Sri Lankan bank of suffocation - Right of Reply

We wish to clarify issues raised by the writer K. Wijewickrama in an article appearing in The Sunday Times FT on October 1 under the above heading:

This transaction relates to a standing order instruction given by Mr. Wijewickrama on September 1 to remit a sum of Rs. 71,000 to HSBC Bambalapitiya commencing September 5 by debiting his savings account which was opened on August 31at our Ratmalana extension office.

On receipt of the funds to his account the standing order was effected on September 6 by forwarding an official cheque to HSBC Bambalapitiya by registered post through the Mt. Lavinia Post office (Reg.Post Ref No. 6645) on September 6.

Since the next day was a holiday, we presume that HSBC would have received the cheque on September 8. HSBC had sent this particular cheque on collection and the branch has paid the cheque on September 13 which was the earliest possible date after clearance since September 9 and 10 were holidays.

This is the normal operational procedure adopted with regard to standing order transactions from one Bank to another Bank.

Mr. Wijewickrama has been under the impression that standing orders when effected from one bank to another are done online which is not so.

This particular transaction took five working days whereas Mr. Wijewickrama has alleged that it took more than two weeks.

C.P. Abeywickrema
Deputy General Manager
Personal Banking & Network Management, HNB