SRI LANKA NEWS
(NOVEMBER 2022)
Compiled by Victor Melder
Political parties, trade unions, mass organizations and student unions held a protest march today against the actions of the government today (November 02) in Colombo.A group of politicians, including Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa, also participated in the protest march organized under the theme “Let’s stand up against repression and economic pressure”. The protest march started from Maradana near the Elphinstone Theater and proceeded towards the Fort Railway Station. When the protestors arrived in the Colombo Fort area, the march was interrupted by a barricade of police officers near the floating market in Pettah and a heated situation arose between the protesters and the police. The protestors got angry at the politicians including Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa for failing to join them to break through the Police human chain and not proceeding with the protest. Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa and Sri Lanka Freedom Party General Secretary MP Dayasiri Jayasekera were forced to leave the area amidst the jeers from the protesters. Samagi Jana Balawegaya Politicians led by Mr. Premadasa tried to hold a public meeting from a platform inside a truck, but due to the protest by the marchers, the organizers took steps to stop it. At that time, Mr. Sajith Premadasa gave a statement to the media but the people around him protested and booed him away. Amidst jeers the politicians left the protest march. (Colombo Page, 3.11.2022)
At least 5.7 million people or 26% of the population require humanitarian assistance now, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). It also said 96% of households in the survey overall have been affected by the current crisis. The three main priority needs at the household level concern food, health and livelihoods.
“Without immediate humanitarian assistance, and ‘upstream’ interventions to address the fragility of systems, services and facilities, this number will multiply, and the consequences will deepen,” it said in its Needs Assessment Report, October 2022. (Daily Financial Times, 4.11.2022)
The first case of Monkeypox infection was detected in Sri Lanka, the Health Ministry said. It said the 20-year-old person who arrived from Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) had been detected as having the virus. The youth returned to the country on November 1. (Daily Mirror, 4.11.2022)
Over 3,400 elephants have been killed since 2011, the last elephant census in the country, and the official elephant population figures are bogus, Sajeewa Chamikara of the Movement for Land and Agricultural Reform (MONLAR) said. Between 2002 and 2022, there were 4,954 elephant and 1,602 human deaths due to the human-elephant conflict. He said that the human-elephant conflict has been intensifying after the National Physical Plan 2011-2030 was implemented. “I conducted a study on the human-elephant conflict. I looked at all data on deaths of elephants and humans since 2002. In the period between 2002 and 2006, there were 669 elephant and 300 human deaths due to the man versus beast encounters. That’s an average of 134 elephant and 60 human deaths a year. Between 2007 and 2011, there were 1123 elephant and 335 human deaths. That’s an average of 225 elephant and 67 human deaths a year,” he said. Chamikara said that in 2011, the National Physical plan was implemented, which was followed by a spike in elephant and human deaths. Between 2012 and 2016, there were 1169 elephant and 361 human deaths due to human-elephant conflict. That’s an average of 234 elephant and 72 human deaths a year. “Most recently, between 2017 and 2021, there have been 1669 elephant deaths and 508 human deaths. This means between 2017 and 2021, around 334 elephants and 102 humans died each year. These are large numbers. In 2011, we had an elephant census and it was estimated that there were 5879 elephants in the country. After that census, 3421 have died. Now the minister says that there are 7000 elephants in Sri Lanka. This is impossible when you look at the numbers,” he said. Chamikara said that the human-elephant conflict has increased due to loss of habitat and not because of a spike in elephant population. The minister of environment is also trying to deceive people about the forest cover in Sri Lanka, he said. “It is undeniable that the human-elephant conflict has increased. This is due to loss of habitat. Instead of addressing this issue, the government is cooking up numbers to convince people that the elephant population has increased while the forest cover remains the same,” he said. (Daily Island, 4.11.2022)
About 10,909 bowser loads were required for the current cultivation season, the Agriculture Ministry said.About 40 million litres of diesel are required for land preparation and another 32 million litres for harvesting.Agriculture Ministry Secretary Rohana Pushpakumara said that the total amount of fuel required for the preparation and harvesting of paddy fields in the Maha season is 72 million litres of diesel.
