Wildlife Minister Sarath Fonseka says that he will resign from his ministerial portfolio if no assistance is received from the government to provide a solution with regard to the elephants in the Sinharaja reserve within the next 3 months. 

He made these comments during a discussion held at the Rambuka Rajawatta Temple on Tuesday (19) regarding wild elephants. 

The government had planned to relocate the two elephants remaining at the Sinharaja forest reserve to the Horowpathana holding centre when this operation had commenced on June 14. 

However, on Sunday the operation was halted on the instructions of the President. 

Source : Ada Derana

Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera said today that Cabinet approval was granted to remove the 15% VAT imposed on doctors’ consultation fee, channeling fee and professional charges from July 1st of July.

Addressing a press conference held at the Treasury today (19), the Minister also stated that the government plans to increase the budgetary allocation of the health sector to 5% of the GDP by 2020.

The deed confirming the official ownership of the land which the Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte Parliamentary complex is located on is set to be handed over to the Speaker Karu Jayasuriya by Minister of Lands and Parliamentary reforms Gayantha Karunatilleke today. 

Uptodate the ownership was based on a grant by former President J.R Jayawardene. The parliament has therefore not had an official deed for around 40 years sources say.

A BRIT widow whose husband was murdered in Sri Lanka a year ago is afraid she will die in the country as she can't afford to fly home.
Diane De Zoysa, 60, gave up everything to move to the country with her 26-year-old husband Priyanjana in 2016.


Diane De Zoysa, 60, fears she will die in Sri Lanka after moving it there to be with her husband.

She married Priyanjana, having known him just seven months in 2012, and moved to Sri Lanka with him four years later. She sold her Edinburgh home to move after meeting Priyanjana on a holiday, reports the Daily Record.

Diane says she now has nothing after giving him £100,000, buying a house in his family's name and spending £31,000 helping him set up a minibus service.

Tragedy struck when Priyanjana was shot three times on May 30, 2017, by blackmailers who learned he had come into money.

Her 26-year-old husband Priyanjana was murdered by blackmailers last year 

She said: “I feel like I’m stuck here forever and I will die here. In order for me to leave Sri Lanka, I need to pay to have my ­possessions shipped back home.

“Then I need money for a flight and to pay to have my possessions in storage until I can find a flat. Not much has changed since last year except that I am in a lot of debt.”

The Brit says she will not leave Sri Lanka without her savings, which are tied up in the home she bought and other assets in the country.

She added that she feels like "a prisoner" in her own home as Priyanjana's family will not let her travel far on her own.

Diane also blasted the British High Commission in Colombo claiming they have "done nothing" to help her out of the situation.

Former Director of the FCID, Senior DIG Ravi Waidyalankara is back at work following his retirement. He will continue to head the FCID on

special cabinet approval based on the recommendation of the Police Commission. 

Senior DIG Ravi Seneviratne had been overlooking the division during Waidyalankara’s absence. 

According to sources he has been tasked with expediting the legal process of files handed over to the Attorney General's Department on corruption during the Rajapaksa regime. 

IGP Pujith Jayasundara had recommended that due to two investigations into Waidyalankara his pension should not be paid till their conclusion. However, the Commission had denied acting accordingly.

President Maithripala Sirisena says that the Government is paying close attention to save children from various menaces in society, and that all parties should offer their unconditional support in this venture.

The Daruwan Surakimu (Let’s Protect Children) National Programme is a prominent step towards that vision, the President said, adding that the main objective of this programme is to build a prosperous future for the children while ensuring their safety, education and health.

Sirisena made these remarks addressing the Kilinochchi district Summit of the ‘Let’s Protect Children’ National Programme held at the Kilinochchi Central College, yesterday (18). 

For the first time in the history, this programme will be implemented as a special project jointly with 14 ministries, 05 epartments, 06 institutions, 09 local government bodies and civil and voluntary organizations. LKR 5232.6 million has been allocated for this three year plan from 2017 to 2019, the President's Media Division said.

UNP District Parliamentarian Buddhika Pathirana was sworn in as the Deputy Minister of Industries and Commerce before President Maithripala Sirisena a short while ago, the President's Media Division said.

The distribution of local films, which was handled by four private companies, would come under the purview of the National Film Corporation with effect from today, National Film Corporation Chairman Sithendra Senaratne said.

“Earlier the distribution of films was handled by the five agents, including the National Film Corporation, and four private companies,” he said. 

The final decision was taken by the board along with the line Ministry to take over the distribution of films under the Film Corporation with immediate effect.

