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The Deputy Assistant Secretary of the US Navy (International Programmes) , Rear Admiral Francis D Morley together with his delegation met Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy, Vice Admiral Sirimevan Ranasinghe, at the Naval Headquarters in Colombo, today (26) to discuss matters of mutual interest.

Vice Admiral Ranasinghe paid his gratitude to Rear Admiral Morley for the cooperation extended to the Sri Lanka Navy. Mementos were also exchanged between the top ranking officers symbolizing the event.

Minister of Finance Mangala Samaraweera at the launch of the 'Enterprise Sri Lanka' (ESL) program recently said the country must develop a comprehensive entrepreneurship structure that encourages people, especially graduates, to embark on building their own businesses.

Under the ESL program, "Arabuma" loan scheme has been tailor-made for the youth to encourage young graduates to enter into the economic development process by turning their innovative business ideas into potential businesses. The scheme ensures the cash flow through loans at zero interest rate, with a full government guarantee.

Under the program of supporting to SME companies, the youth are invited to establish SME companies with the technical support of the government and the needed financial and non financial supports is also provided to that companies could engage in any business from agriculture to apparels to IT.

The Finance Minister said that ESL also has several other target groups including micro-enterprises, self-employees, young entrepreneurs as well as selected vital groups of society.

Samaraweera said that at present whenever enterpreneurs called over at banks, they were asked to name suitable guarantors. As a result, even if they had a good business proposal, they were unable to obtain a bank facility.

That era is going to end. We have held a meeting with state banks and instructed them to have a separate Enterprise Sri Lanka desk staffed by employees knowledgeable on the loan scheme, he said.

Some in the Airline industry is requesting that the ongoing Presidential commission inquiring into Srilankan Airline's alleged misappropriation or financial irregularities should consider screening the parties who are voluntarily providing information or in the alternative should clearly verify the allegations against the perpetrators, before releasing to the media,
According to them Marlon Ferreira, a former employee at Phoenix Duty-Free Services Lanka Private Ltd has been on a personal vendetta against former employer Phoenix ,  who had they say accepted his resignation instead of sacking him, when they were informed of  two cases of financial  Fraud filed against Ferreira  by HSBC and Standard Chartered Bank in Colombo .  They pointed out that most companies in Sri Lanka give the option to the party to submit and accept their resignation so as not to spoil the prospects of future employment elsewhere. 

They say the Presidential commission has recorded his statements where he has made totally baseless, and damaging allegations against his former employers, filled with malicious lies and untruths. 

At the commission, Ferreira had claimed that he found certain anomalies in the contract between Sri Lankan and Phoenix which he went on to note as he kept track of the in-flight duty-free sales there was an issue about the revenue and expenses of the company.

He said from the date acquired, Phoenix Duty-Free Services Lanka Private Ltd would make annual sales of 5.54 Million US Dollars, however, when taking in to account the expenses of the company and the dues that should be given to SriLankan Airlines as commission, the company would incur a loss of 1.2 Million US Dollars. He believed something was happening behind the scenes as the Managing Director Raju Chandiram and Finance Manager Mohamed Hamza kept financial statements a secret.

Elaborating this further he had gone on to say that the senior management of SriLankan Airlines Comprising CEO Kapila Chandrasena and Head of Commercial G.T.Jayaseelan also wrote off 37% of the guaranteed commissions Phoenix Duty-Free Services had to pay SriLankan Airlines when both parties secretly amended the existing contract to favour Phoenix Duty-Free Services.

The Board of Directors at that time need to be held accountable for the millions of dollars SriLankan Airlines subsequently were deprived of during the entire five-year contractual period.

The witness also said that there appears to be sufficient evidence that the country’s Customs Ordinance Act and the contracts signed between the SriLankan Airlines and the suppliers of duty-free goods had been violated by Phoenix Duty-Free Services.

Phoenix Duty-Free Services who signed its initial contract with SriLankan Airlines on the 25th of January 2012 under the name of Phoenix Rising Ventures who operated out of Canada, currently still operates out of Colombo Sri Lanka conducting other businesses.

However, they have now renamed their business as ‘Duty-Free Partners’ and operates out of their existing office at Park Street Colombo 2.

It has now come to light, SriLankan Airlines never knew of Phoenix Rising Ventures until they put forward a bid to enter the airlines Duty-Free Program.

Marlon Ferreira, testifying before the commission said before the company was awarded the contract, Sri Lankan Airlines had an exclusive supplier for all Duty-Free Products. Romeo Ferdinands the In-Flight Services Manager at SriLankan Airlines who also testified said they never heard of Phoenix Rising Ventures until they came forward to bid to supply perfumes and cosmetics for the Duty-Free Program.

In 2012, Phoenix Duty-Free Services Lanka Ltd was given the contract to supply perfumes and cosmetics, but Marlon Ferreira believed the contract was awarded without following tender procedure. Romeo Ferdinands testified to this matter in the affirmative noting the contract was to be given for 06 months and then reviewed in the fourth month to ascertain if the contract can be given for three years.