The Criminal Investigations Department (CID) arrested a monk who stayed at a five-star hotel in Colombo for 18 days and slipped away without settling the hotel charges. It was reported that the monk from a temple in the Mahiyangana area checked in to the hotel on August 31 and stayed there at least 18 days. However, the monk was reportedly admitted to the Colombo National Hospital after having developed a sudden illness and informed the hotel that the charges amounting to Rs. 527,820 for his stay would be settled once his health condition turns better. The hotel management has complained to the CID after the monk has failed to pay the hotel charges when he was discharged from the hospital and left for his temple in Mahiyangana. Accordingly, the CID arrested the monk from his temple. The monk was remanded till November 11 after being produced before the Fort Magistrate. (Daily Mirror, 4.11.2022)
Arrangements had been made to provide 50 litres of diesel per hectare to the farmers for preparing the paddy fields and 40 litres per hectare for harvesting, he said. The Secretary said currently the fuel required for cultivation in the Maha season was provided by refilling stations reserved for that purpose and as per the instructions of President Ranil Wickremesinghe, the supervision of the task had been assigned to all the District Secretaries. Therefore, if there was a problem in procuring required fuel for cultivation in any area, farmers could meet the relevant District Secretary immediately. Meanwhile, the Petroleum Corporation as well as the Ministry of Agriculture has appointed a separate officer to monitor the issuance of fuel for agricultural purposes. (Daily Island, 4.11.2022)
Agriculture, Wildlife and Forest Resources Conservation Minister Mahinda Amaraweera said that a research by the Hector Kobbekaduwa Agricultural Research and Training Institute has revealed that a harvest of 107 million coconuts will be consumed by Giant Squirrels and monkeys annually. The Minister revealed these facts while addressing a meeting of wildlife officials held at the Dambulla Divisional Secretariat on Friday. The discussion was held to solve the problems that have arisen in connection with human activities in the Sigiriya Forest Reserve in relation to the crop damage caused by wild animals and the resolution of the human-elephant conflict. A proposal was presented at the meeting on protecting the Sigiriya Forest Reserve and to mitigate the human-elephant conflict. It was also emphasized that the people currently living in the vicinity of the Sigiriya Forest Reserve not be evicted and they will be allotted plots of land for cultivation. Minister Amaraweera said that the latest survey on crop damage caused by wild animals conducted by the research team of Hector Kobbekaduwa Agricultural and Training Institute, states that Giant Squirrels and Monkeys destroy 107 million coconuts from coconut plantations islandwide. The survey also reveals that Weevils destroy about six percent of the rice harvest in the country which amounts to millions of rupees in losses to the country. The Minister expressed concern regarding the development of human-elephant conflict and said that all 16 elephant sanctuaries in our country have been encroached by people for residential and cultivation purposes. There has also been a steep rise in the number of wild elephants encroaching human habitats. Minister Amaraweera also said that the release of elephants who have encroached into human habitats will start next year and cost millions of rupees. Minister of State for Defence Pramita Bandara Thennakoon, Secretary of the Ministry of Wildlife and Forest Conservation Chandra Herath, Director General of Wildlife Chandana Suriyabandara and others participated in the event. (Daily News, 7.11.2022))
A beggar who died in an accident on the Puttalam-Chillaw road over the weekend had been in possession of cash amounting to Rs.135,000 and had pass books of five bank accounts under his name, police said. The deceased was identified as Kadireshan Palamurugan (49) of Udappuwa area who had been knocked down by a motorcycle on Saturday (05) at Anavilundawa on Puttlam-Chilaw road. He had been admitted to the Anavilundawa divisional hospital and transferred to Chilaw general hospital where he succumbed to his injuries on Sunday. Police said they searched his bag to find Rs.135,000 in cash and the bank pass books of his accounts valued at Rs.47,000. Investigations revealed that he had been surviving as a beggar for several years. (Daily Mirror, 8.11.2022)
Tourist arrivals to Sri Lanka have exceeded the 580,000 mark, with 12,431 travelers arriving in the country during the first week of the month. As per provisional data released by the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) yesterday, a total of 580,689 visitors arrived so far. During the first week of November, Russia topped the tourist inflow with 3,343, followed by India with 1,813, and the UK with 1,029, Germany with 921, Australia with 623, Maldives with 468, Canada with 408, US with 365, France with 291, and Poland with 223 travelers were welcomed in Sri Lanka.
