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Sri Lanka’s President assails AUKUS and contests concerns about China

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Sri Lankan president Ranil Wickremesinghe assailed the AUKUS pact as a “military alliance” and an unnecessary arrangement that will backfire on the U.S., Australia, and the U.K.

The comments, from the head of a country widely viewed as having fallen victim to predatory loans from Chinese state-backed firms, highlight Washington’s challenges in courting non-Western countries skeptical of joining efforts to push back against Beijing’s malign activity.

“I think it’s a strategic misstep, and I think they made a mistake,” said Wickremesinghe this afternoon of AUKUS. He was addressing the Islands Dialogue, a conference hosted by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and the Sasakawa Peace Foundation that convened leaders from Pacific island nations today, on the sidelines of the U.N.’s General Assembly meetings. He also said that it was intended to focus only on one country; though he did not name it, he was clearly speaking about China.

Throughout his remarks, Wickremisinghe criticized several Western diplomatic initiatives, saying he was taking a middle ground between the U.S. and China to staunchly advance his country’s interests.

He contested the Indian government’s claims that Yuan Wang 5, a Chinese ship that docked in his country in August 2022, was a spy ship. He said it was a research vessel and that his government had worked out a standard operating procedure for ships like that.

He also said a new port in Sri Lanka backed by the Chinese state-owned firm China Merchants Group was not linked at all to the Chinese military.

Wickremesinghe said that throughout his lifetime, he has seen the great-power blocs shift considerably.

“I have seen China and the U.S. taking on India and Russia. Now I’m seeing the U.S. and India taking on Russia and China.”

(nationalreview.com)

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Tower collapses on a house, injuring 02

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02 people have been injured when a part of a telecommunications tower collapsed on a house in the Upper Thannekumbura area of Kandy.

The Director General of the Disaster Management Center, retired Major General – Sampath Kotuwegoda, stated that the injured were a woman and her daughter who live in the house.

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Hearing of case against Yoshitha & his grandmother, adjourned

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The Colombo High Court has fixed the case filed against Yoshitha Rajapaksa – second son of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa – and his maternal grandmother Daisy Forrest (also known as “Daisy Achchi)” to be heard on July 11.

The Attorney General has filed the case alleging that the duo committed an offence under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act by illegally acquiring assets and properties valued at approximately Rs. 73 million.

The case was taken up today (30) before Colombo High Court Judge Aditya Patabendige and during the trial, Senior State Counsel Udara Karunatilaka, appearing for the prosecution, submitted a document relevant to the case to the court.

President’s Counsel Sampath Mendis, representing the defense, submitted a list of documents and witness statements required for trial preparation, and requested that the prosecution provide them to ensure a fair trial.

In response, Judge Patabendige directed the Senior State Counsel to take necessary steps to furnish the requested documents and statements to the defense.

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QR code introduced for easy TIN registration

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The Inland Revenue Department (IRD) has introduced a QR code to simplify the registration process for Taxpayer Identification Numbers (TINs), Commissioner General of Inland Revenue, Ms. R.P.G.H. Fernando said.

Through the QR code, individuals can conveniently check whether they are already registered with a TIN. If not, they will be guided on how to obtain one by contacting the Inland Revenue Department.

According to the department, over 10 million TINs have already been issued to the public as part of efforts to improve tax administration and compliance.

(dailymirror.lk)

(This story, originally published by dailymirror.lk has not been edited by SLM staff)

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