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Patients at the Vavuniya isolation centre have complained of inadequate facilities used for the treatment of quarantined individuals. 

Following the capture of Afghanistan by the Taliban, Sri Lankan Prime Minister, Mahinda Rajapaksa, met with the Afghan Ambassador to Sri Lanka, M. Ashraf Haidari, to offer the country’s full support, “consistent with the strong Afghanistan-Sri Lanka friendship and growing bilateral relations”.

Residents of Alambil North, a village near Karaithuraipattu in Mullaitivu district, expressed their concerns over growing deforestation in their land earlier this week. 

They wrote slogans on the road between Mullaitivu and Mankulam using yellow paint, opposing the destruction of forests in their homeland. 

(Photo of Gotabaya Rajapaksa meeting with senior Buddhist clergy 2019)

Following repeated calls from the healthcare profession, opposition parties, and trade unions, Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has announced a 10-day lockdown after receiving a request from the Sinhala Buddhist monk Mahanayake.

The nationwide lockdown came into force from 10 pm 20 August and will last until 30 August. The announcement comes as COVID-19 infections in Sri Lanka continue to rise, reaching an average COVID-related daily death toll of over 160 and 4,693 new infections each day. However, there is a great deal of uncertainty over reported figures as military and health officials stand accused of distorting data to deliberately underplay the impact of the pandemic. 

Sri Lanka’s Energy Minister, Udaya Gammanpila, has denied that the country was facing a fuel crisis as panic buying of petrol surged in Sri Lanka and as he encouraged motorists to use fuel sparingly.

NO FUEL SHORTAGE.

I have repeatedly stated that if there was a fuel shortage, I would have told the nation before anybody else. I have always been truthful to the people and informed in advance about the price hike. The first to announce about the foreign currency crisis.

Photo by Feng Yongbin - China Daily

Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court has rejected 13 articles of the controversial Finance Amendment Bill submitted by Minister of Finance, Basil Rajapaksa, as “unconstitutional”.

In announcing this decision, the Speaker of the Parliament, Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, maintained that Article 17 should be removed entirely and that several articles must be amended. Only after these amendments are made can the bill pass with a simple majority without the measure violating the Constitution.

Four rights groups have expressed concern over Police Scotland's training of Sri Lankan police officers and have called for an end to the programme until Sri Lanka demonstrates "a genuine willingness to reform." 

Tamil Makkal Thesiya Kootani (TMTK) leader C.V. Wigneswaran has slammed Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian M.A. Sumanthiran for engaging in discussions with the Sri Lankan government, maintaining that “no satisfactory settlement can be reached so long as an Unitary Constitution is in place in Sri Lanka and as long as the Executive Presidency is in place”.

21 Eelam Tamil refugees have been reported to have committed suicide in a special camp in Trichy Central Jail following the rejection of their demand for release. A further five remain in critical condition in the Trichy Government Hospital.