SRI LANKA NEWS
                                                          (JUNE  2020)
                                              Compiled by Victor Melder

Two endangered leopards — including a rare black one — have been killed by snares in Sri Lanka in less than a week, sparking calls for authorities to crack down harder on the cruel traps.
A third was found alive in a snare and released back to the wild after being tranquilised.
In the latest case, the bloated carcass of a leopard was discovered Tuesday strangled by a wire snare on a cashew plantation on the edge of a forest reserve in Neluwa, some 145 kilometres (90 miles) southeast of the capital Colombo. “It is possible that the trap was set for a sambar deer, but the leopard got caught instead,” a wildlife official from the area told AFP. A week earlier, a rare black leopard — also known as melanistic because the colour is a pigment condition rather than the mark of a separate species — was found trapped alive in the Nallathanni highlands but died two days later. The third leopard was found Friday at Yatiyantota, another highland nature area, before being released back into the wild. Although setting snares in national parks and reserves is against the law, they are not illegal elsewhere and farmers often use them to protect crops or catch wild boar. Sri Lankan conservationist Jayantha Jayewardene said the spate of leopard snaring might be villagers driven to desperation because the coronavirus lockdown had deprived them of income.
There are believed to be less than 1,000 leopards in the wild in Sri Lanka, and harming the big cat is punishable by up to five years› jail.. (Daily Financial Times, 4.5.2020)

The government would go all out to minimise human-elephant conflict, using latest innovative technologies. In this regard plans are underway to track wild elephant movement using GPS -Global Positioning System-tags, with the project beginning from Anuradhapura on Monday. It is understood that Wildlife Minister S.M. Chandrasena highly disturbed with the record number of more than 407 elephant deaths and 122 human fatalities last year due to human-elephant conflict is pressing ahead with such new measures. Minister believes that with the latest venture, officials will be able to know the whereabouts of these elephants on their smart phones. Initially tags would be attached to more than 100 wild elephants as part of the project. Minister Chandrasena said that the tags, which would be costing more than one million rupees to import, would be manufactured locally at a cost of Rs. 100,000 per each. “Through this we will be able to identify when the elephants reach vicinity of villages,” he said adding that it would be the utmost priority. During the recent past, villagers blamed authorities over massive infrastructure projects that have been carried out at the cost of destroying elephant habitats, resulting in animals entering villagers in search of food. (Daily Island, 5.6.2020)

Ceylon Tea auction sales reached an all-time high in May 2020, recording a national average of Rs.697.57, surpassing last month’s record. The latest statistics from the industry showed that May 2020 recorded an Rs.8.39 increase, compared to the Rs.689.18 achieved in April 2020. Analysis of the elevational averages of May 2020 by Forbes & Walker Tea Brokers showed that High-Growns totaled Rs.645.41 in May 2020, whereas Medium-Growns reached an average of Rs.599.60. While the sale average for High-Growns expanded by Rs.6.46 from April 2020, Medium-Growns dipped by Rs.13.12 this month. However, the average of the Medium-Growns showed a significant increase of Rs.126.47, compared to May 2019. The Low-Grown average of Rs.744.52 was recorded in May 2020, which surpassed the previous best of Rs.739.82 recorded in April 2020. It also shows a significant increase of Rs.174.82 YoY, when compared to Rs.569.70 of May 2019. The cumulative analysis of the national sales average for the first five months of the year reached Rs.589.59, a Rs.57.49 increase from the Rs.574.90 recorded in the January-May 2019 period. High-Growns of Rs.589.59 for the period January-May 2020 have shown an increase of Rs.37.08, compared to Rs.552.51 of January-May 2019, whereas Medium-Growns (Daily Island, 6.5.2020)

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has authorized a total of Rs.1,043 trillion from the Consolidated Fund for the uninterrupted continuation of Government services and development activities from June 1 to the August 31. President Rajapaksa has authorized the funds from the Consolidated Fund for expenditure in terms of provisions of Paragraph (3) of Article 150 of the Constitution. This is the third ‘Vote on Account’ (VoA) for this year as the budget for 2020 is further delayed. The relevant circular has been issued by the Secretary to the Ministry of Finance S. R. Attygalle this week to all secretaries to ministries, chief secretaries of provincial councils, and heads of departments. Out of the authorized amount, Rs. 644.2 billion has been allocated or recurrent expenditure while Rs. 398.8 billion will be for capital expenditure, The total allocation of Rs. 1,043 billion for June-August 2020 is Rs. 181 billion down from the allocation for the previous three months. The President authorized Rs.1,224.9 billion from the Consolidated Fund in the second ‘Vote on Account’ (VoA) for the three months from March to the end of May. The highest allocation  has been made to the Finance, Economic and Policy Development Ministry held by Prime Minister,  and the corresponding figure is Rs. 546 billion. Public Administration, Home Affairs, Provincial Councils and Local Government Ministry have been allocated Rs. 154 billion, and the Defense Ministry has been allocated Rs. 107 billion. Healthcare and Indigenous Medical Services Ministry has been allocated Rs. 43.1 billion and the National Election Commission has been allocated Rs. 5.1billion, which should cover the expenditure for the forthcoming General Election. An allocation of Rs. 31.9 billion has been made to the Roads and Highways Ministry. A sum of Rs. 860 million has been allocated for the expenditure of the President and Rs. 270 million for the Office of the Prime Minister for the three months. Parliament has been allocated Rs. 752 million. (Colombo Page, 6.6.2020) 

