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As arrest warrant has been issued for the arrest of former MP Sarana Gunawardena by Colombo Additional Magistrate, Thanuja Jayatunge today. 

The warrant was issued as the Former MP failed to appear for the case filed by the Bribery Commission regarding the lease of vehicles without following due tender procedure during his tenure as the Chairman of the Development Lotteries Board.

An Army Corporal has been shot and injured by unidentified gunmen on Chakkindarama Road in Ratmalana today According to the Police Spokesperson SP Ruwan Gunasekara, the incident had occurred around 7.20 am. The gunmen had arrived in a three-wheeler and a motorcycle to conduct the attack.

The Corporal had been shot while he was at the house of a Lieutenant Colonel and was admitted to the Kalubowila Teaching Hospital for treatment. Mount Lavinia Police are investigating

Sri Lankan Army commander and 80 Sri Lankan Armed Forces personnel and their families commenced on a three day trip to Bodh Gaya in India under the special invitation of the Indian High Commission.

Releasing a press release the Indian High Commission in Colombo stated: 

“The High Commission of India organized a special visit to Bodh Gaya in India for 80 Sri Lankan Armed Forces personnel and their families. The three-day visit includes travel to and from India on an Indian Air Force C-17 Globemaster aircraft, which was specifically deployed from India to transport the travellers. Apart from a visit to the sacred Mahabodhi Temple, various other events and activities, including interaction with their Indian counterparts and a tour of the Officers Training Academy (OTA) at Gaya, are part of the group’s itinerary, which is being coordinated by the Indian Army.           

Shri Taranjit Singh Sandhu, High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka, and Lt. General Mahesh Senanayake, Sri Lankan Army Commander met the Sri Lankan personnel and their families at Colombo airport on June 24, before the group embarked upon their visit to India. The travellers shared their excitement about their special visit, and thanked the Government of India for organizing it.        

The visit to Bodh Gaya is yet another manifestation of the shared Buddhist heritage of India and Sri Lanka, and will help deepen the bonds of friendship and camaraderie that exist between the Armed Forces of both countries.”

Expressing his views on the 2020 Presidential election, MP Wimalaweera Dissanayake says he will be pleased if Pohottuwa organizer and Former Minister Basil Rajapaksa is nominated as the JO presidential candidate as opposed to former Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa. 

He made these comments at a recent meeting held in Ampara with SLPP members. 

However, he also said he would support any person nominated by former President Mahinda Rajapaksa. 

Speaking at the same meeting, Basil Rajapaksa quipped that the best person to be the Presidential candidate is Mahinda Rajapaksa while any such persons win is assured.

Minister of Finance Mangala Samaraweera at the launch of the 'Enterprise Sri Lanka' (ESL) program recently said the country must develop a comprehensive entrepreneurship structure that encourages people, especially graduates, to embark on building their own businesses.

Under the ESL program, "Arabuma" loan scheme has been tailor-made for the youth to encourage young graduates to enter into the economic development process by turning their innovative business ideas into potential businesses. The scheme ensures the cash flow through loans at zero interest rate, with a full government guarantee.

Under the program of supporting to SME companies, the youth are invited to establish SME companies with the technical support of the government and the needed financial and non financial supports is also provided to that companies could engage in any business from agriculture to apparels to IT.

The Finance Minister said that ESL also has several other target groups including micro-enterprises, self-employees, young entrepreneurs as well as selected vital groups of society.

Samaraweera said that at present whenever enterpreneurs called over at banks, they were asked to name suitable guarantors. As a result, even if they had a good business proposal, they were unable to obtain a bank facility.

That era is going to end. We have held a meeting with state banks and instructed them to have a separate Enterprise Sri Lanka desk staffed by employees knowledgeable on the loan scheme, he said.

Eight citizens of Sri Lanka have been arrested by the border police and state security service for attempting to illegally cross the border in the Adjara region, the Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs said. Investigators say that the detainees were trying to cross the Georgia-Turkey border aiming to enter Turkey and avoiding border control.

The offence committed by foreign citizens is punishable from four to five years of imprisonment.

According to official data there have been 38 cases of attempted illegal border crossings revealed by the Interior Ministry of Georgia in 2016, while 55 such cases were recorded in 2015.

