News

The Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) has decided to commence disciplinary action against SLFP MPs S.B. Dissanayake and Dilan Perera considering them to have vacated the party after joining the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP).

Disciplinary action will be taken against Dissanayake and Perera as well as several other SLFP members who joined the SLPP yesterday (29), SLFP Spokesman, MP Weerakumara Dissanayake said.

Accordingly, disciplinary action will be taken against them for obtaining membership in another political party, and the SLFP will take note that the SLFP members who had joined the SLPP to have left the SLFP.

The police Financial Crimes Investigating Division (FCID) has informed court that a red notice has been issued by Interpol on a former director of one Ukrainian company, D.A. Pereeudov in connection with the magisterial inquiry conducted into the financial loss caused to the government when purchasing four Ukraine-built MIG 27 aircraft in 2006.

The court was also informed that Interpol has been requested to issue red notices on several other directors of the company over the investigation.

FCID IP Nihal Francis has told court that the progress of suspect Udayanga Weeratunga’s extradition inquiry would be informed on the next date of the case since it is currently in progress in Dubai.

The FICD has also noted that the financial inquiry conducted over this transaction has revealed some suspicious transactions between Singaporean company known as D.S. Alliance and a cousin of suspect Weeratunga’s spouse.

Court was further informed that the FCID had also recorded statements from seven former officials of Sri Lanka Air Force over the procurement process and according to those statements the officials have said there were no links between D.S. Alliance and the procurement process.

However, the FCID has noted that the investigation has revealed there was a link between D.S. Alliance and the procurement of MIG27s.
The case is to be taken up again on November 19th.

Reports publicized by some media outlets of an alleged plot to assassinate Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) presidential hopeful, Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Opposition Leader Mahinda Rajapaksa has been refuted by the Sri Lanka Police.

The Police Media Spokesperson’s Office issued a release denying claims about an assassination plot yesterday (29).

The Sri Lanka Army on August 18th had arrested a Judicial Medical Officer (JMO) serving at the Palai Hospital named Sinnaiya Sivaruban over alleged connections to terrorist activities and was transferred to the Terrorism Investigation Division (TID) in Jaffna for interrogation.

Based on the information revealed during the interrogation, four more suspects – Sinnamanie Kaneswaran, Iraththinam Krishnarasa, Mohansundaram Sinnathurai, and Vinyagamoorthy Nejilan – were arrested. Interrogations have also revealed a stock of weaponry hidden in Jaffna.

Two more suspects – T. Nimalaraj, and Ruban Jathusanj – were also arrested based on the revealed information on Wednesday (28).

Meanwhile, several newspapers had reported yesterday (29) that the main suspect Sivaruban had also confessed to the TID on a conspiracy to assassinate the Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Mahinda Rajapaksa.

However, the Police have stated that these reports were false and that none of the seven suspects including Sivaruban had made such a statement or a confession to the Police or any other official of an assassination plot.

The reports of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PcoI) on SriLankan Airlines, SriLankan Catering and Mihin Lanka are to be handed over to the Attorney General (AG).

The decision was reached following the granting of approval by the Cabinet of Ministers to a proposal submitted by President Maithripala Sirisena to the Cabinet.

The Attorney General is to subsequently take necessary legal action on the three state entities.

President Maithripala Sirisena has instructed the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI) to expedite investigations on the Central Bank’s Treasury bond scam in 2015.

The President had made these remarks during a meeting with the officials of the PCoI probing the bond scam, the President’s Media Division said.

The President has said the delaying of the bond scam investigations was an impediment to implementing justice.

At present, four interim reports have been handed over to the President and the remaining reports are expected to be handed over to the President by December.

The two leaded of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), President Maithripala Sirisena and Opposition Leader Mahinda Rajapaksa held a private discussion on Tuesday (27), but the outcome of the meeting is yet unknown with a final decision on the proposed alliance between the two political parties still on the balance.

