Tax revenue has been reduced from 24% to 8.6%, Finance Minister Ali Sabri told parliament.
He said making a statement in Parliament regarding the economic situation in the country that he did not think the current crisis would be resolved in two years, and It is up to the politicians to decide whether it will take 5 or 10 years or the crisis would be resolved in two years.
He also points out that although it is imperative to find investors at the moment, investors do not come due to the status quo.
“I personally believe I’m doing the job of a Night Watchman. In test ricket, when a wicket falls down at the evening session, someone from the back line comes to protect the front and tries to save the wicket. I am currently doing that. I am not an economist. I do what I can with all the energy and power I have. If there are economists, come forward and accept this, we will give the position. “
“China said they did not want us to go to the IMF. But I talked to them for an hour and a half recently. They then assured us of their full support in our discussion at the IMF. That is a great victory for us, ”he said.
“What has happened so far is that a budget written by a secretary to the treasury is being read in the parliament. Parliament should be given more financial power. Whoever the finance minister is, a separate unit should be set up to advise the minister on the economy,” he said.
Chairman of Litro Gas Vijitha Herath says that the stocks of gas obtained from SiamGas company of Thailand will arrive in Sri Lanka within the next two weeks.
Cabinet approval has been granted to purchase gas from SiamGas Company of Thailand, which they will supply gas for one year.
The new agreement will reduce shipping, service charges and insurance premiums by 10%, he said.
He also said that a price formula for Litro gas will be introduced in the future.
Its purpose is to provide relief to the people when world market gas prices fluctuate.
SriLankan Airlines has released a press release clarifying issues surrounding aircraft leases.
SriLankan Airlines Ltd. has said that they welcome and respect the rich debate in the public space on matters concerning the Operation of the Airline in General and the ‘Notice of Procurement’ for the Lease of Aircraft in specific. The Board and Management are of the opinion that the discussion on these topics would benefit from more full information.
At the outset, they believe that the response to the following question would set the foreground for a more informed analysis of the areas of interest.
What was the Rationale of the Proposal from Management, and Approval by the Board, to Explore Aircraft Leasing Options in the Global Market?
The proposal from Management was primarily focused on the replacement of Twelve (12) expiring/expired aircraft leases. Nine (09) Aircraft will leave the fleet commencing year-end through to 2025 and Three (03) have left the fleet already during the pandemic period.
Not taking timely action to explore the global market for lease options would effectively translate to scaling down the Airline through route cancellation. In the absence of a Direction or Decision by the Shareholder (Government of Sri Lanka – GoSL) to Scale Down or Shut Down the Airline (along with the dire consequences of such action to debt holders including the State Banks), such failure to act would have been a dereliction of duty on the part of the Board of Directors.
The interplay between Sri Lanka’s Foreign Currency Crisis and the Operational strategies of SriLankan Airlines was also an important consideration. This topic is dealt with in more detail through specific questions and answers, but the salient fact is that SriLankan, with 85% of its earnings being from overseas, is a foreign currency earner, similar to an export business. Shrinking the foreign currency earning capacity of the Airline through fleet contraction would in fact be negative to the Country’s foreign currency situation.
The Management proposal was also centered on the fact that the lease market rates are very low at present (savings of 20%-40% relative to the current fleet). The Airline also has the further opportunity to significantly reduce operating costs through the securing of Aircraft which are more fuel-efficient and cheaper to maintain. These are all factors that would improve the USD Cash Flows of the Airline.
The Management additionally sought approval to explore the viability of expanding the fleet by up to Nine (09) Aircraft during the period 2023-2025 to exploit forecasted tourism demand in the years ahead at lower lease and operating costs.
The above and other salient subjects and discussion points are further addressed through the Specific Questions which follow.
At this stage, has SriLankan Airlines Committed to the Lease of (even a single) Aircraft – No
Even at a future stage of the process, if for whatever reason the Airline wishes not to proceed with Leasing Aircraft, would the Airline be still compelled to Lease 21 Aircraft? No, the Airline would be free to Lease as few or as many aircraft as it wishes or to cancel the entire process. The entire process is on a Strictly Non-Binding basis.
Was the Intent of the Airline to Lease Brand New Aircraft? No, the Airline’s focus was on exploring the Global Market for Used Aircraft, to significantly reduce its operating cost structure.
