The inside story of Rajapaksa family infighting that toppled a country into violence and bankruptcy Hannah Ellis-Petersen in ColomboThu 7 Jul 2022 05.00 BST Dilith Jayaweera can still recall the moment he realised Sri Lanka was hurtling, unstoppably, towards financial ruin. It was around October 2021 and Jayaweera, a Sri Lankan media magnate and close friend of the Sri Lankan president, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, had invited Basil Rajapaksa, the president’s younger brother, who was also the finance minister, to join him for dinner. There was little love lost between Basil Rajapaksa and Jayaweera, who…

Read More

UK, New Zealand issue fresh warnings to their citizens against visiting SL Worsening of economic crisis and potential for civil unrest cited as reasons USA, EU, Canada, Australia and Ireland continue to maintain their travel advisories issued months ago Likely to have a massive impact on already struggling tourism sector in country SLTDA chief says steps will be taken to “soften” impact of such warnings where possible By Shabiya Ali Ahlam The travel advisories against visiting Sri Lanka, which were slightly relaxed just weeks ago, are now back and they could…

Read More

Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa yesterday said that neither he nor the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) or the Samagi Jana Sandhanaya have any “no” or “can’t” talk and will fulfill their responsibilities for the people at any time. Donating a stock of scarce medicines, the Opposition Leader said the ‘Jana Suwaya’ and ‘Samagi Jana Balawegayen Husmak’ programs are implemented with a view of creating a healthy nation. Specialist Dr. Anver Hamdanihas earlier informed the Opposition Leader about the acute shortage of Recombinant Streptokinase (IP 1500000IU) which is an essential medicine for…

Read More

Labor and Foreign Employment Minister Manusha Nanayakkara says when registering with the Sri Lanka Foreign Employment Bureau to go abroad for work for a second time, the amount of dollars sent to the country through legal channels while working abroad previously will be checked. He said legislation will be enacted to allow only those who have repatriated significant amounts of money to go for foreign employment for a second time. The Minister stated this while presenting flight tickets to a group of young women going abroad for domestic nursing jobs…

Read More

UK issues travel advisory against Sri Lanka over ongoing crisis SLTDA Chairman says SL remains honest and open Adds continuous lobbying underway to remove advisory By Imsha Iqbal  Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) Chairman Priantha Fernando stated that while the concerns of the UK – which resulted in a travel advisory being imposed against Sri Lanka – are valid, the SLTDA is continuously working towards pushing the UK to remove this advisory.  Speaking to The Morning Business, SLTDA Chairman Priantha Fernando stated: “Sri Lanka remains honest and open, as the…

Read More

Critics point out that the government is giving up on people and strengthening tri forces and police    If there are around 8000 buses operating daily one requires at least 50 litres of fuel   Sri Lanka’s fuel crisis has claimed the lives of 16 while people were waiting in queues to get their share of fuel. The queues continue to stretch despite fuel being issued at IOC filling stations. Even though the Minister made many promises when he assumed office, many promises weren’t delivered. For instance, even though the Minister…

Read More

Why legal and policy reforms have fallen short and social reforms are essential BY Sumudu Chamara Gender inequality has challenged Sri Lanka for decades, and the existence of gender discriminatory social norms is one of the primary reasons for gender inequality. Observing and assessing these social norms is complex, given that they are deeply embedded in society and in the subconscious minds of the community, including women. However, in order to ensure gender equality, it is essential to transform the gender discriminatory social norms prevalent in society.  As such, there…

Read More

With eight ministers, including two secretaries of state, resigning in the last two hours, an isolated and powerless Johnson was set to bow to the inevitable and declare he was stepping down later on Thursday, a source said. His Downing Street office confirmed that Johnson would make a statement to the country later. After days of battling for his job, Johnson had been deserted by all but a handful of allies after the latest in a series of scandals broke their willingness to support him. “His resignation was inevitable,” Justin…

Read More

Boris Johnson will announce his resignation as British prime minister on Thursday after he was abandoned by ministers and his Conservative Party’s lawmakers who said he was no longer fit to govern. With eight ministers, including two secretaries of state, resigning in the last two hours, an isolated and powerless Johnson was set to bow to the inevitable and declare he was stepping down later on Thursday, a source said. His Downing Street office confirmed that Johnson would make a statement to the country later. After days of battling for…

Read More

Why legal and policy reforms have fallen short and social reforms are essential BY Sumudu Chamara Gender inequality has challenged Sri Lanka for decades, and the existence of gender discriminatory social norms is one of the primary reasons for gender inequality. Observing and assessing these social norms is complex, given that they are deeply embedded in society and in the subconscious minds of the community, including women. However, in order to ensure gender equality, it is essential to transform the gender discriminatory social norms prevalent in society.  As such, there…

