SRI LANKA NEWS (MAY 2020) – Compiled by Victor Melder Sri Lanka’s merchandize export earnings fell by 41.9 percent, in March 2020, as the spread of COVID-19, in the country, disrupted the production of merchandise, the Export Development Board said. According to the monthly exports statistics, the year-on-year export earnings fell to US$ 646 million from US$ 1.112 billion, recorded in March 2019. The apparel sector, being the largest contributor, has shown a 41 percent decline during the month of March 2020, compared to the same month, in the previous year. Some of the other sectors that have recorded a significant decline, during the same period, include Tea (-22%), Rubber Products (-15.7%), Coconut products (-14.2%), Spices (-36.5%), fruits and vegetable products (-17.4%), fish and fisheries products (-29%), etc. However, analysis at disaggregate level on Coconut Milk Powder, Defatted Coconut, certain Coconut Kernel Products, Coconut Shell Charcoal, Essential Oils, Oleoresins, Ginger, Lemon, Melon and ...
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SRI LANKA NEWS (APRIL 2020) by Victor Melder Between March 17 to April 4, 2020, 2,961 prison inmates have been released, on bail, on the recommendations of the special committee, appointed by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, as part of efforts to combat the spread of Covid-19. A government communiqué said: The committee was appointed to make recommendations on the possibility of providing legal redress for the prisoners, following a request made by the inmates, during an inspection tour of the Prison premises, by the President, on an earlier occasion. Inmates who are unable to pay fines, or pay for bail money, or to produce personal bail, imprisoned for minor offences and those who had completed the better part of their prison term, or inmates suffering from illnesses and those who have not been granted bail, have been considered under this relief scheme, Director General, Legal Affairs of the Presidential Secretariat, Attorney-at-Law Harigupta ...
May 2, 2020
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Tagged Harigupta Rohanadheera, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa
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OBITUARIES (E & O.E.) (APRIL 2020) – By Victor Melder ARMITAGE – PETER HAROLD, husband of Jennifer, father, grandfather and Brother of Andrew (Andy), Anthony (Tony), Melanie Huysmans and Janis Thiedeman. Son-in-law of Roy Hermon (dec), in Brisbane on February 13, 2020, aged 79 years. (Contributed) CRAMER – FLORENCE, wife of Roy (dec), mother and mother-in-law of Leilanie & Nihal, Spencer & Eileen, Cassandra & Bill de Kretser. Grandmother of Sean, Darren, Ian and Tamara, in Brisbane, on April 3, 2020, aged 97 years. (Contributed) ...
May 2, 2020
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Tagged ARMITAGE – PETER HAROLD, BAPTIST – EDWARD CHARLES BENJAMIN, GURUSINGHE – DR ASITHA
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LEST WE FORGET – by Victor Melder On Saturday, April 25, 2020, we commemorate ‘Anzac Day’, when we recall and commemorate the heroic acts of the military servicemen and women, who gave ‘their yesterday’s, that we may have our today’s’. Due to the Corona Virus Pandemic and the ‘Social Distancing’ enforced to halt it’s spread, there will by no ‘Dawn Service’ or Anzac Marches, Australia wide. Instead, the few surviving service personnel, their family and friends will gather at dawn silently with a lighted candle in their drive ways. We are now also remembering the heroic act of four Victorian Police officers, who were senselessly and tragically mowed down by a speeding truck, whilst in the line of duty, on the evening of Wednesday, April 22. The officers had intercepted a motor vehicle for traffic offences on the Chandler Highway and investigations were continuing in the emergency lane. At this ...
Apr 25, 2020
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Tagged Constable GLEN HUMPHRIS, Constable JOSHUA PRESTNEY., Leading Senior Constable LYNETTE TAYLOR, Senior Constable KEVIN KING
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SRI LANKA NEWS (MARCH 2020) – Compiled by Victor Melder. Sri Lanka’s national carrier SriLankan Airlines is expected to lose 130 million US dollars (about 26 billion rupees) in the year to March 2020, officials said, taking total losses under full state ownership and management to 232 billion rupees. The airline would also need a 300 million dollar capital injection to reduce a spiral of debt, officials said. “We estimate that by this March we will lose about 130 million US dollars,” newly appointed SriLankan Airlines Chairman Ashok Pathirage told the parliament’s Committee on Public Enterprises. The Easter Sunday bombings had hurt the airline and it the ongoing Coronavirus epidemic was also negative with flight to China being cut. However in 2021, the Airline was expecting to cut losses to about 30 million dollars, he said. The Airlines started to lose money under state management, from 2008. ...
Apr 2, 2020
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Tagged Dr Jasinghe, Dr. Eranga Narangoda, Election Commission Chairman Mahinda Deshapriya, SRI LANKA NEWS
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SRI LANKA NEWS (FEBRUARY 2020) Compiled by Victor Melder. A proposal to provide increased pension benefits for those who retired after 2017 has been abandoned as the plan would cost the government a staggering Rs 130 billion annually. A senior Treasury official said that instead of increasing the pensions, the Government would come up with a revised scheme where the pensions of those who retired after December 31, 2017 would be calculated on the salary scales as at the end of 2017. Under a proposal of the former Government, the pensions were to be calculated on the basis that they had served until 2020. Accordingly, those retiring were to receive ...
