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Business as usual at Hambantota Port 

Common man doesn’t want to see country jumping from the frying pan into the fire, says EDB chief

The harvesting season has begun in the eastern, Uva and the dry zone, but farmers have not received fuel needed to operate harvesting machines, according to former Provincial Governor Rajith Keerthi Tennakoon.

“These are the farmers who cultivated their lands despite the shortages of agro-chemicals have been left without fuel to operate harvesting machines,” Tennakoon said.In the East, farmers in Mandur, Pillumalay, Wellawali, Eravur, Ottamawadi, Pottuvil and Akkaraipattu under minor irrigation schemes, were ready to harvest their crop, Tennakoon said.

“This is the case in many minor irrigation schemes in other agricultural areas as well. A combined harvester needs at least 20 litres for an acre. Thus, in the coming 40 days, these agricultural areas will need at least 3,000 bowsers of fuel. Is this possible? Are the ministers even aware of this?” he said.

Tennakoon said that the government’s agricultural policy has been the worst in modern Sri Lankan history.

“At first, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa promised to give fertiliser free of charge, then he banned it overnight without preparing adequate amounts of compost or other organic inputs. Conservative estimates place the drop in rice production at 30%. The production of tea fell by 18%, and this will affect our foreign exchange earnings,” Tennakoon said.

Tennakoon said that due to protests, the government had announced that it would ease the ban on agro-chemicals. But the government had not purchased any fertiliser and was dependent on donations. In 2021, Verite Research conducted a survey on the organic fertiliser policy, and initially the buy-in was high. Almost two-thirds of the respondents had agreed that the country should switch over to organic agriculture. About 64% of the farmers surveyed said ‘yes’ to the question: “Do you agree that Sri Lanka should transition to 100% organic agriculture?”

The research also showed that most farmers lacked necessary knowledge and guidance as regards chemical fertiliser-free agriculture. Nearly two-thirds of all respondents said they had not received any guidance on how to cultivate crops organically, Tennakoon said.

Human Rights Watch wants authorities to protect rights of protesters

Zelensky holds Russia ‘accountable’ for ongoing catastrophe in Sri Lanka

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The Armed Forces had been ordered to use lethal force if it is necessary to protect public property, key installations, vulnerable points and human lives, the Army announced yesterday.Issuing a statement the Army said that there had been no serious clashes between protesters and security force personnel until 09 July and that all Heads of the Armed Forces and the Police during meetings with the acting President and Prime Minister, Speaker of the Parliament and Political Party leaders, had urged them to resolve the current political crisis as soon as possible.

However, certain sections of the protesters had deviated from the non-violent approach and tried to storm the Parliament complex as well as the Speaker’s official residence, the Army said.They also destroyed Police barricades using heavy machinery brought in there in an attempt to take control of the Parliament complex. Parliament is the sole legislative body which can exercise the sovereignty of the people in conformity with Constitutional provisions.By 7.00 pm on Wednesday (13), helmets and two T-56 weapons with ammunition had been snatched from the army, and a dozen Army personnel had sustained injuries. Two of them had been admitted to the National Hospital and the Colombo Army Hospital for emergency treatment. The Police have been alerted to the loss of these two T-56 weapons.Despite provocations, the troops had used minimum force and brought the situation under control, the Army Headquarters said.

A Saudi Arabian Airlines flight from Maldives to Singapore believed to be carrying Sri Lanka’s President Gotabaya Rajapaksa was the world’s most-tracked flight on Thursday (July 14), underscoring massive global interest in the troubled island nation’s political affairs. Bloomberg reported yesterday.Saudi flight 788 from Male was being tracked by almost 5,000 users as of 7.43am GMT (3.43pm Singapore time), according to data from Flightradar24.com, more than three times the number of people tracking a French Air Force plane flying in Europe, Bloomberg said.

Rajapaksa is taking a Saudi Arabian Airlines plane to Singapore and then Saudi Arabia, the Associated Press reported earlier Thursday, citing a Maldivian official it didn’t name.

The plane, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner is scheduled to land in Singapore at about 7.12pm local time, according to Flightradar24 data.

Rajapaksa fled Sri Lanka for the Maldives on Wednesday, amid widespread protests against his government.He is expected to tender his resignation letter once at his destination, after missing a self-declared deadline Wednesday.

Lawyers appearing for former Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, former Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa and former Finance Secretary S.R. Attygalle yesterday told the Supreme Court that they would not leave the country until the Fundamental Rights petition filed against them was heard on Friday.Former Central Bank Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal has also said he will be present when the case is taken up.A fundamental rights petition has been filed by the former Chairman of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce (CCC) Chandra Jayaratne, asking the Supreme Court to investigate those responsible for the current economic crisis.

The Rajapaksas, Attygalle, Cabraal and former Central Bank governor W.D. Lakshman are among the respondents.The Supreme Court also issued a travel ban on Lakshman because a lawyer representing him wasn’t present at court yesterday. A five-judge bench of Lankan Supreme Court comprising Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasuriya, Justice Buwaneka Aluwihare, Justice Priyantha Jayawardena, Justice Vijith Malalgoda, and Justice LTB Dehideniya are scheduled to hear the case on Friday.

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