News
UN: Sri Lanka threats on basic freedoms ‘concerning’

(AFP)The United Nations Human Rights Office on Thursday said basic freedoms in Sri Lanka were under threat, as the country gears up to elect a new president in September.
A report published Thursday by the UN agency stressed that Sri Lanka, which will hold its first presidential vote since recovering from a deep economic crisis, has not reformed its human rights protection system despite vowing to do so.
Instead, laws and bills introduced since 2023 have given “broad powers to the security forces” and expanded “restrictions on freedom of expression and opinion and association,” OHCHR said.
“This trend is particularly concerning as the country is in an important pre-election period,” UN Human Rights Chief Volker Turk said in a statement.
OHCHR also highlighted the “erosion of democratic checks and balances, ongoing threats and intimidation against civil society and journalists, and recurrence” of past rights violations.
The state has continued to arbitrarily arrest and detain people, the report said, citing recent cases including “torture and deaths in custody.”
Sri Lanka has maintained a large military relative to its population of 22 million since the end in 2009 of a decades-long civil war against the separatist Tamil Tigers.
Turk urged the South Asian country to “recognize victims’ suffering” and “acknowledge security forces’ role” in committing “gross human rights violations” as the report blamed impunity and a persisting lack of accountability.
A lightning military offensive killed at least 40,000 civilians in the final months of the fighting, according to UN estimates. Sri Lankan forces were accused of indiscriminately shelling civilians.
“Crimes and violations committed during and after the civil war… must not go unpunished,” the High Commissioner said.
Sri Lanka has been cash-strapped and in April 2022 defaulted on its $46-billion foreign debt when it ran out of foreign exchange for essential imports.
An unprecedented economic crisis in 2022 caused months of food, fuel and medicine shortages across the island nation, spurring widespread unrest.
Austerity measures followed, heavily impacting women and the poor, in particular, the report noted.
Local elections were due to be held last year but were postponed indefinitely after the government insisted it had no money to conduct a nationwide vote.
News
Coconut auction volumes down

By Nisheni Atapattu
ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka’s coconut auction volumes dropped to 21,569 nuts, with 89,687 nuts offered, recording an all time low at this week’s auction, Coconut Development Authority data showed.
The auction was conducted at a fixed price of 140,000 rupees for a thousand nuts for the fourth straight week on February 13.
It is uncertain why all the nuts offered were not bought at the auction.
Last week 177,362 nuts were offered, down and 173,007 nuts were sold.
Volumes offered at the auction have moved down after a fixed price of 140 per nut was agreed.
Wholesale prices of a nut were listed at 200-210 rupees for a large nut and 180-190 rupees for a small nut in the local market on January 13.
Coconut oil local wholesale price was 830,000 to 850,000.00 rupees per metric ton.
Coconut shells were 50,000 to 51,000 rupees per metric ton.
Coconut shell charcoal was 178,000 per metric ton.
News
New Catholic Bishop of Mannar to be ordained on Feb 22

by Norman Palihawadane
Episcopal Ordination of Anthonipillai Gananpragasam as the Bishop of Mannar is scheduled to be held next Saturday (22) at 9.30 am at Our Lady of Madhu shrine.
Bishop Anthonipillai was born on July 12, 1965, in Adampan in Mannar diocese and studied philosophy and theology at the Saint Francis Xavier Major Seminary in Jaffna.
He was ordained a priest on April 7, 1994, for the clergy of Mannar.
After ordination, he held the roles of parish vicar of Murunkan (1994-1996), secretary to the bishop (1996-1999), parish priest of Cheddikulam (1999-2003), parish priest of Pallimunai (2003-2006), parish priest of Vankalai (2006-2009), rector of the diocesan minor seminary (2014-2018), and parish priest of St. Sebastian Cathedral (2018-2021) and Pesalai (2021-2023).
After obtaining a licentiate in religious education from Fordham University in New York (2010-2014), he attended a course in youth pastoral care in India (2022). Since 2023, he has served as administrator of the Our Lady of Madhu National Shrine in Mannar.
News
SJB’s primary aim is to unite the right in SL: Marikkar

SJB Colombo District MP SM Marikkar says that the primary aim of his party’s discussions with the UNP is to create a united right-wing political platform, bringing together all right-wing forces in the country.
Addressing the media at the SJB headquarters in Colombo last Thursday, Marikkar said that the focus is not simply on forming an alliance, but rather on uniting right-wing ideologies. He noted that divisions within the right-wing political camps have led to approximately 2.5 million people abstaining from voting.
He said that while the SJB is committed to uniting the right-wing, they will not align with corrupt individuals. Even if the SJB faces defeat in elections, Marikkar assured that the party consists of only clean, non-corrupt politicians.
He said that the NPP came to power by capitalizing on public discontent and promising to arrest all corrupt individuals and fraudsters within 24 hours.
However, during the 2015 Yahapalana government, significant relief measures were implemented within just a month, including reduced fuel prices, allowances for pregnant mothers, salary increases for government employees, and lower gas cylinder prices. Genuine promises should result in immediate action upon gaining power, yet the current government is failing to govern effectively and is merely offering excuses.
“Moreover, despite securing a two-thirds majority, the current government is displaying arrogance. Both Mahinda Rajapaksa and Gotabaya Rajapaksa once held two-thirds majorities, only to be defeated in subsequent elections. While a two-thirds majority can pave the way for long-term success if used wisely, its misuse can lead to inevitable downfall. The people placed great trust in this government, granting it a massive mandate. However, the government is now deceiving the public. We urge the people to remember the promises made during the election and the extent of the mandate they gave, and to vote against this government in the upcoming local government elections,” Marikkar said.
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