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President Maithripala Sirisena says a Presidential Commission will be appointed to investigate into the alleged abuse of state money and public property involving SriLankan Airlines and Mihin Lanka next week.

The President made these comments addressing a Sri Lanka Freedom Party rally in Dambulla yesterday.

According to Sirisena names of other politicians involved in corruption will be revealed once the commissions are appointed.

Speaking at the rally, the President said the true nature of the previous government's so-called development will be revealed to the public in the future and whatever the challenges, he will change the corrupt political culture to win the challenge of building the country.

President Sirisena noted that it was he who, through the 19th Amendment to the constitution abrogated the 18th Amendment to the Constitution, which allowed the president to remain in power for life.

The President said that he was the only leader who acted to curtail the powers of the executive presidency and hand over the powers to the parliament and no other leader of the world has done that.

A furor broke out this week in Sri Lanka’s tourism industry after the chairman of the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB), Udaya Nanayakkara, refused to abide by the tourism minister’s order to step down and deemed the decree “illegal”.

Minister of Tourism John Amaratunga and SLTPB Chairman Udaya Nanayakkara. Photo: Daily FT.

Nanayakkara had been preparing plans for a destination marketing campaign to take off this year, as a budget of 5.3 billion rupees (US$35 million) had been set aside for calendar 2018, the largest ever in a single year, for two campaigns and other promotional activity.

“This is very disturbing, coming at a time when the long-overdue marketing campaign is about to get off the ground,” said the head of a tourism conglomerate who agreed to speak on the basis on anonymity.

The shocking move came just as the Sri Lanka Association of Inbound Tour Operators and The Hotel Association of Sri Lanka released a joint statement welcoming efforts to expedite the digital advertising campaign planned for early 2018 and the global advertising campaign scheduled later in the year.

While the reason given for the dismissal was that the ministry wanted to re-constitute the board, none of the other 10 board members received similar letters.

The minister said the board will be chaired by the secretary of the Ministry of Tourism in the interim and assured that all marketing plans are on track.

The minister had also told local media that the move was made considering complaints from within the industry of delays in rolling out projects. Industry players, however, alleged the dispute was due to the minister’s advisors interfering in decisions and trying to secure contracts for known parties.

As well, the legality of the dismissal has also become a point of contention. The country’s independent Election Commission, which will conduct island-wide polls to local authorities on February 10, has issued a directive to all state institutions banning new appointments, promotions and demotions, etc, until February 15. This is a routine order to guard against the ruling party offering jobs to party supporters during elections.

(TTG ASIA)

A haul of over 900 Kilograms of Cocaine seized by the Police Narcotics Bureau (PNB) will be publicly destroyed tomorrow under the supervision of the Colombo Chief Magistrate. President Maithripala Sirisena will also be in attendance to observe the process where the sized drugs will be liquefied and destroyed.

The event will take place at the premises of the INSEE Ecocycle organization located at the Board of Investments in Katunayake. “The liquified drugs will be incinerated thereafter at a facility in Puttalam” Police Media Spokesperson SP Ruwan Gunasekara said.

The final batch of the Mali-bound Combat Convoy Company (CCC) of the Sri Lanka Army left the island to join their compatriots in Mali on Wednesday, the Ministry of Defence said.

The 32 man group which left for Mali completes Sri Lanka's 200 strong contingent for the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA).

The Officer in Charge (OIC) of the Pettah Police station has been transferred to the Batticaloa Police division immediately following the suicide of a youth in Police custody this week. The transfer was recommended by the committee appointed to investigate the incident by the Inspector General of Police, Pujith Jayasundara following an investigation into the incident. The transfer was also approved by the National Police Commission and the Election Commission.

According to the Police the 17-year-old detainee, a resident of Haputale had been arrested for the possession of cannabis on Wednesday in the Bastian Mawatha area. He was later found hanging in his detention cell the next day morning. The youth is suspected to have commited suicide.

The investigation committee is said to have observed the detention cell and taken down statements from officers of the Pettah Police station on Friday.

His Royal Royal Highness, Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, and Her Royal Highness, The Countess of Wessex, will arrive in Sri Lanka at the end of this month to attend the 70th anniversary of Sri Lanka’s Independence on Feb 4, the British High Commission in Colombo said in a statement Thursday.

The Royal couple will represent Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth at the anniversary celebrations.

The Earl and Countess will travel to Colombo and other parts of Sri Lanka, celebrating the long-standing friendship between the two countries and shared interest in the Commonwealth, youth development and education, the High Commission said.

Their Royal Highnesses will meet participants in ‘The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award’ and young Sri Lankans selected as Queen’s Young Leaders, an initiative to recognise and celebrate exceptional young people across the Commonwealth.

The Presidential Investigative Committee to investigate and report on the causes for the collapse of the Meethotamulla garbage dump has requested for a date to hand over the report with its findings and recommendations to President Maithripala Sirisena.

President Maithripala Sirisena appointed the single-member committee on April 26, 2017, to investigate into the garbage collapse on April 14, 2017.

