Archives for July 2016

All Ceylon Farmers’ Federation handed over a complaint to Human Rights Commission today (26th) against constructing an artificial elephant corridor allowing elephants to let loose elephants to villages.

The artificial elephant corridor to be constructed to release elephants to Polpithigama Hakmana reservoir and surrounding villages would allow about 400 elephants to enter villages which would jeopardize live of eh villagers according to the complaint.

The National Organizer of All Ceylon Farmers’ Federation JVP Member of North – Western Provincial Council Namal Karunaratna, representatives of Organization to protect Hakwatunawa Farmland and Attorney at Law Sunil Watagala participated .

Unemployed Ayurvedic graduates held a protest at Rajagiriya Ayurvedha roundabout today (26th) demanding the government to solve their unemployment issue.

They commenced a protest march from Ayurvedic Roundabout and have moved to opposite the Ministry of Health. Students reading for Ayurvedha medical degree too have joined the protest.

The issue regarding their pension was forwarded to Mahinda Rajapaksa regime for 7 years since 2009 and also to present Maithri – Ranil government but nothing has happened so far say disabled war heroes.

Saying the attention of the authorities should be immediately drawn to the issue the disable soldier s commenced a fast unto death opposite Fort Railway Station yesterday (25th) blocking the road.

However, the protestors have now allowed one lane of the road for vehicles. They have commenced the fast unto death campaign as their attempt to have a discussion with the Prime Minister yesterday failed.

 

Sarath Weerawansa, elder brother of Wimal Weerawansa, former minister of Mahinda Rajapaksa government has been barred from leaving the country after he was charged with allegedly misusing a vehicle belonging to the Presidential Secretariat and allegedly misappropriating a sum of Rs 8.4 million. This was when the case was taken up before Fort Magistrate Lanka Jayaratne yesterday (25th). The Magistrate also ordered the Controller of the Immigration and Emigration to detain the suspect if he arrives at the BIA to leave the country.

According to FCID during the previous Mahinda Rajapaksa regime the Presidential Secretariat had rented 12 vehicles from a vehicle rental establishment and handed them over to Mr. Wimal Weerawansa’s NFF. The suspect, who had served as the private secretary of the former Minister Wimal Weerawansa, had proceeded to allegedly use one of those vehicles for his private activities.

The FCID said that the suspect, despite not being a government servant, had allegedly obtained all such benefits from the said Ministry without the approval of the Secretary of the Ministry concerned.The FCID also informed Court that when the suspect had been first summoned to record a statement, the latter had informed the former that as he was indisposed he was unable to be present. When he was summoned a second time he had informed that he had been admitted to the Meegoda Indigenous Medicine Hospital for treatment and when he was summoned for a third time, he had informed the FCID that he was being treated at the Kiribathgoda Government Hospital.

The FCID  told Court that the conduct of the suspect indicated that he was making an attempt to leave the country and requested Court to bar the suspect from leaving the country. The Magistrate then imposed the overseas travel ban on the suspect.

The Court of Appeal yesterday further extended the interim order preventing Kumaran Pathmanathan alias KP from leaving the country. This was when Court of Appeal took up the writ petition filed by the Information Secretary of the JVP parliamentarian Vijitha Herath who sought an order to institute legal proceedings against KP who was appointed as LTTE leader in 2009.

In his petition, Mr. Herath states there are about 193 serious allegations against KP including arms procurement and money laundering charges.

The Attorney General had earlier informed Court that the Terrorist Investigations Division (TID) has commenced a comprehensive investigation against KP under three Acts including the Prevention of Terrorism Act, Penal Code and Convention on the Suppression of Terrorist Financing Act over his alleged terrorist involvements.

The TID report also stated that they have already recorded statements from several persons on KP’s alleged terrorist involvement. The report further states that the TID was conducting investigations against KP after inspecting several videos downloaded from websites.

Deputy Solicitor General Priyantha Nawana appeared on behalf of the Attorney General. Counsel Sunil Watagala appeared for the petitioner. The Court of Appeal (President) Justice Vijith Malalgoda and Justice S.C.J Madawala heard the petition. The petition will be taken up for support on 25th October.

He was the person who coordinated Minister Lakshman Kiriella in the passport fraud carried out by Parliamentarian Wimal Weerawansa says Mr. Udaya Gammanpila. He said this participating in a media conference held in Colombo.

He met Minister Kiriella with Parliamentarian Jayantha Samaraweera in Parliament and Minister Kiriella phoned Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe in front of them and transferred Prime Minister’s instructions to the Controller of Immigration and Emigration said Mr. Gammanpila.

It is revealed that Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation has telecast free of charge advertisements that cost Rs. 34,719,750 on behalf of Mr. Mahinda Rajapaksa who was a presidential candidate at the last presidential election.

Also, Rupavahini had rejected telecasting advertisements worth Rs.1 million for the other candidate Mr. Maithripala Sirisena despite the party was prepared to pay for the advertisements.

Meanwhile, it is also revealed that despite various individuals and institutions had got Rupavahini to telecast advertisements that cost Rs. 56,882,675 on behalf of Mr. Mahinda Rajapaksa during the presidential campaign, only Rs. 49,966,675 has been settled.

During the previous regime Rajapaksa family rule used state media as their family property and as a result state media including Sri Lanka Television Corporation had to incur massive losses.

A circular that has been issued to urge half the working force of Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) to voluntarily retire could be a first step to hand over the entire transport sector to a multi-national company state trade unions.

There are, at the moment, about 16,000 employees in SLTB as it was used as a place where governments that came to power gave employment to their supporters. The establishment has become a burden for the people as it suffers huge losses due to politicos and certain officials making it a source of huge income by getting commissions when importing buses and spare parts. Getting down substandard spare parts too has crippled the affairs of SLTB.

In such a situation introducing a ‘pre-paid’ card to the private bus industry is a scheme to seriously affect the transport sector point out trade unions and they reveal that a proposal has been already presented to hand over the transport sector in the whole country to a multi-national company.

The trade union alliance formed to protect the SLTB has opposed the move and has informed in writing to immediately draw the attention of the President regarding the matter.

The convener of the Trade Union alliance to Protect SLTB Sepala Liyanage has said attempting to reduce the workforce of the SLTB by half is a first step toward jeopardizing the transport sector in the island and would be vehemently opposed.