Former Minister Mervyn Silva remanded further

Sri Lanka?s proposed internet law threatens upcoming polls

A repressive new internet law that Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe is trying to rush through Parliament this week would create broad and vague new speech-related offenses punishable by lengthy prison terms, Human Rights Watch said. The law would seriously threaten the right to freedom of expression as Sri Lanka prepares for parliamentary and presidential elections later this year, Deputy Director of Human Rights Watch?s Asia Division, Meenakshi Ganguly said. The proposed law, the Onl

24 Jan, 2024

Central Bank of Sri Lanka decides to maintain policy rates

The Monetary Policy Board of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka decided to maintain the Standing Deposit Facility Rate (SDFR) and the Standing Lending Facility Rate (SLFR) of the Central Bank at their current levels of 9.00 per cent and 10.00 per cent, respectively. The Board arrived at this decision following a comprehensive assessment of domestic and international macroeconomic developments in order to maintain inflation at the targeted level of 5 per cent over the medium term, while enabling the

23 Jan, 2024

Sri Lanka warned of impact to foreign investments in digital economy

The Asia Internet Coalition (AIC) has warned that the Online Safety Bill could impact foreign direct investment into Sri Lanka?s digital economy. The AIC which represents Meta, Apple, Amazon, X (formerly Twitter), Google, Snap Inc and others said that claims by Public Security Minister Tiran Alles on the Online Safety Bill does not accurately reflect the substantial contributions that the AIC has made throughout the legislative process. AIC said that while their submissions to the Minister on

23 Jan, 2024