.

Your Excellency, my decision isn’t one that I’ve taken lightly, or in haste. To always act in accordance with my principles is a burden that I’ve embraced with pride for nearly 60 years, since I first enrolled as a cadet in the Ceylon Civil Service. My long career in the civil service, was often stymied under both UNP and SLFP regimes for my refusal to compromise my values.

Since I can no longer take pride in the title of 'Deshamanya' that you’ve conferred on me, I have no option but to return my treasured medal and certificate.

Sincerely,
Dr. Devanesan Nesiah