Hambanthota port sold but loan still paid - Prime Minister of Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa said that although the previous government had sold the Hambanthota port to China, they had not settled the loans with the money earned.  

Prime Minister and Minister of  Finance Mahinda Rajapaksa expressed these views in the parliament at the Second Reading and the Committee Stage Debate on the Appropriation Bill 2020.

"Annual debt service for the Hambanthota port is $ 90 million. The previous regime sold the port for $1,200 million. However, the money was not spent to pay back the loans and used for day to day budget expenses. Still, the Treasury of Sri Lanka annually pays that loan to the EXIM Bank of China," Rajapaksa said. 

The Prime Minister stated that the government had settled all the loans in contrary to the Oppoisition's speculations that Sri Lanka would default. 

The annual debt services of Sri Lanka is around $ 4.2 billion since this year, the Prime Minister said. He reported to the parliament that all foreign and other debt of 2020 had been settled. 

The government proposed to increase the upper ceiling of debt of 2020 by Rs. 180 billion. 

Sri Lanka spends over Rs. 70 billion for COVID-19 operations - Prime Minister

Sri Lanka government has so far spent about Rs. 70 billion for tracing contacts, quarantine, pilot tests and welfare, the Prime Minister and Minister of  Finance Mahinda Rajapaksa said in the parliament at the Second Reading and the Committee Stage Debate on the Appropriation Bill 2020.

Sri Lanka has increased the number of hospital capacity treating the COVID-19 patients to 17 and the number of ICU beds for 600, the Prime Minister said. The capacity for conducting PCR tests has been increased from 7,500 tests to 10,000 tests per day. 

One test costs around Rs. 6,000 and daily expenses for PCR tests have exceeded Rs. 50 million. The government bears a heavy cost for food and welfare of the persons who undergo a 14-day quarantine.

The government also bears the costs of Rs. 5,000 allowance paid to the people who lost livelihood due to lockdowns and the expenses of the public officials who engage in COVID-19 related activities, the Prime Minister stated.  

According to Health Promotion bureau statistics, a total number of PCR tests performed in Sri Lanka so far is 627,011. Over 15,000 cases have been reported by now and over 10,000 of them have recovered and discharged from hospitals. 

Sri Lanka quarantined over 100,000 persons including more than 40,000 expatriate Sri Lankans who returned to the island. 

Are Sri Lanka President's travel restrictions mere words?

Sri Lanka President directed officials to prevent travel outside of Western Province because COVID-19 spread more in the province. 

The President gave this instruction at the daily meeting of the COVID-19 Task Force held in the Presidential Secretariat today (November 11). However, the President\"s instruction was not highlighted in the President\"s Facebook post about the meeting as well as in the media reports. 

President told at the cabinet meeting held in the last week of October also that the country would not be shut down due to COVID-19 spread. Instead, travel restrictions would be imposed in areas the disease is spread more. 

A circular issued by the President\"s office on October 29 stated that Colombo, Gampaha and Kalutara districts of Western Province were under travel restrictions. 

However, the travel restrictions appear as withdrawn with the curfew on November 9. 

Update: Army Commander Shavendra Silva said that according to the travel restrictions imposed on the Western Province, no one can go out of the Province until Sunday, 15 November. 

430 Sri Lankans who were stranded abroad arrive in the island

After social media posted photos of homeless Sri Lankans including women waiting in parks in Arab countries stuck there due to flight cancellation, 430 expatriate Sri Lankans arrived in the country yesterday and today. EK 648 brought 50 Sri Lankans from Dubai, ET 8804 brought 110 Sri Lankans from Dubai and UL 226 brought 270 more people from Dubai. 

Sixty-six more Sri Lankans are expected from Mumbai today, says National Operation Centre for the Prevention of COVID-19. 

All the persons who arrived in the country will have to undergo 14 days of quarantine in centres maintained by the military.  

Meena Sathi, a UK trained academic (Gender, Poverty and Development), who is presently domiciled in Dubai and is currently occupied as an activist cum volunteer, assisting the migrant worker community stranded there, speaking to Ceylon Today, said many, including well over 100 Sri Lankan men and women, with various visa statuses (visit, work and resident, with persons who fall within the definition of the latter two categories also losing their jobs in the wake of COVID-19), have been experiencing such deprivation and degradation for weeks on end. They are languishing in a few public parks near the Sri Lankan Consulate such as that in Jafiliya, which has no toilets let alone the bare essentials of basic sanitation and healthcare facilities, and no sleeping mattresses made available for its non-arboreal inhabitants. 

