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Executive Summary
Context: UN OHCHR states in a new report that the Government of Sri Lanka needs to take effective measures to ascertain and reveal the fates and locations of individuals who have been victims of enforced disappearance, and to ensure that those responsible are held accountable.
Minister of State for Finance Shehan Semasinghe said that the purpose of the Public Debt Management Bill is to transfer the responsibility of debt management to one central place and another objective of the Bill is to manage the country in such a way as to create debt sustainability.
The IMF said in a statement that the Executive Board approved the release of $336 billion to Sri Lanka as the third tranche under the Extended Credit Facility.
Verité Research,a Colombo-based research institute stated that out of the 63 commitments to be fulfilled by the end of last May under the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) aid program, Sri Lanka has fulfilled only 32 commitments and Sri Lanka has failed to fulfil 16 commitments.
Recently Dr. Nishanda Mel, Executive Director of Verity Research stated that the IMF is becoming a problem rather than a solution to Sri Lanka’s economic crisis.
The annual budget progress review conducted by Verité Research revealed that 49.3 billion LKR had been allocated to the 25 highest value spending proposals included in the 2023 budget speech, but the government has failed to provide information on the progress of the budget promises that had allocated 43.8 billion LKR (i.e. 89%) of that amount.
The National Secretariat for NGOs Director General Sanjeewa Wimalagunarathna stated that managing the country’s NGOs poses a significant challenge for authorities due to the complexities involved in obtaining legal registration under different laws, hindering effective oversight and regulation. However, the Sri Lankan government has been attempting to bring in new laws to regulate NGOs for several years, and civil society organisations have been raising their concerns over the potential of these laws leading to repression of civil society and dissent groups.
There is a growing concern regarding President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s potential consultation with the Attorney General to seek advice on the feasibility of extending the current presidential term through a two-thirds majority vote.
The Supreme Court (SC) has ruled the Electricity Amendment Bill as incompatible with the Constitution, requiring a special majority in Parliament for its passage.
During the Electricity Bill debate, NPP parliamentarian Vijitha Herath said that the Sri Lanka Electricity Bill is an attempt by the government to hand over the country’s power sector to India’s Adani group, thus establishing a private sector monopoly in the electricity industry.
The SC has also determined the Gender Equality Bill that came into public debate due to the inclusion of SOGI to be in conflict with the Constitution in its entirety.
Secretary of the Ministry of Justice, Prison Affairs and Constitutional Reform M.N. Ranasinghe said that 2022-2024 will go down in history as the period in which the highest number of law reforms were carried out in Sri Lanka.
Case Updates: A High Court in Colombo ordered the temporary lifting of the foreign travel ban of Jeffrey Aloysius, the father of the former Central Bank (CBSL) chairperson, who is also the 6th accused in the CBSL bond scam.
Opposition political parties and civil society organisations filed special determination petitions in the SC contesting the constitutionality of the Economic Transformation Bill, highlighting its negative impact on worker rights, especially the rights of young people. They also claimed that the government failed to consult workers, trade unions, and young people, whom this bill will directly impact.
Delivering a landmark judgment regarding the extent of the executive president’s pardon power, the SC declared that the decision of former President Sirisena to pardon a murder convict, was arbitrarily and legally invalid.
The Fort Magistrate ordered four members of the Socialist Youth Union to appear before the Government Analyst in connection with the incident of trespassing and damaging the Temple Trees during the democratic people’s struggle.
Former Ratnapura District Secretary Malani Lokupothagama and the former OIC of the Ratnapura Police apologised to a journalist in the SC for an incident in which the journalist was attacked for allegedly wearing a hat into the District Secretary’s office.
Colombo Chief Magistrate dismissed the charges brought by the Cinnamon Garden Police against the President of the Medical and Civil Rights Professional Association of Doctors (MCPA), and any other leaders of civil organisations for placing a floral wreath in front of the residence of Rambukwella.
The Writ Petition brought by former Navy Commander Admiral-of-the-Fleet Wasantha Karannagoda against the Colombo High Court Trial-at-Bar on the alleged abduction and forced disappearance of 11 youths from Colombo in 2008 will be heard by a five-judge bench appointed by the Court of Appeal.
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Repression of Media and Journalists: TV journalist Dhanushka Seneviratne was attacked by a group of unknown people at his accommodation in Kelaniya.
Repression of Freedom of Assembly: The Police fired water cannons to disperse a protest organised by unemployed graduates near the parliament.
A protest organised by school teachers and principals was also attacked by the police with water cannons and tear gas.
Repression of Activists and Whistleblowers: P. Deepachelvan, the President of the Tamil Literary Forum, underwent a 3-hour interrogation for the second occasion within a span of 2 months by the Counter Terrorism Investigation Division in Paranthan, in Kilinochchi district, regarding a fictional character in his second book titled “Terrorist.”
Repressive Policy and Legal Actions: By issuing a gazette notification under the Public Security ordinance, the President Wickremesinghe declared that all services connected to the supply of electricity and petroleum products and fuel as essential services in an attempt to prevent trade union actions enabled by trade unions related to said services.
The president also issued a gazette order calling on the armed forces to provide them with powers to intervene in civilian affairs. Similar gazettes have been frequently issued in recent years, indicating continuing militarization and repression of civil liberties in the country.
Other: The chairman of the Committee on Public Finance SJB Parliamentarian, Dr. Harsha De Silva, said before parliament that he was receiving unwarranted threats in relation to a visa issuing procedure worth millions of dollars.
It was reported that Water Supply and Plantation Infrastructure Minister Jeevan Thondaman and his mobs kept Kelani Valley Plantations CEO Anura Weerakoon and other official’s hostage and threatened them to reinstate two plantation workers who had been suspended, while demanding the company administration to increase the wages of plantation workers. The police allegedly did not take the necessary actions following the Minister’s involvement.
The minister had also threatened that the products of Kelani Valley Plantation Company would not be allowed to be presented at the Colombo Tea Auction.
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