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Sri Lanka's Army chief Mahesh Senanayake has accused certain politicians, retired officers and civil society activists of trying to sow seeds of war in the country by sabotaging the country's reconciliation efforts with the Tamil minority community.

Senanayake ordered his troops not to allow any individual to drive a wedge between the military and the civilian population in the former battle zones in the north and eastern provinces.

In a memo sent to Army battalions and released to the media, Lt General Senanayake accused "certain politicians, retired military officers and civil society activists" of being critical of the Army's reconciliation efforts, conducting lectures to make the civilians lose confidence in the state and the military. "

They are trying to sow seeds of war. The media has exposed their conduct," the memo says.The Army chief says such people should not be entertained at any military camp and the Army should not take party in any events organised by them and should not patronise such anti-reconciliation elements.

His remarks came after Sri Lanka's lone Tamil woman minister Vijeyakala Maheswaran resigned last week after her controversial remarks seeking revival of the separatist militant outfit led to an uproar in Parliament.

The LTTE had run an armed movement for a separate Tamil homeland in the northern and eastern provinces of the island nation for nearly 30 years before its defeat in 2009 by the Sri Lankan army. (PTI)

With the recently introduced 13 year mandatory education policy in place, the government has decided to provide the required infrastructure facilities and equipment with modern technology for practical activities as well as training of teachers.

Therefore, the Ministry of Education expects to construct technical laboratories and provide required machinery and equipment to the schools across Sri Lanka in line with the government's policy of integrating emerging technologies with that of school curricula. 

The government has been able to secure a loan from the OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID) amounting to USD 50 million, towards the implementation of the Technological Education Development Programme.

The loan agreement was signed in Vienna, Austria between the Secretary to the Treasury Dr. R.H.S. Samaratunga and Suleiman J. Al-Herbish, Director General of OFID on behalf of Sri Lanka and the OPEC Fund for International Development respectively.

Singer Priyani Jayasinghe was found killed at her home in Panadura yesterday. According to the Police responding to a call received on the 199 hotline around 8.45pm, the officers found that she had been hacked to death with a scissor. While her husband was the main suspect for the killing he was thought to be on the run as the Police appealed for help to locate him.

Police finally caught up to him today after he was found near the Panadura Railway station. Sources say the couple had been having a turbulent relationship in the past year. The killed singer was 51 years old and a mother of two sons at the time of her death.

Civil society activists and groups in Sri Lanka have expressed deep concerns with aspects of the draft Bill titled ‘Office for Reparations’ (the Bill) gazetted on 25th June 2018.

The activists raised several concerns with the process and content of the draft Bill and also noted that two issues regarding the powers and functions of the proposed Office stand out as the most pressing concerns.

In a joint statement, the civil society activists and groups said that if the concerns are not addressed forthwith, further engagement with the process will be moot.

“Therefore, we request amendments to the draft Bill to address these issues. We also urge any future action to be preceded by meaningful consultations on the content of the draft Bill allowing civil society and other stakeholders to make further submissions regarding other outstanding concerns,” the statement said.

Paramount concerns regarding the draft Bill are:

1) The proposed Office has no decisional power with respect to policies and guidelines on reparations. In fact, policies and guidelines formulated by the proposed Office will only be adopted upon approval by the Cabinet of Ministers (clause 11(1)(g)). This unnecessary requirement of designating the Cabinet of Ministers as the key decision-maker on the adoption of reparations policies and guidelines is hugely problematic as the latter may delay or even refuse approving the recommended policies on reparations. It can also lead to cabinet approving policies and guidelines in an ad hoc manner, as done in the past, potentially undermining the coherence of the scheme proposed by the Office.

2) Furthermore, according to the draft Bill, policies and guidelines approved by the Cabinet of Ministers and authorizing the disbursement of funds must be placed before Parliament for its approval (clause 22(4)). This procedural requirement is unnecessary and redundant given that the proposed Office has its own Fund for the carrying out of its mandate. Therefore, this adds another unnecessary layer of Parliamentary oversight and thereby further dilutes the Office’s input on reparations policies and guidelines.

“The two clauses are cause for grave concern as they take away any decision-making power from the proposed Office regarding the adoption of reparations policies and guidelines. In essence, the inclusion of such problematic clauses reduces the proposed Office to a another bureaucratic layer in the adoption of policies, a far cry from what the proposed Office was meant to be in terms of defining and implementing reparations policies and programmes,” the statement said.