In the backdrop of the ever-present societal fear of COVID-19, she noted that, when they go to relieve themselves at toilets in small shops and petrol stations, they are scolded for being potential carriers of the virus. As far as food and drink are concerned, while the Consulate supplies food packets for breakfast and lunch, those stranded claim that they do not receive their dinner from the Consulate despite stating otherwise.

Foreign Ministry has so far repatriated 40,000 Sri Lankans from over 122 countries and over 13,000 from the Middle Eastern Region, the focal point of the Foreign Ministry (FM) on COVID -19 Action and DG/East Asia Kandeepan Balasubramaniam said to Ceylon Today. 

(Photo: Sri Lankans living in a park - from Colombo Telegraph)

Sri Lanka exports electronic waste to Japan; why not value added? (Editorial)

Sri Lanka will export three tons of electric and electronic waste today to Japan, says Minister of Environment Mahinda Amaraweera. 

The waste was collected recently through a national drive early in October and the Minister says the programme will continue. However, the country lacks regular ways to collect e-waste. 

The Minister earlier said to Economy Next that the government expected to recycle some of the E-waste materials such as Iron, Aluminium and plastic which could be recycled in the country, while other materials which could not be dealt with in the country would be sent overseas. The recycling process within the country will be given to institutions which are registered under the Central Environmental Authority (CEA) which will also supervise the process, he says.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Industry Wimal Weerawansa is pushing for local industry and it is a wonder why the Ministry of Environment has not discussed with them to process and add value to these electronic waste. 

We hope the Ministry of Environment will continue this good move while the Ministry of Industry tries to liaise with them to process these electronic waste and add value to them before export.

The link is to the Licensed E-Waste collectors & Exporters in Sri Lanka. 

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Bus fare in Sri Lanka increased by 20% since tomorrow

State Minister of Vehicle Regulation, Bus Transport Services and Train Compartments and Motor Car Industry Dilum Amunugama said that bus fares of Sri Lanka would be increased since midnight today.

He said that the price increase would be effective according to three methods. 

In the circumstances, the health authorities allow normal transport, no fare hike will be effective.

The second method is approved now by the health authorities. According to it, the buses will transport passengers only according to the number of seats. The buses will be allowed for 20% fare increase and the minimum fare will be increased from Rs.12 to 14. The bus fares of semi-luxury and luxury buses will not be increased.

In the circumstances, the passengers will be allowed only up to 50% of the number of seats, 50% fare hike will be allowed. The fare hike for semi-luxury buses is 20% and for luxury buses 10%. 

Minister of Gamini Lokuge said that the cabinet had approved this fare hike. He further said that the government would arrange with the suspension of leasing payment for six months for the private bus owners.

Rs. 300,000 concessionary loan will also be provided to the bus owners. 

However, most of the bus drivers and conductors earn a commission from the income and the government's proposals are less likely to provide solutions to their issues.

Sri Lanka government consults experts on burial of COVID-19 dead bodies

Sri Lanka government says that the government will consult the relevant authorities to make the decision regarding the disposal of the dead bodies of COVID-19 patients according to the health precautions.

"There are various opinions about the issue," cabinet spokesman Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said to media. "In the cabinet meeting yesterday, Minister Ali Sabry submitted a proposal to consider burial of the dead bodies of the Muslim COVID-19 patients, especially in dry zone areas. However, the cabinet did not make a decision. The facts will be forwarded to the relevant authorities and a decision will be made according to their recommendations."

According to the government decision, the health and other authorities will have to make recommendations about the request of the Muslims for their rights. 

However, Muslim organizations including extremist National Thawheed Jamath thanked the government for being benign to the Muslim sentiments regarding the burial of the dead. Sources say that Minister of Justice Ali Sabry is the lead advocate in the government for the rights of the Muslims for burial. 

However, contamination of water sources by the virus is cited by the persons who are against the burial of COVID-19 dead bodies. Both science and anti-Muslim mentality are behind the campaign against the burial of COVID-19 dead bodies.

(Photo from Amnesty.org)