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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.

Reports claim that a secret meeting was held on Tuesday night (3) at the Ministry of Justice in a bid to take necessary decisions to expedite legal cases regarding corruption which had taken place during the previous Rajapaksa regime. 

The meeting which had been held at 10.30 pm was attended by Minister of Justice and Prison Reforms, Thalatha Athukorala, Minister of Health, Rajitha Senaratne, Minister of Law and Order, Ranjith Madduma Bandara, Secretary to the Ministry of Justice, the Attorney General and the Inspector General of Police. 

Sources claim it had been discussed to take up cases at a stretch which is set to be heard at the newly set up special courts. Additionally, they had also decided to arrest those accused of corruption soon and take legal action against them.

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)

Speaking at a Conference for the Heads of the State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs), Finance and Media Minister Mangala Samaraweera said that the cost of inefficiency of SOEs cannot be passed down to the general public.

Despite their strategic importance, SOEs have not achieved full potential, which is reflected by its low Return Over Assets (ROA) ratio at 0.64 percent, he said. 

Identifying the reasons for such under performance which ranges from lack of good governance practices, including lack of a clear accountability mechanism, policy and legal framework to a weak supervisory role, Samaraweera told the Heads of SOEs in attendance to immediately address these difficult, but serious issues.

Samaraweera also said that during 2017, 55 SOEs recorded a total turnover of nearly LKR 1800 billion which was almost 13.22 percent of the GDP.

Out of the 55 SOEs, 39 recorded a net profit that amounted to LKR 136 billion while 16 made net losses that amounted to LKR 87 billion in 2017.

The Minister also noted that the performance of some SOEs in recent years has been a source of concern for the fiscal balance.

“In 2017, four of the main loss making SOEs i.e. Ceylon Electricity Board, Sri Lankan Airlines, Sathosa and Agriculture and Agrarian Insurance Board combined in losses amounting to LKR 84 billion. I may say this as a dismal performance that creates public outcry over the mismanagement of our national resources”, he added.

Samaraweera pointed out that the government’s strategy is to encourage and facilitate SOEs to be self-sufficient through improved corporate practices, management reforms, innovative financing, strong and prudent financial management, exposure to competitiveness and international best-practices and effective human resource management, while enhancing public accountability.

“As the key players in our national ventures, you may have to relook at your operations seriously to achieve reasonable management improvements in the interest of our fellow citizens”, he said.

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.

Udaya R. Seneviratne has assumed duties as the new Secretary to the President at the Presidential Secretariat today (06). 

Seneviratne, a senior administrative officer, had previously served as Secretary to the Ministries of Science and Technology, Sports, Highways and Investment Promotion and, Environment and Mahaweli Development.

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

President Maithripala Sirisena has not given any orders to reduce the fuel prices that was increased last night as reported by certain media outlets, the President’s Media Division (PMD) said today.

This was in response to media reports that cited JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake who stated in Parliament today (06) that the President had ordered to reduce the fuel prices.

Refuting such media reports, Senior Director of the PMD Dharma Sri Ekanayaka when contacted said that the President had made no such directive.

The Ministry of Finance had increased the fuel prices according to the fuel pricing formula that was introduced in May.

According to the fuel pricing formula, a litre of 92 octane petrol was increased by Rs. 8 per while a litre of diesel was increased by Rs 9 from midnight yesterday (05).

However, the price for a litre of kerosene remains unchanged.

According to the current fuel pricing formula, prices will be amended once in two months with the next revision of prices slated for September 5.

Although a committee was approved by the Cabinet to oversee the fuel price revisions, the Finance Ministry opines that a weekly revision as opposed to one in two months will be far more beneficial to the general public.

It is also reported that the Finance Ministry is exploring the possibility of introducing a weekly revision. However such a measure would be subjected to Cabinet approval.

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

Media reports claim that Former State Minister of Women and Child Affairs has admitted that the statement made by her recently regarding an LTTE revival was irresponsible and incorrect. “I had already understood my mistake when the Prime Minister contacted me to request that I meet him” she said over the phone, speaking to a local television channel. 

“As a Minister in a responsible position I requested that action be taken against me” she said adding that she decided to step down from her post till the inquiry concludes. “I will not disrupt the work of the government and expect they too will take a correct decision regarding me” she added. 

However, calls have been mounting to not only remove her from the Ministerial post but also take away her parliamentary seat.

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.

Kobawaka Damminda thera, the Chief Incumbent of the Kataragama Kiri Vehera Raja Maha Vihara claims his life is still in danger following an assassination attempt last month. As he continues to receive treatment after being shot speaking from the hospital the monk claimed he has received a number of threats in the recent past. 

“From the day I was appointed as the Chief Incumbent I have faced intimidation from various parties,” he said adding that various monks also had aims of taking over the temple. “This is a result of these threats,” he said. According to him, those arrested in connection have sworn to kill him after being released from prison. 

Dhamminda thera was shot on the temple premises on June 11. The custodian of the Mahasen Devalaya and several others were arrested in connection to the incident. According to the thera, the attempt on his life was a bid to ensure a monk related to the custodian is made the next chief incumbent of the temple.