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The first official discussion between the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and the presidential hopeful of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), Gotabaya Rajapaksa was held on Wednesday (28) night.

The meeting took place at Rajapaksa’s official residence.

The discussion has focused on the ongoing talks between the SLFP and SLPP to form a political alliance and the forthcoming presidential election.

The SLFP delegation has discussed the areas that have been agreed upon by the SLFP and SLPP during those discussions.

It has also been agreed to sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the SLFP and Rajapaksa if the two parties agree to work together at the presidential election.

The SLFP was represented by party General Secretary MP Dayasiri Jayasekara, General Secretary of the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) MP Mahinda Amaraweera and SLFP Treasurer MP Lasantha Alagiyawanna.

President Maithripala Sirisena has instructed the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI) to expedite investigations on the Central Bank’s Treasury bond scam in 2015.

The President had made these remarks during a meeting with the officials of the PCoI probing the bond scam, the President’s Media Division said.

The President has said the delaying of the bond scam investigations was an impediment to implementing justice.

At present, four interim reports have been handed over to the President and the remaining reports are expected to be handed over to the President by December.

The United National Front (UNF) leaders have reached a consensus on the draft Constitution of the proposed political alliance – the Democratic National Front (DNF).

The UNF leaders have not yet reached an agreement on the presidential candidate.

Dr. Senaratne noted that consensus on the alliance constitution was reached on Tuesday (27).

UNF leader, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, Deputy Leader Minister Sajith Premadasa, Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) leader Minister Rauff Hakeem, Tamil Progressive Alliance (TPA) leader Minister Mano Ganesan and others had attended the meeting.

Dr. Senaratne further said a committee had been formed under his leadership to formulate the principles and policies of the new alliance.

He further explained that it was agreed that the General Secretary of the new alliance will be appointed by the United National Party (UNP) while the party headquarters will be a neutral venue.

As for the presidential candidate, Dr. Senaratne said that several names have been mentioned as a possible presidential candidate of the alliance but the final candidate has not been picked.

According to Dr. Senaratne, external political parties, minority groups and civil organizations will be consulted before the naming of the Presidential candidate of the new alliance.

Sri Lanka should be transformed to a place where people would like to stay rather than leave for greener pastures, Megapolis and Western Development Minister Patali Champika Ranawake said.

He added that the Presidential candidate of the alliance led by the UNP will have to work towards this end by making a pledge before the people.

As much as 15 percent of the country’s population is settled down in foreign lands as the Sri Lankan ‘Diaspora’, he told at a meeting of professionals and officials recently.

Ministry of Megapolis and Western Development strives make Sri Lanka a better place for them to support whenever that country needs external support.

Sri Lanka should therefore encourage those Sri Lankans working abroad to return with experience, capital and better management techniques, he stressed.

Over 2.5 million Sri Lankans have left the country for foreign employment during the past ten years.

Of this, 51,000 are professionals including doctors, engineers and accountants who climbed the ladder of social status benefitting from free education .

In Sri Lanka, over 25,000 doctors and 53,000 professionals are serving in the public sector.

Though the country had the target of increasing its growth rate to above 8% in the medium, as the World Bank has predicted in its Development Update for 2019, the expected growth in the next three year period will be around 3.5%.

This cannot be raised unless the country gains from those who had left for overseas some time back, the Minister added.

Legal Secretary of the United National Party (UNP) President’s Counsel Nissanka Nanayakkara says the UNP Constitution notes that a presidential candidate cannot be named until an election is declared.

Nanayakkara has made this observation in response to the ongoing debate on the potential presidential candidate of the UNP.

According to Nanayakkara, the UNP Constitution has noted that the presidential candidate can be named only after the Elections Commissioner has issued notices to submit nominations for the presidential election and there is no power to make a decision before such an event.

The presidential candidate is to be selected by a nomination board appointed by the UNP Working Committee, he has further stated.

Explaining further, Nanayakkara has said that once the nomination board names a presidential candidate, the Working Committee must approve the nomination.

The UNP Constitution including the provisions on selecting a presidential candidate was drafted by the late President J. R. Jayewardene.

Sri Lanka’s state run Technical, Vocational Education Training (TVET) sector, is now poised to receive its largest project funding in its history.

Once agreements are finalised, a US$ 50 million facility is set to spawn a fully-fledged Ocean University in Sri Lanka.

Also nine new hi-tech training facilities across the country, modelled on the lines of the ground-breaking and ultra-modern South Korean backed KTEC Training Centre unveiled in Orugodawatte recently .

Nine more new centres will be established similar to recently launched Korea-Sri Lanka National Vocational Training Institute in Orgodawatte with South Korean funding.

This was stated by Minister of Industry, Commerce Rishad Bathiudeen in Gampaha in the presence of State Minister Buddhika Pathirana, former President Chandrika Kumaratunge, Minister of Skills Development and Vocational Training Karunaratne Paranavithana, Minister of Transport Arjuna Ranatunga, and South Korean Ambassador in Sri Lanka Heon Lee.

