The World Bank has expressed concern over the economic situation in Sri Lanka and its impact on the people. The World Bank says it is working to provide emergency assistance to the poorest and most vulnerable people in Sri Lanka.
The Director of the World Bank in Sri Lanka states that steps will be taken for the benefit of the people of this country who have been minimizing the impact of the economic crisis.
He pointed out that sustainable and macro-development was needed to overcome the crisis and that specialized measures were needed.
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka has been downgraded by Fitch Ratings. According to its latest rankings, Sri Lanka has been downgraded from CC level to C level.
Not only that Standard & Poor’s, an international credit rating agency, has also further downgraded Sri Lanka’s creditworthiness
Sri Lanka, which used to be at the CCC level in those rankings, is now at the CC level.
They have taken Sri Lanka’s suspension of foreign debt seriously as a reason for the downturn. If it goes down another notch, Sri Lanka will go bankrupt in those rankings.
Continuing to take loans
India has agreed to provide another $ 2 billion loan to Sri Lanka, according to foreign media reports. The loan will be used to obtain essential food, medicine and fuel. Earlier, India had given a loan to Sri Lanka to purchase fuel essential food and medicine.
Not only that Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to China Dr Palitha Kohona has expressed confidence that the US $ 2.5 billion loans expected from China will be repaid on time. He told a foreign news service that he had been assured by Chinese authorities that the work was progressing. Sri Lanka expects to borrow the US $ 2.5 billion from China.
One billion of that debt is to be used to repay Chinese debt next July, and the remaining 1.5 billion is planned to be used as a loan facility. Dr Palitha Kohona is confident that Sri Lanka, a country with close ties to China, will respond positively to Sri Lanka’s request in the face of crisis. He has stated that it is not possible to say the exact time frame for which this loan will be available and that it will take some time.
Continuing protests
Gallface protesters Gogota gama
Protests in front of the Presidential Palace Gall face is continuing for day 7 today.Protesters in front of the Presidential Palace say the Rajapakse family has stolen trillions of dollars. They displayed a banner demanding a refund. One trillion dollars is almost fifty times the wealth of the American economy. The U.S. gross domestic product is about $ 23 trillion.
Lake House Sri Lanka People’s Front (SLPP) Trade Union President Chandana Bandara has stated that protesters chasing his car had attacked his car.
Posting a note on his social media account, he says that the incident happened when he was traveling in a private car from Kollupitiya to Colombo. According to his note, they also tried to overturn the car after hitting it.
A young man who was protesting against the government in a foreign country states that all the wealth of the Rajapaksas is hidden in Uganda. They also said that in 2021, three Sri Lankan Airlines planes sent about one dollar worth of stamped goods from Sri Lanka to Uganda.
They also said that the private jet that President Mahinda Rajapaksa had recently flown to Tirupati had been registered in Italy after the stampede was sent to Uganda.
However, SriLankan Airlines has denied the allegations, saying that in February 2021, the airline received an order to ship 102 printed goods from Colombo to Uganda. The company states that it was a purely commercial order and that it provided foreign revenue to the airline and the country. According to the airline, the cargo was transported for commercial purposes only.
But Anonymous hackers claim to have smuggled tons of dollars into Uganda They also say that President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa will be given another 12 days to step down. They made the announcement in a statement on their Twitter account.
Rathnapura
A group of protesters have blocked the Ratnapura-Colombo main road in the Hidellana area in Ratnapura. They are protesting saying that there is a severe shortage of petrol and diesel in the Ratnapura area. Some have been waiting in line for about a day and a half for fuel. Fuel distributors say that despite the arrival of a fuel bowser, one bowser was not enough for those in line due to the rising demand.
Sri lanka Police also joined the protests
A video of a police officer speaking in favor of the protest at Galle Face Green has been shared on social media.
He is wearing a police uniform and is saying that the government should be ousted and handed over to anyone who can.
He added that the police and the judiciary work only for the poor. Another police officer who was nearby tried to take him away.
But Disciplinary measures are taken regarding the police officer who has been supporting the protesters. The Police Media Spokesman’s Office said in a statement that the officer had previously been suspended on disciplinary grounds.
The announcement also states that duties have been re-established due to extremely humanitarian reasons.
Talks between the government and protests
Protesters at Galle Face Green in Colombo have rejected an invitation extended by Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa to attend a discussion. As a non-partisan activist, I am aware of this by forwarding two letters to the Prime Minister. But the relevant articles do not mention any responsible person or name.
Many dissidents who have expressed support for the protest on social media have said that discussions should be held at the invitation of the government. They also point out that if the government does not accept the order, the protesters’ program should be made public.
Protesters in the Galle face have stated that they are ready for talks with the Prime Minister. They have prepared a discussion venue for that at the protest site. A table and a chair have been set up for the Prime Minister and pictures of it have been posted on social media.
Famous People regretted for supporting the government
Saheli Gamage, who sang the song ‘Ayubowewa’, says that he apologizes to everyone if there was any reason for the song ‘Ayubowewa’. She says that the song is just a timely song and that she has a lot of regrets about singing this song. Noting this, she has posted it on her social media account.
Also, Lyricist Sunil R. Gamage has apologized for writing the song ‘Ayubo Wewa Maharajaneni’ after the war victory over the LTTE. He hopes that he will be acquitted and released by the People’s Court for extinguishing the song.
He was speaking at a protest rally at Galle Face Green. He added that he was not where he was today and that he was with his children today.
Actress Dilhani Ekanayake says that although the protests at Galle Face Green started recently, it has been many years since she started it. She made these comments when she arrived at the protest site in Galle Face.
She said that although she had fears about this country, today that fear has disappeared. She called on the protesters to allow her to die in this beautiful country.
A group of people protesting requesting the government to stay -We want Gota anti protesting camp
A man who organized ‘We want Gota’ marches and demonstrations saying that Gotabhaya Rajapaksa is wanted has been identified near the Galle Face protest demanding the resignation of the President. He was spotted by protesters selling wood. He was later handed over to police by protesters. He was evacuated after receiving a stern warning from the police.
Another group has entered the protest area at the Galle Face area today demanding the resignation of the President. They are chanting anti protests slogans. As a result, there is a risk that the protest area will become somewhat hot.
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