Apr 4 (Island) Human Rights Commission of SL (HRCSL) has questioned the declaration of a countrywide State of Emergency in response to a planned protest campaign yesterday against the failure on the part of the govt to address the continuing shortage of essential items, including food, medicine and fuel. Acting Director Research and Monitoring Nihal Chandrasiri said the HRCSL believed that the declaration had been taken more..

Apr 4 (FT) Thousands of people defied the curfew imposed by Prez Rajapaksa, and took to the streets to protest against the shortage of essential goods including gas, fuel, power outages and rising costs amidst speculation of a Cabinet reshuffle on the cards to diffuse growing public anger. Prez and PM met last night to discuss the growing unrest among the public and how best to handle the situation. The meeting came amidst speculation that the Prime Minister would hand in his resignation more..

Apr 4 (TM) The official website of the President of SL was inaccessible for some time yesterday due to heavy traffic, stated PMD Director General and senior journalist Sudewa Hettiarachchi. He said the website was down due to heavy traffic, and that the incident had been orchestrated by an individual or group. �The situation is under control and we have rectified the site now. However, Air Force and SL Computer Emergency Readiness Team (SLCERT) carried out an investigation into the matter� more..

Apr 4 (DM) Amidst rising public anger against the govt, Prez Rajapaksa and PM Rajapaksa agreed to form an interim govt, inviting opposition parties to join in, to bring immediate political stability. Following public protests erupting islandwide for days against the ruling family and govt members, the 11 party alliance members including Wimal Weerawansa and Udaya Gammanpila met the two leaders last morning and proposed to form more..

Apr 4 (FT) The inflation rate as measured by the Colombo Consumers� Price Index or CCPI that covers the prices in the Colombo District, has accelerated to 18.7% at end-March 2022, up from 15.1% a month earlier. The food inflation in this index has also jumped from 25% to 30%. These increases in food prices have not been fully reflected in the overall inflation because of the low weightage assigned to food category at 28.1%. Contrary to this, in the National Consumer Price Index or more..

Apr 4 (FT) Colombo Airport Ratmalana has started international flights after 54 years. Sadly no one gave thought to developing this vital asset. How many govts went past � maintaining perhaps one of our country�s most famous white elephants. The past 54 years has had several govts. All have acted with the same silence. The silence of development. Successive govts have failed to have a vision for the benefits and potential of smaller airports. What is the benefit of the small airport? more..

Apr 4 (DM) Former Minister and Pivithu Hela Urumaya leader Udaya Gammanpila said that the new cabinet is an old wine in a new bottle and people should decide their next leaders. This should not be decided by anyone else. �New cabinet is old wine in a new bottle. Our demand is for an all-party interim government to restore essential services and to hold a parliamentary election. People should decide their next leaders, not by anybody else,� he tweeted. more..

Apr 4 (DM) Prez Rajapaksa invited MPS Wimal Weerawansa, Vasudeva Nanayakkara, Udaya Gammanpila and Tiran Alles to re-join the govt when they met him on Saturday. Weerawansa and Gammanpila who held Cabinet posts in the govt were stripped of their portfolios after they held a public seminar critical of the current state of affairs. Afterwards, Nanayakkara also decided to keep away from ministerial duties in protest. Weerawansa said that the president asked them to re-join govt more..

Apr 4 (AD) Prez Rajapaksa today appointed four Ministers to maintain the affairs of the Parliament and other functions of the country legitimately and stably until a full Cabinet is appointed. Accordingly, Prof. G.L. Peiris has been sworn in as the Foreign Minister, Ali Sabry has been sworn in as the Finance Minister, Johnston Fernando at Minister of Highways and Dinesh Gunawardena as Education Minister. more..

Apr 4 (EN) Power cuts of up to 6.5 hours have been approved in SL for April 5, PUCSL Chairman Janaka Ratnayake said as severe foreign exchange shortages to import fuel was temporarily eased with fuel on borrowed money from India. Areas A,B,C,D,E,F,G,H,I,J,K and L will have power cuts of 4 hours from 8.00 am to 5.00 pm and 2.5 hour from 5.00 pm to 10.00 pm. Areas P,Q,R,S,T,U,V and W areas will have power cuts of 4 hours from 10.00 am to 6.00 pm and 2.5 hour power cuts from more..

Apr 4 (SLN) SL Navy mounted a special operation on the morning of 03rd April, to chase away a large number of Indian trawlers poaching in SL waters northeast of the Delft Island in Jaffna. During this operation, the Navy seized an Indian trawler with 12 Indian fishermen continued to remain in island waters through the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL). Having spotted a large cluster of Indian trawler poaching in Sri Lankan waters northeast of the Delft Island on the morning of 03rd April, more..

Apr 4 (AD) Governor of the Central Bank Ajith Nivard Cabraal on Monday said he has tendered his resignation to the President. �In the context of all Cabinet Ministers resigning, I have today submitted my resignation as Governor, CBSL to Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa,� he announced in a twitter post. All 26 Cabinet Ministers had resigned with immediate effect late on Sunday night. Leader of the House, Dinesh Gunawardena, more..