"President Maithripala Sirisena appointed a committee to look into the problems of the cinema industry as well as to identify such issues and to recommend suitable remedies. 45 experts who were involved in the industry contributed to the report that was submitted to the President recently," Senaratne added.

The President had then directed to take necessary action based on the recommendations made in the report. The National Film Corporation will take necessary steps to implement a new system on local film distribution soon.

Minister of Petroleum Resources Development Arjuna Ranatunga stated that they will be introducing a new type of Petrol for the benefit of trishaws and motorists. He further stated  that they are still carrying on experiments.

“We reluctantly (had to) increase the price of fuel over the last few days. I’m aware of the trouble this has caused the public. We are following new experiments to give advantages to the public by another way. Therefore, we decided to introduce a new type of Petrol for the benefit of trishaws and motorists. We expect the experiments to be successful soon”, the Minister added. 

Ranatunga made these remarks during a ceremony held today to hand over 13 appointment letters to Engineers at the CPC premises.

Minister of Finance and Media Mangala Samaraweera has instructed Finance Ministry officials to allocate LKR 500 million immediately for 25,000 households in Monaragala district without adequate sanitation facilities.

The Minister was in Monaragala on Monday (18) on an inspection tour with Ministers Ranjith Madduma Bandara and Vijith Wijathamuni Soysa. 


Minister Samaraweera said that the allocation of LKR 500 million to develop proper sanitation facilities in the Monaragala district will be in addition to the LKR 2.2 billion allocated to 11 Divisional Secretariats under the Gamperaliya programme, the unity government's ambitious rapid village development programme. 

The Sri Lanka Army, making inroads into the reconciliation and development process has once again returned over 120 acres of private land used by troops in Thelippalai, Karachchi and Maritimepattu areas in the Northern Province, the Army Media Unit said today.

Documents related to the land patches in Thelippalai, Jaffna (62.95 acres), Karachchi, Kilinochchi(5.94 acres) and Maritimepattu, Mullaittivu (52.0 acres) that make up a total of 120.89 acres in the North were delivered to the President who in turn handed them back to the District Secretaries of Jaffna, Mullaittivu and Kilinochchi for onward release formalities.

Lieutenant General Mahesh Senanayake, instrumental in releasing private and state lands as much as possible in the North and East for legitimate owners,hitherto being used by the Army without compromising national security concerns, maintains that the Army should fully cooperate with state authorities in their attempts to foster ethnic harmony and co-existence in the country, the Army media unit said.

Outgoing United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein has commended Sri Lanka for cooperating with the UN system, following a period of fraught ties with the UNHRC over the country’s rights record.

Hussein was speaking at the 38th session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva where he presented his last global update in a regular session, on Monday (18). He praised Sri Lanka for allowing at least five visits by UN rights officials in the last five years.

“I note and commend the following States which have hosted at least five visits by thematic mandates in the last five years: Argentina, Australia, Azerbaijan, Brazil, Chile, Georgia, Ghana, Greece, Honduras, Italy, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Republic of Korea, Serbia, Sri Lanka, Tunisia, Ukraine, the UK and the US,” he said.

He also noted a number of other positive developments with respect to access for the Special Procedures. These include an increased response rate to communications, now at 68 per cent (an increase of 13 per cent over 2016); and Afghanistan’s issuance of a standing invitation to all mandate-holders, taking the number of States having done so to 118 UN Member States and one non-member Observer State. 

Regarding engagement with the Treaty Bodies, he welcomed long-outstanding reports to the Committees by Bangladesh, Cabo Verde, Central African Republic, Guinea, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Tonga and Zambia. 

He also applauded Qatar’s accession to the Covenants and Afghanistan’s accession to the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, alongside many other ratifications. 

“My Office stands ready to support them in efforts to implement these commitments to ensure respect for their people’s rights, and I urge other countries which have not ratified these and other human rights treaties to do so,” Hussein said. 

Zeid, a Jordanian national who received a standing ovation from those in the council chamber following Monday’s speech, began his four-year tenure as UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on Sept. 1, 2014. He indicated in December of last year that he would not seek a second term, telling his staff that doing so “in the current geopolitical context, might involve bending a knee in supplication; muting a statement of advocacy; lessening the independence and integrity of my voice — which is your voice.”
His successor will be appointed by the UN secretary-general and approved by the UN General Assembly in the coming weeks.

Sri Lanka has extended more cooperation to the UNHRC under Hussein’s tenure.

Source : Ada Derana