report in Daily Mirror, Mar 6, 2023 Sri Lanka has once again rejected the resolution 51/1 against Sri Lanka adopted by the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in October last year, but said Sri Lanka will remain open to discussion with the Council. “A series of unhelpful resolutions have been adopted by the HRC, the latest being resolution 51/1, without our consent as the country concerned. I reiterate Sri Lanka´s position, which was stated…
Posts tagged as “Sri Lanka”
AFP report, March 4, 2023COLOMBO: Sri Lanka’s top court on Friday ordered the government to proceed with a delayed local election, overruling President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who said the country was too broke to pay for it. The Supreme Court ordered Sri Lanka’s treasury to grant funds for the polls which were originally planned for March 9, but put off indefinitely last week when the government refused to finance them. Wickremesinghe had said the island nation,…
By Charumini de Silva in Daily FT, March 1, 2023The Government has taken a ‘revolutionary decision’ to explore a very expensive, yet high power output and reliable – nuclear power with support from Russia to address the energy crisis in Sri Lanka. “This will be a historic decision and a milestone in Sri Lanka’s history to address the power crisis via nuclear energy,” Cabinet Co-Spokesman and Minister Bandula Gunawardena said at the post-Cabinet meeting media…
AFP report, Feb 25, 2023COLOMBO: Sri Lanka’s election commission indefinitely postponed local polls on Friday after the president — installed by parliament last year after his predecessor fled — refused to fund the vote. The March 9 polls would only have picked local councillors but would be the first electoral test for Ranil Wickremesinghe since he took office in July after months of protests over the island’s worst-ever economic crisis. They were seen by many…
by Dimuthu Attanayake in SCMP, Feb 24, 2023Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s plan to “fully” implement a long outstanding constitutional amendment, transferring more power to provincial authorities, has left critics sceptical amid widespread instability. While some politicians and analysts said the move could benefit the country, they have questioned Wickremesinghe’s motive in raising the issue as Sri Lanka’s political and economic turmoil continues, with millions living in dire straits amid soaring living costs. Professor Jayadeva…
report in The Morning, Feb 22, 2023*Claims opportunity to do business with foreign countries may also disappear**Says current tax policy is no normal tax policy but a rescue operationThe current tax policy in Sri Lanka is not a normal tax policy but a rescue operation, and any disruption to this process will result in Sri Lanka not being able to secure the International Monetary Fund (IMF) funding, which may also result in the opportunity to…
By Stuart Heaver in Aljazeera, 17 Feb 2023Colombo – As far as many residents of Sri Lanka’s capital are concerned, the last thing their island nation needs in the midst of its worst-ever economic crisis is another beach – the island nation’s 1,340km coastline is blessed with some of the most beautiful beaches in the world. Yet, Port City Colombo (PCC), a vast new Chinese-built reclaimed commercial zone in Colombo, recently unveiled an artificial beach…
report in The Island, Feb 11, 2023The International Monetary Fund said its approval of the $2.9 billion loan bailout of the crisis-riddled Sri Lanka will depend on the country securing assurances on debt relief from its bilateral creditors, Bloomberg reported yesterday Bloomberg quoted an IMF spokesperson who said “Sri Lanka continues to engage with official bilateral creditors to obtain financing assurances and also continues to advance domestic reforms. As soon as adequate assurances are obtained…
report in Daily Mirror, 10 February 2023Japanese giant Mitsubishi Corporation has decided to wind up operations in Sri Lanka next month after being an integral part of bilateral ties and some of the country’s key infrastructure projects for nearly 60 years. The closure of Colombo Office by Mitsubishi by 31 March has come as a big shock to the private sector, both local and foreign which described the move as a big setback for Sri…
report on SL Defence Ministry online, Feb 09, 2023Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee of Pakistan General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, NI (M) pledged his fullest support to the Sri Lankan armed forces on 9 Feb, 2023. General Mirza also discussed the importance of further enhancing of defence related ties through military diplomacy during a meeting held with the Sri Lankan Chief of Defence Staff General Shavendra Silva at the Office of the Chief of Defence…
Report in Daily FT, Feb 8, 2023Analysts opine China’s latest debt relief offer and reiteration still falls short Biggest bilateral creditor with nearly $ 7 b exposure urged to go the full distance in support of Sri Lanka The debt relief reiterated by China to Sri Lanka last week still falls short of overall burden on the latter, according to analysts. China’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning’s during the regular briefing on Friday reiterated the…