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President meets top commonwealth official, diaspora group amid opposition criticism
ECONOMYNEXT –Sri Lanka President Ranil Wickremesinghe met the Commonwealth Secretary General and a group of Sri Lankan expats even as his visit to the UK to attend Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral was questioned in the island nation’s parliament.A statement from the president’s media division (PMD) said on Tuesday September 20 that President Wickremesinghe met Commonwealth Secretary General Patricia Scotland that afternoon, a day after he met a Sri Lankan diaspora group.
Wickremesinghe also met King Charles III on Sunday September 18.The PMD wasn’t forthcoming with details on the meeting with the commonwealth secretary, but a statement said Wickremesinghe’s meeting with the diaspora group was attended by businessmen, investors and professionals of Sri Lankan origin, whom he had invited to invest in the country.Sri Lanka is going through a crippling currency crisis, the worst in the history of the country’s central bank.
“As I am meeting the Commonwealth Secretary-General tomorrow (20), we were talking amongst ourselves how we are going to function. We want the Commonwealth to be strong, to go ahead. The UK has been a friend and ally for a long time. We have been under the rule of UK and we have been an independent country having relations with UK (sp),” an official transcript of a speech he had made at the meeting said.
“It goes back a long time. There are times we have agreed with the UK and there are times we have disagreed with the UK. So those are bonds that we have, whether it be Labour or Conservative or coalition and we want to maintain those relations,” he said.
Just a week prior, on September 12, the UK handed over a new draft resolution to the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) that analysts say is the toughest resolution on Sri Lanka yet.However, political analysts say President Wickremesinghe has been looking to improve Sri Lanka’s relations with the West, as the country finds itself between the proverbial rock and a hard place vis-à-vis China and India.
“It’s not a secret that we are all broke as a country. We have to pull ourselves up by our bootstraps. We have already started discussions with the [International Monetary Fund] and staff level agreement is there. We have to talk to India, China and Japan and to the private creditors. While we look at our issues of debt, we also have to repay what we have borrowed. This means we need 25 years from now to 2048. Then we will be 100, by then [we[ will be a prosperous society,” he was quoted as saying.
Eksath Janaraja Peramuna (EJP) yesterday complained to the Election Commission (EC) regarding President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s recent threat that the government would release funds only to local government bodies to be won by a clean party at the May 06 LG polls.
The EJP, led by former Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka, complained that President Dissanayake has claimed during a public rally at Weligama that the NPP was the only clean party.
The EJP is contesting 37 LG bodies at the forthcoming election.
The new party said that the rights of the other contesting political parties and groups had been violated by the President.
The EJP asked the EC to ensure a level playing field
Having handed over their complaint, EJP spokesman Theekshana Gammanpila told the media outside the EC office that Anura Kumara Dissanayake had won last year’s presidential election and then the parliamentary election as the then government ensured a free and fair election. But now President Dissanayake was making a despicable attempt to influence the electorate in the run-up to the vital mini polls. Gammanpila alleged that the President’s intervention could have a far reaching impact on the electorate.
The EJP spokesman emphasised the responsibility on the part of the EC to intervene and take tangible measures to prevent President Dissanayake from manipulating the electorate to their advantage. (SF)
Former North Central Province Chief Minister S. M. Ranjith and his private secretary Shanthi, who is his brother, former Minister S.M. Chandrasena’s wife, were yesterday (02) sentenced to 16 years rigorous imprisonment after being found guilty of corruption charges. They were also ordered to pay a fine of Rs. 200,000 each.
The judgment was delivered by Colombo High Court Judge Aditya Patabendi.
They were convicted on charges filed by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption.
S.M. Ranjith was found guilty of enabling Shanti to secure an additional fuel allowance between Sept 2012 and Dec 2014 to the tune of Rs 2.68 mn.
The Embassy of Japan in Sri Lanka hosted a concert of Japanese traditional music by the Honganji Temple & Foundation Japanese Orchestra featuring the performers of NYSC on 28th March in honour of the visit of Most. Ven. Ohtani Chohjun Nayaka Hamuduruwo, the 25th Head Priest of Higashi Hongan-ji Grand Temple.
The event featured a Japanese tea ceremony and breathtaking musical performances by the Honganji Temple & Foundation Japanese Orchestra, showcasing traditional Japanese instruments such as the Koto and Shamisen. The evening was further enriched by violin and vibrant dance performances by students from the National Youth Council (NYSC) and Lanka Nippon Biztech Institute (LNBTI).
This cultural celebration further strengthened the deep ties between Japan and Sri Lanka, offering a unique experience of Japanese tradition and heritage.
EC asked to ensure level playing field at LG polls; complaint lodged against President AKD
Former CM, and private secretary sentenced to 16 years RI for corruption
Traditional Japanese musical concert and cultural performance
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