Take refugees in Papua New Guinea and Nauru - Australian Advocacy for Good Governance in Sri Lanka urges Biden

The Australian Advocacy for Good Governance in Sri Lanka and the Voice for Democracy in Sri Lanka Collective President-elect Joe Biden, and Senator Kamala Harris as Vice President-elect, to revive the 2016 deal with Australia and give the refugees languishing in offshore detention centres an opportunity to start their life anew.

Most of them have been languishing in offshore detention centres for far too long under extremely inhumane conditions.

In a deal made in 2016 between President Barak Obama and then Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, the USA publicly agreed to take up to 1,500 refugees, predominantly from Iran, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan. However, President Trump who replaced his great predecessor months after branded this deal ‘dumb’ and was very selective in allowing only a few to immigrate as an act of calculated grandstanding. Many refugees – including those certified by the IOM as genuine refugees – are still held in the Australian offshore island-camps in Papua New Guinea and Nauru.

The UN Refugee Convention recognises that refugees often need to enter a country without permission. Australia is in violation of the Convention as under Article 31, countries who have signed the Convention cannot punish refugees for entering or living without permission, or unnecessarily restrict their freedom of movement.

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After imposing heavy taxes on Maldive fish, Sri Lanka says the Maldives there is no ban on imports

Following discussions with Sri Lanka's Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena, Fisheries Minister Douglas Devananda and State Minister of Finance Ajith Nivard Cabraal, Maldivian Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid said that there would be no restrictions in importing fish and fish products from the Maldives to Lanka.

However, Sri Lanka recently imposed a heavy tax of Rs. 302 on a kilogramme of imported Maldive fish saying it would encourage local producers. The previous tax was Rs. 102 and it was increased by Rs. 200 since this month. 

Import taxes on fish and dried fish also have been increased.

The Maldivian fisheries industry has been significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, with several major exporters reporting lower sales. The majority of Maldives' export revenue is sourced from exports of fish products, with raw fish shipments accounting for as much as 70 per cent.

(Photo from The Edition) 

Only one PCR machine in Sri Lanka's Nuwaraeliya district - MP Velu Kumar

Sri Lanka major opposition Samagi Jana Balavegaya Kandy district MP M. Velu Mumar said that entire Nuwaraeliya district has only one PCR testing machine. 

He expressed these views addressing a press conference held by the opposition today.

He accused that the government had not allocated money to increase health facilities of the poor people like estate workers despite their vulnerability.  

He pointed out that the 2021 budget proposal does not allocate money to buy even the COVID-19 vaccine.  

He said that the government had not provided any solutions to the burning issues of the estate population hiding behind the proposal to increase the estate workers' salary up to Rs. 1,000 per day.

Nuwaraeliya district has a high density of Upcountry Tamils who are mostly low-income plantation workers.

Tuition and nursery education not allowed in Sri Lanka although schools reopen next week

The Secretary to the Ministry of Education of Sri Lanka Prof. Kapila Perera said that the tuition and the nursery education was not allowed in the country although shools outside Western Province would be open from November 23.  

However, some of the tuition is conducted online. 

No trains in Sri Lanka during the weekend

Sri Lanka Railway will suspend all train travels in the island during the weekend of November 21 and 22 to stop the spread of COVID-19. 

Sri Lankan travelers no need to self-isolate on arrival in England

Sri Lanka was added to England's safe travel list on Thursday, November 19th. 

Travellers from Sri Lanka will no longer have to self-isolate on arrival in England from Saturday November 21st.

The other countries that were newly included to this facility are Namibia, Rwanda, Bonaire, St Eustatius & Saba, the Northern Mariana Islands and the U.S. Virgin Islands. 

Sri Lanka does not provide this facility to any country. 

Budget deficit figures in 2021 budget proposals in Sri Lanka wrong - FactCheck

Fact Check Sri Lanka stated that Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa's statement on the budget deficit for 2019 increased to 9.6% of GDP was wrong. 

Quoting annual reports from the Ministry of Finance, Fact Check Sri Lanka said, "It is incorrect to compare a value of 5.7% in 2014, which does not account for unpaid claims, against a figure of 8.4% in 2019, which accounts for unpaid claims. It is also inaccurate to calculate the budget deficit by considering unpaid claims in expenditure without applying the same basis to revenue".

Rajapaksa said in the budget speech, "…the budget deficit which my government brought down to 5.7 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2014, has increased to over 9.6 percent of the GDP by 2019… outstanding unpaid bills amounted to Rs. 243 billion, while the foreign debt financed expenditure amounted to Rs. 212 billion remained unaccounted […which] resulted in the reported budget deficit for 2019."

Opposion MP Dr. Harsha de Silva said in a tweet that the Secretary to the Treasury was finally responsible for this kind of errors. He pointed out that he had raised it with him at the Committee on Public Finance while the official tried to justify it."

Read the Fact Check report here >>