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Tuesday May 30th, 2023

Sri Lanka police arrest key protest leader amid fears of August 9 agitation 

Ratta – Image credit: facebook.com/Rathidu

ECONOMYNEXT- A prominent Sri Lankan protester has been arrested by the Colombo Crimes Division after a number of  arrests have been made over illegally entering public properties during the July 9 protest which led former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa to flee the country and amid fears of a similar protest on August 9.

A social activist and Youtuber Rathindu Senaratne commonly known as “Ratta” was arrested on Monday (01) for violating the law and breaching a court order during a protest held on a main road in front of the island nation’s World Trade Center on 21 May, which was held against the government’s mismanagement.

Ratta was arrested while he had voluntarily appeared to produce a statement on behalf of the arrest of another protest leader Pathum Kerner, who was also arrested for breaching police barriers near a parliament junction.

The series of arrests come after protesters have planned another massive protest on August 9 similar to the one that forced former president Rajapaksa to flee the country fearing for his life. The planned protest on August 9 is to force President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who succeed Rajapaksa through a parliament vote, to resign.

Wickremesinghe has been tough of protesters, some activists say and he has repeatedly said nobody can burn houses of people in the name of protest.

Wickremesinghe on July 18 has declared state of emergency which gives wide powers for police to arrest people.

A day after Wickremesinghe took over as the president on July 21, the military attacked and evicted the protesters inside and near the presidential secretariat which was occupied by the agitators from July 9.

The number of protesters near the presidential secretariat also has declined sharply amid series of arrests and some protesters withdrawing from the agitation which has been taking place since April 9. They have been demanding former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa to resign and all Rajapaksa family members to leave from the key governmental positions.

The protesters have said the day 9th of the each month has been a lucky day for them after former Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa was forced to resign on May 9, his brother an former Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa resigned on June 9 and ex-president Gotabaya Rajapapksa fled the presidential palace on July 9 before fleeing the country and resigning from Singapore via an email.

The July 9 protest saw at least 200,000 people joining the key protesters near the presidential secretariat. They stormed into the presidential palace, presidential secretariat, prime minister’s official residence, and burnt then prime minister Wickremesinghe’s private residence. The police has been now investigating into the incidence.

Government officials have said Wickremesinghe administration has been fearing of August 9 protest.  (Colombo/Aug 02/2022)

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  1. Sanji says:

    I am a Sri Lankan, who cares about my country. So far the only people who cares about this country are the boys and girls who are protesting, who showed us that we too have right to stand up. All our politicians only cares about their commission, their money, their statues and their power. Don’t we have the right to say our politicians are wrong? Now they are the ones who are spreading fascism in the country. I am ashamed to say that I am a Sri Lankan.

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Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  1. Sanji says:

    I am a Sri Lankan, who cares about my country. So far the only people who cares about this country are the boys and girls who are protesting, who showed us that we too have right to stand up. All our politicians only cares about their commission, their money, their statues and their power. Don’t we have the right to say our politicians are wrong? Now they are the ones who are spreading fascism in the country. I am ashamed to say that I am a Sri Lankan.

Sri Lanka cabinet approves President’s proposal to resume Japanese LRT after soared ties 

ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka’s Cabinet of Ministers approved a proposal by President Ranil Wickremesinghe to resume the unilaterally cancelled Japan funded Light Rail Transit (LRT), cabinet spokesman said, as the island nation is in the process of mending ties with Tokyo.

However, any such deals are likely to take place after the debt restructuring and Sri Lanka starts to repay its foreign loans to come out of default, analysts say.

Former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa unilaterally cancelled the 1.5 billion US dollar LRT and East Container Terminal (ECT) projects in 2021. Japan agreed to fund the LRT project while it was one of the tripartite members of the ECT project along with India and Sri Lanka.

The abrupt cancellation hit the diplomatic ties between the two countries and Sri Lankan government officials have said Japan had given the project to Sri Lanka at a very lower financing cost.

President Wickremesinghe returned from Japan late last week after having met top officials of the Japanese government including its prime minister.

“In recent history, due to the stopping of several agreements and proposals suddenly, President Wickremesinghe went to Japan after creating the background to clear some of the worries we have,” Cabinet Spokesman Bandula Gunawardena told the weekly media briefing.

“Before he went, he got the approval from the cabinet to resume the discussion on the light railway project. He got the approval from the cabinet to get parliament approval for bilateral agreements signed or any other investments project. Any change or cancellation of a project could be done only with the approval of the parliament.”

Japan has backed Sri Lanka under Wickremesinghe’s presidency after the island nation declared sovereign debt default. (Colombo/May 30/2023)

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Sri Lanka to tighten grip on television with broadcast law

ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka has formulated a broadcast authority law to regulate electronic media which will be made public soon, Cabinet spokesman Minister Bandula Gunawardana said.

“The draft prepared by a cabinet subcommittee under Justice Minister Wijedasa Rajapaksa has discussed with various parties will be given to all media institutions and broadcast media,” Gunawardana said.

“We do not have to hide or force anyone. A legal framework that can be acceptable to all for all sectors.”

“In a week or two Minister Wijedasa will discuss with state and private stakeholders.”

At the moment Sri Lanka has issued frequencies without conforming to an “international procedures”, he said.

In Sri Lanka television frequencies are issued under a state television act.

Successive administrations in Sri Lanka has since around 1980 mis-used state television duopoly which including for conducting elections according to critics.

Private television as well a raio emerged around the 1990s and has since over shadowed state media.

There have been calls by ruling party politicians from time to time to control private media. There is now calls to control social media.

At a Committee on Public Accounts meeting of the Department of Government Information, ruling coalition legislators called for regulation of television content. (Colombo/May30/2023)

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Sri Lanka rupee at 296.75/297.25 to dollar at open, bond yields steady

ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka’s rupee opened at 297 /297.50 against the US dollar in the spot market on Monday, while bond yields were steady, dealers said.

The rupee closed at 296.75 /297.25 to the US dollar on Monday after opening around 296.50 /297.50 rupees.

A bond maturing on 01.09.2027 was quoted at 26.50/75 percent steady from Friday’s close at 26.50/65 percent.

Sri Lanka’s rupee is appreciating amid negative private credit which has reduced outflows after the central bank hiked rates and stopped printing money. (Colombo/ May 29/2023)

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