The statement notes that reparations are a critical component to rebuild the lives of those whose rights have been violated.
As such, if properly implemented, reparations will have a significant impact across Sri Lanka.

“However, for reparations to be transformative, they must be prompt, effective, and inclusive and the process must be transparent. Thus, an independent Office, free from political interference and vested with powers to define and implement reparations is essential,” the statement added.

The activists called on the Government to use the opportunity to fulfil their commitments made in 2015, taking note of the findings of the Consultations Task Force (CTF) and enact legislation establishing a mechanism that can fully address the needs of victims across Sri Lanka. (Colombo Gazette)

Two Sri Lankan men were sentenced to eight months' jail last Thursday (July 5) for owning fake British passports.

Nagamany Kangatharan, 46, and Kandasamy Niththiyananthan, 27, were nabbed by Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officers at the transit area of Changi Airport Terminal 3 in June.

In a statement on Monday, ICA said that Nagamany and Kandasamy were seeking employment outside of Sri Lanka, and sought help from a Sri Lankan agent to make the arrangements.

Investigations revealed that the agent arranged for their trip to London via Singapore at prices between 330,000 Sri Lankan rupees (S$2,800) and 1 million rupees.

The duo flew from Colombo to Singapore using Sri Lanka passports, arriving on June 18.

The next day, they met a 31-year-old Malaysian man, Ihsan Ismie Ishak, who handed them the fraudulent British passports.

The passports contained the two men's photos but had particulars that did not belong to them.

31-year-old Malaysian Ihsan Ismie Ishak, who handed the duo the fraudulent British passports. PHOTO: ICA 

At Changi Airport Terminal 1, Nagamany attempted to collect his boarding pass at the check-in counter while Kandasamy observed him.

However, Nagamany was seen leaving the counter hastily, as the ticketing officers took longer than usual to process his boarding pass.

Both men then decided to abort their travel plan to London and return to Colombo via Terminal 3.

They met Ihsan Ismie at Terminal 3's transit area, but the three men were quickly arrested by ICA officers who received information about the case.

Ihsan Ismie was sentenced to eight months' jail on June 28, the statement said.

ICA said that it takes a serious view of those who possess fraudulent travel documents or abet others in committing the offence.

Those found guilty may be sentenced to a maximum of 10 years in prison, fined up to $10,000 or both. (Straits Times)

SSP in charge of the Killinochchi Division, Palitha Siriwardena had lodged a complaint with the Bribery Commission this week. 

In his complaint, he stated that despite the National Police Commission recommending him for promotion to the rank of DIG, but the Inspector General of Police had disregarded this recommendation and had not promoted him.

It is reported that this is the first instance in history that the Bribery Commission has received such a complaint against an IG.
The complaint states that the IG had failed to perform a legal duty as a government official and had committed a corrupt act flouting clause 70 of the bribery act.

The SSP in his complaint had also stated that the IG had deprived him of his legitimate promotion based on personal vengeance. The Police Commission had recommended five SSPs to be promoted to the rank of DIG, including Palitha Siriwardena last March.

The Police Headquarters said that while the rest of the four SSPs were promoted to the rank of DIG, only Palitha Siriwardena was not promoted.

A group of UNP ministers is said to have asked the Prime Minister to request that the President remove Minister Arjuna Ranatunga who is said to have acted against the decisions made by the four person committee appointed through cabinet approval to review fuel prices according to the fuel pricing formula. 

 The Ministers had met the Prime Minister yesterday to make the request. 

According to Minister Harsha De Silva, the government is often put in a difficult position due to the behaviour of the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) Chairman Dhammika Ranatunga. However, it was not possible to obtain a response from the Chairman as his mobile phone went unanswered. 

Fuel pricing formula approved by cabinet! 

The Ministry of Finance increased the prices of fuel day before at midnight according to the fuel pricing formula which was approved by the cabinet in May. 

However, CPC in contrary to the decision had issued a circular to its filling stations claiming the revision was incorrect. The Ministry of Petroleum resources development said the Ministry of Finance can only recommend a price change but the final decision lies if to do so is with the Ministry of Petroleum Resources Development. 

However, the Ministry of Finance now says a decision will be taken at the next cabinet meeting regarding the Ministry of Petroleum Resources Development non-compliance to the pricing review done according to the fuel pricing formula. 

Four-member committee : 

The fuel pricing formula committee comprises of Deputy Treasury Secretary S.R Atigala, two directors of the Treasury, Secretary to the Ministry of Petroleum and another agent of the Ministry. 

