The Marine Unit of the Department of Wildlife Conservation has carried out a comprehensive coral reef survey within the Kayankerni Marine Sanctuary and the adjacent Pasikuda coastal area, aiming to strengthen long‑term conservation and sustainable tourism in Sri Lanka’s eastern waters.

According to the Department of Wildlife Conservation, the survey assessed the current health of coral reef ecosystems both inside the protected sanctuary and in surrounding unprotected waters. It also identified natural and human‑induced threats, while gathering scientific data to guide future conservation and restoration efforts.

The department noted that under the Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance, corals are listed as protected species. Reef‑building corals, in symbiosis with microscopic algae known as zooxanthellae, form structures that support one of the richest ecosystems on Earth.

It further noted that coral reefs are vital for marine biodiversity – providing habitat, shelter, breeding and feeding grounds, coastal protection – buffering shorelines against waves and erosion, fisheries – sustaining livelihoods of coastal communities, and tourism – attracting visitors and supporting local economies.

The Department of Wildlife Conservation said that the findings will serve as baseline information for conservation and management decisions by the department, in collaboration with stakeholders. 

It added that special attention is being given to exploring opportunities for sustainable tourism that balance visitor interest with ecosystem protection. (Newswire)

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Refuting recent reports on a survey on Sri Lanka’s Presidential Election, the European Union (EU) says it has not conducted an election polls survey in Sri Lanka, as has falsely been reported.

The EU’s clarification comes following an increase in fake survey results being spread on social media linked to the Presidential Election which is anticipated to be held in the upcoming months.

Recently, social media posts were shared claiming that a survey by the EU predicts the National People’s Power (NPP) party as the frontrunner in the presidential election, followed by the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) party.

Investigations by Fact Crescendo, an independent and unbiased fact-checking website, have found that the claims about the EU conducting a survey predicting the NPP as the frontrunner in the presidential election are entirely false. 

In its findings, the fact-checking website also states that there is no official EU survey, and the information circulating on social media and certain web media reports is misleading. (Newswire)

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Cigarettes of smuggled foreign brands and counterfeits in Sri Lanka have risen to 29 per cent of the market in the third quarter of 2023, it was reported. 

A periodic survey by the Colombo-based Research Intelligence Unit has found that Sri Lanka’s legal cigarette sales are in long-term decline.

The survey also reports that there has been a tendency for Sri Lanka’s non-tax-paid cigarettes to go up.

RIU says the key reasons for the rise in illicit sales were a currency crisis and inflation which had reduced purchasing power and tax hikes which had made smuggled products more competitive.

After two tax hikes in 2023, the legal product was around Rs. 125 for a cigarette stick, while the smuggled products were around Rs. 80 to Rs. 100. 

As per the survey, a brand called ‘Manchester’, was widely smuggled from East Asia.

RIU said a fall in smuggled cigarettes came from forex shortages and import controls in 2022, with legal cigarette sales rebounding to 2,825 million stocks and illicit sales down to 538 million stocks, bucking recent trends with the share down to 16 per cent.

However in the first half of 2023, after the first tax hike and gradual normalization of trade, monthly illegal cigarettes were estimated to be around 58.7 million sticks, annualized to 716 million sticks.

After a second price hike, monthly sales were estimated to have increased to 74.8 million stocks or around 898 million sticks a year. 

The survey, based on interviews with 2,500 individuals, says legal sales are projected to fall to 2.3 billion sticks, leading to an illegal share of 29 per cent. (NewsWire)

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More than half the Sri Lankan population, 53%, believe local political forces were involved in the Easter Sunday attacks carried out in 2019, according to a survey commissioned in October by Syndicated Surveys.

Those surveyed were given the following three views prevalent in the country about who was behind the attacks and asked to select the one they most agreed with.

1)         It was carried out by Sri Lankan extremists who were working with dangerous foreign forces.

2)       It was carried out by Sri Lankan extremists who were working with local political forces.

