No Agreement With Chinese Vessel Shi Yan 6, Says Sri Lankan University
The China Sri Lanka Joint Centre for Education and Research (CSL-CER) of the University of Ruhuna has said that it has so far not reached any agreement with the Chinese research vessel Shi Yan Six—which has made a request to arrive in Lankan waters but is yet to receive government clearance—on any matter. Speaking to The […]
IMF Agreement Tabled, Sri Lankan President Calls For Fiscal Reforms
Sri Lanka will have to implement a new fiscal framework with a number of crucial economic reforms which can ensure the long-term economic stability of the country, says President Ranil Wickremesinghe. Tabling the agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Parliament, Wickremesinghe noted that Sri Lanka is now commencing a new journey and that […]
Disrupt Current Tax Policy And Lose IMF, Warns Sri Lankan President
The 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 do business with foreign countries being lost, warned […]
Sri Lanka Electricity Tariff Hike A Knockout Blow For Hotels
The increase in electricity tariffs last week and its disproportionate impact on the hospitality industry is bound to push many hotels towards the brink of collapse, with hoteliers being forced to absorb the added costs as it is not feasible to increase room rates to reflect the new tariffs. According to The Hotel Association of […]
‘China Not Okay With IMF’s Debt Analysis Targets For Sri Lanka’
The Chinese government is unwilling to follow the Debt Sustainability Analysis (DSA) targets set by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for Sri Lanka, former IMF Director Dr Sharmini Coorey and Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) MP and economist Dr Harsha de Silva have revealed. During a webinar conducted by Oxford Political Review, Coorey, who is a […]
Offshore Energy Exploration: Biggest Interest From India
Sri Lanka plans to begin evaluating Expressions of Interest (EOIs) in its offshore hydrocarbon reserves, following the enactment of the legal regulatory framework on offshore oil and gas, the Petroleum Development Authority of Sri Lanka (PDASL) said yesterday (14). When contacted by The Sunday Morning, PDASL Chairman Saliya Wickramasuriya said: “Sri Lanka will operate an […]
Pay Higher Taxes Or Return To Queue Era: Sri Lankan President
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has insisted that the Sri Lankan Government significantly increase tax revenue as percentage of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP), says Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe, adding that failure to comply would lead to a return to the infamous era of queues seen during the first half of this year. “The […]
Ranil Likens Children At Protests To LTTE’s Human Shields Tactic
Calling for an end to bringing children to protest demonstrations, Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe has likened the practice to the use of children as human shields by late LTTE Leader Velupillai Prabhakaran. All measures will be taken in consultation with Attorney General Sanjay Rajaratnam to prevent young children from being brought to protests, he […]
Sri Lanka: Northern Families Forced To Give Up Children To Foster Care
Due to the severity of Sri Lanka’s economic crisis and the lack of household finances, there has been an increase in the number of children being admitted by their families to children’s homes in the Northern Province. Statistical data provided by the Child Care and Probation Department of the Northern Province has revealed that as […]
How Chinese Projects Lured Sri Lanka Away From Procurement Guidelines
When it comes to looking into calls for a system change in the country, it is crucial to understand that the kind of corruption that is being protested against is not simply people breaking the law or finding loopholes to evade the law, but that in Sri Lanka, the rules themselves have been designed and […]
Chinese Ship Awaits Permission Around Hambantota Port
Chinese space and satellite tracking research vessel Yuan Wang 5, which was scheduled to dock at Hambantota Port on Thursday did not arrive at the port as scheduled. It remains 600 nautical miles away, awaiting necessary approvals, following a request by the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) to defer the arrival of the ship after […]
Yuan Wang 5 Chinese Tracking Vessel: Foreign Policy Test In The Making
The Ranil Wickremesinghe-Dinesh Gunawardena government faced its first major foreign policy test last week, over the planned visit by a Chinese satellite tracking vessel to Sri Lanka. The Sunday Morning reliably learns that the foreign ministry is in discussion with China, in an attempt to convince it to replenish the State-owned satellite tracking vessel at a […]
Sri Lankan Government Scrambles To Allay India’s China Vessel Fears
Urgent efforts are being made to reassure the Government of India that the docking of China’s Yuan Wang 5 vessel at the Hambantota Port would not impact India’s national security, The Morning has learnt. Former Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama, referring to statements made by the defence ministry on this matter, said all communication in this regard should have […]
Sri Lanka Permits Chinese Ship To Dock Despite Indian Concerns
Sri Lanka’s defence ministry has said a Chinese naval vessel Yuan Wang 5 will dock at the Hambantota Port on August 11, despite concerns raised by India. “They had requested security clearance a while back and we did an assessment and gave them the necessary clearance. The ship will be at the port from August […]
WikiLeaks Claims Ranil Urged Japan Not To Assist Sri Lanka In 2007
Whistleblower platform WikiLeaks has reported that President Ranil Wickremesinghe, while serving as Opposition Leader in 2007, had requested Japanese Special Envoy Yasushi Akashi, who visited Sri Lanka that year, to cease the economic assistance that Japan was providing to Sri Lanka. WikiLeaks posted a link on its official Twitter account on July 23 to access […]
Sri Lanka Parliament To Vote For New President On July 20
Voting for the next Sri Lankan President will take place in Parliament on July 20. The country’s main Parliamentary Opposition, the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), hopes its leader Sajith Premadasa will emerge winner. In a statement issued after party leaders’ meeting, the office of the Speaker of the House announced that following the resignation of […]
$1.5 Bn China-Lanka Currency Swap Deal Came With Impractical Conditions
The currency swap worth $1.5 billion provided by China in December last year cannot be utilised by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka as it came with a condition that Sri Lanka must have sufficient foreign reserves to cover imports for several months, a threshold that was not met even in December, before reserves began […]
Sri Lankan PM Pushes For Reversing 2019 Tax Cuts By Gotabaya Rajapaksa
The Sri Lankan Cabinet of Ministers has approved a proposal by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to amend five Acts, aiming to increase the government’s tax revenue to pre-2019 December levels, in a nearly total reversal of the controversial tax amendments made under President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and then Finance Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa. “Minister of Finance, Economic […]
SJB Writes To Ranil With 21A Draft Amendments
In a letter to Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, the main Parliamentary Opposition, the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), expressed its support to repealing the 20th amendment to the Constitution and presented five key proposals to the 21st amendment to the Constitution draft Bill put forward by the government. “As we informed you at the […]
Sri Lankan PM Plans New Committees, National Council To Empower Parliament
Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe plans to introduce a new committee system to strengthen Parliament’s financial powers, as well as a National Committee to make the President and Prime Minister answerable to Parliament. He made this announcement during a special statement on the 21st amendment to the Constitution and proposed political reforms. He said […]