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Sri Lanka and Iran signed documents on Saturday (10), to expand cooperation in various fields, including trade and economy, the Sri Lankan government reported.

The documents were signed during a two-day visit of an Iranian delegation to Colombo.

The delegation, headed by the Iranian Energy Ministry official Hamid Reza Tashaoei and Iran’s Ambassador to Sri Lanka Mohammad Zarei Irani, discussed ways of expanding cooperation with the host officials and reviewed impediments on the way of implementing earlier agreements.

It was reported that the two countries agreed on the need to find executive solutions to accelerate operationalization of the agreements.

Despite no UNP leader supporting the party’s campaign in the Colombo North electoral seat and its organizer Ravi Karunanayake, supporters of the party say Karunanayake has been able to bring the greatest victory for the UNP after fighting a lone battle along with his supporters.

Speaking to isis.lk UNP supporters of the Colombo North electoral division said Karunanayake had made great sacrifices to protect the party and its leadership, but however no responsible figure in the party stood by him when false allegations were being levelled against him by opposition parties.

They also pointed out that Karunanayake was ignored by the party by not allowing him to speak at any major rally of the party’s. While he was isolated by the party supporters say they, however, did not isolate their leader.

Accordingly, all 9 electoral divisions in Colombo North have been won by the UNP, the only electoral area from Colombo 1 - 15 to achieve such a victory. The supporters say as a result the party should, therefore, protect its capable leaders from false allegations of the opposition in the future.

Former General Secretary of the UNP, Tissa Attanayake says he is ready to join to party once again to set it on a path of victory in the face of the recent defeat faced by the party at the LG polls.

Attanayake made this comments to isis.lk when asked regarding the reports that he is ready to join the party if he is appointed as its General Secretary once more.

Receiving invitations continuously

Speaking further Attanayake said already several senior members of the party has approached him while the pressure from within the party on him to join the party has increased after the recent set back of the UNP.

Party became limited to Colombo

According to Attanayake, a great distance has been created between the party and the people with the party becoming limited to Colombo in recent times.

He said, therefore, the party needs to move away from its ‘Colombo Only’ mentality and restructure the party completely to avoid a further fiasco.

Those subjected to revenge being ignored an issue!

There are many activists who have been subjected to political vengeance for having been UNPers for decades, but the party has not acted to give any justice to the party after three years Attanayake said.

According to him witnessing how the party treats it supporters new members have been reluctant to join the party.

Party leaders distanced from grass root members

He also said that the party leaders should be close to the grassroots level members but instead many had distanced themselves from the grassroots supporters in the recent past which have led to its downfall.

Tissa - Karu phone conversation

Meanwhile, unofficial sources say a long phone conversation has taken place just a while ago between Speaker Karu Jayasuriya and Attanayake.

According to the sources, the defeat of the United National Party and the future steps of the party were discussed during this conversation.

Sources claim the UNP will see drastic changes in the coming days.

A leader of the Joint Opposition MP Dinesh Gunawardena has stated that Ranil Wickremesinghe should resign from his position as the Prime Minister after respecting the people’s mandate shown by the results of the local government election held today.

He says that when the election results are officially announced, a press conference will be called to publicly request the PM to step down.

‘Prime Minister can change according to the People’s mandate’ - Minister Susil

 Meanwhile, Minister Susil Premajayantha says that if a change in public opinion is shown at yesterday's local government elections, there is a possibility that the government and the position of the PM could see some changes.

 "At the Presidential election the people’s mandate changed, and Ranil Wickremesinghe became the PM thereafter. Accordingly, on February 10, the mandate may change and if so the PM could once again change," said minister Susil Premajayantha at a recent media briefing.

 "Governments can exist, they can be newly formed and elections can be held but the economy should be more responsibly handled for the sake of the country "he added.

Stalwarts of the United National Party are calling for a complete overhaul of the party with Karu Jayasuriya at its helm following the defeat at the recently concluded LG polls sources say.

Reports claim that senior as well as youth leaders of the party are now pushing for a new leadership council among many other suggestions to ensure the party’s future victory.

Sources say a large number of youth leaders have named Ministers such as Malik Samarawickrama and Sagala Ratnayake while asking for their removal claiming that such action is necessary to uplift the party.

General Secretary Kabir Hashim resigns

Following the recent defeat along with the resistance of other party members towards the party leadership and the leadership council, General Secretary of the Party, Kabir Hashim is said to have submitted his resignation from the post to the party leadership.

However, he is said to have included a condition that the resignation can only be valid if other party leaders also resign from their respective positions.

Also, Minister Kabir Hashim is said to have agreed to appoint Karu Jayasuriya as the party's temporary leader sources said.

It is reported that all the pre-election result predictions given to the President and the government regarding the Local Government election are false.