Read More

Thiruketheeswaram, one of the five “eswarams” mentioned above, is in the coastal village of Manthai in the Mannar District History has shown that although the Portuguese destroyed tangible structures, they could not destroy the intangible faith of the ancient people and in this instance, the Hindu people of Sri Lanka July 2022 is significant in the world Hindu diary of events, with the consecration ceremony at the world renowned Thiruketheeswaram temple! Let us get to know some details about this temple. In very ancient Sri Lanka, there were five temples…

Read More

by Tisaranee Gunasekara World War I began with fanfare. Leaders of all combatant nations predicted that their victorious troops will be home for Christmas. People believed and cheered. Only a few understood that the war would ruin losers and winners. “The lamps are going out all over Europe. We shall not see them lit again in our lifetime,” British Foreign Secretary Sir Edward Grey lamented.  In Sri Lanka, most of the lamps are already cold, snuffed out by the economic idiocy of the Rajapaksas. Only a few cling to a…

Read More

The proposals for the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution, brought forth to clip the powers in the presidency, have been published in a gazette notification issued on Wednesday (June 29). Earlier this week, the Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal to gazette the new constitutional amendment and to present it to the Parliament. The amendment, which had been referred to as the 21st Amendment so far, is in fact the 22nd Amendment, as another draft 21st Amendment has already been gazetted. Policy approval of the Cabinet of Ministers was given on…

Read More

Sri Lanka’s police and army have removed anti-government protesters from the fort ramparts overlooking the ground at Galle, on each of the first two days of the ongoing Test against Australia. The public is ordinarily allowed to hold banners and placards as they view the match from the fort. These are mostly related to cricket.However, these protesters had held placards asking for the resignation of Sri Lanka’s president Gotabaya Rajapaksa, and have as a result been removed, even though the ramparts are public space. Among the authorities’ concerns had been…

Read More

BY Ruwani Fonseka Former Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa’s Chief of Staff Yoshitha Rajapaksa today (30) refused to comment on the reports of the former Prime Minister being hospitalised. When The Morning reached out to several private hospitals, they were unwilling to disclose if the former Prime Minister was admitted at their facilities due to patient confidentiality reasons. However, a source close to The Morning claimed that Rajapaksa is currently hospitalised at a private hospital after undergoing a surgery last night. Meanwhile, taking to a twitter post, Spokesperson to the Former…

Read More

Dr. Godahewa, Zuhair disturbed, disappointed By Shamindra Ferdinando Public Administration, Home Affairs, Provincial Councils and Local Government Minister Dinesh Gunawardena yesterday (29) said that the police or the intelligence services hadn’t at least bothered to inquire from him the alleged use of drones (unmanned aerial vehicles) by those who mounted a wave of violence against marked out individuals, looting and arson right across the country in the wake of the 09 May incidents in the Kollupitiya and Fort police areas. The Leader of the House said so when The Island asked him…

Read More

COLOMBO (Reuters) – Sri Lanka’s government on Thursday proposed amending the constitution to trim presidential powers and beef up anti-corruption powers to help shore up stability and defuse unrest provoked by the country’s worst financial crisis in decades. The South Asian island of 22 million people is close to running out of fuel and has struggled for months to find enough U.S. dollars to pay for essential imports such as food, cooking gas and medicine. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who critics blame for the financial crisis for having given key posts…

Read More

By Dinitha Rathnayake A tense situation has risen over the Kurundumale Archaeological Reserve, an ancient Sri Lankan monument deep in the dense forest of Mullaitivu. According to the Department of Archaeology, the ancient Buddhist temple is said to be the only one of its kind in Sri Lanka built fully out of a particular type of wood. For decades it had been concealed, fully covered with sand and trees that had obscured its view. The historic site also survived the three-decade war without any harm, although some treasure hunters had…

Read More

By Mohamed Harees – Lukman Harees On 10 June 2022, the UN had warned that the extreme economic situation in Sri Lanka could develop into a “full-blown humanitarian emergency. Due to several policy disasters of Gota-led government, the nation has been sadly going through a slow motion implosion, Lebanon style with its economic fundamentals being off the charts in the wrong direction. As Sri Lanka, once one of South Asia’s most progressive countries is witnessing widespread food and fuel shortages, the ‘square peg in a round hole’ Gota who is singularly being…

Read More

A high-level US delegation held talks with President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe in Colombo today. The US Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Julie Chung said that they discussed Sri Lanka’s economic crisis. “It’s a challenging time, but we continue to deliver assistance and long-term partnership to help Sri Lanka achieve a prosperous, secure and democratic future,” she said in a tweet. Members of the delegation include Robert Kaproth, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Treasury for Asia, and Ambassador Kelly Keiderling, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central…

Read More