Business
‘Inaugural People’s Convention, a resounding success

The People’s Convention for Good Governance was held at the BMICH in the midst of an exclusive audience, all of them invited and registered by the organizers, on February 25 .The Convener of this National Initiative Richard de Zoysa set the tone for the day by requesting the delegates to observe a minute’s silence for all those fought for the Independence of Ceylon ,the military personnel who sacrificed their lives to defend the country and to all those who contributed to serve their motherland.
He added that the four forums that was to be the hub of the programme ,would speak on how we have reached this perilous predicament,what exactly is the situation we are at present and how we should work to overcome the challenges.
Maithri Gunaratne P.C. former Governor of Central and Uva Province addressed the gathering on the post Independence period . Gunaratne spoke candidly on how nepotism started with D.S. Senanayake appointing his son Dudley to succeed him and the irreversible repercussion of S. W. R. D . Bandaranaike introducing the Sinhala only act to capture power.
“The JVP insurrection and the LTTE terrorism was also largely due to this selfish motive”. He went on to say that large scale corruption started in 1977 during the J R Jayawardena Government where an open market economy was formulated. The present situation where the Constitution does not always enforce the will of the people was also crafted during his tenure. Gunaratne summed up by stating that the Rajapaksa Government though ending the separatist war, failed to reconcile the country and plunged it into bankruptcy, together with the governments that followed.
Omar Khan a US national of Pakistani heritage, having come to Sri Lanka in 1993 and a well known motivational speaker headlined his address a ‘Visionary Catalyst’ , and spoke of the importance of following up on decisions made, if a country is to progress. Murtaza Jaferjee the Chairman of the Advocata Institute delivered a flawless speech on Economic Recovery with a presentation of facts that had the audience captivated.
Prof. Arjuna Parakrama moderated the Education Reforms panel that included Dr.Tara de Mel , Prof. Harendra de Silva and Nile Anandappa. Shehara Parakrama and Sharhan Muhseen a top rung investment banker and an expert in mergers and acquisitions exchanged thoughts on the Production and Services forum.
Dr. Pakiasothy Saravanamuttu moderated an interesting panel on Ethnicity which included Selvi Sachithanandam , Ishan Jalill , Jeremy Liyanage , & Arun Siddarth who had a thought provoking discussion on the minorities. Arun Siddarth was candid about the caste problem that is still preventing him entering certain facilities that are reserved for the upper caste Tamils. He also declared that it was the politicians who created the rift between the Sinhalese and the Tamils.
An interesting Q & A followed, which gave much food for thought.The Guest of Honour Dr .Walter Jayasinghe who lives in California, and does an enormous amount of social work for the underprivileged, declared open the Empowering Lanka website that will be a fully transparent fund raising platform with the inflow and outflow clearly visible. Primarily to help alleviate poverty and develop districts that lack basic infrastructure needs, the first Directors Dr./ Ms Walter Jayasinghe and Richard de Zoysa will source funds from both international and local donors.
The funds raised will be disbursed to those who conform to a predetermined criteria laid down by the Board of Directors of the company limited by guarantee. Once commissioned officially, funds will be used to develop District by District monthly as planned by Dr. Sarath Seneviratne who mooted this concept 15 years ago.
The entire convention can be viewed by going into Arise Sri Lanka YouTube channel -@arisesrilanka or Facebook – @Arise Sri Lanka
Business
Oil prices rise as Saudi Arabia pledges output cuts – Opec+

Oil-producing countries have agreed to continued cuts in production in a bid to shore up flagging prices.
Saudi Arabia said it would make cuts of a million barrels per day (bpd) in July and Opec+ said targets would drop by a further 1.4 million bpd from 2024.
Opec+ accounts for around 40% of the world’s crude oil and its decisions can have a major impact on oil prices.
In Asia trade on Monday, Brent crude oil rose by as much as 2.4% before settling at around $77 a barrel.
The seven hour-long meeting on Sunday of the oil-rich nations, led by Russia, came against a backdrop of falling energy prices.
Total production cuts, which Opec+ has undertaken since October 2022, reached 3.66 million bpd, according to Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak.
Opec+, a formulation which refers to the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies, had already agreed to cut production by two million bpd, about 2% of global demand.
(BBC)
Business
Manpower services agency wins accolades for its contribution to foreign employment sector

Its MD says. ‘go abroad only if you can work hard’
Siraj Manpower Services, one of Sri Lanka’s leading foreign employment agencies, was honoured with the Three-Star Award at the ‘Golden Awards’ 2023, organised by the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE). This award ceremony was organised to honour foreign employment agencies that have made a significant contribution to the development of the foreign employment sector, which is a major source of foreign exchange for Sri Lanka. Siraj Cafoor, Managing Director of Siraj Manpower Services, was presented with the award at the award ceremony which was held at the BMICH in Colombo under the patronage of Minister of Foreign Employment and Labour Manusha Nanayakkara.
Having been established in 2002, Siraj Manpower Services (www.sirajmanpower.lk) has earned a reputation in the field of foreign employment by winning the trust of customers for more than 20 years. It has been offering job opportunities in the Middle East countries such as Kuwait, Qatar, Dubai and Saudi Arabia, and Malaysia as housekeepers, drivers, sanitation workers, labourers and also jobs related to the apparel industry. All these workers are entitled to approved salary scales certified by the SLBFE.
“We always stand for the safety of workers who go abroad through our organisation. We work to solve the problems that arise in relation to the contracts that the workers have entered into. I must mention something special to those who go abroad for employment. That is, you should keep in mind that you go abroad only to work. Go abroad only if you can work hard. You have to remember that you are going abroad to earn some more money and achieve the advancement of your family.” said Siraj Cafoor.
Business
Direct flights between Istanbul and Katunayake to commence from August

A special discussion between Turkish Ambassador – Demet Sekercioglu and Minister of Ports, Shipping and Aviation – Nimal Siripala de Silva took place last week at the ministry office. The aim of the discussion was to seek authorization to commence direct flights from the Turkish Capital Istanbul to Katunayake, Sri Lanka. The Chief of Turkish Airlines’ South Asia Office Fathi Bozkurt was also present during the discussion.
Currently, Turkish Airlines connects with Sri Lanka through a route that includes a stopover in the Maldives, resulting in an additional travel time of one and a half hours. The delay caused by this routing is not favored by travelers, as emphasized by the Ambassador.
The Chief of Turkish Airlines requested for time and space to be allocated in order to initiate direct flights between Istanbul and Katunaike, thus providing convenience for Turkish tourists and travelers who prefer visit Sri Lanka.
The Minister announced that the request would be forwarded to the Director General of the Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka and the Airport and Aviation Services (Sri Lanka) (Private) Limited. The aim is to establish direct flights between Istanbul and Katunayake starting from August this year.
Turkish Airlines, a renowned airline with a fleet of over 100 aircraft, offers flights connecting Europe’s Vancouver and New York. The Chief of Turkish Airlines said that the new service would not only benefit European travelers but also encourage them to travel to Sri Lanka.
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