The daily average arrivals have slightly picked up to 1,710 during the first week of November, compared to 1,231 in October. November’s first five-seven arrivals also showed an uptick of 44% compared to 8,641 tourists in the corresponding period in October. Despite the multiple challenges, Sri Lanka’s tourism industry looks to be in high season, as they ramp up efforts to achieve the set targets and boost foreign exchange inflows to overcome the economic woes. Earnings from tourism from January to October amounted to $ 1.02 billion reflecting a 546% increase from the corresponding period of last year impacted by COVID-19, latest data released by the Central Bank showed. (Daily Financial Times, 9.11.2022)
Four professors from the University of Kelaniya’s Faculty of Medicine are ranked among World’s Top 2% Scientists in the updated Science-wide author databases of standardised citation indicators published recently. The four are Janaka de Silva (Department of Medicine), Nilanthi de Silva (Vice-Chancellor and Department of Parasitology), Anuradhani Kasturiratne (Department of Public Health) and Asita de Silva (Department of Pharmacology). The analysis was performed by a team from Stanford University, USA using Scopus data provided by Elsevier. The four professors are among 38 scientists based in Sri Lanka who were included in the list. Scientists are classified into 22 scientific fields and 176 sub-fields. Field- and subfield-specific percentiles are provided for all scientists with at least five papers. Single recent year data pertain to citations received during calendar year 2021. The selection was based on the top 100,000 scientists by c-score (with and without self-citations) or a percentile rank of 2% or above in the sub-field. Calculation was performed using all Scopus author profiles as of 1 September 2022. The database of top-cited scientists provides standardised information on citations, h-index, co-authorship adjusted hm-index, citations to papers in different authorship positions and a composite indicator (c-score). (Daily Financial Times 9.11.2022)
The Central Bank of Sri Lanka has introduced a new incentive scheme exclusively for Sri Lankan migrant workers and their beneficiaries. A new incentive scheme has been introduced for foreign exchange sent by Sri Lankan expatriate workers using official channels. The incentive scheme applies for foreign currencies remitted equivalent to Rs. 20,000 or more in a single transaction. The Central Bank announced that as an incentive, Rs.1,000 will be granted for every remittance of Rs. 20,000 or more in a single transaction. According to the Central Bank, the incentive is granted to reimburse the transaction cost which is levied from expatriate workers by licensed banks or remittance-receiving agents. The Central Bank noted that the incentive scheme is applicable only to remittances received to Rupee Accounts maintained in licensed banks and over-the-counter cash receipts. (Colombo Page, 12.11.2022)
Worker remittances income continued its ascent in October reflecting that the worst may be over for the poor run of the key foreign currency inflow source to Sri Lanka, which is instrumental in helping the dollar-starved country to fund its essential imports. Sri Lanka received US$ 355.4 in October from expatriates living and working abroad, up 12 percent from the same month last year. Thus, October became the second consecutive month to record higher remittance inflows on year-on-year basis, after a year-long declining streak of such inflows was ended in September. Meanwhile, the remittance income measured on a monthly basis showed a slight slippage in October from US$ 359.3 million recorded in September through which the income stream grew for three consecutive months starting from June. The Central Bank let go of the rupee in March, which it held at Rs.199/203 since 2021 causing the rupee to give up 80 percent of its value, providing the Sri Lankan expatriates a much better deal in rupee terms when they repatriate their hard-earned money. The authorities expect the current rising trend in remittances to persist as labour migration has reached an all-time high as the surge in cost of living has forced scores of people to leave the country looking for better lives elsewhere while the government is also introducing new incentive schemes to lure expatriates to use formal channels when they send their earnings back. Despite recent gains, the cumulative remittance income for the first ten months were at US$ 2,929.4 million, down 40.2 percent compared to the same period last year. (Daily Mirror, 14.11.2022)
President Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday appealed to all political parties and other stakeholders to support the national effort to bring positive change to the country with the 2023 Budget unveiling slew of proposals to restructure and modernise the economy for the benefit of youth – the real wealth of the country. Analysts described the 2023 Budget as overly ambitious. Cost of the social safety net program envisaged is Rs. 43 billion. This is apart from Rs. 66 billion for monthly Samurdhi relief allowance and Rs. 14.5 billion as financial support for elders and Rs. 8 billion as support for low income disabled persons. As per numbers, the Budget 2023 targets a revenue of Rs. 3.4 trillion up from estimated Rs. 2 trillion this year. Revenue will be 11.3% of GDP up from 8.7% in 2022.
Fees and charges which have not been revised for three years from 2020 to 2022 will be increased by 20% whilst a Surcharge tax will be charged at the point of importation, on diesel, petrol and crude oil. Expenditure forecast is a staggering Rs. 5.8 trillion (19.2% of GDP), up from Rs. 4.4 trillion (18.6% of GDP) estimated for 2022. Salaries and wages account for Rs. 1 trillion and for payment of pensions Rs. 375 billion has been allocated. Subsidies and transfers will be Rs. 1.1 trillion including Rs. 56 billion to be spent as fertiliser subsidy. Government to spend Rs. 30 billion for the free school textbooks program. Separately Rs. 33.6 billion for Thriposha program, school nutrition food program, nutritional food package for expectant mothers. The Budget is also committing a public investment of Rs. 1.2 trillion, slightly higher than Rs. 1 trillion estimated for 2022. As a percentage of GDP, the proposed amount in 2023 is lower at 4% as against 4.5% in 2022. The Budget deficit is expected to be reduced to 7.9% in 2023 as against 9.8% forecast for 2022. The deficit will be bridged via Rs. 560 billion in net foreign financing and Rs. 1.8 trillion via domestic financing. The proposals in the 2023 Budget encompassed a range of sectors such as agriculture, trade and investments, logistics, Green Hydrogen technology, Solar energy/Electric cars, inland fisheries, digital technology, banking and insurance, mineral resources, marine tourism, food safety, transportation, road development, youth engagement, women entrepreneurs, Healthcare and Sanitation facilities education and child nutrition, flood protection etc. (Daily Financial Times, 15.11.2022)
According to the estimates made by the Agriculture Ministry, it has been confirmed that crop damage caused by wild
