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The Office on Missing Persons (OMP) will  hold its next regional meeting in Trincomalee, today (13). 

The OMP began its outreach programme in May 2018, with meetings held in Mannar, Matara and Mullativu. 

The seven commissioners of the OMP met with families of the missing and disappeared, civil society organisations, activists working on the issue of disappearances, and the media, in order to share the OMP’s organisational plan and strategies.  The meetings also facilitated the hearing of public views and in order to incorporate their suggestions on the structure and operations of the OMP.

Following the devastating floods and landslides which have struck Sri Lanka recently, the European Commission has given €160,000 (approximately LKR 29 million) in humanitarian funding to bring emergency assistance to the communities affected by the recent floods. 

Some 17,500 people in the seven most affected districts of the country will benefit from aid with priority being given to those who have been displaced, the Delegation of the European Union to Sri Lanka said today.

Flood victims will receive cash grants which will enable them to purchase essential households items. Priority will be given to access to clean water and sanitation, particularly through the cleaning of wells with contaminated water. First aid and medical services will also be provided, together with hygiene awareness sessions to avoid the spread of waterborne diseases.

A protest was organised by Sri Lankan activists for Pakistani peace activist Raza Mehmood Khan, convener-Pakistan of Aaghaz-e-Dosti, who went missing in December last year.

Sri Lankan activists Sandya Eknaligoda, Sitthi Jameena, Vathana Sunthararaj and Mayuri Inoka and Sri Lankan activists expressed solidarity with families of the disappeared in Pakistan in their demand for justice and accountability for the disappeared from the government of Pakistan.

The protest was held today outside the Pakistan High Commission. The attached petition was handed over to the Secretary of the High Commission.

Referring to Raza’s disappearance, a joint-statement by the activists from Srilanka said: “Raza is a prominent advocate for reconciliation between India and Pakistan at Aaghaz-e-Dosti, and was abducted after attending an open discussion on extremism in Lahore. His friends and family have been campaigning desperately for his release since, launching the online.”

“Enforced disappearances are often used by repressive States as a systematic weapon of “counter-terror” to target dissenting thinkers such as progressive activists, educators, journalists and political opponents; and in the context of Pakistan, ethnic and religious minorities such as Pashtuns, Balochis, Kashmiris, Sindhis and Shias as well,” the statement added.

Raza Mahmood Khan has been missing since December 2, 2017. He was “picked up” from him rented home in Lahore by unidentified suspects. Raza was last seen at a public discussion organised at Lowkey-Lokai in the aftermath of the Faizabad protest by religious hardliners.

State Minister Palitha Range Bandara’s son Yasodha Range Bandara, who was arrested for causing an accident, has been further remanded until June 14 by the Chilaw Magistrate’s Court. 

He was arrested by officers of the Arachchikattuwa Police on June 8, on charges of drunk driving and misuse of public property. 

The incident had occurred at around 12.50 am on June 6 while they were both admitted to the Chilaw Hospital afterwards. The house and cab were severely damaged due to the accident. A double cab belonging to the Ministry of Irrigation was involved in the accident while it was later reported that the state minister’s son had been driving the vehicle under the influence of alcohol at the time. 

Excerpts from :: Ada Derana

Chief incumbent of the famous Kiriwehera temple, Kobawaka Dhamminda Thera has been injured after he was shot at by unidentified gunmen within the Kataragama holy grounds. Another monk who was also with the thera at the time had received gunshot wounds. 

Both monks are currently receiving treatment at the Hambantota base hospital the Police said. The motive for the shooting remains unclear. Sources say three individuals had arrived for the assassination attempt and was later seen making their getaway in a jeep. Kataragama Police have commenced an investigation into the incident.

The group of 16 which had announced that it intends to meet with Former Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa who is pegged to be a possible candidate for the 2020 Presidential election have been left in a lurch after he claimed he had received no such request for a meeting.

“It is quite common for various professionals, business people, academics and politicians to meet me for discussions, but so far there is no formal request for a meeting with the 16 member group,” Rajapaksa had said. 

Since leaving the government the 16 group have almost become political orphans with no party being willing to align with them.

State Minister Sujeewa Senasinghe says he is prepared to resign as a parliamentarian if Speaker Karu Jayasuriya requests him to do so after it was revealed that he had received funds to finance his election campaign from Mendis Brewery which is linked to Arjun Aloysius of Perpetual Treasuries Limited (PTL) who is currently embroiled in the Central Bank Bond scam.  

Responding to a question raised in a recent political program on the Derana TV channel Senasinghe claimed he did not personally receive a cheque and interest it was received by his campaign team. He also said he had no knowledge till recently of the link between Mendis Breweries and Aloysius. 

“If the Speaker asks me to resign at any point, I am ready to accept that request,” he said during the interview.

Postal services have completely been disrupted due to the strike by workers says the Postal Services Trade Unions Front. 

According to Chinthaka Bandara, convenor of the union the strike which began yesterday had gained the support of all workers in the Department. 

The workers say the strike will continue till their issues are resolved. However, the Minister of Posts, Abdul Haleem says these issues have already been addressed.

‘Gramashakthiyen – Gama Hadana Gamana’ programme intended to provide immediate solutions to the developmental problems of the villages will be launched today under the patronage of President Maithripala Sirisena.

The program will commence from the from the Puttalam district’s Mahawewa-Medagoda and will run parallel to the Grama Shakthi People’s Movement.

The public representatives covering all 16 Divisional Secretariat Divisions in the district will attend the program and will be given an opportunity to present their development-related issues to the President. 

Ministers, parliamentarians and government officials of the district will also be in attendance at the meeting presided by the President in a bid to resolve the issues faced by the people instantaneously.

The programme is implemented according to a concept of President Maithripala Sirisena and will be launched in all the districts across the country.

Two new State Ministers and five Deputy Ministers were sworn in before President Maithripala Sirisena at the Presidential Secretariat today (12). 

State Ministers: 

Ranjith Aluwihare – State Minister of Tourism Development and Christian Religious Affairs

Lucky Jayawardena – State Minister of Hill Country New Villages, Infrastructure and Community Development
 
Deputy Ministers:

Ajith Mannapperuma – Deputy Minister of Environment

Angajan Ramanathan – Deputy Minister of Agriculture 

Kader Masthan – Deputy Minister Resettlement, Rehabilitation, Northern Development & Hindu Religious Affairs

Edward Gunasekara – Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs and Wayamba Development

Nalin Bandara Jayamaha – Deputy Minister of Public Administration, Management and Law & Order

The President’s Media Division has rejected the report that was published on a newspaper on Sunday (10), claiming that the arrest and deportation of the editor of a website was requested in a meeting between President Maithripala Sirisena and British High Commissioner James Dauris.

“The said news item is incorrect and falsely reports the said meeting, and no request was made for either deportation or arrest of the editor of the claimed website or any other person,” the PMD said in a statement. 

The report had alleged that the President had requested for Britain to arrest and deport London-based LankaeNews Editor Pradeep Sandaruwan Senadheera.

Source : Ada Derana

According to the Colombo Telegraph website Austin Fernando who is currently serving as the President’s Secretary has tendered his resignation from the post yesterday. 

However, the report says the President had refused to accept the resignation letter after which Fernando had left it on the table before leaving. 

Colombo Telegraph says the reason for his decision is due to his disillusionment with the current political situation prevailing in the country.