News
Journalists barred from Zahran’s widow’s testimony

Even chairs outside taken away
By Rathindra Kuruwita
Widow of National Thowheed Jamaat leader Zahran Hashim, Abdul Cader Fatima Hadiya, testified yesterday before the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI) investigating the Easter Sunday attacks.
Hadiya began testifying around 11 am. The session however was not open to the media and journalists covering the PCoI had to wait for the next witness.
Journalists were compelled to sit on the staircase near the PCoI entrance as there were no seats for them. Chief Executive Officer of the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall where the Commission its, Sunil Dissanayake confronted the Journalists and asked them to leave the venue.
When journalists asked Dissanayake about where they can wait till the next session commenced, he retorted that although the PCoI sat at the BMICH providing facilities to journalists covering it was none of his concern. Such matters should be taken up with the Secretary of the Commission, Dissanayake said.
When Journalists took up the matter with Secretary of the Commission, Buwaneka Herath, he evaded taking up the issue.
However due to strong protests by journalists chairs were later provided for them.
News
Economic crisis: 100,000 families already starving

Govt. to provide monthly assistance package – official
By Ifham Nizam
Plans are underway to assist an average needy family of four with a monthly package of Rs. 15,000, a senior adviser to President Ranil Wickremesinghe said yesterday, adding that the move was expected to help ameliorate the plight of nearly 65,000 families.
Food Security Committee Chairman Dr. Suren Batagoda told The Island yesterday that at present some 100,000 families across the country were starving.
He said financial assistance would be provided to those families for three months. Within three months, the government would design a package in the form of food stamps, etc.
Dr. Batagoda said the World Food Programme, UNICEF, the World Bank, and state agencies would also team up to strengthen food security, focusing especially on needy pregnant mothers and pre-school children.
News
GR govt. ignored Chinese lenders’ request for debt restructuring

By Rathindra Kuruwita
The Gotabaya Rajapaksa government had ignored suggestions by Chinese lending institutions that Sri Lanka to restructure the debt in 2021, Prof. Samitha Hettige said yesterday.
“The Rajapaksa government started talking of debt restructuring earlier this year. The Opposition had been asking for this before,” he said. By 2021, before the Gotabaya Rajapaksa administration decided on debt restructuring, the Chinese institutions that had given Sri Lanka loans suggested that a restructuring process should start since Sri Lanka would have trouble repaying the loans, the Strategic Studies scholar said.
However, the request had gone unheeded, and if the government had started discussions then, Sri Lanka would not have been in crisis, Prof. Hettige said.
The Sri Lankan foreign policy, in the last few years, had also been misguided, Prof. Hettige said. A number of Indian and Chinese companies faced unnecessary issues by the behaviour of the government, he said.
Prof. Hettige said that the government must focus on establishing free trade ports and reducing negative lists for investments.
News
SJB dissociates itself from SF’s call for protest

By Chaminda Silva
MP Sarath Fonseka’s call for people to join anti-government protests was not a decision taken by the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), party MP J.C Alawathuwala said.
The SJB believed that they had to help President Ranil Wickremesinghe stabilise the country, economically and politically, he said.
MP Alawathuwala said the President must be given some time to solve the problems faced by the people and that the SJB was holding discussions with the government to guide it on a people-friendly path.
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