Marlon Ferreira went on to testify, Phoenix Duty-Free Services Lanka Ltd was then awarded the contract to provide liquor for in-flight consumption and that too was done without following proper tender procedure. Finally, the contract for the entire duty-free program had been awarded to Phoenix Duty-Free Services Lanka Ltd for 2012 to 2017 without following the proper tender process.

The witness Marlon Ferreira believed, the deal for the contract was brokered by Former SriLankan Airlines Board Director Sanath Ukwatte by negotiating it with the then Chairman Nishantha Wickremesinghe and CEO Kapila Chandrasena.
With regard to the contract, Managing Director of Phoenix Duty-Free Services Lanka Ltd Raju Chandiram had signed the document as a witness while an individual knows as Rumesh Dilan Wirasinghe the CEO of Phoenix Duty-Free Services had also signed the document.

Rumesh Dilan Weerasinghe the CEO of Phoenix Duty-Free Services was named in the offshore leaks database released by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists several years ago.

Marlon Ferreira testified when he had questioned Raju Chandiram over certain losses made by Phoenix Duty-Free Services Lanka Ltd in its services, the latter had stated: ” We must make losses here, to make profits elsewhere”.

He also testified that Phoenix Duty-Free Services Lanka Ltd had breached the contract by allegedly engaging in trading, an act which is not acceptable internationally and can have the airline sued by suppliers.

Former Defense Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa arrived at the Financial Crimes Investigation Division (FCID), this morning going on to give a 3 hour statement. He was summoned by the FCID to record a statement on his alleged involvement in misusing state funds amounting to Rs.90 million to build D.A. Rajapaksa Museum and Memorial in Medamulana.

The Paddy Marketing Board (PMB) incurred a massive loss of Rs 7000 million from 2009 to 2014, PMB Chairman Upali Mohotti revealed. 

According to the Chairman, the PMB has continued as a loss-making government institution over the years. He says the incurred loss was a result of exporting rice to Somalia for free and selling metric tons of paddy to the private sector for the production of animal food during that time. The Chairman made these comments at a progress review meeting regarding the future activities of the PMB.

At the meeting, Minister of Agriculture Mahinda Amaraweera said that the PMB expects to create a competitive position in the market so that the farmers will be able to sell their paddy at a stable price in the future.

Sri Lanka Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe says steps will be taken to develop Galle as a major tourist destination according to a systematic plan.

“We are not talking only of the Galle Fort but the Galle town as a whole” he said addressing a function in Galle yesterday. 

Prime Minister Wickremesinghe also stressed that the government has taken steps to give priority to the tourism sector in the process of moving Sri Lanka forward as an economically developed country.

According to the PM the country will also be taken forward by getting foreign investments and generating new income avenues.

“The debt burden will not be left to the future” he said adding that with the investment from the China Merchant Company the debt burden of the country has been reduced by one billion dollars. He said the Chinese Company will develop Hambantota Port and talks are being held with India about also utilizing the Mattala International Airport.

Local civil society has condemned the actions of the Probation Department and the National Child Protection Authority (NCPA) accusing them of attempting to send children back to Darun Nusra, a children’s home where sexual abuses of children have taken place.

Civil society also condemned state institutions for their inaction in finding suitable Government schools for the affected children to continue their education.

A statement signed by civil society organisations and individuals noted that in June 2017, an anonymous phone call was made to the NCPA that sexual abuses were being committed on the children residing in Darun Nusra.

During the police investigations, it was revealed that a male staff of this home was allegedly committing these offences and both the Matron and the Coordinator of Al-Muslimaath the charity managing Darun Nusra were reported about these incidents but did not take action.

Despite ongoing investigations into the allegations of abuse, which not only include the alleged abuser but also the matron and the Coordinator of Al-Muslimaath, the Probation Department has vehemently opposed calls by activists for the children to be transferred out of Darun Nusra for their own safety.

Officers from the Probation Department have consistently engaged in victim blaming in Court by portraying the two main victims of abuse as mentally unsound. One of the first children to be transferred out of Darun Nusra due to Court orders were sent by the Probation Department to a home which the Probation Officers themselves later admitted in Court as unsanitary, lacking in running water, and unsuitable for children.

Further in March 2018, an NCPA report found Darun Nusra to be unsuitable for children to live in and the institution requested the court to transfer the children out. However, in May 2018, the NCPA backtracked on this and sought to transfer some of the children back without explanation.

Furthermore, the Courts instructed the Probation Department and the NCPA to find suitable government schools for the children, yet for around three months both institutions have taken no concrete action. Instead, we are informed that at a meeting called by the NCPA with the guardians and Probation Officers in June 2018, the guardians were either pressured to take the children back home or return them to Darun Nusra if they want their education to continue.