The meeting took place at President Sirisena’s official residence down Mahagama Sekara Mawatha and had lasted for over one hour.

It is learnt that the discussion had revolved around the ongoing discussions to form an alliance between the SLFP and SLPP and the upcoming presidential elections.

According to sources, the meeting was cordial and both Sirisena and Rajapaksa had reviewed the ongoing discussions between the two parties and had agreed to continue them on a positive note.

The seventh round of discussions between the SLFP and SLFPP on forming a political alliance ended earlier that day.

SLPP national organiser, Basil Rajapaksa, said both Rajapaksa and Sirisena were expected to meet for further discussions.

Basil also said that the talks between the SLFP and SLPP were successful and will now have to wait for the final decision on the two leaders.

Sri Lanka should be transformed to a place where people would like to stay rather than leave for greener pastures, Megapolis and Western Development Minister Patali Champika Ranawake said.

He added that the Presidential candidate of the alliance led by the UNP will have to work towards this end by making a pledge before the people.

As much as 15 percent of the country’s population is settled down in foreign lands as the Sri Lankan ‘Diaspora’, he told at a meeting of professionals and officials recently.

Ministry of Megapolis and Western Development strives make Sri Lanka a better place for them to support whenever that country needs external support.

Sri Lanka should therefore encourage those Sri Lankans working abroad to return with experience, capital and better management techniques, he stressed.

Over 2.5 million Sri Lankans have left the country for foreign employment during the past ten years.

Of this, 51,000 are professionals including doctors, engineers and accountants who climbed the ladder of social status benefitting from free education .

In Sri Lanka, over 25,000 doctors and 53,000 professionals are serving in the public sector.

Though the country had the target of increasing its growth rate to above 8% in the medium, as the World Bank has predicted in its Development Update for 2019, the expected growth in the next three year period will be around 3.5%.

This cannot be raised unless the country gains from those who had left for overseas some time back, the Minister added.

Three trial at bar courts have been appointed by the Chief Justice for the hearing of the Rathupaswala shooting case, Prageeth Eknaligoda’s abduction case and Avant Garde case.

The appointment of the three courts has taken place following a request made by the Attorney General.

The Attorney General on July 11th had sought to indict Brig. Anura Deshapriya Gunawardena and three other soldiers namely D. Aruna Sirisena, G.M. Thilakaratna and Lalith Gray for the killing of three civilians and causing grievous injuries to civilians at the Rathupaswala protests on August 1, 2013.

The Rathupaswala protest was organised demanding clean water for consumption.

On August 9th, the Attorney General had requested the Chief Justcie to appoint a three-member trial-at-bar at the Colombo High Court to hear the case on the abduction and disappearance of journalist and cartoonist Prageeth Eknaligoda.

According to the Attorney General, Eknaligoda’s abduction had taken place on the eve of the presidential elections on January 26, 2010 where former President Mahinda Rajapaksa contested against former Army Commander General Sarath Fonseka.

On August 21st, the Attorney General had requested the Chief Justice to appoint a three-member trial-at-bar at the Colombo High Court to hear the case on the Avant Garde illegal floating armoury.

Attorney General Dappula de Livera in his letter to the Chief Justice has noted that 13 suspects would be charged over this case under 7573 counts for violating the Firearms Ordinance, Explosives Ordinance, and the Penal Code.

Sri Lanka’s state run Technical, Vocational Education Training (TVET) sector, is now poised to receive its largest project funding in its history.

Once agreements are finalised, a US$ 50 million facility is set to spawn a fully-fledged Ocean University in Sri Lanka.

Also nine new hi-tech training facilities across the country, modelled on the lines of the ground-breaking and ultra-modern South Korean backed KTEC Training Centre unveiled in Orugodawatte recently .

Nine more new centres will be established similar to recently launched Korea-Sri Lanka National Vocational Training Institute in Orgodawatte with South Korean funding.

