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Sumanthiran complains that the man responsible for crisis still in driving seat

Published

4 years ago

2022/06/10

By Saman Indrajith

Sri Lankans were a disappointed lot each time Parliament was convened, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MP, MA Sumanthiran said on Wednesday in Parliament.

Sri Lankans had never been so desperate and they were looking to the parliament today for answers to an unprecedented economic crisis, Sumanthiran said.

“Each time this parliament meets, people expect there will be some change, some forward movement to resolve this crisis. And the people are disappointed because this is a parliament with two thirds of the voters supporting the government,” he said.

The TNA MP said that the government hadabused the people’s trust and further strengthened the Executive Presidency. The President then went on to violate all the promises he had made to the people and rereading the President’s election manifesto in 2019, the “Vistas of Prosperity and splendor” now induced laughter, Sumanthiran said.

“The one very specific proposal that he made, is at page 36 and 37 in the English version of the manifesto. On page 37, Gotabaya very specifically says “income tax will be reduced, economic service charge and withholding tax will be scrapped. A simple value added tax of 8 % will be introduced, replacing both the current VAT of 15 % and the Nation building tax of 2 %, payee tax will be scrapped and personal income tax will be subject to a ceiling of 15 %. 5-year moratorium will be granted on taxes payable by agriculturist and small and medium enterprises” and so on. Huge tax reliefs announced even in his election manifesto – it was an election promise,” the TNA MP said.

At that time, the finance minister of this country, Mangala Samaraweera, stated that if that proposal was implemented Sri Lanka would become like Lebanon and Venezuela. “Samaraweera’s prediction has come true”, the TNA MP said.

“So, one cannot say that there were no warnings. The Finance Minister of the country at that time said this. The Prime minister now wants to set up a parliamentary budget office. During the last Parliament we had that draft and all of that was set up but it was never presented to Parliament. Recently he asked me for the draft and I have sent it to him, and hope that will be done. One of the tasks of the Parliamentary budget office is that, when due for an election somebody makes a promise – an election promise – the Parliamentary budget office will have to immediately calculate the impact of that promise and publish a report saying, this is how it will impact the economy,” he said.

The tax cuts implemented in December 2019 and were the major reason why Sri Lanka was in the current predicament today, Sumanthiran said. It was only after the tax cuts that Sri Lanka’s ratings started falling, and the Central Bank gave confidential reports to caution the government that Sri Lanka would not be able to borrow anymore, the TNA MP said.

“We were shut out of International Financial markets. So, the person who is single handedly responsible for this economic crisis is still the head of government. He is still president, some people are saying, “No. no. don’t look at this Politics – let that be – deal with the economic crisis”… yes of course, to deal with the economic crisis the wrong-doer must be removed. You can’t keep the wrong-doer, the one who is mostly responsible in that chair and deal with the crisis,” he said.

The TNA MP said the President, Prime Minister and Parliament had lost its legitimacy and that there should be an overhaul of the system. However, before that, parliament needed to be dissolved. Sumanthiran said that there should be political stability to resolve the economic crisis, however it was not possible to have stability in a Parliament that had a lot of independent MPs. The Sri Lankan parliamentary system was not geared to deal with a large number of independent MPs, he said.

“Every day of delay in establishing stability costs the country several million dollars. So it must be fixed fast. We are part of a problem, we must say “Yes, we’ll dissolve ourselves”, pass a resolution and request the President to dissolve Parliament. One of the biggest promises given by the President himself in the last address to the Nation was to bring back the 19th amendment. Both the President and the prime minister within the last two weeks have given the country that assurance. But where are you now? You can’t bring back the 19th amendment,” he said.

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Prime Minister participates in Global Conscious Food Systems Summit in Bhutan

Published

4 hours ago

2026/09/2

Priyan

Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya departed Sri Lanka on Monday, 31 August, to undertake an official visit to Bhutan to participate in the Global Conscious Food Systems Summit, scheduled to be held in Bhutan.

During her visit, Prime Minister Dr Amarasuriya participated in the opening plenary of the Summit on 1 September, where she delivered a keynote address under the theme “Rising to the Moment: Igniting Consciousness to Address the Polycrisis.”

The Prime Minister will also engage in discussions with international leaders and representatives on strengthening cooperation towards sustainable food systems, food security and resilient communities.

[Prime Minister’s Media Division]

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Bouchier century sets England up for record 282-run chase against Ireland

Published

4 hours ago

2026/09/2

Priyan

Maia Bouchier notched her second ODI ton [Cricinfo]

Maia Bouchier’s century led England to their highest successful ODI run-chase to defeat Ireland by six wickets in the opening match of their three-game series in Leicester.

Bouchier initially played a supporting role to Sophia Dunkley’s 61-ball 73. But, after the duo had shared a 143-run opening stand off just 118 balls to set the foundations for England, Bouchier finished with an emphatic 104 off 95.