3)       It was carried out by Sri Lankan extremists who were working with both local political forces and dangerous foreign forces.

53% believed local political forces were involved, 30% selected the second answer, and 23% selected the third answer. Only 8% believed that it was carried out without the involvement of local political forces (the first answer). A high percentage, 39%, said they had no opinion or refused to comment.

The attacks were carried out on 21 April 2019 (Easter Sunday) with three churches and three luxury hotels targeted in a series of coordinated suicide bombings, killing a total of 269 people.

Survey methodology

The poll was conducted in October 2023 and was based on an island-wide, nationally representative sample of responses from 1,029 Sri Lankan adults. The poll has a maximum error margin below ±3% at a 95% confidence interval.

Syndicated Surveys is a survey instrument by Verité Research and the polling partner was Vanguard Survey (Pvt) Ltd. Syndicated Surveys also provide other organisations with the opportunity to survey the sentiments of the people of Sri Lanka through this poll. (NewsWire)

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The Institute for Health Policy (IHP) has released the July 2023 update of its Consumer Confidence Indices, which are generated from its Sri Lanka Opinion Tracker Survey (SLOTS).

According to IHP, the Index of Consumer Sentiment (ICS), the broadest measure of the public’s view of their personal economic status and the national economy increased by 6 points to 30 points in July 2023. 

This is the highest recorded value seen since Oct. 2021. The ICS ranges from zero to a potential maximum of 100, with levels below 50 indicating net Pessimism.

The Index of Consumer Expectations (ICE), a measure of perceptions of the future, also increased by 6 points to a new peak of 37 indicating less pessimistic views in public expectations about the long-term future of the country and their personal financial situation. 

The Index of Current Conditions (ICC), a measure of perceptions of current conditions also showed some recovery by increasing 7 points to 20 points.

The CCI estimates are based on 459 interviews conducted in July 2023 and 11, 515 adults surveyed between Oct. 21, 2021–Jul. 31, 2023, with sample sizes varying between indices depending on which respondents were randomized to specific questions and response rates. (NewsWire)

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The National People’s Power (NPP) / Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) and the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) are running neck-and-neck in the General Election voting intentions amongst likely voters, the Sri Lanka Opinion Tracker Survey (SLOTS) polling from January 2023 shows. 

According to the latest survey by the Institute for Health Policy (IHP), General Election voting intentions amongst likely voters are at 32% and 31% each respectively, following a surge by the NPP/JVP during December and January. 

Both are ahead of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), United National Party (UNP) and Sri Lanka Freedom party (SLFP), but the difference between them is within the margin of error.

IHP MRP analysis of likely voters indicates that since July 2022 when President Ranil Wickremesinghe took office, the SJB has gained a net three points, the NPP/JVP one point, and the UNP five points. 

The survey stated that these gains have been largely at the expense of the SLPP whose support fell 11 points.

Assuming general election voting intent transfers to voting in local authority elections due in March, the SLOTS January polling suggests that on current trends the SJB and the NPP/JVP between them will win the plurality in most local authorities and wards. 

However, most local authorities are likely to end up with divided control, with no party winning an absolute majority. The SJB and ITAK will lead the NPP/JVP in the Northern and Eastern provinces, but the NPP/JVP will likely lead the SJB in the Western, Southern, North-Central, and Sabaragamuwa Provinces, and will do better in rural areas, whilst the SJB will do better in urban and municipal councils.

Dr Rannan-Eliya, lead investigator and Executive Director of IHP, commented that “This will be a huge change from the 2018 local elections. The main drivers are a collapse in the SLPP vote, and the NPP/JVP doing better than the SJB in winning defecting SLPP voters and in retaining their original 2020 General Election vote.”

The NPP/JVP has a clearer lead over the SJB amongst registered voters, but SJB supporters are more likely to vote, reducing the margin between them in likely voters by 2%.

Full report : http://ihp.lk/publications/docs/SLOTSReport202303.pdf (NewsWire)

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