According to sources, the report which is to be handed over to the President consists of 50,000 pages.

Twenty-six persons from government institutions, statutory bodies, Parliamentarians, Non-Governmental Organisations, and the public were questioned on this connection. Retired High Court Judge Chandradasa Nanayakkara spearheaded the investigation.

According to 34 investigations carried out by the Financial Crimes Investigation Division (FCID), the government has incurred a loss of Rs. 15,000 million, the Voice Against Corruption Movement stated.

Convener of the Voice Against Corruption Movement and former Parliamentarian Vasanatha Samarasinghe said that the country had incurred a loss of Rs. 11,000 million due to the Avant-Garde deal alone, one of most controversial cases in the country.

Samarasinghe stressed that they are ready to take legal action if there is a delay in recovering the loss incurred to the government.

He further said that they will ask for details of the 34 investigations under the Right to Information Act.

Witnesses of the case regarding 11 youth being killed at the Trincomalee Gunside Naval Base are said to be receiving death threats. Making a complaint to the Human Rights Commission, one of the main witness to the case former Lieutenant Commander Krishan Welagedara made these claims adding that investigating officers of the CID should not be discouraged from carrying out their duties as well.

Lieutenant Commander Krishan Welagedara has given several statements regarding the case after former Commander of the Navy, Wasantha Karannagoda complained to the CCD regarding the incident and investigations for the case B 732/22009 commenced in 2009. Statements made by Welagedara were confirmed by the former Navy intelligence Chief A.K Guruge.

Death threats

In the letter handed over to the HRC on January 3, Welagedara claimed that despite over 70 naval officers confirming the chain of events, Attorneys at Law Udaya Gammanpila and Ajith Prasanna are making public comments while behaving in a manner which is threatening to his life he said.

He also claimed the Ajith Prasanna continues to make threats through social media platforms while actions of these two have dragged the lives of his family in to danger as well.

As this is a case of mass murder and the behaviour of the duo is a criminal offence under the Assistant to and Protection of Victims of Crime and Witnesses Act No. 04 of 2015)

No complaints against Karannagoda!

While pointing out that these persons have made no allegations against former Admiral Wasantha Karannagoda who first brought the case to the attention of the authorities Welagedara requested for legal protection from statements being made by them.

Sources from the HRC claimed that discussions will be held in this regard while necessary action will be taken thereafter.

(resa.lk)

The President of the Republic of Latvia Raimonds Vējonis and Mrs. Iveta Vējonis are visiting Sri Lanka on a private visit from 6-16 January 2018, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed.

 The Latvian President was received on arrival by State Minister for Foreign Affairs Vasantha Senanayake.

Chief Minister of the Western Province Isura Devapriya, is said to have angered the President by making a statement regarding the Former Secretary to the Ministry of Defence, Gotabaya Rajapaksa yesterday. The President is said to have called the Chief Minister and seriously reprimanded him sources from the President’s office said.

Speaking at a public meeting aimed at the local government polls the Chief Minister had claimed that it was the President that asked Gotabaya Rajapaksa to leave the country during a time elections have been called.

The Chief Minister said despite certain members of the Rajapaksa family conspiring to jail the President, he however informed Gotabaya Rajapaksa before hand thereby allowing for him to leave the country early.

According to the Chief Minister certain members of the Rajapaksa’s have thereby attempted to discredit the President and the SLFP. However the President is said to have told the Chief Minister that the ‘flower bud group’ of the Rajapaksa family might ask Gotabaya to return to reply to these allegations sources said.

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Minister of Finance and Mass Media Mangala Samaraweera said that one of the main proposals made in the budget to create entrepreneurs would be launched in March. He further said that those who obtain credit facilities would be given interest subsidy up to 75% .of the effective interest rate.

The government expects to disburse Rs 60,000 million through state and private banks to would-be entrepreneurs and another Rs 5000 million has been set aside by the Treasury to reimburse the interest subsidy to the banks.

Under this scheme, 15 different loan schemes have been proposed for young entrepreneurs in the fields of Agro, fishery industries and for small and medium enterprises. This scheme includes journalists and those who are self-employed as well

In addition to young entrepreneurs, women and differently abled persons will also be provided special opportunity to take part in this program. Women and differently abled persons who come forward to take part in this programme will be offered additional interests subsidy of 10% and 15 percent more respectively.

Minister of Finance and Mass Media, Mangala Samaraweera held a discussion yesterday with the Heads and the Chief Executives officers of the state and Private Banks at the Treasury. State Minister of Finance Eran Wickramaratne and the ministry higher officials also participated in this discussion

The Minister has also called on all the banks to extend their fullest support to implement this programme of the Government, to create new jobs through the expansion of Economy while aiming to expand the exports

 The heads of state and the private banks assured the minster of their continuous support to this project to realize the government's objectives of creating one million new jobs, increase the per capita income and the expansion of exports through enterprise Sri Lanka program which is proposed to commence in March.