Former Defense Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa arrived at the Financial Crimes Investigation Division (FCID), this morning going on to give a 3 hour statement. He was summoned by the FCID to record a statement on his alleged involvement in misusing state funds amounting to Rs.90 million to build D.A. Rajapaksa Museum and Memorial in Medamulana.

Heavy taxes will be levied on fruit imports going forward President Maithripala Sirisena has said.

"They will be taxed heavily so that imports will decrease" he said adding that instead local fruits will be promoted. 

Going forward cutting down of fruit trees will also not be allowed without permission he claimed.

Sri Lanka Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe says steps will be taken to develop Galle as a major tourist destination according to a systematic plan.

“We are not talking only of the Galle Fort but the Galle town as a whole” he said addressing a function in Galle yesterday. 

Prime Minister Wickremesinghe also stressed that the government has taken steps to give priority to the tourism sector in the process of moving Sri Lanka forward as an economically developed country.

According to the PM the country will also be taken forward by getting foreign investments and generating new income avenues.

“The debt burden will not be left to the future” he said adding that with the investment from the China Merchant Company the debt burden of the country has been reduced by one billion dollars. He said the Chinese Company will develop Hambantota Port and talks are being held with India about also utilizing the Mattala International Airport.

Postal unions say they will continue with the strike until their demands are met. “We will only stop the strike if our demands are signed off by the Wages Board at least prior to being presented to the cabinet” Convenor of the Joint Postal Trade Union Front, Chinthaka Bandara said. According to him, they will return to work once this occurs. The workers have now been striking for two weeks. 
 
Bandara says the authorities have failed to address their issues and give any favourable solutions regarding the problematic 6/2016 circular issued in 2006 which has resulted in recruitment to the department to come to a standstill along with promotions and salary increments for the staff. Therefore, they are requesting the new proposed scheme of recruitment drafted by the Department and the unions jointly is approved by the cabinet. 
 
 27,000 employees of the Department of Posts have joined the strike and over 600 post offices and 3,000 sub-post offices are still closed.  Despite repeated requests by the Minister and Postmaster General Rohana Abeyratne asking the Unions to return to work, they have refused to do so claiming they have been tricked by false promises since 2006. Currently, a large number of government offices have been affected including the Police and Court system. Pension payments along with distributions of Senior citizens allowances too have stalled. “The whole country is affected and the government must take the responsibility,” Bandara said.

The Sri Lanka Army has urged the public not to be misled by the rumours spread by "disgruntled" politicians that the Army is in the process of withdrawing its units from the North and East and downsizing in strength.

"A canard, born out of some utterances, reportedly made by disgruntled political elements has been desperately attempting to mislead the public, saying that the Army is in the process of withdrawing its formations in the North and East and downsizing its strength, putting the national security at risk," the Army said in a communiqué.

"The Sri Lanka Army categorically denies having taken any such decision, nor has it contemplated implementing a move of that nature at all as alleged by those elements who try to showcase that 'they' are more patriotic than members of the armed forces in the country," it said.

The Army said while continuing amalgamation process without closing down any camp in the North and East it maintains combat readiness and efficiency in combat at all times at strategic and operational level and is always committed to enhancing its efficiency at all levels.

"The truth is that many in the civil society have no understanding on some of the military parlances, like amalgamation/combat efficiency, etc.," it said.

The Army currently engaged in its annual recruitment drive plans to recruit 213 Officers and 8,631 Other Rankers to the Regular Force and 97 Officers and 4,252 Other Rankers to the Sri Lanka Army Volunteer Force for the year 2018.

"The Army which has brought peace to this country after so many years would be the happiest in peacetime and is committed all the time to safeguard the national security interests of the country on a priority basis than anyone else. It is, therefore, requested that those 'super' patriots desist from bringing this unique organization to public ridicule by spreading blatant lies and misleading false information," the communiqué said

Source : Colombo Page

The Joint Opposition will not be able to come back to power in the year 2020, says UNP Parliamentarian Kavina Jayawardena. 

The reason was this, he said, was due to conflicting opinions among them.

Speaking to media in Ja-Ela, he said that the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) has one policy and the United National Party (UNP) another policy and that when two parties with two policies unite and govern the country, certain issues are bound to emerge.