Sri Lanka, April 3 -- Leader of the Opposition Sajith Premadasa says that the 44% US trade tariff on Sri Lanka is not just a trade issue, but a wake-up call to stop the silent defiance of regional interests of other nations and protect mutual interest.

Posting on 'X' (formerly Twitter) regarding the matter, Premadasa stated that those who are now in government, in the past blocked every trade deal, distrusted globalization, and saw investment as intrusion, and stressed that this legacy must end and that they have to switch up their stance.

Furthermore, the Opposition Leader called on Sri Lanka to have a strategic reset by embracing partnerships over paranoia, stop the hate-mongering for the sake of appeasing some local cartels, build an...