Apr 4 (EN) Colombo Stock Exchange halted trading for the second time after an index of sensitive stock dropped 7.88% as an unfolding political crisis added to an economic crisis. The Standard and Poor�s SL 20 Index fell 7.88% and the All Share Index fell 4.65%. The move also as the CB Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal tendered his resignation letter. Education Minister Dinesh Gunewardena said Sunday night that the the cabinet of ministers had given their resignations to the Prime Minister. more..

Apr 4 (Island) Coral reefs in remote or protected areas can recover quickly after mass coral bleaching events, new research shows. Uni of Exeter researchers are investigating reef carbonate budgets � the net production or erosion of reef structure over time, said a report published by Science Daily. To study the impacts of climate change on reef functions, they examined 12 reefs in the remote Chagos Islands in the Indian Ocean before and after the global coral bleaching more..

Apr 4 (Island) The 29th Steering Committee Meeting of COSCAP � South Asia (Cooperative Development of Operational Safety and Continuing Airworthiness Programme � South Asia), the organisation established with the aim of promoting safety in civil aviation, was successfully held in Colombo. The meeting was held at Colombo Hilton for 3 days, from 29th to 31st of March. The CAA of SL in a media release said: This organisation was established back in 1997 and has taken many steps to secure more..

Apr 4 (EN) The Condominium Developers Association of SL (CDASL) has recommended alternatives to amendments proposed to the Urban Development Authority (UDA)�s Planning & Development Regulations � Extraordinary Gazette No 2235/54. According to a CDASL statement, amendments were proposed to the Land Subdivision, Amalgamation and Development; Construction, Alteration and Renovation of Buildings; Planning, Computation, Designing of more..

Apr 4 (Island) SL Collective Against Torture (SLCAT) has said that every allegation of torture of persons, arrested at Mirihana, should be investigated and those responsible held accountable. Affected persons should be provided services for recovery and compensation, SLCAT said in a statement issued yesterday. The following is the text of the statement: �People had gathered at Mirihana to exercise their basic civic right to more..

Apr 4 (EN) Thousands took to SL�s streets on Monday as protests continued islandwide demanding the govt�s resignation amid a worsening economic crisis, with broadcast media showing footage of police blocking angry protestors near the private residence of PM Mahinda Rajapaksa in Tangalle. Footage showed protestors, gathered near Carlton House, attempting to storm past police barricades, demanding that Prez Rajapaksa and the rest of the govt immediately step down. more..

Apr 4 (TM) The lawyers of National People�s Power (NPP) said that they would legally challenge both the gazettes that declared a state of emergency in the country and the one that imposed a curfew, and claimed that both are unconstitutional. �The President�s reasons and goal for a state of emergency do not fulfil the legal provisions of the Constitution and the Public Security Ordinance. Similarly, the details in the gazette declaring a curfew are not covered in any way by law� more..

Apr 4 (NR) Chief Prelates of Asgiri, Malwathu, Amarapura, and Ramanna Maha Nikaya have called on Prez Rajapaksa to immediately dissolve the Cabinet including the post of PM in accordance with powers vested with him. Maha Nayaka Thera directed a letter in this regard to Prez Rajapaksa. The venerable said the country should be handed over to an interim govt comprising representatives of all parties that represent Parliament until more..

Apr 4 (Reuters) SL�s collapse is front of mind for many. Protesters fed up with crippling shortages of essential food and fuel items are on the streets, prompting multiple members of PM Rajapaksa�s cabinet to offer to resign late on Sunday. Social unrest will probably accelerate a restructuring of some $44 billion of international sovereign debt. Though SL�s problems follow years of mismanagement, its speedy unravelling is a warning to sturdier economies from Europe to Asia more..

Apr 4 (AD) Former State Minister Nimal Lanza warns that the govt will lose its majority in parliament if it attempts to continue through various tactics. Accordingly, more than 50 MPs representing the ruling party are prepared to function independently in Parliament tomorrow, he said. He further stated that it is very reasonable for the people to ask the govt to go home. He said that the govt should understand this pressure and step down, adding that at this moment the people�s demand more..

Apr 4 (TM) SSP Nihal Thalduwa said that the identification parade for six of the protestors who were arrested following the protest near the President�s residence in Mirihana last Thursday (31) night will happen today (4), as per the court order issued last Friday (1). He said: �As of now, there have been no reports of the identification parade being postponed, as this is a court order. If there is a postponement, that will only happen at the court tomorrow (4). Thus, it will go ahead more..

Apr 4 (DM) Jaffna Uni administration said all faculties of the Jaffna University will be closed from today until further notice. Accordingly, the uni administration has informed, that only the final year students of the Medical Faculty can sit for the examinations and take part in lectures. All other students who are lodging in uni dormitories have been asked to go home as soon as they can. Following numerous anti-govt protests organised in front of the university in the past few days, more..