Would Aircraft leases burden the State? No, all leases will be funded through the company’s foreign currency cash flows.
When would the Airline need to take a Decision whether (or not) to Lease Aircraft – and the related quantity, aircraft type, aircraft age, etc.? From the Airline’s perspective, it would be ideal if the Procurement Process was progressed to the level of decision making by October 2022. Failure to do so may result in the cancellation of several routes from March 2023 onwards and the contraction of revenues.
Does SriLankan Airlines draw on Foreign Currency Resources of the Sri Lankan Economy? No, SriLankan with 85% of its revenues in foreign currency is a net foreign currency earner under normal operating conditions. It should be noted, however, that the Airline Business is susceptible to major disruptions such as the pandemic or a country specific situation that deters tourism and international travel.
Should SriLankan Airlines consider Replacement of Expiring Leases and Aircraft Additions when Sri Lanka was facing a Foreign Currency Crisis? Since the Airline’s operations generate foreign currency inflows, shrinking the fleet and resulting foreign currency cash flows will have a negative impact on the inflow of foreign currency to the country, while growing the foreign currency cash flows would have a positive impact. The Airline should therefore continue to evaluate the business case for Aircraft Replacement at a lower cost and the very selective addition of new cash generating routes, in the best interest of the Company and the Shareholder.
What are the steps which need to be completed for the Board to be able to make a recommendation to the Shareholder (Government of Sri Lanka) by the end of 2022?
Identification of Bona-Fide Bidders for Aircraft Leasing through a transparent process
Calling for lease Proposals from eligible bonafide bidders through a transparent process
Evaluation of the bids
Preparation of a Recommendation in terms of Timing, Quantity, Aircraft Type, Age and specifications.
Is it normal practice to make a public announcement of the intent to lease aircraft? It is Best Practice in the interest of Full Transparency and to allow any Potential Lessor to participate. This level of transparency we believe is a significant enhancement to the Airline’s Lease procurement process and should be a consistent practice within the overall governance framework going forward.
What is the current status of the Process? The current stage (Notice of Procurement) was limited to the Submission of Credentials to enable the identification of Bona Fide Bidders with requisite certification and Aircraft Supply over the period up to 2022. No pricing information was called for at this stage. The next stage would be to issue an RFP document to the Qualified Bona Fide Bidders. Based on the suggestion of the COPE, the progress to the next phase of Price Exploration has been deferred by 3 months.
What considerations would be taken into account prior to deciding whether or not to lease aircraft and in the former case, quantity, price and aircraft type, etc.?
Business Case formulation and evaluation for each and every Aircraft Lease (whether a replacement for an expiring lease or for route addition).
Financial Situation of the Airline at the time under multiple scenarios
Macro-Economic Conditions at the time and projected going forward
The Business Case Evaluation for Aircraft Replacement and/or Addition would necessarily have to factor in the Risk of Exceptional Situations and their mitigation.
What other considerations are relevant to the decision to survey the Global Aircraft Leasing Market?
The Aircraft Leasing market is currently very favorable, with a high likelihood of SriLankan Airlines being able to secure savings of 20%-40% relative to lease rates being paid at present.
The additional opportunity to significantly reduce operating costs through the securing of Aircraft which are more fuel-efficient and cheaper to maintain.
The Notice of Procurement points to the Potential number of Aircraft to be Leased up to the Year 2025 as 21. How is this number derived? The quantity being explored includes 12 replacement aircraft. Nine (09) Aircraft will leave the fleet commencing year-end through to 2025 and Three (03) have left the fleet already during the pandemic period. The Management is also exploring the market conditions for a further 9 Aircraft during the period up to 2025 in line with Tourism and International Travel Forecasts published by reputed International Organisations such as IATA (International Air Transport Association).
Sri Lanka announced the Selective Suspension of External Debt Servicing on 12th April – what impact would this have? The downgrade of Sri Lanka’s ratings to default levels is likely to result in potential lessors adding a risk premium to pricing levels in the market. It is nevertheless likely that Lease Costs inclusive of such premium would remain more favorable than lease rates paid by the Airline at present.