While the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) is said to be now receiving results quite unexpected by them, inside sources say individuals who conducted pre-poll surveys for the party have even switched off their phones.

They say those who compiled surveys for Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa stating excessively favourable results have done the same this time around by presenting similar surveys to President Sirisena. Sources say despite warning the President that he should beware of those who were close to President Mahinda Rajapaksa prior to January 8, 2015, he paid no heed to this information.

However, according to internal sources of the party, the SLFP-led UPFA is now at the risk of coming in at the third or fourth position due to these fake reports.

Election laws will be upheld strictly in the post-election period Police Media Spokesperson SP Ruwan Gunasekara said. According to Gunasekara all rallies, processions and political gatherings continue to be banned today. “We have directed all police stations to record and report any such activities,” he said adding that suspects in connection to these incidents will be identified and reported to courts.

Police arrested 39 people including 8 candidates for election law violations during the polling period of the local government elections held yesterday.

According to the Police many of those nabbed were arrested for taking photographs of the ballot paper at the polling station. These incidents were reported from the Moragalla, Pujapitiya, Aralaganwila, Swarnajayanthipura, Aswedduma and Kuliyapitiya. Two out of the seven reported incidents were from the Aswedduma area in Kurunegala the Police said.

Returning officers of the polling centres where these incidents occurred had handed over the suspect and the mobile phones of the election law violators to the Police officers on duty at the centres after which they were arrested.

Meanwhile, other suspects were arrested for various offences ranging from distribution of propaganda material, transporting voters to polling stations, putting up posters and strewing party logos on roads leading to polling stations.

“All arrested suspects will be produced before the respective magistrate's courts,” Police Spokesperson SP Ruwan Gunasekara said adding that orders were dispatched to all officers on duty to arrest all election violators irrespective of who they are.

The District Returning Officers said that the overall average voter turnout recorded 65 percent in this year’s Local Government elections, by 4 p.m. today.

Accordingly in Anuradhapura and Trincomalee district voter turnout recorded a staggering 85 percent and Matale, Hambantota and Kalutara districts recorded an 80 percent voter turnout.

Kurunegala and Mullaitivu districts voter turnout recorded a 78 percent and Gampaha, Polonnaruwa and Galle recorded a 75 percent voter turnout.

Nuwara Eliya and Kilinochchi district recorded a 60 percent turnout, a 52 percent voter turnout was recorded from Kandy and Jaffna recorded a 47 percent voter turnout.

Furthermore by 2 p.m. today, Monaragala district recorded a 80 percent voter turnout, Puttalam district recorded a 73 percent voter turnout, Mannar and Ampara district recorded a 70 percent voter turnout and Badulla recorded a 65 percent voter turnout.

Source : Daily News

Several SLFP Senior Ministers are said to have suggested that President Maithripala Sirisena give up his party leadership and presidency in respect of the people’s mandate sources said.

Accordingly, the group is said to have requested a meeting with the President today. Facing this defeat an advisor to the President said it is inevitable that SLFP Ministers will now join the Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

Sources also claim that Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka and several other SFLP Ministers are supposed to meet the President and submit their resignations from their respective Ministerial portfolios

It is said that Minister Ranawaka has suggested that the government should go to the opposition and hand over power to Rajapaksa following the people’s mandate. The Minister is said to be taking a strong stand regarding this matter.

According to the results issued by the local government elections, more than 250 LG bodies have been won by the Sri Lanka Common People's Front.

Angered by a public death threat against Tamil demonstrators in London, Eelamist diaspora groups in a rare display of solidarity have urged the British government to strip Sri Lanka’s military attaché in the United Kingdom of his diplomatic status and declare him a “Persona non Grata”.

Leading Tamil diaspora organisations spurred into action by Minister Councillor (Defence) Aandige Priyanka Indunil Fernando gesturing thrice to slit the throats of demonstrators in London who opposed the Sri Lanka government celebrating 70 years of independence while Tamils in the island were persecuted, have petitioned the British government on the 9th of February.

In the detailed despatch to Home Secretary Amber Rudd and Secretary of State for Foreign & Commonwealth Affairs Boris Johnson the organisations have requested the British government to “declare the Sri Lankan Military Attaché Brigadier Priyanka Fernando a Persona non Grata for committing a serious offence under British law, abusing diplomatic immunity in the UK and committing war crimes and crimes against humanity in Sri Lanka and therefore, to curtail his leave to remain in the UK.”

The Tamil organisations in their joint appeal have further demanded the arrest of Brigadier Fernando for breaching the domestic law and initiate criminal proceedings as well as investigating the credible and serious allegations of his complicity in war crimes in Sri Lanka.

Foreign Minister Tilak Marapana is due to leave for Dubai today as the Prime Minister’s special envoy to discuss the deportation of former Sri Lanka Ambassador to Russia, Udayanga Weeratunga.

