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United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken has postponed a trip to Beijing after a Chinese “spy balloon” was tracked over the US.

 It was a visit during which Mr. Blinken was expected
to take up Sri Lanka’s debt woes with President Xi Jingping, according to a top US official who was in Sri Lanka this week.

Victoria Nuland, US Under-Secretary of State for Political Affairs, while in Colombo on an official visit this week, told President Ranil Wickremesinghe that Mr. Blinken would raise the outstanding matter of Sri Lanka’s debt restructuring with
the Chinese President–an issue which China had a key role to play.

The US had been increasingly vocal on the subject, with Ms. Nuland telling reporters in Colombo, that China must provide credible and specific assurances to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) so Sri Lanka could benefit from a bailout.

“What China has offered so far is not enough,” she was quoted as saying. “We need to see credible and specific assurances that China will meet the IMF standard of debt relief.”

US Under-Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland. Pic by Indika Handuwala

“We, the United States, are prepared to do our part. Our Paris Club partners are prepared to do their part. India has made strong commitments that it will provide the credible assurances the IMF is looking for,” she said.

The Sunday Times recently reported that China’s Exim bank had offered Sri Lanka a two-year moratorium on its debt.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson responded sharply to Ms. Nuland’s comments at a subsequent media conference this week.

“Rather than jabbing fingers at China’s close cooperation with Sri Lanka, the US might as well show some sincerity and actually do something to help Sri Lanka weather through the current difficulties,” Mao Ning was reported as saying.

“What was said by the US side does not reflect the truth. The Export-Import Bank of China has already provided
Sri Lanka with the letter to express support for its debt sustainability. Sri Lanka has responded positively and thanked China for that,” she said.

China and the US had often engaged in bitter wars of words over Sri Lanka.

Sajith roars at IMF but Harsha tones it down

Speaking at a campaign rally at Matugama in the Kalutara district, Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa had a message for the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and other financial institutions.

“A Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) led government is not bound to implement any agreement or promise made by this Government, which is led by a President who does not have the people’s
mandate,” he thundered.

Mr Premadasa said one could not negotiate with the IMF while grovelling on one’s hands and knees.

“We need to approach the IMF with our head held high like a courageous lion,” he told the crowd.

The Opposition Leader’s speech was given wide airplay. It was soon clear the SJB had been forced into damage control mode over what was clearly a careless outburst, or “gallery talk” by their leader.

When questioned about how a country as bankrupt as Sri Lanka could approach the IMF “like a courageous lion,” SJB front-liner Dr. Harsha de Silva told journalists on Thursday that an agreement must be reached between Sri Lanka and the IMF on certain issues. That did not mean that Sri Lanka should agree to everything proposed by the IMF, he insisted.

“We do not need to accept everything that the IMF says is necessary. We need to tell the IMF ‘this is our plan and present it.’ What Mr Premadasa meant by his comments is that there has to be some amendments to the agreement with the IMF. We know what those amendments should be. We have presented a 10-point plan to stabilise the country’s economy. Both the Government and the IMF surely have copies of this plan,” he explained while doing some damage-control on his party leader’s outburst.

Journalists in white shirts at yesterday’s Independence day celebrations

Colour Story at Freedom Day march

Journalists and photographers who covered yesterday’s Independence Day celebration at Galle Face were instructed to wear white shirts or blouses.

Male journalists meanwhile, were also handed a complimentary tie that had the official logo of the 75th Independence Day. They were expected to wear it to attend the ceremony.

One journalist pointed out the irony of having to adhere to a stiff European dress code in the tropical heat to cover a ceremony that was supposed to celebrate the country shaking off the shackles of imperialism. But those who wore a national tunic were exempted, of course. One wondered if it was to ensure no one came in black.

No booze, no bites and no buzz for polls campaign

Campaigning for next month’s elections will be a hard task for members of local councils known to extravagantly spend on liquor, bites and packets of lunch. In the Colombo district, a top local councillor, who had his supporters pumped with food and liquor during campaign times in previous years, complained that he may lose supporters due to the inability to entertain.

