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A  member of the controversial de-limitation committee died of a heart attack in Jaffna Saturday hours after a report he co-authored was shot down by parliament in an unprecedented move.

Professor Shahul H. Hasbullah, 67,  was a member of the committee which drew up new electoral boundaries for the next provincial council election. The panel had presented a 804-page report to the House five months ago and it was debated and rejected on Friday.

While in Jaffna to attend a function at the university there, Hasbullah,  a professor of geography at the University of Peradeniya, took ill and died early Saturday, a family friend said. His funeral was due to take place at his village of Erukkulampiddy in the district of  Mannar on Saturday afternoon.

Hasbullah was appointed to the five-member delimitation committee in October 2017 by President Maithripala Sirisena. Other members of the de-limitation committee are Dr. K. Thavalingam (Chairman), Dr. Anila Dias Bandaranaike, P. M. Siriwardhane and S.Vijesandiran.
The committee report came in for scathing attack by both government and opposition members of parliament who voted 139 to nil to reject it.

Provincial Councils and Local Government minister Faiszer Musthapha whose presented the thick volume to parliament voted against it in a move unseen in recent parliamentary history.

Hasbullah specialised in population geography and internally displaced persons, having been made a refugee when Tamil Tigers drove out Muslims from Jaffna in 1990.

He graduated from the Peradeniya University and obtained his doctorate from the University of British Columbia, Canada.

Parliamentary observers said the Sri Lankan government may have set a record in the history of Westminster parliamentary system by voting to defeat a report it had commissioned and introduced in the House.

The report was required to be approved by a majority of two-thirds voting in its favour, in terms of the Provincial Councils Elections Act. It was originally presented to parliament on March 6  by Musthapha.

Even the JVP which supported the report and called for early elections absented themselves at the time of voting. It was clear that no political party was in favour of holding early local elections despite their rhetoric to the contrary.

The defeat of the report means there will have to be a fresh de-limitation effort which will require several months thus delaying provincial council elections.

Many observers asked why the legislature spent time and money to debate a report that they were unanimously going to reject.

Source : Economy Next

Former Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa's chief of staff was indicted today (24), for embezzling millions of dollars from a state insurance firm.

A new court set up to investigate major corruption began its work by hearing the case against Rajapaksa's top aide Gamini Senarath and three others accused of siphoning off 500 million rupees (US$3 million).

The four took the money during the construction of a hotel in the capital Colombo that was meant to be managed by the Hyatt group, prosecutors said.


Sri Lanka's ex-president Mahinda Rajapakse, who was questioned by police last week, denies any wrongdoing AFP/LAKRUWAN WANNIARACHCHI

Sri Lanka's government announced in May the creation of a special court to accelerate high-profile cases, following criticism of the slow pace of justice since President Maithripala Sirisena came to power in 2015.

He had pledged to punish members of the former administration accused of stealing vast sums during Rajapakse's decade-long rule.

Stringent security was in force on Friday at the court, which released all four men on bail of 1.1 million rupees each.

The judges also allowed a defence plea for more time to study the indictments and fixed the next hearing for Sep 19.

Rajapaksa's top civil servant, Lalith Weeratunga, has already been convicted of misappropriating US$4 million and sentenced to three years in prison.

Two of the former president's three sons have also been charged with money-laundering and other relatives face corruption allegations.
Rajapakse was questioned by police last week in connection with the abduction and torture of a journalist in 2008.

The ex-president denies any wrongdoing and has accused the new government of a witch-hunt.

Source: AFP/mz

President Maithripala Sirisena today visited Medamulana in Weeraketiya to pay his final respects to the late Chandra Tudor Rajapaksa, the brother of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

The President expressed his condolences to the former President and the family members and was also seen engaging in a cordial chat with Mahinda Rajapaksa and former Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa.

Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapaksa, MP Chamal Rajapaksa and Western Province Chief Minister Isura Devapriya were also present on the occasion.
The cremation ceremony of the late Chandra Rajapaksa is scheduled to take place at the family burial grounds at 2.00pm today (25).

Source : Ada Derana

Over 100 towns across Sri Lanka have boycotted the sale of cigarettes with the aim of making the country tobacco-free, the Health Ministry said on Wednesday.

According to the ministry, the Public Health Inspectors Union launched several programmes across the country to educate locals on the ill effects of smoking and as a result, shop owners and businessmen in many towns stopped selling cigarettes.

Twenty-two towns in Jaffna, 17 towns in Matara and 16 towns in Kurunegala joined others in boycotting the sale of cigarettes. Currently, 107 towns are part of the drive, Xinhua news agency reported.