The local civil society said that this raises many questions on why the state has been unwilling or unable to find suitable government schools in a country which has a tradition of providing free quality education.
“This also raises questions as to why the state continues to promote an organisation that is being investigated for allegations of child sexual abuse. As of today, the inefficiency of the Probation Department and NCPA has deprived these children of schooling for three months. We condemn this negligent and callous attitude of the Probation Department and the NCPA for failing to provide justice for children who are economically and socially vulnerable – many of whom have suffered recent trauma. This entire incident would not have happened if the Probation Department which is tasked with monitoring children’s homes had mechanisms to identify child abuse occurring within institutions. We condemn the Probation Commissioner of the Western Province, the Chairperson of the National Child Protection Authority, and the Secretary and the Minister of the Women and Child Affairs Ministry for not performing their roles responsibly. The conduct of the State institutions in this case also raises concerns about the welfare of other children in Probation Certified Homes who are under the overall care of these Institutions,” the statement said.

Local civil society has demanded that the Probation Department, NCPA and the Ministry of Education work together to immediately find Government schools with an English medium curriculum for the 13 children in this case.

They also demanded that the two children having special educational needs be enrolled in a suitable educational institution and that children transferred to a home located in Bandaragama, be relocated together immediately, as all parents who have visited it, have expressed deep dissatisfaction with the treatment of their children in this home. 

Source : Colombo Gazette

The Sri Lanka Army has urged the public not to be misled by the rumours spread by "disgruntled" politicians that the Army is in the process of withdrawing its units from the North and East and downsizing in strength.

"A canard, born out of some utterances, reportedly made by disgruntled political elements has been desperately attempting to mislead the public, saying that the Army is in the process of withdrawing its formations in the North and East and downsizing its strength, putting the national security at risk," the Army said in a communiqué.

"The Sri Lanka Army categorically denies having taken any such decision, nor has it contemplated implementing a move of that nature at all as alleged by those elements who try to showcase that 'they' are more patriotic than members of the armed forces in the country," it said.

The Army said while continuing amalgamation process without closing down any camp in the North and East it maintains combat readiness and efficiency in combat at all times at strategic and operational level and is always committed to enhancing its efficiency at all levels.

"The truth is that many in the civil society have no understanding on some of the military parlances, like amalgamation/combat efficiency, etc.," it said.

The Army currently engaged in its annual recruitment drive plans to recruit 213 Officers and 8,631 Other Rankers to the Regular Force and 97 Officers and 4,252 Other Rankers to the Sri Lanka Army Volunteer Force for the year 2018.

"The Army which has brought peace to this country after so many years would be the happiest in peacetime and is committed all the time to safeguard the national security interests of the country on a priority basis than anyone else. It is, therefore, requested that those 'super' patriots desist from bringing this unique organization to public ridicule by spreading blatant lies and misleading false information," the communiqué said

Source : Colombo Page

As arrest warrant has been issued for the arrest of former MP Sarana Gunawardena by Colombo Additional Magistrate, Thanuja Jayatunge today. 

The warrant was issued as the Former MP failed to appear for the case filed by the Bribery Commission regarding the lease of vehicles without following due tender procedure during his tenure as the Chairman of the Development Lotteries Board.

An Army Corporal has been shot and injured by unidentified gunmen on Chakkindarama Road in Ratmalana today According to the Police Spokesperson SP Ruwan Gunasekara, the incident had occurred around 7.20 am. The gunmen had arrived in a three-wheeler and a motorcycle to conduct the attack.

The Corporal had been shot while he was at the house of a Lieutenant Colonel and was admitted to the Kalubowila Teaching Hospital for treatment. Mount Lavinia Police are investigating

Sri Lankan Army commander and 80 Sri Lankan Armed Forces personnel and their families commenced on a three day trip to Bodh Gaya in India under the special invitation of the Indian High Commission.

Releasing a press release the Indian High Commission in Colombo stated: 

“The High Commission of India organized a special visit to Bodh Gaya in India for 80 Sri Lankan Armed Forces personnel and their families. The three-day visit includes travel to and from India on an Indian Air Force C-17 Globemaster aircraft, which was specifically deployed from India to transport the travellers. Apart from a visit to the sacred Mahabodhi Temple, various other events and activities, including interaction with their Indian counterparts and a tour of the Officers Training Academy (OTA) at Gaya, are part of the group’s itinerary, which is being coordinated by the Indian Army.           

Shri Taranjit Singh Sandhu, High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka, and Lt. General Mahesh Senanayake, Sri Lankan Army Commander met the Sri Lankan personnel and their families at Colombo airport on June 24, before the group embarked upon their visit to India. The travellers shared their excitement about their special visit, and thanked the Government of India for organizing it.        

The visit to Bodh Gaya is yet another manifestation of the shared Buddhist heritage of India and Sri Lanka, and will help deepen the bonds of friendship and camaraderie that exist between the Armed Forces of both countries.”

Expressing his views on the 2020 Presidential election, MP Wimalaweera Dissanayake says he will be pleased if Pohottuwa organizer and Former Minister Basil Rajapaksa is nominated as the JO presidential candidate as opposed to former Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa. 

He made these comments at a recent meeting held in Ampara with SLPP members. 

However, he also said he would support any person nominated by former President Mahinda Rajapaksa. 

Speaking at the same meeting, Basil Rajapaksa quipped that the best person to be the Presidential candidate is Mahinda Rajapaksa while any such persons win is assured.