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Wheeler-dealers wrecking the country, says JVP leader

Published

4 years ago

2021/11/15

Sahan Weerasooriya

Anura Kumara Dissanayake addressing the 32nd Ill Maha Viru Samaruwa commemoration on Saturday

By Saman Indrajith

JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake said that a group of wheeler-dealers was responsible for teh collapse of industries and enterprises.

Addressing the 32nd Ill Maha Viru Samaruwa commemoration to mark the assassination of thousands of JVP cadres, including the party’s pioneer leader Rohana Wijeweera by the then UNP government in the 1989-90 period, Dissanayake said: “Today, farmers, entrepreneurs, industrialists or traders cannot earn the profits they deserve from the businesses and industries. The lion’s share of profit is earned by a group of wheeler-dealers. The industries and enterprises cannot survive in this manner. These wheeler-dealers with close contacts to the power and mighty pocket huge margins of profit. That is one of the main reasons for the economic crisis. They earn profit from the pandemic. They earned profit when Rapid Antigen Tests were imported. They earned profits from PCR tests. They earned profits when our migrant workers were brought home.

They earned profit from the organic fertiliser fiasco.”

Dissanayake said that there was a paradigm shift in local polity and people had started realizing that they had continuously been fleeced by successive governments since independence. “The severity of the crisis is reflected by the recent trend of youth trying to leave this country in their thousands. We tell them that leaving the country would not be the solution and not that all can leave the country. We must join forces with those who try to change this situation. There is a split within government ranks because only a single family has taken hold of all powers. Farmers in remote areas are struggling to get their fertilisers. Ven bhikkhus have started preaching a new sermon criticizing the government. The Clergy led by the Cardinal have come out to the streets demanding justice for Easter Sunday victims. Struggles have been launched in every strata by teachers, workers and trade unionists against the government. This is a new situation and people should not fall for tricksters again,” Dissanaayke said.

He said that people had experimented with the two main parties for more than seven decades. “At the end of this process of experiments, what is the balance sheet before them? An economy crumbles on a daily basis and a society full of corruption and crimes emerge. Is there a need to experiment with the same political parties again,” Dissanayake queried.

“The aspiration of those who had sacrificed their lives in the face of the UNP crackdown on JVP in the 1989-90 period was a better society. We should create that society. We must live to achieve the dreams that they cherished and must strive to achieve their goal of creating the society that they had dreamed of,” Dissanayake said.

JVP General Secretary Tilvin Silva also addressed the commemoration event.

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Navy seize an Indian fishing boat poaching in northern waters

Published

12 hours ago

2026/01/3

Priyan

During an operation conducted in the dark hours of 01 Jan 26, the Sri Lanka Navy seized an Indian fishing boat and apprehended 11 Indian fishermen while they were poaching in Sri Lankan waters, off Kovilan of Kareinagar, Jaffna.

The Northern Naval Command spotted a group of Indian fishing boats engaging in illegal fishing, trespassing into Sri Lankan waters. In response, naval craft of the Northern Naval Command were deployed to drive away those Indian fishing boats from island waters off Kovilan.

Meanwhile, compliant boarding made by naval personnel resulted in the seizure of one Indian fishing boat and apprehension of 11 Indian fishermen who continued to engage in illegal fishing in Sri Lankan waters.

The seized boat (01) and Indian fishermen (11) were handed over to the Fisheries Inspector of Myliddy, Jaffna for onward legal proceedings.

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Tri-Forces donate LKR. 372 million, a day’s pay of all ranks to ‘Rebuilding Sri Lanka’ Fund

Published

18 hours ago

2026/01/3

Priyan

Members of all ranks from the Sri Lanka Army, Sri Lanka Navy and Sri Lanka Air Force have collectively donated a day’s basic salary to the ‘Rebuilding Sri Lanka’ Fund, which was established to restore livelihoods and rebuild the country following the devastation caused by Cyclone Ditwah.

Accordingly, the total contribution made by the Tri-Forces amounts to LKR. 372,776,918.28.

The cheques representing the financial contributions were handed over on Wednesday (31 December) at the Presidential Secretariat to the Secretary to the President, Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake.

The donations comprised LKR. 250 million from the Commander of the Army, Major General Lasantha Rodrigo; LKR. 73,963,879.71 from the Commander of the Navy, Rear Admiral Kanchana Banagoda and LKR. 48,813,038.97 from the Commander of the Air Force, Air Marshal Vasu Bandu Edirisinghe.

Secretary to the Ministry of Defence, Air Vice Marshal Sampath Thuyacontha, was also present on the occasion.

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CEB demands 11.57 percent power tariff hike in first quarter

Published

20 hours ago

2026/01/3

Thilina Walpola

The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) has submitted a proposal to the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) seeking an 11.57 percent increase in electricity tariffs for the first quarter of 2026, citing an estimated revenue shortfall and additional financial pressures, including cyclone-related damages.

According to documents issued by the PUCSL, the proposed tariff revision would apply to electricity consumption from January to March 2026 and includes changes to both energy charges and fixed monthly charges across all consumer categories, including domestic, religious, industrial, commercial and other users.

Under the proposal, domestic electricity consumers would face increases in unit rates as well as fixed monthly charges across all consumption blocks.

The CEB has estimated a deficit of Rs. 13,094 million for the first quarter of 2026, which it says necessitates the proposed 11.57 per cent tariff hike. The utility has noted that any deviation from this estimate whether a surplus or a shortfall will be adjusted through the Bulk Supply Tariff Adjustment (BSTA) mechanism and taken into account in the next tariff revision.

In its submission, the CEB said the proposed revision is aimed at ensuring the financial and operational stability of the power sector and mitigating potential risks to the reliability of electricity supply. The board-approved tariff structure for the first quarter of 2026 has been submitted to the PUCSL for approval and subsequent implementation, as outlined in Annex II of the proposal.

The CEB has also highlighted the financial impact of Cyclone Ditwah, which it said caused extensive damage to electricity infrastructure, with total losses estimated at around Rs. 20 billion. Of this amount, Rs. 7,016.52 million has been attributed to the first quarter of 2026, which the utility said has a direct bearing on electricity tariffs.

The CEB warned that if external funding is not secured to cover the cyclone-related expenditure, the costs incurred would need to be recovered through electricity tariffs in the second-quarter revision of 2026.

Meanwhile, the PUCSL has said that a decision on whether to approve the proposed tariff increase will be made only after following due regulatory procedures and holding discussions on the matter.

By Sujeewa Thathsara ✍️