To what extent was the Board aware of the Economic Crisis in Sri Lanka
The Board was fully aware of the deteriorating economic conditions in Sri Lanka, which have impacted day to day operations and have been extensively deliberated. A large number of strategic initiatives were launched to mitigate the impact of the crisis on the various dimensions of the Airline’s operation. The strategies adopted by the Airline enabled it to deliver an Operating Profit for the January-March Quarter notwithstanding the worsening economic conditions
With specific reference to the Commencement of a Process to Investigate Pricing of Aircraft leases, for reasons explained above, there was no reason to hold back such an initiative since circa 50% of the fleet leases are expiring and initiatives targeting Direct Cost Savings and the continuation and growth of foreign currency Cash Flows, will directly benefit the company and the Shareholder (GoSL).
The Notice of Procurement was released on the 10th of April 2022. As stated before the COPE, the Company had no knowledge of the intent of the government to announce a Selective Suspension of External Debt Servicing on 12th April. As explained above, this would have some impact on Lease Prices, but it is likely the Airline would have the opportunity to benefit from lower (than current) lease prices regardless.
What is the Financial Situation of SriLankan Airlines?
Promisingly, the Airline has recorded a Group Operating Profit in US Dollar Terms for the January – March Quarter of 2022 (unaudited). This was the first profitable Quarter (in USD terms) after 6 Years. Significantly it is also the first 4th quarter profit (in USD terms) since 2006.
The Airline has, however, over a long period of time, accumulated an unsustainable level of debt which currently stands at USD 878 Mn.
Significantly, and notwithstanding the Operating Profitability achieved in US Dollar Terms, the carriage of USD Debt would, due to the recent devaluation of the LKR by over 50%, result in the recording of a very significant non-cash exchange loss (due to revaluation of debt) in the LKR statutory financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2022 (unaudited).
A majority of this debt is held by the State Banks and the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC). Other significant debt includes a Government Guaranteed USD Bond for USD 175 million reissued in 2019.
Over the Past months, based on enhanced operating profitability and foreign currency cash flows, the Airline has commenced paying down debts to CPC, in addition to ensuring timely servicing of interest of other term debt.
What were the main drivers of improved operational performance
Operating Profit during December 2021 and January to March 2022, has been achieved through a two-pronged strategy – Cost Restructuring and Opportunistic New Revenue Capture based on new routes, and adapting capacity to demand for both passenger and cargo traffic
Cost Restructuring at SriLankan is based on several phases and the Initiative to Rebase the Cost of Leases to Current (favorable) prices is a critical phase moving forward
What was the Impact of the Pandemic on the Global Industry and SriLankan Airlines in particular?
Globally, the devastating impact of the Pandemic resulted in 26 Airlines entering restructuring and 37 Airlines being shut down
Relative to the global industry, SriLankan has fared reasonably well, with a post-pandemic operating structure that provides a foundation for profitable operations.
Several factors made this possible:
Sacrifices were made by the employees of the Airline, a majority of whom took deep salary cuts over an extended period.
Equity injection by the Shareholder of LKR 45.7 billion in 2020.
Successful Cost Restructuring (which brought down operating costs by USD 100 Million during the pandemic) and Exploitation of Market Opportunities – Cargo Services, Repatriation Services, New Demand Capture – for example between India and Australia.
Shouldn’t SriLankan Airlines be Shut Down? Sold? Liquidated and Restarted etc.?
These are valid questions. The critical issue which constrains the Options available is the fact that insolvency or bankruptcy at SriLankan would have a serious impact on the State Banks and CPC which hold a bulk of the historical debt.
Restructuring or Capitalisation of debt and/or liquidation and restart (as some Airlines have done) are decisions that need to be taken by the Shareholder (Government of Sri Lanka) and are beyond the purview of the Board. The Board has however provided the Shareholder with several going forward scenarios along with envisaged consequences.
In the absence of such direction by the Shareholder, it is the fiduciary duty of the Board of Directors to maximize the operating performance of the company.
The focus of the Board and Management has been to achieve Profitable Operations and to Commence Paying down long outstanding debt.
How is the Board of Directors Appointed and Remunerated?
Board members are appointed by the Shareholder of the Airline – the Ministry of Finance
The current Board of the Airline was appointed in January 2020 shortly prior to the Pandemic
At the point of appointment, current board members resolved not to accept any remuneration or benefits whatsoever.
Board members extended time and effort towards the management of the Airline on a purely honorary basis.
Chilaw Police state that they have launched an investigation into the burning of two cars and a motorcycle that happened due to a personal dispute.
The fire broke out at around 1.30 am on the 3rd of May.