Famers are advised to send an SMS including the name of their area and information of crops that are damaged, as swarms of yellow spotted locusts spread to several areas since its initial invasion on June 1. The insect, which grows into the size of a pen cap, was first reported from Kurunegala and by Thursday (4) has spread to over 20 divisions in the district. Now the swarms have reached farmlands including those in Kegalle, Matara and Hambantota. “I haven’t seen anything like this before. When the swarms settle on a tree only the twigs remain when they leave. They eat all the leaves within a day or two,” said A. D. P. Ratnasiri, a farmer from Katupitiya said. Ratnasiri grows coconut, teak and bananas. All these crops are key targets of the yellow spotted locusts which devour their leaves, leaving devastation behind. The yellow spotted locust in Sri Lanka is now in its instar stage. This means that it is still in the stage where it hops and would later develop wings and this calls for the immediate intervention of all parties concerned to destroy the raging swarms before they reproduce. (Sunday Observer, 7.6.2020)

Remittances from Sri Lankans working abroad, fell by 13.9% to USD 492 million in March 2020. The amount was USD 571 million in March 2019. Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) says a significant number of Sri Lankan workers had returned from South Korea and Italy before the airport was closed, in March. “This was further exacerbated by lower crude oil prices impacting Middle Eastern economies, where a majority of Lankan migrant workers are employed. On a cumulative basis, workers’ remittances recorded a decline of 1.0 per cent to USD 1,600 million during the first three months of 2020, in comparison to the corresponding period of 2019.” The CBSL has said that Sri Lanka’s tourism industry was also severely affected, from March 2020 by the COVID-19 pandemic. With the termination of all passenger flights, and ships to Sri Lanka, there was a cessation of tourist arrivals from the third week of March 2020, resulting in a substantial decline in arrivals by 70.8per cent to 71,370 from 244,328 in March 2019. “With these developments, earnings from tourism were provisionally estimated to have declined to US dollars 135 million, in March 2020, in comparison to US dollars 461 million in March 2019, with cumulative earnings amounting to US dollars 956 million during the first three months of 2020, a drop of 31.5 per cent from the corresponding period of 2019.” (Sunday Island, 7.6.2020)

The Election Commission (EC) has decided to hold the 2020 Parliamentary Election on August 5.  The decision was taken at the EC’s meeting held today.  The election was earlier scheduled to be held on April 25 but was pushed back to June 20 owing to the outbreak of COVID-19. The EC later stated that this too was not possible due to COVID-19 (Times online, 12.6.2020)

The parliamentary elections will go ahead as scheduled even in the event of another outbreak of COVID-19, by organising special booths for lockdown areas, the Elections Commission has decided in consultation with the health authorities. The EC’s Commissioner General Saman Shri Ratnayake told the Sunday Times that it was part of its contingency plan of going ahead with the poll, instead of another postponement. Under the plan, the polling booth could be set up within the locked down area or outside the area depending on the situation, but transport would be provided if it was outside the area, he said. Under the Parliamentary Elections Act, the Commission is empowered to change the polling booth to replace the booths which have already been gazetted. The Commission also in consultation with the health authorities has decided to have polling booths in quarantine centres to enable those undergoing quarantine to vote. He said the preparations had been made in a manner so that the EC could go ahead with the twice-postponed elections. Elections were initially scheduled for April 25 and thereafter postponed for June 20 before the EC this week took a unanimous decision to conduct the election on August 5. The EC will deploy health teams to inspect all booths the day prior to the poll and during the poll to ensure safety measures. The poll is to be held in more than12,000 booths while 16.2 million voters will be eligible to vote.(Sunday Times, 14.6.2020)

