Arundathie Abeysinghe

Two senior officers were also targeted. According to a Canadian MP, Sri Lanka cannot continue on the path of impunity despite the years that have gone by since the end of the civil war. Sri Lankans in the diaspora still hope that the victims of heinous crimes will one day get justice.

According to the United Nations, more than six million people are currently struggling to feed themselves and families are forced to sacrifice their children’s education to save money. School dropout is highest on plantation estates. By April, more than a million children could be at home, making it a bigger problem than the country’s financial situation.

The campaign began in front of the capital's train station, but this is already the second time in four months that a petition has been organized against high electricity bills. Experts say the increase was proposed to compensate for allowances given to the Ceylon Elecrtricy Board, Sri Lanka's largest electricity company dependent on the Ministry of Energy.

For the Russian embassy in Colombo, the “meeting focused on the requirements of Sri Lanka’s energy sector”. Sri Lankan authorities are considering several options to address the island nation's energy crisis. Sri Lankans can expect many power cuts in 2023.

The Sri Lankan President met with the spokesperson of the Tamil National Alliance, who called for the early holding of provincial council elections and the implementation of powers delegated to them. He hopes for an agreement by 4 February 2023, when the nation marks the 75th anniversary of independence.

According to a recent study, China is Sri Lanka's top international creditor with debt largely owed to two Chinese state-owned banks. Concerns remain over China’s geopolitical ambitions in the region. A US$ 2.9 billion IMF aid package to Sri Lanka is still pending.

Some lawmakers are sceptical about the president’s sincerity. Wickremesinghe calls on Tamil parties to solve the ethnic issue before February 2023. At the UN Human Rights Council, India said that Sri Lanka did not make sufficient efforts. The Tamil National Alliance is ready to cooperate.

Some 300 Sri Lankans are rescued off Vietnam after trying to sail on a fishing boat from Myanmar to Canada. A syndicate tries to smuggle Sri Lankan women into Oman and the United Arab Emirates; meanwhile, police smash a group demanding 1.5 million rupees for a job in Romania.

An entrepreneur who launched a philanthropic programme in schools together with the government said that students take home part of their school lunch for their hungry parents. Without immediate action, malnutrition could become a major problem in rural areas. Experts are set to present a plan for economic stability.

The Sri Lankan government goes before the International Court of Arbitration in Singapore. Over a year ago, a container ship burnt for 13 days releasing dangerous chemicals into the sea, in what is Sri Lanka’s worst environmental disaster, with consequences lasting for decades.

The Sri Lankan government wants to build on the concept of blue economy. Unveiled in April to attract foreign investors other than from China, the project is not likely to succeed. The opposition slams the bill setting up an independent Economic Commission.

The initiative will collect excess food and avoid waste. Many children have stopped going to school because lunch is no longer guaranteed. The funds allocated by the government are not enough.