Tensions in Mannar as Sri Lankan Navy detains 25 Tamil fishermen

Hundreds of residents of a coastal Mannar village gathered outside a Sri Lankan Navy camp to protest the arrest of 25 Tamil fishermen on Monday. The Navy arrested 25 fishermen on 5 boats in the sea off Thalvupadu and detained them in the navy camp. While detained fishermen have been fishing for thirty years using traditional methods, the Navy personnel told locals they had been arrested for failing to produce the appropriate permits. Thalvupadu residents gathered outside the navy camp demanding the immediate release of the fishermen. With tensions escalating by Monday afternoon, police and...

Sri Lanka's president refuses beer tax concession

Sri Lanka’s President Maithripala Sirisena refused the budgetary proposal to reduce the tax on beer, saying it was contrary to the policy of his government. Speaking in parliament , Mr Sirisena said, “No one can agree with the granting of tax concessions to any type of liquor because the policy of this government is to minimise the consumption of liquor and minimise the smoking habit.” See more here.

Sri Lankan PM claims no crimes against journalists

Despite ongoing calls for the harassment of media workers to end and for those responsible to be brought to justice, Sri Lanka's prime minister claimed on Monday there were no crimes committed against journalists on the island under the current regime. Speaking at a UNESCO seminar on ‘Reinforcing Regional Cooperation to Promote Freedom of Expression and the Rule of Law in Asia through Ending Impunity for Crimes Against the Journalists’, Mr Wickremesinghe was quoted by Ada Derana as saying there had been no cases of intimidation, attacks, abductions or murders. His comments have prompted...

Asian Development Bank approves $120m loan towards drinking water in Jaffna

The Asian Development Bank has approved a further $120 million loan to develop drinking water within the Jaffna peninsula. In 2010, the bank approved $90 million of the first stage of assistance towards a water supply project in Jaffna and Kilinochchi. The full project is expected by be completed by 2025 and is expected to cost £266 million. “Through the development and management of a desalination plant, the additional finance will complete ADB’s effort to provide piped water for 300,000 people and eliminate the drudgery of fetching water over long distances that women particularly face,"...

Local government polls to be held early Feb - Ranil

Sri Lanka's prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe this weekend sought to assure voters that local government polls would be held by early February 2018 at the latest. The exact date is yet to be determined, with the election commission having the final say. However, local papers have cited February 10th as the confirmed date. "The next local government election will be actually a trial to test the effectiveness of the new mixed electoral system introduced recently and if it is a success it will be used for the Parliamentary polls as well," Mr Wickremesinghe was quoted by the Daily Mirror as...

Tamil radio journalist attacked in Jaffna

A Tamil journalist was attacked in a suburb of Jaffna on Saturday evening. 44-year-old Shanmuganathan Manoharan, an anchor for the radio Yaarl FM, was driving home in Chavakachcheri on Saturday when his car was obstructed by a three-wheeler. Mr Manoharan and another person were beaten by three men who alighted from the three-wheeler. The attackers escaped as soon as onlookers began to gather. A complaint was filed at Chavakachcheri police, following which the department said they had arrested the driver of the three-wheeler.

Over 33K residents in Jaffna file complaint over unemployment

Unemployment continues to affects Jaffna residents, with over 33,000 residents filing a complaint with the District Employment Bureau. A total of 33204 residents with qualifications including Bachelor degrees, A levels and O levels, filed the complaint, Adaderana reported. See more here . Recent years have seen a number of protests across the North-East by unemployed graduates, who have repeated called on local provincial councils and the government to take action.

Trade deficit widens in Sri Lanka despite increased exports

Sri Lanka's trade deficit continued to widen in the first nine months of the year, despite an increase in exports, the Sunday Times' economic column noted. Last year the trade deficit over the first nine months was US$ 6.1 billion, rising to US$ 6.8 billion this year. The deficit was expected to fall this year as export figures increased by 8.2 percent. However, despite this increase imports increased further by 9.7% percent. See here for more. Recent figures come amid increasing international calls on the Sri Lankan government to implement significant economic changes in order to tackle the...

Former LTTE cadres fail to receive promised government loans

Former LTTE cadres have only received a "tiny fraction of money" pledged by the government last year in the form of self-employment loans, Ceylon Today reported. According to the paper, 7858 of the 12,185 cadres who underwent the government's 'rehabilitation' programme applied for the loan, however only 1799 were deemed eligble. Banks cited the frequent re-arrest of former cadres by the Terrorism of Investigation Division as adding to their concern about lending. "Some of them are in prisons, and we don't know how to recover the loans," a bank official told the paper. The loan is up to Rs 250...

Sri Lanka defends Chinese and Indian involvement in Hambantota and Mattala

Sri Lanka’s prime minister Ranil Wickrememsinghe defended the China’s and India’s stake in the Hambantota Port Project and the running of Mattala airport during a public speech on Friday. Opening a new bus stand and economic centre in Ampara, Mr Wickremesinghe said, “"Sri Lanka will receive US$1.1 billion from the China Merchant Co., Ltd under the debt swapping programme while US$300 million will be invested by the Indian company to manage the Mattala international airport on the basis of a joint venture with the Civil Aviation Authority. It will also be possible to earn more by selling some...

Pages