Police are investigating following a complaint lodged by Lal Hettiarachchi, a businessman residing in Puliyankadawara, Mugunuwatawana.
The businessman said he and his family woke up at night to a noise they heard and when finding the source they saw that two cars and a motorcycle parked in his backyard were set on fire.
He also stated that he has suffered a loss of around Rs. 8 million due to the burning of vehicles.
It is unknown at this time who caused the fire.
Police say that they believe a personal dispute may have caused the fire.
Chilaw Police are conducting further investigations.
The Chinese government has decided to provide another 300 million Chinese Yuan in grants to Sri Lanka for the supply of medicines, food, fuel, and other essential items.
That was as a result of a telephone conversation between Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on April 22.
In an earlier telephone conversation, Premier Li Keqiang told Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa that China was aware of the difficulties and challenges Sri Lanka is currently facing and would do their utmost to improve the livelihoods of the people of Sri Lanka.
Upon learning about the grant, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa thanked the Chinese Prime Minister for his continued support to Sri Lanka during difficult times and paid tribute to Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and the Chinese Government.
With this latest grant, the total assistance provided by China to Sri Lanka to manage this crisis situation is approximately 500 million Chinese Yuan and approximately US $ 76 million.
The Cabinet yesterday focused on providing relief to low-income families who are facing difficulties due to the current economic crisis in the country.
The statement issued by the Cabinet Office in this regard is as follows.
The Government has identified the need to provide immediate relief to low-income families receiving Samurdhi, Elderly, Kidney and Disability Allowances and their families who are on the waiting list to receive such allowances due to the current economic crisis in the country.
It has been agreed to provide the necessary funding for this project using indeterminate emergency response components of projects funded by the World Bank Group.
Accordingly, the proposals made by the Minister of Finance and the Minister of Samurdhi Development with regard to taking necessary steps to provide a special cash allowance to provide the relevant relief to the identified beneficiary families from May to July were approved by the Cabinet.
It has been decided to appoint a ministerial subcommittee to study the new draft constitution and make recommendations.
The statement issued by the Cabinet Office in this regard is as follows.
It was decided at the Cabinet meeting held on 09-09-2020 to appoint a committee of legal experts under the chairmanship of Mr. Romesh de Silva, PC, to draft a new constitution.
The four-member subcommittee was approved by the cabinet meeting held yesterday.
Accordingly, the preliminary report of that committee has been submitted to His Excellency the President on 25-04-2022. The Cabinet of Ministers decided to appoint a Sub-Committee consisting of the following Ministers to study the contents of that report and make appropriate recommendations to the Cabinet:
Hon. (Prof.) G. L. Peiris Minister of External Affairs – (Chairman)
Hon. Dinesh Gunawardena Minister of Public Administration, Home Affairs, Provincial Councils and Local Government
Hon. Douglas Devananda Minister of Fisheries
Hon. (Dr.) Ramesh Pathirana Minister of Education and Minister of Plantation Industries
Hon. Ali Sabri Minister of Finance and Minister of Justice
Wilson Karunaratne, popularly known as Wilson Karu, was 79 years old at the time of his death.
Wilson Karunaratne, who has acted in more than 250 movies, entered the movie industry in 1974. That is through contributing to the movie ‘Hadawath Naththo’ through acting.
Wilson Karunaratne has acted in more than 15 teledramas in addition to movies. The last acted movie was ‘Thiththa Aththa’ which was shot in 2019.
A five-member Cabinet Sub-Committee chaired by Minister of Mass Media and Information Dr. Nalaka Godahewa has been appointed to take immediate steps to address the country’s foreign exchange crisis.
This Cabinet Sub-Committee is appointed following a decision taken by the Cabinet which met yesterday. The committee consists of members Minister of Transport and Industries Dilum Amunugama, Minister of Energy and Power Kanchana Wijesekera, Minister of Ports and Shipping Pramitha Bandara Tennakoon, and State Minister of Urban Development Lohan Ratwatte.
The statement issued by the Cabinet Office in this regard is as follows.
The Cabinet decided to appoint a Committee of Ministers comprising of the following Ministers to identify investment opportunities that could expedite the attraction of foreign investment as a solution to the current foreign exchange crisis in the country.
