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 ...

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Another ruse? Source:Island The government does not seem to have realised the need to remain maniacally focused on the efforts being made to resolve the current economic crisis. It has chosen to busy itself with political reforms. Close on the heels of the passage of a vital constitutional amendment, it has undertaken to introduce electoral reforms and requested Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena to appoint a Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC). Justice Minister Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe has, in a letter to the Speaker, explained why the government has undertaken to introduce electoral reforms. He has highlighted some flaws in the current electoral system. Why has the government woken up to the need for electoral reforms all of a sudden? Nothing is scarier to a crumbling regime than the prospect of having to face an election. The SLPP has managed to retain its hold on power by manipulating numbers in Parliament, and an ...

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House emphasizes on need for forming All-Party Government-by Camelia Nathaniel and Amali Mallawaarachchi Source:Dailynews The last day of the three-day debate on the Government’s Policy Statement was held yesterday (12) where the House emphasized the need for an All-Party Government (APG). The blame game continued as the ruling party MPs accused the Opposition of not supporting an All-Party Government while the Opposition criticised the Government’s failure to pronounce a time frame for the proposed Interim Government. SJB MP Dr. Harsha de Silva’s speech stood out from the rest as he commended the President’s Policy Statement while criticizing all political parties for not making genuine effort to form a short-term Interim Government. Chief Government Whip Prasanna Ranatunga joining the debate pointed out that Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) is ready to form an All-Party Government even if it still holds the 2/3 majority in Parliament. Ranatunga observed that the SLPP’s commitment ...

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New President elected in Sri Lanka parliament – By Dr Harold Gunatillake Website: www.Doctorharold.com Transcript: The newly elected President Ranil Wickremesinghe thanking his contenders DullasAlahapperuma and Anura Kumara Dissanayake, urged the MPs to work together in a new manner. “The people are not asking us for old politics. I request Opposition leader Sajith Premadasa and other opposition parties including former Presidents Mahinda Rajapaksa and Maithripala Sirisena to work together,” Wickremesinghe said in a speech following the ballot. “We were divided for the last 48 hours. That period is now over. We have to work together now,” he added. The new President also requested the Speaker to take oaths as President within the Parliament premises. This was the first time in the history of Sri Lanka that a vote took place in Parliament to elect a succeeding President, following the post being left vacant by Gotabaya Rajapaksa who resigned on the 14th ...

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Sri Lanka to get new president next week amid worst crisis since independence The island nation is embroiled in an economic and political meltdown with its parliament expected to vote for a new president on 20 July. Source:  sbs.com.au   Sri Lanka’s parliament will elect a new president on 20 July, its speaker said on Monday, after protesters stormed the residences of the current president and prime minister, who have both offered to quit amid an economic meltdown. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who had overseen a ruthless crushing of the Tamil Tigers insurgents as defence secretary, is set to resign on Wednesday. His brothers and nephew earlier quit as ministers as Sri Lanka began running out of fuel, food and other essentials in the worst crisis since independence from Britain in 1948. Parliament will reconvene on Friday and will vote to elect a new president five days later, Speaker Mahinda Yapa ...

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Sri Lanka Situation – By Dr Harold Gunatillake Website – www.Doctorharold.com Sri Lanka left with fuel stocks for around five days, minister Kanchana Wijesekera says Sri Lanka’s fuel stocks will last five more days, its power and energy minister said on Thursday (Jun 16), as the island nation awaits official confirmation from the Indian government for a new US$500 million credit line for fuel. “We are struggling to get fuel supplies due to our forex issues, and the government is working to manage existing stocks of diesel and petrol until Jun 21,” the minister told reporters. “We are finding it very difficult to meet demand, and stocks could run out faster if we do not cut back on non-essential travel and stop hoarding fuel.” “We expect a petrol shipment within the next three days and another two shipments in the next eight days,” he added. Sri Lanka is waiting for official ...

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SRI LANKA NEEDS FEWER POLITICIANS AND MORE TECHNOLOGISTS – By Dr. Tilak S. Fernando   “There are rumours that Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe had to take over the finance portfolio since no member of the Sri Lankan Parliament was willing to take up this challenge of managing the country’s finances. Instead of looking at the scenario negatively, it would be appropriate to think that the Prime Minister taking over the finance portfolio is also a progressive step, as the finance portfolio requires the maximum attention at this stage,” says veteran Indian journalist N.S. Venkataramanin in his latest article, which landed in my email ‘in box’. He further states that ‘when the Sri Lankan Government negotiated with the IMF to obtain financial support, the present scenario appears to be that the IMF is procrastinating the issue and has not given a firm assurance to the Sri Lankan Government. When ...

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News In Sri Lanka – by Dr harold Gunatillake   Website: doctorharold.com Transcript: Bringing the most important latest news to your doorstep “If the ongoing protests diminish through fatigue and fail to monitor Wickremasinghe, Lanka’s fall into the abyss will not only be inevitable but extremely painful as well”. Sasanka Perera-Professor of Sociology and Dean of Social Sciences at South Asian University, New Delhi. In his first interview since taking office, Mr Wickremesinghe told the BBC he would ensure families get three meals a day. Appealing to the world for more financial help, he said, “there won’t be a hunger crisis; we will find food”. The new PM described the Sri Lankan economy as “broken”, but he said his message to Sri Lankans was to “be patient; I will bring things back”. Sri Lanka’s political and socio-economic disaster turned into deadly combat between the progovernment thugs with the backing of Mahinda ...

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CAN RANIL PULL THROUGH THE PRESENT PANDEMONIUM? – By Dr. Tilak S. Fernando Photo Source:bbc.com    Everyone doesn’t Ranil Wickremasinghe’s appointment as Prime Minister. He was the only member of Parliament ( from the national list) when the whole group of UNP candidates lost their parliamentary seats. It took nearly a year to fill the  UNP National list vacancy. In the end, the  UNP recommended Ranil Wickremasinghe’s name. Likewise, everyone blames the Opposition Leader for dilly-dallying the issue by presenting numerous excuses, such as ” the President should leave.”  By the time he agreed to accept the Prime Minister’s position (still under several clauses), the stable was closed and the horse had bolted. Usually, an opposition leader understands the Constitution of a country. For example, there is a shadow cabinet in England, and the opposition leader takes immense responsibility for national issues. He may disagree in Parliament over political issues ...

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Sri Lanka Today – by Dr Harold Gunatillake   Transcript: Sri Lanka was crippled by a strike by trade unions demanding the resignation of the Rajapaksa government The trade unions in Sri Lanka on Friday launched a crippling island-wide strike to demand the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his government over its inability to tackle the economic meltdown which has caused unprecedented hardships to the public. Sri Lanka’s government has been facing a wave of protests around the country with an increasingly furious public demanding its resignation. All trade unions of health, postal, port and other government services have joined the .. strike. However, several pro-ruling party trade unions have declined to join. Businesses remained shut and roads appeared empty in most usually crowded areas. “Today’s one day action is to tell the president that he should step down along with the government. If our pleas are not heeded ...

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