Internal Developments:

Resolution to appoint Constitutional Assembly approved:

1. Sri Lankan Parliament on March 08 unanimously approved a resolution to appoint a Constitutional Assembly to draft a new Constitution for the country. The work on drafting the new constitution would begin in May after the report of the Public Representations Committee on Constitutional Reforms was handed over in April.

MR accuses UNP of planning to destroy SLFP:

2. Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa has accused the ruling UNP of attempting to destroy the SLFP completely and that President Sirisena as the SLFP Chairman had not looked after the party rank and file, uphold party policies and protect the identity of the SLFP as expected of him.

CBK suggests to look at China as an opportunity:

3. Speaking at the recently held ‘Raisina Dialogue’ in New Delhi, Sri Lanka’s Former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga said that China was a big economic power in the region and other countries should look at China as an opportunity rather than a threat.

Foreign Affair Minister confirms repealing Prevention of Terrorism Act:

4. Sri Lanka’s Foreign Affairs Minister in his address to the Governing Council of Community of Democracies said that the government was in the process of repealing the Prevention of Terrorism Act and introducing a new counter-terrorism legislation that would be in line with contemporary international practices.

TPA seeks non-territorial councils for Tamils outside North and East:

5. The Tamil Progressive Alliance (TPA), a party representing Tamils of the Indian origins, has proposed the setting up of a non-territorial council with legislative powers to fulfill the aspirations of the Tamil people living outside the North and the East of Sri Lanka. Out of a population of 3.2 million Tamils, around1.6 million live outside these two provinces.

Sampanthan slams Sri Lankan Govt. over continued detentions:

6. Sri Lanka’s leader of Opposition R. Sampanthan on March 09 criticized the government over continuing detention of people booked under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) even after it committed itself at the UN Human Rights Council last year to review and repeal the law. Sampanthan argued that those who were detained were not charged with crimes against society but for crimes which have political dimensions.

Amaraweera appointed as new UPFA General Secretary:

7. Fisheries Minister Mahinda Amaraweera has been appointed as the UPFA General Secretary on March 08.

Proposal to resume Colombo Port City project:

8. Cabinet Committee on Economic Management has recommended resumption of work related to the Colombo Port City Project. Cabinet clearance was granted shortly after International Trade and Strategic Development Minister Malik Samarawickrama visited China and held talks with the Chinese authorities on a host of bilateral matters including the Port City Project. The cabinet committee has recommended the recommencement of the project work subject to limitations and conditions stipulated by the Environmental Impact Assessment.

Yoshitha Rajapaksa further remanded:

9. Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s son Yoshitha and four others including Nishantha Ranatunga, Rohan Weliwita were remanded until March 24 by the Kaduwela Magistrate over the alleged financial irregularities at the CSN.

MR blames govt. for debt trap:

10. While announcing increases to VAT and income tax and the reintroduction of the capital gains tax, Prime Minister in a special statement to parliament last week said that the Government has been compelled to increase taxes in this manner because MR’s government had got the country into a debt trap. MR has clarified that the unprecedented economic crisis cannot be attributed to loans taken during his regime as the present government has obtained 6,361 million USD in foreign loans in the last 15 months, which is largely from India.

Govt. looking at privatizing non-strategic investments to cut debt:

11. Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake informed an investment forum in Singapore that the government would be looking at privatizing some of the non-strategic investments to cut public-debt. He also said that the government would be listing another set of non-strategic state-owned bodies in the Colombo Stock Exchange in the next three months. He pointed out that three-state owned entities—Sri Lankan Airlines, Ceylon Petroleum Corporation and the Ceylon Electricity Board— account for 75 to 80 percent of the public debt. Karunanayke said Sri Lanka was aiming at 6 to 9 percent economic growth over the next five years and cutting the country’s growing budget deficit to 3.5 percent of the GDP. These are important announcements in the backdrop of Sri Lanka’s budget deficit estimated to have hit 7.2 percent in 2015 and govt.’s efforts to contain it under 6 percent this year.

Fonseka in favour of international probe, attacks the Rajapaksa family:

12. Minister Sarath Fonseka, the war time commander of the Sri Lanka Army, said in Parliament on March 11 that an international probe should be conducted as stipulated in the Geneva resolution. He endorsed it as the commander who the led the military at that time. He also said that “the white flag charges could have been avoided if the political leadership who tried to grab credit for the war victory handled the military operations effectively." Delivering a verbal attack on the Rajapaksa family he alleged a sum of US 2 million dollars was given to the LTTE during the 2005 presidential election campaign to get the LTTE to prevent the people in the North and the East from voting. He alleged that former Minister Basil Rajapaksa himself had revealed this to him.
External Relations:

Joint statement of first annual US-Sri Lanka Partnership Dialogue released:

13. The United States has expressed support for the government of Sri Lanka’s plans for constitutional and legislative reform and the repeal of the Prevention of Terrorism Act as also government’s plans to return land to the rightful owners. It has urged that remaining land be also returned swiftly.

Indian tribunal revokes ban on Lankan documentary drama:

14. Sri Lankan film Muttrupulliya, a docu-drama that portrays the life of the Tamil ethnic population in post-war era, won its appeal with the Indian Film Certification Appellate Tribunal (FCAT) after the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) in Chennai had refused to certify it fit for exhibition.

Chinese company confident of completing Port City project on time:

15. While welcoming the Government’s decision to resume work on the Colombo Port City Project, the Chinese construction company on Tuesday said that it would take prompt measures to ensure that the project would be completed within the expected timeframe.

India to finance three water projects in Lanka:

16. The Export-Import Bank of India and Sri Lanka's National Water Supply and Drainage Board signed an agreement on March 09 to provide $403.1 million to finance three water supply projects Lanka that would benefit at least one million consumers.

Pakistani President on Sri Lanka visit:

17. Pakistan’s President Mamnoon Hussain was on one day Sri Lanka visit on March 08. He met President Sirisena on a courtesy call in the evening. No further details were available.

US, French oil cos to explore gas in Lanka:

18. Petroleum Resources Development Minister revealed that two leading US companies in oil and gas exploration – Exxon Mobil and Lambert Oil and the world’s third biggest producer of petroleum products -Total Oil of France - have expressed willingness to invest in Sri Lanka for oil and gas exploration. The French Company has already signed an agreement worth US$ 25 million for a project.