Hon. (Dr.) Nalaka Godahewa Minister of Mass Media – (Chairman)
Hon. Dilum Amunugama Minister of Transport and Minister of Industry
Hon. Kanchana Wijesekera Minister of Energy and Minister of Power
Hon. Pramitha Bandara Tennakoon Minister of Ports and Shipping
Hon. Lohan Ratwatte State Minister of Urban Development
A 270 MW power plant at Norochcholai has suffered an industrial breakdown.
Power and Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekera says the CEB has begun repairs and has been assured that the plant will be reconnected within five days.
The Minister also said that the CEB has assured that they will manage the existing power outages without further extensions due to the breakdown, using thermal and hydro power plants.
The Cabinet has decided to appoint a Cabinet Sub-Committee on Cost of Living.
The statement issued by the Cabinet Office in this regard is as follows.
The Cabinet decided to appoint a Cabinet Sub-Committee on Cost of Living under the chairmanship of His Excellency the President with the participation of His Excellency the Prime Minister and other relevant Ministers and Ministers of State to provide the necessary policy and practical solutions to keep the cost of living stable.
Ramadan or Eid-ul-Fitr, a festival celebrated after the sighting of the new moon following a month-long fasting season by Muslims around the world.
The congratulatory message issued by President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa on the occasion of Ramadan is as follows.
Ramazan Day Message
The Muslim community celebrating Eid-ul-fitr after a month of fasting seeks the blessings of the God according to their belief. I also wish you all that the spiritual healing you seek may bestow upon you.
Ramazan is one of the most important festivals in the Islamic religious calendar. The Muslim community expected to receive a mental stimulus to practice good deeds every day according to the religious principles of Allah.
Cultural relations between them through harmonious meeting, collective compromise, sacrifice, redemption from evil, practice of good will during the Ramazan period lead to social progress. Such exemplary practices should be spread among all the people.
The philosophy of all theologians is based on the principle of salvation. We have seen for a long time the celebration of Ramazan in Islamic philosophy, including other beliefs of the religion and adhering to the message given by these teachings and applying that message for the betterment of the society lead to the development of mutual understanding. It affirms inter-religious socio-cultural understanding.
We all have a responsibility to use the social doctrines and messages taught by religions for the betterment of the society.
May the coming period after this festival of Ramazan be a happy and prosperous period for all Islam devotees in Sri Lanka as well as around the world!”
Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksha grants his wishes as follows.
Eid-Ul-Fitr
“I extend my congratulations to the Muslim community in Sri Lanka who are celebrating Eid-ul-Fitr with Muslims all over the world.
During the most important month of the Muslim calendar, it is a great task for all of you to take a spiritual step away from worldly life in order to understand life.
Your goal is to achieve an ideal life by focusing only on the good deeds during the fasting month of Ramadan. Therefore, it is commendable that during the fasting period of Ramadan, you do focus only on good deeds.
Understanding the pain of a starving person and the value of charity are the precious life values gained during fasting.
You have successfully completed the fasting period of Ramadan following the noble virtues associated with fasting according to the Qur’an and it is my belief that now the opportunity is yours to socialize its spiritual essence.
I urge all of you to be sensitive and generous to other people in the society at this time when the whole country has started to face a challenging time.
Happy Eid-UI-Fitr to you all with the blessings of Allah!”
Meanwhile, the Leader of the Opposition Sajith Premadasa has issued a message congratulating all Muslims on the occasion of Ramadan, with the determination to build a noble motherland based on compassion, unconditional brotherhood and compassion.
“May the day of Ramazan be a day that paves the way for a philanthropic vision of life!
Muslims around the world are observing a month-long fast and observing Ramazan, or Eid-al-Fitr, which falls after the sighting of the new moon. The Holy Qur’an was presented to the prophet Muhammad Nabi by Allah in the month of Ramazan and it conveys the noble message of equality through Ramazan.
During the month of Ramazan, Muslims dedicated themselves to the God Allah. They did it with immense devotion.
The fasting season of Ramazan is a great opportunity to understand the plight of hungry people, to lead a life of self-sacrifice with a sensitive mind, and to develop the ability to control the mind.
Their determination is to exemplify those good lifestyles in their daily lives, without restricting it just for a month.
This commitment, self-control as well as self-sacrifice on their part that leads to equality is a super example of national unity and reconciliation.
It needs to be noted in particular that throughout the history of Sri Lanka, the religiously educated Muslim people have lived in cooperation and peace with other races and religions in Sri Lankan society.
