Treasury plan to tackle the media
Dubai's low-cost carrier Flydubai has affirmed its commitment to the Sri Lankan government of flying into the upcoming Mattala airport when completed but didn't say when flights would begin.
The Middle Eastern carrier was in Colombo last week to announce its increase in flight frequencies to Colombo from Dubai from 5 to 7 since March 11 this year.
The airline's CEO Ghaith Al Ghaith speaking to the media said "we have made a commitment to fly there (Hambantota), adding that there is a need for an alternative place (to Colombo) to fly as well and since it would be closer to destinations that customers would want to visit."
During discussions with the relevant local authorities the airline had deliberated on further increasing their flights to the country based on the surge in tourist arrivals. However, it was noted that they had not made any specific commitments towards this proposal. Mr. Al Ghaith said the increase in demand and the change in their timing to Russia have contributed to more tourists visiting Sri Lanka from this region, using Dubai as the connecting hub.
The airline currently has 23 aircraft and operate to 50 destinations worldwide; and have made the single largest order of 50 aircraft, he said. With Russia and CIS nations identified as an emerging market, the airline will be focusing on increasing its operations to this region. Mr. Al Ghaith explained that due to the Arab spring (new political culture) there has been an increased travel to Dubai and Colombo is said to have taken advantage of that as well.
The carrier would also promote Sri Lanka as a destination on their inflight entertainment programmes as part of their discussions with Sri Lanka Tourism officials, he said.
Sri Lanka's Treasury which has maintained secrecy on the country's financial affairs as a long standing practice suddenly opens its eyes this week to disseminate information on the economic situation among the public through media providing an opportunity for journalists to gather news from top officials.
Treasury Secretary Dr. P. B. Jayasundera, the government's top bureaucrat who normally evades journalists due to pressure of work at the hot seat, has come up with a media plan to inform the public on the current economic situation in the country by announcing that he would meet the media once in every two months. The aim is to provide first-hand information on the economy for journalists preventing them from highlighting facts gathered from other, reliable sources, Dr. Jayasundera told a fully packed audience of media personnel including business editors and financial journalists at the Finance Ministry Auditorium in Colombo on Thursday.
He said that this media plan put forward by the Director General Administration of the Finance Ministry has been accepted as it is necessary to disseminate correct information on the economic situation and the official view point directly affecting the people. He noted that all designated top officials in the Treasury will be available to provide information and to clarify any news of the ministry. "I had no time to talk to the press and to give interviews for journalists or answer their phone calls due to heavy work load. Now you can contact any of the designated senior officers of the Treasury so that news can be verified," he promised.
He said that he could not entertain personal or telephone interviews as they take enormous time adding that this type of meeting the media would be a regular feature and the Treasury would provide all the ' official' information directly to the media and also discuss the issues with them.
He said that 'meeting the media' was launched to prevent journalists obtaining information indirectly and presenting them to the public. In answer to a query by a journalist as to the response of Dr Jayasundera on the issue of Minister Wimal Weerawansa asking the country to boycott US products to protest against the Geneva Resolution on War Crimes by the US, Dr Jayasundera played down it 'very cool' saying that politicians would be involved in this type of activities to create public opinion, but the Treasury "has nothing to do with it". He said "Before I speak about Geneva Resolution, I must know what the Resolution is. However he noted that most of the countries that were in favour of the resolution are doing trade with Sri Lanka, and they will not stop their transactions as a result of this resolution.
The Central Bank ( CB) has directed commercial and specialised banks that senior citizens should be considered as those who are 55 years and above, after most institutions used 60 years as the threshold age.
In a March 19 directive to these institutions, the CB said that, “The Monetary Board having observed that licensed banks and licensed finance companies use different thresholds of age to identify senior citizens when conducting banking operations has decided to request licensed banks to use the common threshold of 55 years of age in identifying senior citizens.”
However, Mr. Wijeratne said that while the proposals column would be updated as per newspaper advertisements on the website there would not be a similar option on the print version.
He observed there were a number of people requiring variety and it was for this purpose they commenced this initiative. "I think it's timely," he said adding that it would help people to gain more information without troubling themselves with attending exhibitions or related events when planning their wedding.