Colombage Melani Manel Perera

Lieutenant General Shavendra Silva, head of the National Operations Centre for the Prevention of COVID-19 (NOCPC), announced the decision to extend the curfew and keep people indoors for 10 days in order to contain the spread of the virus.

Trade union and human rights activists speak out against this. The authorities are urged to see how employees of apparel firms, like Brandix, live. People suspected of contagion are crammed untested in quarantine centres. Activists want an independent investigation and the intervention of the Court of Appeal.

Christians and Buddhists believe the amendment promotes authoritarianism since it grants more powers to an already powerful executive president, weakens parliament, the role of the prime minister and ministers, curbs the independence of the judiciary, and makes it harder for ordinary citizens to share in the legislative process and stand up to the government.

The apparel sector is the most affected: It could lose between 80,000 and 300,000 jobs. The health emergency is driving foreign investors away. The government wants to reduce dependence on imports. Expert notes the lack of planning to reboot exports.

More positive cases are being reported at the Brandix Minuwangoda plant. A curfew has been imposed on 17 police divisions in Gampaha district, Western province. Schools have been closed. Almost 4,500 cases have been reported in the country with 13 deaths. The situation is evolving but a generalised lockdown has been ruled out.

The archbishop of Colombo expresses sadness and dissatisfaction with the release of some defendants. The “investigations are not going the way they should " and the relatives of the victims are still "waiting for justice". The presidential commission of inquiry into the massacre says that no one should comment on the decisions taken; it wants to gag the three auxiliaries.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Sri Lankan returnees and migrant workers have been stranded, forced to face major socio-economic challenges. Circular migration characterises Sri Lankan labour markets, but the current pandemic has limited economic and travel opportunities for returnees and migrants temporarily stuck at home or abroad.

Founded in 1820 in France, the association arrived in the country in 1862. For Archbishop Fernando, it enriched the local Church. The Sisters focus on education, the care of poor children, empowering women and the fight against cancer. Its members emulate the simplicity of Jesus, Mary and Joseph.

The former president maintains that once completed, the China-funded facility will employ 83,000 people. The project, launched in 2014, was blocked by the previous government and then restarted. The protests of the dispossessed local population and environmentalists. Beijing's Belt and Road will not benefit the country.

The authorities are evaluating whether to reimpose stricter health prevention measures. Participation in large-scale events, like the Colombo International Book Fair, is not recommended. For epidemiologist, there are too many risks, and senior citizens should stay at home. Cases imported from abroad are increasing. The government is considering reducing in-coming flights to one a day.

For Prof Sumanasiri Liyanage, China’s growing presence in the region will increase tensions with India. Delhi and Washington are pressing smaller countries in the area, including Sri Lanka, to distance themselves from China. There are doubts about the benefits of the BRI for the poorest strata of the population.

The new auxiliary bishop of Colombo talks about his new mission. As a pastor, he has a great role to play in caring for his flock, meeting their spiritual needs, increasing their awareness of the depth of the sacraments and the mysteries. He will pursue all these things because, “in the end, the satisfaction of a priest remains in the way he celebrates the sacraments.”