Mar 3, 2020
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Tagged Dr. Udaya Usgodarachchi, The Immigration and Emigration Department
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SRI LANKA CRICKET NEWS – (JANUARY 2020) – Compiled by Victor Melder The national cricket team will undertake their first assignment of this year taking wings to India today for a three match T-20 series. The opening encounter will be played on Sunday (January 5) in the eastern city of Guwahati. The port city in the state of Assam is bordering China. The remaining two games will be played in Indore (January 7) and Pune (January 10). The team will fly to Madras today morning, where they have a five hour layover before taking the next flight to Guwahati. The Sri Lankan series is sandwiched between the tours of West Indies and Australia. Lasith Malinga’s side will not be playing in any of the major cities with all premier cricket centers allocated for the West Indies and the Australians. The tour was not on the Future Tour Programme ...
Feb 3, 2020
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Tagged Angelo Mathews, Dhananjaya De Silva, Dilruwan Perera, Dinesh Chandimal, Head Cricket Coach Chandika Hathurusingha, Kasun Rajitha, Kusal Mendis, Lahiru Kumara, Lahiru Thirimanne, Lasith Embuldeniya, Niroshan Dickwella, Sri Lanka Cricket, Vishwa Fernando
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SRI LANKA NEWS (JANUARY 2020) – Compiled by Victor Melder Three more endemic species have been added to the Sri Lanka’s endemic gecko list. With this Sri Lanka now has 39 endemic species of gecko. In 2019, 13 endemic species were discovered. More new endemic gecko species will be discovered in 2020 with the ongoing research studies. The team of scientists that discovered the latest three species are S. Karunarathna, A de Silva, M. Botejue, D. Gabadage, L. Somaratna, A Hettige, N Aberathna, M. Madawala, G. Edirisinghe, N. Perera, S. Wickramaarachchi, T. Surasinghe, N. Karunarathna, M. Wickramasinghe, KDB. Ukuwela and AM. Bauer. Three new day gecko species of the genus Cnemaspis Strauch were found in three isolated granite cave habitats in Bambaragala (Ratnapura District), Dimbulagala (Polonnaruwa District), and Mandaramnuwara (Nuwara-Eliya District). One of the Chief Scientists of the study, Suranjan Karunaratna told The Island that all of those ...
Jan 31, 2020
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Tagged Health Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi, Suranjan Karunaratna
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VICTOR MELDER SRI LANKA LIBRARY ACQUISITIONS FOR THE MONTH OF DECEMBER 2019 THOSE WISHING TO DONATE BOOKS & OTHER PUBLICATIONS TO THIS LIBRARY, THEY ARE MOST WELCOME. PLEASE CONTACT ME AT ABOVE ADDRESS, BY EMAIL OR TELEPHONE. Thank You. ACQUISITIONS FOR THE MONTH OF DECEMBER 2019 BOOKS. My Island Paradise by Dodwell Keyt 2019. (Donated by the Author, Rosebud, Victoria) MAGAZINES ‘Serendib’, The Inflight Magazine of Srilankan Airlines, Vol 39, No 9, November 2019 (Donated by Neville Fernando, Westmeadows, Victoria) ‘Hi’ Magazine, The Society Magazine, Sri Lanka, Series 17, Vol 5, 2019 (Donated by T.R, Keysborough, with assistance of Mr B. Sanjaya, Sri Lanka) NEWSLETTERS. Newsletter – St Peter’s College Old Boy’s Union, Colombo, Vol 1, July – September 2019 Newsletter – Burgher Association (Australia) Inc, Summer Newsletter, December 2019 Newsletter – Burgher Welfare League of WA Inc, Vol 30.2, November 2019. “Outreach” Newsletter – Voluntary Outreach Club ...
Dec 31, 2019
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Tagged Neville Fernando, St.Peter's College
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SRI LANKA CRICKET NEWS (DECEMBER 2019) – Compiled by Victor Melder Pakistan will be hosting Test cricket for the first time in more than ten years, that too against a full-strength Sri Lanka line-up, in December 2019. Dimuth Karunaratne will lead the Sri Lanka side, with experienced batsmen Angelo Mathews and Dinesh Chandimal present in the 16-member squad. The team leaves for Pakistan on December 8 to play two Test matches that will count towards the World Test Championship. Less than three months ago, Sri Lanka had toured Pakistan for a series of limited-overs matches, but as many as ten high-profile players had opted against travelling. The Test series was originally scheduled for October at a neutral venue because of security concerns, but the PCB requested Sri Lanka to play the entire bilateral series in Pakistan. The white-ball games were played as a test of sorts for the security ...
Dec 31, 2019
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Tagged Diiruwan Perera, Dimuth Karunaratne, Kusal Mendis, Niroshan Dickwella
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