Apr 4 (TM) The SJB said that they are in discussions with a number of political parties, organisations, and individuals on what next steps to take, with priority being given to revoke the 20th Amendment from the Constitution. �We are going step by step. We are telling those who are saying that they are opposed to the Govt, but within the Govt, let�s get together and vote against the 20th Amendment. That is step one. more..

Apr 4 (FT) LIOC bagged the National Business Excellence Awards under the category of Best Corporate Governance and Trading Sector during the National Business Excellence Award ceremony organised by the National Chamber of Commerce, Sri Lanka (NCCSL) held recently. The National Chamber of Commerce of Sri Lanka recognises the top corporate performers in Sri Lanka every year. Due to the pandemic situation during last two years, the award ceremony could not be organised. more..

Apr 4 (AD) SL Rupee has further depreciated against the US Dollar, based on the latest exchange rates announced by Central Bank of SL (CBSL). CBSL today declared the buying rate of the US Dollar as Rs. 289.72 while the selling rate is Rs. 299.99 against the dollar. During the year up to 01 Apr 2022, the rupee recorded a depreciation of 33% against the US dollar. As the CBSL allowed greater flexibility in the exchange rate, a notable upward adjustment in the exchange rate is observed more..

Apr 4 (DM) Darkness looms over the crisis-struck island nation as the public have begun a spate of protests across the island despite suppressive measures taken by the govt. Since Thursday (31) the govt has imposed curfew to curtail public protests following the uprising in Mirihana. On Friday the govt extended curfew till Monday (4) and even went to the extent of issuing a gazette declaring a state of emergency. more..

Apr 4 (TM) A group of 40 lecturers attached to various faculties at Uni of Colombo, in a statement, urged the Govt to refrain from violent methods of curbing dissent, especially referencing the case of the arrest of Uni alumnus Anuruddha Bandara � who was taken into custody on 1 April over his ownership of the #GoHomeGota facebook page � and to instead implement measures to immediately provide basic needs and immediate relief to the people. Statement is reproduced in full below: more..

Apr 4 (TM) Anuruddha Bandara, a social activist arrested last Saturday (2) is to appear before the Modara Magistrate�s Court tomorrow (5). His lawyers said he was produced before the Modara Magistrate�s Court around 1.30 a.m. yesterday (3), and released on bail after considering the bail applications of 60 lawyers who appeared for him. Providing the B report to the Magistrate, the ASP stated that Anuruddha Bandara had created the hashtag #GoHomeGota2022 on Facebook more..

Apr 5 (DM) The resignation by the Cabinet ministers from their respective portfolios on Sunday is nothing but the manifestation of the desperation on the part of the govt due to its failure to find solutions to the economic crisis the country is currently faced with. However, the move does not seem to lead to a solution either, in the light of the gravity of the crisis. The main issue with the outgoing govt was the failure to understand the problems faced by the people. When the farmers more..

Apr 5 (DM) On Sunday night, Cabinet of Ministers resigned en masse after the public took to the streets for yet another day of countrywide protests, this time, defying the curfew. They demanded the resignation of the president and the govt; Gota go home was the rallying cry. Yet another family cabal had finally run out of the patience of the citizenry. However, Rajapaksa siblings seem to have misread the public message. Mahinda Rajapaksa has not resigned. His office has denied reports that more..

Apr 5 (CT) Despite Prez Rajapaksa declaring a State of Emergency followed by an Islandwide curfew, after public anger boiled over during a protest near his Mirihana residence on 31 March, anti-govt rallies were held across the country demanding the Prez�s resignation. Following the Gazette notification imposing the curfew, Prez also issued a Gazette notification prohibiting anyone entering public places during the curfew. more..

Apr 5 (TM) The spate of independent and organised protests taking place throughout the country demanding the Govt, especially Prez Rajapaksa and PM Rajapaksa, to resign, continue to grow. This is in a context where the Govt seems to be doing everything it can to contain the protests, including imposing curfews and the declaration of a state of emergency, and deploying defence forces and the Police. When these measures did not reduce the protests, Govt has now resorted to a much more..

Apr 5 (CT) While it remains unclear whether members of the Cabinet of Prez Rajapaksa have resigned, have decided to resign or have expressed their willingness to resign, Prez yesterday, appointed four Ministers supposedly to maintain the affairs of Parliament and other functions of the country legitimately and stably until a full Cabinet is appointed. The move was made under the pretext of having a need to appoint a Leader of the House and a Chief Govt Whip for the functioning of more..

Apr 5 (TM) SL�s ears are still ringing. The sounds of chanting crowds could be heard all over the nation, as the curfew imposed at 6 pm last Saturday came to an end at 6 am yesterday, & people swarmed the streets islandwide to resume their large-scale protests against the Govt. From peaceful demonstrations held at public landmarks, to angry mobs storming police barricades placed outside politicians� residences, more..