Prices of fuel have been sold according to old prices at CPC stations while only IOC are selling fuel at the newly recommended prices. Commenting on the issue Minister Harsha De Silva said the CPC Chairman cannot act as he pleases regarding the price changes. 

Arjuna silent! 

When Minister of Petroleum, Arjuna Ranatunga was approached to get a clarification regarding the current situation, he nor his Media Secretary were able to give a satisfactory answer. Repeated attempts to contact the Ministry Secretary, Upali Marasinghe also failed. 
Fuel price to change every week! 

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Finance has announced that the current fuel pricing formula will be changed so that fuel prices will be reviewed once a week rather than one in two months. 

This will benefit the people more the government believes as the government will then not have to wait two months to give people the benefit of a price reduction in such an event. 

As a result, a new pricing formula is set to be presented to the cabinet which will see prices being reviewed every week.

The 2018 Trafficking in Persons Report released by the US Department of State revealed that women and girls from Sri Lanka and other countries are being subjected to sex trafficking in Afghanistan and India.

“There are reports of women and girls from Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Pakistan, Iran, Tajikistan and China subjected to sex trafficking in Afghanistan. Under the pretence of high-paying employment opportunities, some labour recruiting agencies to lure foreign workers to Afghanistan including from Sri Lanka, Nepal, India, Iran, Pakistan and Tajikistan; the recruiters subject these migrants to forced labour after arrival,” the report said.

It said Burmese Rohingya, Sri Lankan Tamil and other refugee populations continue to be vulnerable to sex trafficking and forced labour in India.

Meanwhile, the report said some Sri Lankan women were subjected to forced prostitution in Cyprus, Maldives, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and elsewhere.

The report was released by Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo at the State Department headquarters in Washington, DC last week.

Quoting an NGO report in 2016, the report further said some domestic workers from Indonesia, the Philippines, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have been reportedly forced into prostitution in Jordan after fleeing their employers.

Source : Daily Mirror

Minister Sajith Premadasa says that the opposition taking political advantage using the democracy and freedom provided by the current government. 

Speaking during an event in Hambantota, he said that the country’s development process is being sabotaged by the opposition through attempts to create a wave of protests questioning the development achieved by the good governance government.

More than 3,000 Sri Lankan refugees, who had been staying in India, have left for their home country since 2015, the Tamil Nadu government said.

The largest number in this regard was reported last year, at 1520, said a policy note of the Public Department, a portfolio held by Chief Minister K Palaniswami, tabled in the state Assembly.

The refugees had been repatriated with the assistance of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, it said.

While 1520 refugees left for Sri Lanka last year, 557 of them have been repatriated till May 2018, it added.

Over 3.04 lakh Sri Lankan Tamil refugees had come to Tamil Nadu following the ethnic violence in the island republic in 1984, the policy note said.

As many as 61,422 persons were now staying in 107 refugee camps in 24 districts of the state as on May 1, 2018.

“In addition, 35,316 Sri Lankan Tamil refugees are staying outside the camps as on April 30, 2018,” it said.

The refugees were provided with various relief measures as stipulated by the Central and state governments, it said.

These included monthly doles and education assistance.

Various Tamil Nadu government welfare schemes were also being extended to them, it added. 
 
Source : PTI

Cabinet approval has been granted to build 25 000 houses for conflict-affected families in North and East in collaboration with UNOPS and UN‑Habitat led Consortium to build 25,000 houses. 

The government has earlier received the approval from the cabinet for the program to provide 50,000 traditional brick and mortar type permanent houses to conflict-affected families in the Northern and Eastern Provinces.

Under Phase I of the project, 25,000 housing units will be constructed at a cost of Rs.1.25 million per housing unit.

Out of this construction of 15,000 houses will be commenced this year and completed within a period of 08 months while the balance of 10,000 houses will be completed in 2019.

Colombo Fort Magistrate Lanka Jayaratne yesterday imposed a travel ban on four directors of Edirisinghe Trust Investments (ETI).

ETI directors Jeewaka Edirisinghe, Deepa Edirisinghe, Nalaka Edirisinghe and Asanka Edirisinghe were also noticed to appear in courts on July 17, 2018.

These orders were made following a request made by the Attorney General's Department over the ongoing magisterial inquiry against ETI, based on the allegations that it had been operated by its management violating monetary laws and regulations of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka since 2011.