The GTC, launched exactly 20 years ago, has been modernised by a US $4.5 Mn South Korean loan funding which is part of the second phase of the two stage US $26 Mn project (the first stage was the Korea-Sri Lanka National Vocational Training Institute launched on 21 August in Orugodawatte).

A fully-fledged Ocean University will be built at a cost of US $ 50 Mn and the construction work will begin in the coming weeks.

The Criminal Investigations Department (CID) is to record a statement from Minister Ravi Karunanayake following an order by the Colombo Chief Magistrate Lanka Jayarathne.

The Colombo Chief Magistrate has directed Karunanayake to appear before the CID to record a statement on the allegation of providing false evidence to the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PcoI) probing the Central Bank Treasury bond scam.

Accordingly, Karunanayake has been ordered to appear before the CID within the next two weeks.

The directive comes soon after President Maithripala Sirisena instructed the Presidential Commission of Inquiry to expedite investigations on the 2015 bond scam at a meeting held at the President’s Secretariat on Wednesday (28).

Sirisena at the meeting said the delaying of the bond scam investigations was an impediment to implementing justice.

Relevant government officials have been directed by President Maithripala Sirisena to immediately identify the lands in the Northern Province that could be released for civilian occupation without causing a threat to national security.

The President issued these directives yesterday (28) at a meeting convened under his patronage to discuss the issue of releasing military occupied land in the North.

Sirisena noted that the government had taken many steps to return private and state lands that were occupied by the military at the time the war ended, back to its original residents during the past five years.

Accordingly, relevant government officials were directed to make necessary arrangements to identify the lands in the North that could be released without causing a threat to national security and to hand over a report on the matter to the Northern Province Governor by October 1st.

However, the President further noted that military installations were necessary to ensure national security and that the Easter Sunday attacks in April were a clear reminder of the fact.

He explained that authorities should therefore take steps to release the lands that would not threaten national security and to compensate the owners of private lands currently occupied by the military that cannot be released.

The Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) has decided to commence disciplinary action against SLFP MPs S.B. Dissanayake and Dilan Perera considering them to have vacated the party after joining the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP).

Disciplinary action will be taken against Dissanayake and Perera as well as several other SLFP members who joined the SLPP yesterday (29), SLFP Spokesman, MP Weerakumara Dissanayake said.

Accordingly, disciplinary action will be taken against them for obtaining membership in another political party, and the SLFP will take note that the SLFP members who had joined the SLPP to have left the SLFP.

The police Financial Crimes Investigating Division (FCID) has informed court that a red notice has been issued by Interpol on a former director of one Ukrainian company, D.A. Pereeudov in connection with the magisterial inquiry conducted into the financial loss caused to the government when purchasing four Ukraine-built MIG 27 aircraft in 2006.

The court was also informed that Interpol has been requested to issue red notices on several other directors of the company over the investigation.

FCID IP Nihal Francis has told court that the progress of suspect Udayanga Weeratunga’s extradition inquiry would be informed on the next date of the case since it is currently in progress in Dubai.

The FICD has also noted that the financial inquiry conducted over this transaction has revealed some suspicious transactions between Singaporean company known as D.S. Alliance and a cousin of suspect Weeratunga’s spouse.

Court was further informed that the FCID had also recorded statements from seven former officials of Sri Lanka Air Force over the procurement process and according to those statements the officials have said there were no links between D.S. Alliance and the procurement process.

However, the FCID has noted that the investigation has revealed there was a link between D.S. Alliance and the procurement of MIG27s.
The case is to be taken up again on November 19th.

Reports publicized by some media outlets of an alleged plot to assassinate Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) presidential hopeful, Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Opposition Leader Mahinda Rajapaksa has been refuted by the Sri Lanka Police.

The Police Media Spokesperson’s Office issued a release denying claims about an assassination plot yesterday (29).

The Sri Lanka Army on August 18th had arrested a Judicial Medical Officer (JMO) serving at the Palai Hospital named Sinnaiya Sivaruban over alleged connections to terrorist activities and was transferred to the Terrorism Investigation Division (TID) in Jaffna for interrogation.

Based on the information revealed during the interrogation, four more suspects – Sinnamanie Kaneswaran, Iraththinam Krishnarasa, Mohansundaram Sinnathurai, and Vinyagamoorthy Nejilan – were arrested. Interrogations have also revealed a stock of weaponry hidden in Jaffna.

Two more suspects – T. Nimalaraj, and Ruban Jathusanj – were also arrested based on the revealed information on Wednesday (28).

Meanwhile, several newspapers had reported yesterday (29) that the main suspect Sivaruban had also confessed to the TID on a conspiracy to assassinate the Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Mahinda Rajapaksa.

However, the Police have stated that these reports were false and that none of the seven suspects including Sivaruban had made such a statement or a confession to the Police or any other official of an assassination plot.

The reports of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PcoI) on SriLankan Airlines, SriLankan Catering and Mihin Lanka are to be handed over to the Attorney General (AG).

The decision was reached following the granting of approval by the Cabinet of Ministers to a proposal submitted by President Maithripala Sirisena to the Cabinet.

The Attorney General is to subsequently take necessary legal action on the three state entities.