The China Development Bank (CDB) will deliver another concessionary loan of US$140 million — US$70 million before the end of this month and the remainder by the end of the year — to tide over the present financial problems, a spokesman from the Chinese embassy said yesterday. Acting Chinese Ambassador Hu Wei called on Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday to discuss bilateral cooperation as a follow up to the telephone conversation between Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Chinese President Xi Jinping on May 13. The spokesman told Daily Mirror that the discussion centred on fighting COVID-19 jointly and enhancing financial, trade and investment cooperation. The CDB announced US$500 million loan two months ago. He said the latest loan would be at a concessionary rate for the government to carry out its debt restructuring plan. Besides, he said the proposed investments in Hambantota and the Colombo International Financial City (Port City) were also discussed. “There will be a vehicle tyre manufacturing plant in Hambantota with a US$500 million investment from China,” he said. The Chinese Embassy delegation also briefed the Prime Minister about the latest outbreak of COVID-19 cases in Beijing. The two sides discussed the need to be cautious because of the danger of the virus spread. (Daily Mirror, 18.6.2020)

Four new species of Asian jumping spiders have been found in Sri Lanka. Known as “Synagelides Strand, 1906”, this group has been discovered for the first time in Sri Lanka. This is also the first Asian jumping spider discovery in the world since November 2019, when in India a Gujarati researcher named a newly discovered jumping spider after cricketing legend Sachin Tendulkar, naming the spider “Marengo sachintendulkar.” In 2017, one new species of Synagelides Strand, 1906 was discovered in China. In Sri Lanka the four Synagelides Strand, 1906 species were discovered by scientists in none other than the well-known forests of central hills –Horton Plains, Piduruthalagala ranges and Sinharaja. The species were discovered by Associate Research Professor S.P. Benjamin of National Institute of Fundamental Studies (NIFS) and Zoology lecturer at the Eastern University, Nilani Kanesharatnam. The four new species are described and illustrated as S.hortonensis sp. nov., S. lakmalii sp. nov., S. rosalindae sp. nov. and S. orlandoi sp. nov. According to the World Spider Catalog 2020, Synagelides is usually geographically restricted to the tropics and subtropics in the Oriental and East Palaearctic regions, from where a total of 46 species have been reported up to date. These ground dwelling Synagelides Strand 1906 are among the spiders with sharpest vision and are considered as a critical part of soil ecosystem. “About 110 new species have been discovered since 2000, over 90 per cent of them endemic,” said Entomologist and evolutionary biologist Suresh P. Benjamin. He told The Island that to date, 117 species have been discovered since 2000 from Sri Lanka. They are mostly from the spider families Oonopidae, Pholcidae and Salticidae. (Daily Island, 19.6.2020)

Taking into consideration the current situation in the country, the historic Kandy Esala Perahera will be held without public participation this year, Diyawadana Nilame of the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, Pradeep Nilanga Dela Bandara said. The Diyawadana Nilame further said that the first Kumbal Perahera will parade the streets on July 25 after the ceremony of planting ‘Kap’ on July 21. The first Randoli Perahera will parade the streets on July 30 and the last Randoli Perahera is scheduled to be held on August 3. The ‘Diyakapum’ Perahera and the Day Perahera will be held on August 4 and this time, the number of elephants and artists who perform in the Perahera will be reduced by about 30%. Parallel to this, the number of Artists of the Natha, Vishnu, Kataragama and Pattini Devala Perahera will also be reduced. The Diyawadana Nilame said that although the Perahera will parade the streets with a reduced number of artistes, this will in no way diminish the value of the Perahera. (Daily News, 20.6.2020)

Former Minister Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan alias “Karuna Amman” claimed that he is more dangerous than Covid-19. “Chairman of the Karthivu local government body has said that I am more dangerous than the coronavirus. That is true. When I was a member of the LTTE, I killed some 2000 to 3000 Sri Lankan army personnel in one night at Elephant Pass. I have killed more in Killinochchi. That is certainly higher than the number of lives the coronavirus has claimed in Sri Lanka,” he said addressing a gathering in Navadinveli, Ampara yesterday. He said that Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa has extended him an invitation to join the parliament from the National List. However he added that the invitation was declined as he would be elected to parliament with the people’s mandate. (Daily Mirror, 21.6.2020)

Addresses of tens of thousands of parcels airmailed to Sri Lanka from China and neighboring countries had been lost in transit due to logistics disruptions coming from Coronavirus driven airport closures, Information Minister Bandula Gunewardene said. “In the recent past the world came to a standstill, airports closed, ships did not come,” Minister Gunewardene said. “So parcels that should have come by air have been sent by sea. Last week a container came by ship via Malaysia. There are 42,000 parcels. But seawater and moisture had obliterated the addresses.” “If the addresses are dead how can postmen deliver?” He said there had been allegations that postal workers had stolen many airmailed parcels which the recipients were hoping to get. “That is not true,” Minister Gunewardene said. “We have asked help from China and other countries where these came to get help to decipher the barcodes and find the addresses. “If we cannot find the address we will have to send them back. There is no point in blaming the postal department. He said postal unions had protested against a decision by the Treasury to stop delivery on Saturday to save money as there was a severe cash crunch. Saturday delivery is paid overtime. He said postal workers had worked during Covid-19 curfews at the risk of their lives to deliver medicine to clinic patients of state hospitals. Unions had now agreed to a 20 percent overtime cut, but they would get work on Saturday.(Sunday Island, 21.6.2020)