The message of goodness that they have maintained throughout the ages by mutual friendship, human love, and intimacy is inspiring. May Ramazan be a day of determination for all Muslims, to work in compassion, boundless brotherhood and fair practices to build a noble motherland!”
A girl who was studying with a kerosene lamp when the power was cut off has been burnt to death by a fire caused by overturning the kerosene lamp.
The incident took place last night in the Sandilipay area of the Jaffna Manipay Police Division.
The deceased has been identified as a 16 year old school girl who was preparing to sit for the GCE Ordinary Level Examination this year.
Police investigations have revealed that the fire caused by the overturning of the bottle lamp had spread to a petrol bottle kept by her father in the house.
The Consumer Affairs Authority has issued a gazette setting a maximum retail price for a kilo of local raw rice with effect from today.
Accordingly, a maximum retail price of Rs. 220 per kilo of white and red nadu and a maximum retail price of Rs. 230 per kilo of white and red samba has been set.
In addition, the maximum retail price for Kiri Samba has been set at Rs. 260 per kilo.
The gazette notification issued setting these maximum retail prices has been signed by the Chairman of the Consumer Affairs Authority, retired General Shantha Dissanayake.
It is reported that the Chief Incumbent prelate of the Malwathu Chapter Most Venerable Thibbatuwawe Sri Siddhartha Sumangala Thero has decided not to allow any politician to meet him.
That is until the political crisis in the country is resolved.
The chief incumbents of the three chapters had recently handed over a letter to the President, the Prime Minister and the leaders of political parties containing six proposals including the formation of an interim government to save the country from the crisis.
The Sri Lanka People’s Front has agreed to the concept of forming a national consensus government.
The agreement was reached during a discussion between the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) and a group of independent members of the government chaired by President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa at the Presidential Secretariat in Fort today (02).
The General Secretary of the party Sagara Kariyawasam stated this while expressing his views to the media after the discussion.
He said that his party had agreed to the concept of coming to power with the involvement of all parties in Parliament for a particular period of time and overcoming the country’s economic crisis.
Nimal Siripala de Silva told the media that Anura Priyadarshana Yapa, Wimal Weerawansa, Udaya Gammanpila, Tiran Alles, and himself represented the independent parties in the discussion.
He also said, Prof. G. L. Peiris, Sagara Kariyawasam, Sanjeewa Edirimanne, Basil Rajapaksa and Ramesh Pathirana were present Representing the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna.
It was also decided at the meeting to take collective action to involve other political parties in the interim government.
On April 2, 2022, PayHere, Sri Lanka’s leading Internet Payment Gateway announced that they have been subjected to a cyberattack. That attack influenced all of their services and breakdowns have lasted for about 36 hours.
According to a post on Twitter, the PayHere website was also distorted after attackers transferred a large amount of data (65GB) to them. There is a risk of releasing stolen data to the Internet. According to the post on PayHere’s official Facebook page, the attackers also sent SMS via telephone numbers they’ve obtained. The following is one such SMS.
The world-famous haveibeenpwned.com website claims that hackers have stolen Personally Identifiable Information (contact numbers, email addresses, first 6 digits and last 4 digits of your credit/ debit card, etc.) of anyone who pays through PayHere. This means that if you order products or services from a commercial website that you have to pay through PayHere, your data is more likely to be stolen. However, it is difficult to accurately estimate the extent of hacking based solely on the word of the attacker. According to the website hasibeenpwned.com, the data of 1,580,249 people has been stolen. You can read PayHere’s detailed statement on this here. https://blog.payhere.lk/ensuring-integrity-on-payhere-cybersecurity-incident/
According to Bhasha’s website, Bhasha Lanka (Pvt) Ltd’s products and services include a number of services including the well-known Helakuru application in Sri Lanka and the PayHere service. PayHere is one of the few online payment portals available in Sri Lanka and this event will cause the user to lose confidence in their services.
Follow the steps below to find out whether your data has been stolen.
The Association of Former Secretaries to Cabinet Ministries requests President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa to make the public aware of the program that will be implemented within a specific time frame to build the country.
The President of the Association, former Prime Minister’s Secretary S. Amarasekera said that the letter was addressed to the President on some issues such as increasing government revenue, controlling expenditure, increasing foreign exchange inflows to the country and implementing a program to manage foreign exchange.
It further states that even if the President resigns, the existing problems will not be resolved.