On a complaining note, he said supporters keep coming to his residence expecting tea, liquor and packets of lunch, but this time turned away due to the new campaign expenditure rule allowing a candidate to spend only Rs. 20 for each voter.

The new campaign finance laws had posed several new issues in the implementation. Some of them were raised during a media conference conducted by the Elections Commission this week.

One question posed was how would they monitor social media. The Commission members said they were planning to monitor social media, but it would be difficult task.

Another question was posed on how the EC would monitor Satellite TV and EC members said they could add to that list.

Journalists also questioned if political parties placed advertisements instead of the candidate placing a direct advertisement. It would be a difficult task to monitor such expenses.

There were other flaws also in the laws. Among them was the possibility of a rival getting someone to place advertisements and after the elections make a claim that this particular candidate had exceeded the stipulated amount. In the event the candidate was successful at the elections and failed to disprove that he had no hand in placing the advertisements he or she faced the risk of losing a seat.

In the premier National Hospital, more cares than cures

The Colombo National Hospital recently has become a hotspot for all sorts of problems.

On Thursday, two trade union factions clashed within the hospital. Not even the Hospital Director could stop the clash, and the Maradana Police had to be called in. They arrested some unionists and the situation calmed down.

One person was wounded and is undergoing treatment in the same hospital. It was a case of ‘hospital unionist heal thyself.’

This was only a few weeks after former Deputy Director Dr. Rukshan Bellana was held hostage in his own office in the hospital by minor staff, after allegations were made by him that some of them were taking drugs–not of the medicinal type, but of the hallucinating type–while at work.

A spate of such incidents leave people wondering whether the Colombo National Hospital was actually a hospital meant to treat patients properly, or to create more patients.

CMC uproar over upcoming polls

Election fever has already caught up at the Colombo Municipal Council, with both the United National Party (UNP) and the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) fielding candidates.

Things are decidedly heated between the two groups, given that both groups had previously contested under the UNP banner at the last local council elections before their split.

Speaking at this week’s CMC meeting, one-time UNP councillor, Roy Bogahawatte, now contesting under the SJB banner, said 14 of their members decided to contest under the SJB as they did not agree with the alliance the UNP had formed with the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP).

He went on to criticise the UNP, and this led to an uproar among members. The CMC meeting was adjourned for
20 minutes.

When the session resumed, Mayor Rosy Senanayake responded to Mr Bogahawatte saying that 14 members including himself could contest under the SJB, but the rest of the UNP members would be contesting under the UNP. She would be contesting as a UNP candidate for the post of Mayor.

The upcoming local council elections had changed the trajectory of politics and created strange alliances. Former SLPP members now contest under the banner of their arch rivals the UNP, while the UNP members crossed over to the SJB.

Meanwhile, the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) which contested under the SLPP has decided to contest under its own ‘hand’ symbol.

Slave Island down the drain; now Kompanna Veediya

The Government has decided to officially stop using the words ‘Slave Island’, the area in Colombo’s postal zone 02, and in future to use ‘Kompanna Veediya’ as it is known in Sinhala.

‘Slave Island’ was a small island or islet within Colombo and the name was a holding point for African slaves brought during the Portuguese rule over the maritime provinces of Sri Lanka. The British gave it the name Slave Island. But they did not change the name even though slavery was banned in Britain in 1833.

Even free Sri Lankans born in Colombo 02, after Independence in 1948, maternity hospitals had their place of birth recorded in their birth certificates and passports as Slave Island.

Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena instructed his Secretary Anura Dissanayake to make the change. Accordingly, the Public Administration Ministry had been directed to issue a gazette notification. All references
to ‘Slave Island’ would therefore
be dropped.

The directive was a welcome move, but was an indication on how slowly changes take place. Moreover, English speaking people might want to know what on earth Kompanna Veediya was. A direct translation would be ‘Company Street’, even though the area encompasses an entire postal and municipal zone. Another connection could be the presence of what was once Sri Lanka’s biggest companies–the Colombo Commercial Company (CCC).