From August 1, foreigners will be required to pay US$ 65 as charges for PCR tests to determine if they are free of COVID-19 before they are allowed into the country, the Tourism Ministry Secretary S. Hettiaarachchi said. He said under new health guidelines, foreigners would be required to stay on for 24 hours in a location close to the airport until the PCR test report was made available. If the report was negative, they would be allowed to proceed on their tour. The measures have been outlined in a 70-page guideline finalised this week to revive the tourism industry. Under the guidelines, tourists would be required to stay in the country at least for five nights and would have to undergo another mandatory PCR test on the fifth day of the stay, he said. The foreign tourists would not be allowed to use public transport and would be able to stay only in designated hotels which have obtained a certificate from the health authorities. The secretary said the foreign tourists would be required to download a mobile app which would help to trace their locations at any given time. Measures would also be taken to obtain reports of their daily temperature and on departure, too, they would be required to undergo a PCR test. (Sunday Times, 21.6.2020)

The counting of ballots of the 2020 general election, on August 05, would take place the following day, Chairman Election Commission (EC), Mahinda Deshapriya said. The decision against counting on August 05 had been taken by the EC due to health concerns, Deshapriya said. Whether to extend the duration of polling, on August 05 would be decided at an EC meeting scheduled for June 25, Deshapriya said. Decisions as regards the election related expenditure and the number of officials to be deployed for election duty had not been taken, he said. Police were responsible for removing candidates’s posters and cut-outs, the EC Chairman said. (Daily Island, 22.6.2020)

The Police Criminal Investigations Department (CID) questioned Tamil United Freedom Front (TUFF) leader Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan alias ‘Karuna Amman’ in connection with a controversial statement he made in Ampara recently. The Acting Inspector General of Police (IGP) on Monday ordered the CID to conduct an immediate inquiry into the statement made the one-time LTTE commander turned politician at a meeting in Navadinveli, Ampara on 19 June, glorifying the killing of Sri Lankan soldiers during his time as an LTTE militant.  Speaking to reporters while leaving the CID premises yesterday, Karuna said that he had no intention of insulting the Sri Lanka Army or the Government with his remarks which were made during an election campaign rally.
 Although he was summoned to the CID to provide a statement on Tuesday, Karuna Amman informed the CID through a lawyer that he was not in a position to provide a statement due to ill health. Thereby he requested for another date to provide a statement and accordingly arrived at the CID yesterday. Addressing a gathering in Ampara, Karuna said that he is more dangerous than the coronavirus as he has killed 2000 to 3000 Sri Lankan soldiers in one night in Elephant Pass.
Karuna Amman’s statement drew fire from both ruling and Opposition political parties, as well as calls for authorities to arrest and prosecute the former LTTE leader, as he had admitted to killing of military personnel. (Daily Financial Times, 26.6.2020)

The Yala National Park opened its Leopard Centre last week to help the Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC) to ensure enhanced conservation of leopards and raise public awareness of leopard behaviour, The centre aims at making the society more committed towards the conservation of the Leopard and other wildlife. The Centre also aims at infusing more knowledge about the Sri Lankan Leopard, to all who have an interest in Wildlife. The idea of the leopard centre was conceived during a conversation among the officials of the Yala National Park and a group of avid Wildlife enthusiasts, in 2019. The leopard is a species that could be frequently seen at the Yala National Park. It is said believed that the Yala National Park is the protected area with the highest density of leopards per square kilometer, in the world. The Centre is housed in two adjacent buildings named as Whiskers Wing and Rosettes Wing. Whiskers Wing shows a collection of photos of leopard behaviour. It also has a digital touch screen that shows a range of information including the identification and other data of the Leopards of the Yala National Park from 2013 to date. It also has many research articles on Leopards. Rosettes Wing has information panels containing information about Leopards. It also has a continuous display of video recordings of leopard behaviour. This centre was a concept that was created under the guidance of DWC Director General Chandana Sooriyabandara. Researchers said that establishing the centre was possible due to the support and guidance of Prasantha Wimaladasa, who was the Assistant Director-Uva and southern regions from 2017 to 2019, Pradeep Siyasinghe who was the Park Warden from 2016 to 2019 and Ranjith Sisirakumara, who was the deputy park warden of the Park from 2016-2019. The establishment of this centre was sponsored by Sanjaya Jayaratne, Chairman of Navesta Pharmaceuticals (Pvt) Ltd, an ardent wildlife lover himself. “We would like to thank him for understanding the need to establish such a centre and being generous enough to sponsor the cause. We would also like to thank the family members of the Late Dr. Ravi Samarasinghe for their support for this centre,” Wattegedara said. (Daily Island, 29.6.2020)