Sri Lanka’s leading vocalist, violinist and composer W.D. Amaradeva has been hospitalized.

He was admitted to Intensive Care Unit of Sri Jayawardenepura Hospital today morning following a heart attack.

Another of the series of seminars being held throughout the island by the Centre Against Private Medical Colleges under the theme ‘Defeat government’s policy of destructing lives and abolishing right for education’ was held at ‘Sanasa’ Hall at Nupe in Matara on the 1st.

The General Secretary of the Students’ Union at Karapitiya Medical Faculty Gayan Lakmal, Dr. N.A.D. Wijesuriya from Matara General Hospital, Mr. Lal Premanath, the JVP Councilor for Southern Provincial Council and National Organizer of Tea Small Holders Association, Dr. Priyantha Mahagammudalige – General Secretary of Hambantota District Dental Surgeons Association, Dr. Nishantha Samaraweera – Senior Doctor of Gynecology section of Mahamodara General Hospital and Vice-President of All Ceylon Medical Officers Association, Dr. Jinasena Hewage – Lecturer at Ruhunu University participated.

 

The Aava gang operative in the North is a group of thugs banded together with the knowledge of former Defense Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa says Cabinet spokesman Minister of Health Rajitha Senaratna and adds that he doesn’t see any wrong in creating such a gang.

He said this at the press meeting held at the Department of Information today (2nd) to apprise the media of decisions taken at the cabinet meeting.
He had said the gang operates according to the needs of the former Defense Secretary and the Brigadier who created the gang is known to him.
The Minister said the gang would have been banded to repress other terrorist groups that were operative during the past but there is no need for such groups anymore. However, he doesn’t see any wrong in creating such groups during that period Minister Senaratna had said.

Controversial information regarding those who were involved in frauds and corruption of the Rajapaksa regime, those involved in frauds and corruption committed during the present government and those officials who protect fraudsters was revealed by the Leader of the JVP Anura Dissanayaka at the seminar held under the theme ‘Fraudsters & Protectors’ held at the Public Library Auditorium in Colombo yesterday (1st).
Among information revealed was about lands bought using political power and with illegally earned money by members of Rajapaksa family. About lands belonging to infamous ‘Daisy Achchi (Daisy grandma) too was revealed by the JVP Leader.

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Action would be taken based on the ‘onsite examination report’ conducted by the Central Bank on the bond issue says the Governor of Central Bank Dr. Indrajit Coomaraswamy.
Speaking at a press conference held yesterday (1st) Dr. Coomaraswamy said the Monetary Board of the Central Bank would meet on Friday (4th) and would decide what action should be taken.
He said the Parliament and the government would decide regarding the report of the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE). However, the Central Bank is studying the report added the Governor of Central Bank.
However, the reports issued by the Monetary Board that meets on the 4th indicate it would respond to the report issued by COPE on the bond scam.
The Governor of the Central Bank said an investigation would be carried out to find out whether internal confidential information had been leaked out during the bond issue and added that as there is no definite evidence found officials cannot be held responsible regarding any leak of confidential information just yet.

Minister of Petroleum & Petroleum Gas Chandima Weerakkody, like Minister Sajith Premadasa, is arbitrarily and unfairly recruiting only his supporters to Ceylon Petroleum Corporation say reports.

Minister Weerakkody has carried out this illegal recruiting of his political supporters on several occasions disregarding unemployed youths unjustly. Recently, on his direction supporters of the SLFP have been given several posts of C-4 security officers.
It is said that most of those who were recruited are from Galle which means he is giving political bribes to win future elections.
It is also reported that a list of 160 names of his supporters has been prepared to be recruited as C-6 grade labourers. Applications of all others have been cast aside and the list is prepared only from his supporters.
On 28.10.2016 out of thousands of applicants only about 150 of his supporters had been called for an interview for C-6 labourer posts. Others had not been called for interviews either. Recently, vacancies for B-3 posts (Typists and Clerks) had been published on ministry website but had been withdrawn after about an hour.
When youths who had been waiting to apply for the posts had telephoned the head office regarding withdrawal of the advertisement they had been told that it was withdrawn due to orders ‘from above’.
Recruitment is being carried out secretly, without publishing any advertisements in newspapers. This is a continuation of the policy of recruiting supporters of ministers of the previous regime and the same ‘yahapalana’ government is not different from the previous regime say youths who have been waiting in the unemployment queue for long periods.