Weeratunga, who is currently stuck in Dubai, is wanted in connection with the 2006 ‘MiG deal’ in which the SL Air Force was cheated into paying US$ 14.7 million to a shell company controlled by his business associates. Weeratunga who was evading arrest by Sri Lankan law enforcement was finally apprehended in the UAE last week while on transit to the United States. His passport remains impounded.

Weeratunga faces charges of having committed financial misappropriation while purchasing four Ukraine built MIG-27 aircraft for the Sri Lanka Air Force in 2006.

The former Ambassador was placed in immigration detention in the United Arab Emirates on Sunday, February 4.

Although he was released later since there was no Interpol red notice issued in his name, Weeratunga is barred from leaving that country until investigations are over, a joint release from the Foreign Ministry and the Law and Order Ministry said.

However, it is feared that he might be released today after being produced before the Magistrate, because of the law of that country and the fact only an Interpol ‘Blue Notice’ is issued.

A delegation of Sri Lankan officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,

Attorney General’s Department and the FCID are presently in the UAE having discussions with the UAE authorities to get Weeratunga deported to Sri Lanka to answer the allegations levelled against him.

The Sri Lankan Embassy in Abu Dhabi has also retained lawyers in the UAE specialising in immigration matters to advice the Government on this matter, official sources said.

The Fort Magistrate in October 2017 issued an international warrant for his arrest on the request of the FCID.

Weeratunga in a fundamental rights petition filed through a power of attorney holder - his mother in law - last November sought to recall the warrant. He stated that at the time he was residing in Mekhanizatoriv Street, Kyiv, Ukraine.

At the time of his arrest, Sri Lankan authorities were tracing his whereabouts through mutual assistance of a number of countries.

His arrest was made on the blue notice issued by the Interpol. The purpose of the blue notice was to trace and locate Weeratunga ‘as a person of interest in a criminal investigation’.

Due to the law in the UAE and according to the rules governing blue notices, his continued detention was not possible, a joint media release from the Foreign Affairs and the Law and Order Ministries on Friday stated.

The FCID claims that Weeratunga was complicit in the forgery of the contract for the MiG deal, and that he conspired with people in Singapore and Ukraine to mislead the Air Force into paying US $14.7 million for goods and services, where the Ukrainian government supplier says he received only US$7 million.

The joint press release by the Foreign and the Law and Order Ministries stated the arrest warrant was issued in relation to investigations on an alleged embezzlement of public funds to the tune of US $7.8 million.

The whereabouts of this remaining US$7.8 million are unknown. An asset tracing and recovery investigation is underway by both the CID and FCID.

Source : Sunday Observer

Minister A. H. M. Fowzie’s granddaughter – Attorney-at-Law Fathima Hafsa lodged three complaints yesterday, for intimidating and assaulting her in Court premises this morning against Dr. Shazli Mowjood, who is on bail and allegedly carried on these acts in breach of bail conditions.

According to a press release by Santhush Fernando, Attorney at Law, "Three complaints were lodged with Court Police, Women’s and Children's Bureau and the National Authority for The Protection of Victims of Crimes and Witnesses, against Dr. Mowjood for allegedly punching her in the stomach and threatening to kill her in the event she continues to be witness against the assailant. The incident was immediately brought to the notice of the Magistrate. Furthermore, following the assault the complainant was admitted to National Hospital for a medical check-up. "

The press release further states -

“Wazeer Ahmed, a Director of a company belonging to the family of the powerful Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) Minister – A. H. M. Fowzie, who pledged allegiance to President Maithripala Sirisena; claims that these assaults, death threats against him, his co-complainant and his family members and intimidation of Police officers in executing their lawful duties emanating from the Minister’s family have gone unfettered and have proved nothing but otherwise.”

“Ahamed earlier told media that with degrading good governance and rule of law and increasing intimidation, he has very little hope in law enforcement (i.e. the Police)”.

“In fact my case is coming up in March, but from the actions taken by the Police so far and personally seeing the helplessness of the Narahenpita OIC in handling this case, we can’t expect much, with the Minister Fowzie being a senior member of the Good Governance administration. Our plea is allowed course of justice to take place without any hindrance just as pledged by the crusaders of good governance,” lamented Ahamed.

“He claims that although several complaints had been lodged by him and Attorney-at-Law Fathima Hafsa (no less than the granddaughter of Minister A. H.M. Fowzie) against repeated acts of criminal intimidation and threats during the last two years, the Police are unable to take action because they were lodged against a daughter, two sons and other family members of the minister. A complaint lodged by Attorney-at-Law Fathima Hafsa recorded at CIB 179/64 at the Narahenpita Police Station on 12th January 2017, states that her uncle Namaz Fowzie intimidated and influences Police personnel preventing justice being meted out to her and Wazeer Ahmed”.