It was England’s older hands who saved the hosts after Ireland had posted an impressive 281 for 5 on a good batting track, with fifties to captain Gaby Lewis, Amy Hunter and Rebecca Stokell. But while Bouchier, Dunkley and Alice Capsey share more than 100 ODIs between them, in the context of the hosts’ developmental approach to this series, Bouchier’s performance was most on point.

On the eve of this first match, stand-in skipper Charlie Dean had emphasised the opportunities for players to establish themselves as top selection choices with five key players missing from the squad. Bouchier, who since the 2025 Ashes has only played a bit-part for her country, got the message and sent one right back.

With Tammy Beaumont and Heather Knight retired and Amy Jones rested for this series, England entered this match with a new top order, Dunkley promoted to open alongside Bouchier and Jodi Grewcock at No. 3, playing just her third international.

The new opening pair made light work of their task early on as Ireland’s bowlers struggled to make any impact, as England’s attack had earlier.

Bouchier crashed four fours in a row off Jane Maguire and, after 10 overs, they were 72 without loss, compared to Ireland’s 51 for 1.

Dunkley reached fifty first, off 40 balls with 10 fours, including the one that brought up the mark, crashed through the covers off Kia McCartney. Bouchier reached her half-century off 63.

Dunkley survived a stumping attempt while trying to drive legpsinner Cara Murray but she fell next ball, smashing one back for a sharp return catch.

Murray was finding appreciable turn and she bowled left-hander Grewcock through the gate with one that pitched on middle and hit the top of leg stump.

Bouchier raised her ton off 91 balls, driving McCartney through the covers for her 11th four. But she fell moments later, picking out Orla Prendergast at long-on off the bowling of Arlene Kelly.

That left Capsey to combine with another first-choice England player in Freya Kemp to take their side to the brink of victory with a 54-run partnership for the fourth wicket. With one shot needed for victort, Kemp holed out for a typically quickfire 36 off 22 balls, including four consecutive boundaries off Arlene Kelly, before Capsey struck the winning four to remain unbeaten on 41.

Earlier, the hosts had battled to crack a century stand for the second wicket between Hunter and Lewis, before Stokell fired off a 43-ball fifty.

Stand-in wicketkeeper Capsey, taking the gloves for Jones, took an excellent catch dive-rolling to her right to remove Alice Tector off an edge from Issy Wong to put Ireland at 13 for 1 in the fifth over.

But then Hunter and Lewis settled into their stubborn stand worth 136 runs off 152 balls, negating the hosts’ three-pronged spin attack with ease and showing little mercy to the seamers either.

The duo reached half-centuries within a few strokes of one another, Hunter first off 67 balls with a swept four over midwicket followed by a leg-side single off Mady Villiers, the off-spinner playing her first white-ball international in two years. Lewis raised her fifty off 66 balls by pulling a short ball from Lauren Filer for four.

Wong returned to the attack in the 30th over and struck with her third ball back, a fuller one which jagged in through the gate and clattered into Lewis’s stumps to break their union.

Tilly Corteen-Coleman was expensive in her fifth match for England, coming after she had warmed the bench in the shadow of fellow left-arm spinners Sophie Ecclestone and Linsey Smith during the T20 World Cup.

With Corteen-Coleman having conceded 53 runs off seven wicketless overs, England skipper Dean deployed her offspin to prise out Hunter, luring her down the pitch with one that slid past the inside edge and turned onto leg stump.

Stokell had raced to 46 off 37 balls when and was still on the cusp of her half-century when she overturned an lbw dismissal to Dean, with replays showing the ball pitched outside leg stump. Having already celebrated her fifty for a four that replays showed had actually come off her helmet, she brought up the milestone with a single back over the bowler’s head off Dean. who then bowled Leah Paul next ball to claim her second wicket.

Scores:
England Women 283 for 4 in 38.1 overs (Maia Bouchier 104, Sophia Dunkley 73, Alice Capsey 41*; Cara Murray 3-58) beat Ireland Women 281 for 5 in 50 overs (Gaby Lewis 69, Amy Hunter 62, Rebecca Stokell 54*; Issy Wong 2-57, Charlie Dean 2-44) by six wickets

[Cricinfo]

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Showers will occur in the Western and Sabaragamuwa provinces and in Galle, Matara, Kandy and Nuwara-Eliya districts

Published

7 hours ago

2026/09/2

Priyan

WEATHER FORECAST FOR 02 SEPTEMBER 2026
Issued at 05.30 a.m. on 02 September 2026 by the Department of Meteorology

The atmospheric conditions are getting favorable for afternoon thundershowers in the Northern, North-central, Eastern and Uva provinces in the next few days.

Several spells of showers will occur in the Western and Sabaragamuwa provinces and in Galle, Matara, Kandy and Nuwara-Eliya districts. Showers or thundershowers may occur at a few places in the Eastern and Uva provinces and in Mullaitivu district after 2.00 p.m.

Fairly strong winds of about (30-40) kmph can be expected at times over the Western slopes of the Central hills, the North-central and North-western provinces and in Hambantota and Matale districts.

The general public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimize damage caused by temporary localized strong winds and lightning during thundershowers.