The series of seminars under the theme ‘Fraudsters & Protectors’ that exposes those who were involved in frauds and corruption in the Rajapaksa regime, the present regime and officials who protect such fraudsters is to be held in principal towns in the island.
The seminars organized by the JVP expose hitherto unrevealed information regarding frauds, corruption and wasteful spending carried out by rulers and their lackeys.
The first of the series of seminars was held at Public Library auditorium in Colombo today (1st). The Leader of the JVP Anura Dissanayaka made the keynote speech. The President of Inter Company employees Union Wasantha Samarasinghe welcomed the participants.

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The UNP group of Parliamentarians in the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) is carrying out a smear campaign against the Chairman of COPE JVP Parliamentarian Sunil Handunneththi after the COPE report which states that former Governor of Central Bank Arjun Mahendran is responsible for the bond scam and includes recommendation for the Parliament to take legal action against him and others involved in the scam was presented in Parliament on the 28th October.

Mr. Handunneththi responded to UNP group’s smear campaign in a programme broadcast by ‘V FM on the 31st. Mr. Handunneththi responding to charges aimed at him by UNP Parliamentarians Ajith P. Perera and Harsha de Silva revealed that their ‘footnotes’ do not mention that former Governor Arjun Mahendran had committed any bond fraud.
The programme in full:

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It is reported that investigations being carried out in connection with the murder of former Editor of ‘Sunday Leader’ Lasantha Wickremetunga would be hampered due to interference by various forces of the government on the CID.
Investigations carried out so far by the CID have revealed that 17 soldiers attached to Tripoli Army Camp had been involved in the murder and they had left for the murder from Tripoli Army camp in Colombo.
In such an environment the CID has taken measures to get the list of names of 270 soldier s in Tripoli Army camp through a Court order.
The CID had planned to summon groups of 20 soldiers at a time and question them. Accordingly, the first group of 20 soldiers was summoned on 26th October and was questioned. The second group of soldiers was to be summoned on the 27th. However, on the 27th a higher official of the government interfering in the investigation ahs said soldiers should not be summoned in groups and questioned.
As a result it has been difficult to identify who the 17 soldiers who had left for the murder states internal sources of the CID. If the group of 17 is not identified Lasantha Wickremetunga murder investigation would not be able to continue say sources.
Former Editor of ‘Sunday Leader’ Lasantha Wickremetunga was murdered at Aththidiya in Dehiwela on 8th January, 2009 by a group of assailants that had arrived in two motorcycles. On 27th September, after 7 years, his body was exhumed for further investigations.

The report of the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) that states former Governor of Central Bank Arjun Mahendran is responsible for the Bond transaction was presented to parliament by the Chairman of COPE Sunil Handunneththi today (28th).
The 55 page report states the former Governor of Central Bank and the officials have made a main impact on the bond transaction and recommends that action should be taken against them.
The Chairman of COPE Sunil Handunneththi asked the Parliament to publish the report on Parliament’s website.
The report was presented to Parliament today after investigating during several months irregularities that had been committed when issuing bonds by the Central Bank and until the report was presented to parliament various parties made various accusations against Mr. Handunneththi as he could not be made to tow their political lines.
Parliamentarians of the Mahinda faction fabricated ‘news’ in websites connecting Mr. Handunneththi to UNP interests and attempted to bring such slanders to the surface in their interviews with the media.
Also, many websites and social networking websites sympathetic to the UNP published views inconveniencing and slandering Mr. Handunneththi in a bid to save Arjun Mahendran.
Meanwhile, those pseudo leftists who are against the JVP, the party Mr. Sunil Handunneththi represents, manipulated their social networking websites to carry out personal insults on Mr. Handunneththi.
These groups also attempted to distort the reason Mr. Handunneththi walked out of a discussion held by several COPE members and many of these slanderers attempted to spread canards that Mr. Handunneththi was creating an environment to save Arjun Mahendran.
However, in the end Mr. Handunneththi was able to defeat all these conspiracies and present to Parliament the report on the bond fraud exposing the fraudsters and those who attempted to save fraudsters bringing a victory for the people who want punishment for fraudsters, the corrupt and those who conspire to save them.
The report recommends legal action against former Governor of Central Bank Arjun Mahendran as he is directly responsible for the scam and other officials in the Central Bank who were involved in the scam and to recover the loss to the country due to the scam. The report also recommends steps to see that punishments are carried out and measures to prevent such frauds being committed hereafter.