Health Minister Rajitha Senaratne, while expressing satisfaction over the numbers, said they hope to increase these figures to 200 in 2019.

The Sri Lankan government in recent years has taken several steps to discourage smoking and the sale of cigarettes.

Among these steps were increasing the tax on tobacco up to 90 per cent, increasing the area of pictorial warning on the cigarette pack to 80 per cent, banning the sale of cigarettes around a radius of 100 metres from schools and declaring public places as non-smoking zones. 

It is reported that the government is also considering a ban on tobacco cultivation by 2020.

Amphibious transport dock USS Anchorage (LPD 23), with the embarked 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) arrived in Trincomalee, Sri Lanka, for a scheduled port visit Aug. 24.

During the visit, Sailors and Marines will have opportunities to explore the local area and meet with their counterparts during exercises with the Sri Lankan Navy and Marines. The visit is also an opportunity for U.S. Seventh Fleet to explore local logistics support services for visiting naval forces operating throughout the Indo-Pacific region.

Part of a growing U.S.-Sri Lanka naval partnership, the visit follows the Sri Lankan Navy's inaugural participation in exercise Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC), which concluded Aug. 2, as well as exercise Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) Sri Lanka, held for the first time last year.

Robert Hilton, Chargé d'affaires ad interim of the United States Embassy in Colombo, Sri Lanka, welcomed the arrival of the USS Anchorage and embarked MEU.  “This visit and training will build our shared capacity to respond to humanitarian emergencies in the Indo-Pacific region.  We’re also excited to try out the air logistics hub concept which utilizes Sri Lanka’s strategic location in the Indian Ocean to ensure the quick availability of relief supplies, equipment and other material when needed by the U.S. and partner militaries and humanitarian organizations.”

"Our Navy and Marine Corps team is deeply committed to continuing to strengthen our partnership with the Sri Lankan armed forces," said Rear Adm. Brad Cooper, commander, Amphibious Force U.S. 7th Fleet. "We are proud of the tremendous work that American Sailors and Marines are doing alongside their Sri Lankan teammates."

Capt. Dennis Jacko, commanding officer of Anchorage, said Sailors and Marines are focused on completing a successful mission and representing America in Sri Lanka.

"These ship visits help demonstrate the value of the growing U.S.-Sri Lanka partnership," said Jacko. "The goal with Anchorage is to not only enhance security cooperation, but to build understanding of the HADR (humanitarian assistance, disaster relief) capability that contributes to disaster response, along with sharing of best practices and enabling more efficient joint relief efforts in the event of a future disaster."

Approximately 300 Sri Lankan naval academy midshipmen and 40 distinguished visitors, will tour Anchorage to learn about the ship's amphibious capabilities. Additionally, Sailors and Marines will conduct training in visit, board, search and seizure, security force reaction techniques with the Sri Lankan Navy and Marines.

Captain Jacko also emphasized the damage control training that will occur during the visit. "The U.S. Navy damage control program is the world's most proficient, and I'm excited to be a part of sharing our best practices with the Sri Lankan Navy. I'm also very pleased to be able to return to Sri Lanka since visiting in 2010 on USS Pearl Harbor."

"The Sri Lankan navy, host nation support team and the U.S. Embassy have provided tremendous assistance and cooperation in developing the first temporary air logistics hub concept in Sri Lanka," said Cmdr. Deborah K. McIvy, assistant chief of staff, Expeditionary Strike Group 7. "Successfully leveraging local logistics support services will help standardize the process for future operations, to include supplying mission-critical supplies for HADR efforts."

In addition to the professional exchanges, Sailors and Marines will take part in sporting events, including baseball, soccer, basketball and volleyball.

Anchorage, which is part of the Essex Amphibious Ready Group (ARG), and the 13th MEU are deployed to the 7th fleet area of operations to support regional stability, reassure partners and allies and maintain a presence postured to respond to any crisis ranging from humanitarian assistance to contingency operations.

The Special High Court in the first case it tried today granted bail to the suspects who include former President's Chief of Staff Gamini Senarath and three other top officials.

The case was taken up before the three-member bench of High Court Justices Sampath Wijeratne, Sampath Abeykoon and Champa Janaki Rajaratna.

Each suspect was released on a cash bail of Rs. 100,000 and a two personal sureties of Rs. 1 million each. The suspects were also ordered to hand over their passports to the court.

Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa's Chief of Staff Gamini Senarath along with former Executive Director of Sri Lanka Insurance Corporation (SLIC) Piyadasa Kudabalage, Director General of the Samurdhi Development Department Neil Bandara Hapuhinna and Lasantha Bandara had been charged with criminal misuse of public funds amounting to 500 million rupees under the Public Property Act, Penal Code, and Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

Deputy Solicitor General Thusith Mudalige, appearing on behalf of the Attorney General, said that he will take steps to hand over the relevant documents of the case to the defendants and requested time.

The High Court bench accordingly, postponed the case until September 19 and said that the date of the hearing will be fixed on that day.

Chairman of the three-member High Court Bench, Justice Sampath Abeykoon said that the case would be heard on a daily basis. He further said that the Special High Court was established for a specific purpose and the judges also have to work only within that legal framework.

This is the first case to be called before the three-member special bench appointed to hear case of serious financial fraud. The four defendants appeared before the three-member bench today.

The Attorney General has filed a charge sheet with 21 counts of fraud and misuse of public property against the defendants. He has presented 92 documents as production items and 63 individuals have been named as witnesses in the case.

The defendants are accused of illegally investing Rs. 500 million of public funds which had been given by Litro Gas Company to Canwill Holdings Ltd. at Helanco Hotels and Spa.

Senarath, Kudabalage, and Hapuhinna are founding directors of Sino Lanka Hotels & Spa Private Limited formed in 2011 with the funds from Sri Lanka Insurance Corporation, Litro Gas Lanka and the Employees Provident Fund.

The three accused have formed another company called Canwill Holdings Ltd and with the cabinet approval the three state institutions invested Rs. 18.5 billion in the new company of which the three accused were also directors.

However, they have formed another company called Helanko Hotels & Spa without cabinet approval and transferred Rs. 4 billion from the Canwill Holdings. Helanko Hotels & Spa later launched the Hyatt Regency project in Hambantota at a cost of Rs. 312.2 million without cabinet approval.

(Colombo Page)

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe left for Vietnam today to attend the Indian Ocean Conference in Hanoi.

The conference takes place from August 27 -28 under the them “Building Regional Architectures” to promote strategic cooperation and trade ties between countries, consolidate security frameworks and administrative processes, and contribute to maintaining regional peace, stability, development, and connectivity. Wickremesinghe is scheduled to address the inaugural session of the two-day conference on 27 August.

The Railway Guards’ Union says they will commence a strike action from midnight on August 29. The strike is being launched due to the lack of a proper response from authorities with regard to rectifying their salary anomalies.  
 
Railway trade union representatives including engine drivers, controllers, guards and stationmasters held discussions with President Maithripala Sirisena and government officials yesterday (23). They also held discussions with the wages board today. 
 
However, speaking to reporters following the meeting several trade union representatives said that talks were unsuccessful.

Top political sources say a Presidential election could be announced in January 2019 if the joint opposition comes to an agreement with the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP). 

Sources say serious political discussions have commenced in this regard and that they were initiated by several MP’s of the 16 group which left the government recently along with some MP’s from the JO. 

The discussions even have reached the point to initiate a plan to distribute posts if their bid is successful. However, the JO is said to be insisting that the Presidential candidate must be from the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna. 

(Deshaya)

Speaking in parliament today Minister of Finance and Mass Media Mangala Samaraweera said a proper mechanism needs to be adopted for censorship.

The Minister made these comments in reference to the recent uproar and call to censors a radio drama series by the Office of National Unity and Reconciliation (ONUR) for its take on some Pali phrases used in Buddhism which they had used as titles for the episodes. 

"I was worried and I listened to them but it has nothing harmful to Buddhism" the Minister said adding that he also urges the Minister of Culture to be cautious when imposing censorship without merely listening to various parties. 

According to the Minister artists must get the freedom to be creative. He also claimed the recent issue is an attempt by certain parties to create anti government Buddhist groups by claiming the government is insulting Buddhism through its actions. "If we do not implement a proper system we will face many challanges in a democratic frame work going forward" he said.

A 5.5 magnitude earthquake has occurred in the Andaman island which lies to the East of Sri Lanka. 

As per the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the epicenter of the quake lies 250 km Southwest from Port Blair, the capital of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

The quake is of moderate nature and no reports of damage has been reported so far. USCG has not issued a Tsunami alert as of now.

Sources claim that sacks of money which had supposedly been taken away from the Temple trees following the 2015 Presidential election have fallen to the hands of several media personnel is now being investigated by security sections. 

Investigations have revealed that this personnel belong to both print and web media. According to sources one media person has been paid over Rs. 50000 monthly from a state agency during the Rajapaksa era while another is said to be now building a luxury home.

Investigations have also revealed that the cash had been moved in a car belonging to the secretary of a powerful government employee at the time.  Investigations are continuing. 

(dinamina )