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Along D.R. Wijewardene Mawatha, a large extent of land, earlier earmarked for casinos, will now be the venue for the Colombo International Financial Centre.  Such a centre, in terms of legislation to be introduced in Parliament by Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake, will permit foreign and local banks to operate offshore accounts. The broader outlines of the ambitious plan were spelt out when the Budget was presented by him on November 21.

Yet, some of the features of the Budget are being changed. One such instance is a phone call President Maithripala Sirisena made to Finance Minister Karunanayake not to lower the prices of beer which had less than five per cent alcohol. As a result, the beer price which came down to Rs. 160 a bottle after the Budget has now been raised to Rs. 190. Mr. Sirisena said it was his policy not to encourage consumption of any form of liquor. He told the Finance Minister that women had also begun drinking beer.

Another lesser known aspect in the Budget proposals has been the introduction of a levy for cash withdrawals of more than one million rupees from a bank. Minister Karunanayake said, “We are moving into a sophisticated cash management system. To discourage cash transportation in line with security considerations, I propose to impose following charges on cash withdrawals. i. Less than Rs. 1 million: No charge ii. Between Rs. 1 million and Rs.10 million: 2 percent iii. Above Rs.10 million: 3 percent.”

The withdrawal of duty free car import permits given to State sector officers and even Parliamentarians has caused a furore. It is particularly the newly elected MPs who are unhappy about the move. They are insisting that they be given vehicles. A Government source said several proposals were now under consideration but no finality had still been reached. Among them was one where cash payments could be made for vehicles instead of permits. Another was for the State to import cars up to a value of US$ 60,000, pay the duty and issue it to the MPs. “No finality has yet been reached,” the source said.

Maveerar Day ceremonies in the North
For nearly six years since the end of the separatist war, Maveerar or Great Heroes Day observances have continued in the northern Jaffna peninsula.  It was originally launched by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to remember the cadres lost in battle.

Security forces have kept a close watch to make sure activities did not relate to the LTTE, which is still a banned organisation. Yet, there were instances.  At the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kathchi (ITAK) office in Martin Road, Jaffna, parliamentarian Mavai Senathirajah presided at the commemoration ceremony. Provincial councillors and supporters were present.

Mr. Senathirajah was seen lighting a flame of remembrance around 6:05 p.m., the same time the slain LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhahakaran used to do in the past before he delivered his Maveerar Day speech. They also observed a moment of silence remembering the fallen cadres.

Jaffna University students commemorated the day with the lighting of lamps and candles inside the campus premises while the university remained closed. Students, lecturers and other staff of the university participated in the event.In view of a student’s suicide in Jaffna on Thursday, the Northern Provincial Council (NPC) declared a holiday for the schools in the region on Friday

Meanwhile, NPC councillor M. K.Sivajilingam with some of the relatives of the war dead commemorated the event at the Nallur Kandaswamy temple in Jaffna with lighting of an oil lamp.

Power’s news conference a non-event
That the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is literally in a mess while its head, Minister Mangala Samaraweera, circles the globe is no secret.  That has so far been confined to the conduct of diplomacy and how some senior officials, favourites of the previous administration, are holding sway.

This week there was something new — the visit of Samantha Power, the United States Ambassador to the United Nations.
Candles burnt on thambili or a row of king coconuts. A dance troupe gyrated to the beat of drums as Ms. Power arrived. The troupe waited holding clay lamps until her talks with Samaraweera were over and she exited to perform the same act. A camera crew from the US was recording the event.

Then came a joint news conference in an “L” shaped room in an upper floor of the colonial building. As the media awaited the arrival of Ms. Power and Minister Samaraweera, a worker walked in with a new curtain. He was busy replacing the old curtain with a new one. The media, crowded inside, had to make way.

Beneath the veneer of propaganda, nothing seems to have changed in the Foreign Ministry, quipped an old hand in the Foreign Ministry. And neither did Ms. Power, a former journalist, take any questions.

Bizarre turn in vote against Ravi
A vote of no-confidence on Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake, signed by 44 MPs made up of UPFA partners and those from the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, may take a bizarre turn.Sections in the Government want to move amendments praising President Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe for introducing this Budget.

The draft of a vote of no-confidence on Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake over the Budget proposals was handed over to Speaker Karu Jayasuriya on Thursday.SLFP sources said it was unlikely that all MPs would vote against the Budget and most MPs were likely to abstain. This is in the light of the note of caution sounded by President Sirisena at a meeting of SLFP MPs last week. He said all MPs should follow the party whip or face the consequences.

Finance Minister Karunanayake said, “I am not deterred by no-confidence motions moved merely for petty political considerations. The greater mass of the people and the country will benefit from the Budget.”

Lots of privileges for three fair ladies
Some ministers were talking about one of their colleagues, a man who trusts family members more than party loyalists or others.
It was over the appointment of three fair ladies to his office. Each has been given a different cubicle, a fat salary, car and driver. As one of them remarked, this is harmony at State expense.

Action against police officers
The National Police Commission appointed inquiry panel has identified officers responsible for the brutal attack on students outside the University Grants Commission in October.  They now face disciplinary action, a Police source said.