Therefore, what needs to be done at this moment is to make a structural change and implement a program to stabilize the country within a specific time frame.
The letter also requested the President to appoint a limited number of cabinet ministers with the support of all parties without exercising executive powers and to appoint an executive council to advise the president as well as the cabinet.
The letter further requested the President not to use the powers of the Executive President in such a situation and to act on the decisions given by the Executive Council.
The no-confidence motion against the present government will be handed over to Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena on the 4th, says the Samagi Jana Balawegaya.
Ratnapura District Parliamentarian Hesha Withana stated that this decision was taken at a discussion held today (2) under the chairmanship of the Leader of the Opposition Sajith Premadasa.
He said that every Member of Parliament who loves the country would support the no-confidence motion.
He further stated that his party will not join to form an interim government headed by President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa.
The number of suicides among Sri Lankans has increased in 2021 compared to previous years.
According to the latest figures from the Police Headquarters, there were 2632 males and 647 females in the 3279 suicides happened in 2021.
The number of suicides in 2020 was 3074. In 2019, that number was 3135 and in 2018, it was 3281.
According to the Police Headquarters, the total number of suicides in the country in 2017 was 3263. In 2016, that number was 3025. In 2015, only 3,054 people had committed suicide. In 2014, that number was 3144.
According to the latest statistics from the Police Headquarters, out of 3279 suicides in 2021, 2290 were committed by hanging themselves. Also, 600 people lost their lives from consuming pesticides or herbicides.
Most of these suicides are due to family disputes. In 2021, 614 people had committed suicide due to family disputes and 430 suicides have reported from killing themselves for having a chronic disease.
People commit suicide due to economic problems and in 2021, 172 people had commited suicide as 154 men and 18 women.
The vast majority of suicides are committed by married people, and in 2021, 2,391 couples had committed suicide.
Buddhists make up the majority of suicides in the country each year, followed by Hindus.
2250 Buddhists had commited suicide in 2021 while that number is only 894 for Hindus. Also, when comparing nationalities Sinhalese have committed the highest number of suicides and it is 2334. The second highest number of suicides was among Sri Lankan Tamils. That number is 822.
Most of those who commit suicide in 2021 are unemployed. That number is 1136. After that, the highest number of suicides are in the field of agriculture and in manufacturing processes.
According to statistics, 472 people employed in the agricultural sector and 205 people engaged in the manufacturing processes had committed suicide in 2021.
Three persons including the driver of a Defender have been arrested in connection with the death of a motorcyclist in a collision with the Defender at Kanadulla, Kuliyapitiya.
Among the suspects arrested was a 14-year-old boy, police said.
The accident took place last night and angry residents of the area had set fire to the Defender after the accident, police said.
Police say that the Defender belongs to a businessman in Kuliyapitiya.
According to the police, the businessman, his daughter, son and a child who was working at home were traveling in the Defender at the time of the accident.
Police say the businessman’s underaged son was driving the Defender when the accident happened, police said.
Police say the businessman’s son was videotaping the scene on a mobile phone while traveling in the Defender and even recorded the accident.
The Defender was set on fire after a police officer climbed into the driver’s seat to take the vehicle to the police station. Police say the officer opened the side door and jumped out when the petrol was poured and set on fire, otherwise the officer might have been killed with the Defender during the fire.
The deceased has been identified as a 38 year old resident of Kanadulle.
It has been decided to release the stocks of rice to all supermarket chains which has been issued so far only to Lanka Sathosa.
Trade and Samurdhi Minister Shehan Semasinghe said that the decision to release them within the next week was taken during discussions with the relevant departments.
The Minister further stated that this measure will be effective until the stock of imported rice is exhausted.
The maximum amount of rice that can be purchased per customer is 05 kg.
The maximum retail prices of such rice are as follows.
1 Kg Nadu rice – Rs 145.00 1 Kg Samba rice – Rs 175.00
Paying homage to the statue of Labor leader A. E. Gunasinghe in Gunasinghepura on World Labor Day today was done today to commemorate his 131st birthday. He pioneered the celebration of May Day for the first time in Sri Lanka.
The first May Day Rally in Sri Lanka was held in 1928.
He was the founder of the trade union movement in Sri Lanka.
A special point is that the pioneer leader of the labor movement in this country, A. E. Mr. Gunasinghe was also born on the 1st of May.
