Top Story
-
Fuel Fear Returns – Memory moves Faster than Tankers
The queues are not long. But they are visible.
Across parts of Colombo and the suburbs, motorists lined up this week amid rising Middle East tensions and climbing global oil prices. Officials insist there is no shortage. The Ceylon Petroleum Corporation says stocks are sufficient. Shipments are scheduled.
Yet Sri Lanka reacts to fuel anxiety differently from most countries.
We remember.
In 2022, queues became collapse. Shortage became symbolism.
Governments fell because fuel stopped flowing. This time, the fundamentals are not the same. Reserves are steadier.
IMF discipline is in place. Pricing formulas exist.
But oil markets do not move on comfort. They move on risk.
Nearly 20% of global oil passes through the Strait of Hormuz. When conflict escalates, insurance rises. Freight rises. Brent rises. Sri Lanka pays.
Even without a physical disruption, a few dollars per barrel adds millions to the import bill.Authorities have banned filling into cans. Daily stock updates are issued. It is governance by reassurance.
The public is not panicking. But it is not relaxed either. Fuel is not just energy in Sri Lanka. It is political memory. The tanks may be full. Confidence is what must not run dry.
NO QR — BUT THE CLOCK IS TICKING
The QR fuel system will not return. At least not yet. Cabinet spokesman Nalinda Jayatissa says there is no immediate need for rationing. Supplies are steady. Distribution continues.
That statement is as much psychological as operational. Reintroducing QR would signal crisis management. It would revive the optics of 2022. It would tell the public: prepare for constraint.
For now, the government is betting that transparency and visible supply will suffice.
But oil prices have risen sharply in recent weeks. If Brent continues climbing, pressure builds quietly — on reserves, on the rupee, on inflation.
Sri Lanka imports its vulnerability.
If prices spike further, choices narrow: pass costs to consumers, absorb losses, or borrow more.
None are politically comfortable. The QR system is dormant. But its shadow remains.
The difference between precaution and panic is timing. And timing, in energy markets, is rarely generous.
OPPOSITION SEIZES THE MOMENT
In Colombo, crisis is always political. The opposition has convened emergency discussions on the Middle East fallout — framing it as responsible vigilance.
They are not wrong to ask questions. How exposed are we to oil volatility? What contingency planning exists? Are remittance corridors secure?
But there is calculation here too. Fuel queues, airline disruptions and economic anxiety are potent images. Governments in Sri Lanka have fallen on less.
The administration must now walk a narrow line: calm without complacency. The opposition must do the same: scrutiny without alarmism.
This is not 2022. But neither is it business as usual. Markets are watching. So are voters.
A NATION WATCHFUL, NOT PANICKED
ri Lanka’s public mood is sober. There is no mass hysteria. No supermarket runs. No shouting crowds. But there is attention.
Citizens track oil prices. They monitor petrol stations. They watch global headlines with practiced caution. We have lived through default. We have lived through scarcity.
External shocks are no longer theoretical. The public question is not “Is there war?” It is “What does this mean for us?”
That is a mature anxiety.
It demands mature governance.>>>More Exclusive Articles from Faraz
-
Daily Cartoon
Exclusive by Faraz
-
The Middle East crisis has begun to ripple through aviation networks, and Sri Lanka’s airlines are watching developments closely. Flights connecting Colombo with Gulf cities form one of the busiest corridors in Sri Lankan aviation. Workers travelling to jobs, families visiting relatives and cargo shipments all depend on those routes. Airlines are reviewing flight paths
-
Early this morning Sri Lanka media raised a question that, at the time, appeared speculative but deeply plausible. Could there be a second Iranian naval vessel approaching Sri Lanka following the sinking of the Iranian warship IRIS Dena off the southern coast? By mid-morning that possibility had become confirmation. Cabinet spokesperson Nalinda Jayatissa acknowledged that another Iranian vessel is indeed present near Sri Lanka’s
-
PRESIDENT AKD SPEAKS – BUSHEHR, HUMANITY AND A DELICATE BALANCE President Anura Kumara Dissanayake addressed the nation last evening in a special statement after confirmation that the Iranian naval support ship IRINS Bushehr is currently near Sri Lanka’s maritime boundary seeking assistance. The President’s message was measured and deliberate.Sri Lanka, he said, will prioritise the protection of human life and act
-
As tensions escalate in the Gulf, Sri Lanka’s economists are watching one number above all others: the price of oil. The island imports nearly all its fuel, meaning every rise in global crude prices feeds directly into the country’s fragile economic recovery. Shipping insurance has already risen across parts of the Gulf while traders nervously
-
A major legal and economic drama is unfolding in Washington after a federal trade court ordered the U.S. government to begin refunding billions of dollars collected under tariffs imposed by Donald Trump. The ruling came from the United States Court of International Trade, where Judge Richard Eaton instructed federal authorities to start processing refunds for
-
It only sets the day for the next meal. – Claimed to be written by Aisha Gaddafi. “O steadfast and freedom-loving people of Iran! I speak to you from a heart full of destruction, pain, and betrayal. I am the voice of a woman who witnessed the devastation of her country not at the hands
-
In a dramatic escalation of the wider Middle East conflict, the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia’s capital, was struck early Tuesday by multiple suspected drone attacks, causing a fire and structural damage to parts of the diplomatic complex. Saudi authorities described the blaze as “limited” and reported no injuries, as the building was largely unoccupied at the time
-
What Does the U.S. Claim — and What’s Verified? The U.S. administration has justified its military campaign against Iran by emphasising Iran’s missile capabilities and nuclear ambitions, framing them as a growing threat that could reach U.S. interests or allies. President Trump specifically cited concerns about Iran’s ability to strike targets, saying an “Iran armed with
-
A full-blown military confrontation has erupted involving the United States and Israel against Iran, significantly widening beyond initial airstrikes. The crisis has quickly spread into multiple countries and fronts, heightening diplomatic and security tensions. Iran • Joint U.S.–Israeli strikes on Iran since February 28 have hit military and strategic sites across at least 131 cities.•
-
The queues are not long. But they are visible. Across parts of Colombo and the suburbs, motorists lined up this week amid rising Middle East tensions and climbing global oil prices. Officials insist there is no shortage. The Ceylon Petroleum Corporation says stocks are sufficient. Shipments are scheduled. Yet Sri Lanka reacts to fuel anxiety
