News
Speaker wants Rishad brought to Parliament from quarantine centre

Vote on 20-A today
By Saman Indrajith
Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, yesterday (21), in writing, requested Director General Health Services and the Prisons Commissioner to make arrangements for SJB lawmaker Rishad Bathiudeen, now in remand custody, to attend Parliament today (22). This follows a party leaders’ meeting, chaired by the Speaker. Earlier in the day, State Minister of Prison Reforms and Prisoners’ Rehabilitation Sudharshini Fernandopulle said MP Rishad Bathiudeen, in remand custody, would be allowed to attend Parliament only after completing 14 days at a quarantine centre in keeping with the procedure adapted to keep prisons COVID-19 free. Responding to a query raised by Chief opposition Whip Lakshman Kiriella why arrangements had not been made to enable Bathiudeen to attend Parliamentary sessions, the State Minister said there were over 30,000 remand prisoners at present and there were stringent measures put in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena said that the necessary health procedures had to be followed before the detained MP was allowed to attend sittings.
When Opposition MPs queried how SLPP MP Premalal Jayasekera, who was in prison, had been allowed to attend sittings, Jayasekera said that he had been moved out of the prison and kept in quarantine for two weeks before being allowed to attend parliament sittings.
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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