This was stated by Minister of Industry, Commerce Rishad Bathiudeen in Gampaha in the presence of State Minister Buddhika Pathirana, former President Chandrika Kumaratunge, Minister of Skills Development and Vocational Training Karunaratne Paranavithana, Minister of Transport Arjuna Ranatunga, and South Korean Ambassador in Sri Lanka Heon Lee.

The GTC, launched exactly 20 years ago, has been modernised by a US $4.5 Mn South Korean loan funding which is part of the second phase of the two stage US $26 Mn project (the first stage was the Korea-Sri Lanka National Vocational Training Institute launched on 21 August in Orugodawatte).

A fully-fledged Ocean University will be built at a cost of US $ 50 Mn and the construction work will begin in the coming weeks.

Sri Lanka Ports has violated customs regulations in importing 27 cranes for the Jaya Container Terminal of the Port of Colombo by failing to pay penalties customs running up to millions of rupees during the Rajapksa regime, a recent audit inspection revealed.

In order to improve the efficiency and productivity at the container terminals, 3 gantry cranes and 6 transfer cranes and another 03 gantry cranes and 24 transfer cranes had been imported to Sri Lanka at the end of April 2011.

In addition, 50 prime movers have been added to the fleet in order to enhance the productivity of discharging, loading, shifting, and marshalling, related to inter and intra transportation of containers.

A massive penalty amounting to Rs.1,580 million had been imposed in respect of imported 27 cranes without informing the Sri Lanka Customs in the year 2011 as a result of an arbitrary decision taken by then Ports Authority chairman Priyath Bandu Wickrama.

According to the Section 165 of the custom ordinance, receiving a decision of customs examination within a month of an appeal can be presented to the Minister of Finance against the imposition of the penalty.

Such an appeal had not been presented to the Minister of Finance to get a relief relating to the penalty. Furthermore, a case is being adjudicated in the Supreme Court, the Auditor Generals Department said.

Relevant government officials have been directed by President Maithripala Sirisena to immediately identify the lands in the Northern Province that could be released for civilian occupation without causing a threat to national security.

The President issued these directives yesterday (28) at a meeting convened under his patronage to discuss the issue of releasing military occupied land in the North.

Sirisena noted that the government had taken many steps to return private and state lands that were occupied by the military at the time the war ended, back to its original residents during the past five years.

Accordingly, relevant government officials were directed to make necessary arrangements to identify the lands in the North that could be released without causing a threat to national security and to hand over a report on the matter to the Northern Province Governor by October 1st.

However, the President further noted that military installations were necessary to ensure national security and that the Easter Sunday attacks in April were a clear reminder of the fact.

He explained that authorities should therefore take steps to release the lands that would not threaten national security and to compensate the owners of private lands currently occupied by the military that cannot be released.

Chairman of the United National Party (UNP), Minister Kabir Hashim says that non-cabinet ministers Sujeewa Senasinghe and Ajith P. Perera have not acted in violation of the rules and regulations of the party.

Hashim told the media that it is customary for the General Secretary of the party to periodically submit a written call for explanation from party members when a complaint regarding the relevant party members are received by the party secretary.

However, Hashim said he did not believe that the two ministers in question had violated the rules of the party or such a disciplinary breach had occurred. According to him, the issue would be resolved once an explanation is submitted as a response to the letter sent by the party.

However, Hashim noted that he did not know if any other party members would receive similar letters, but added that more letters may be sent in the future.

Earlier yesterday, it was reported that the UNP General Secretary had called for show cause from Ministers Senasinghe and Perera before September 9th for failing to appear for the preliminary inquires that were held against the two of them for allegedly making certain remarks in breach of party discipline.

Senasinghe and Perera have been at the forefront of the campaign calling for the appointment of party Deputy Leader, Minister Sajith Premadasa as the UNP’s presidential candidate at the forthcoming presidential election.