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The Colombo Chief Magistrate's Court has fixed February 2 to deliver its order on preliminary objections raised today by former Minister Keheliya Rambukwella and the former State Printing Corporation (SPC) Chairman.

The duo is alleged to have caused an unlawful loss of Rs.230, 984 to the government after paying the former Minister’s mobile phone bill using SPC funds, during his tenure as the Mass Media Minister in the year 2012.

The defence had raised preliminary objections regarding the maintainability of the charge sheet.

The Bribery Commission alleged that the former Minister Keheliya Rambukwella had induced the CPC chairman to pay his mobile phone bill from March 15, 2012 to April 14, 2012 thereby causing an unlawful loss to the government, while serving as the Minister of Mass Media.

The PET Scanner to be installed at the Maharagama Apeksha Hospital has arrived in Sri Lanka.

The Pet Scanner has been purchased from Siemens Germany at a cost of Rs. 202 million, a Health Ministry spokesman said.

The PET Scanner will be installed in the Cancer Hospital and will begin services before April this year.

The public donated Rs. 200 million to the Government to buy the PET Scanner for the National Institute of Cancer in Maharagama.

The fundraising campaign was implemented by the Kadijah Foundation, TV Derana and several other organisations. The fundraising campaign was completed in June 2016. Positron Emission Tomography (PET) is a nuclear medicine functional imaging technique that is used to observe metabolic processes in the body. Three-dimensional images of tracer concentration within the body are then constructed by computer analysis. PET scans assist oncologists to determine the latest status of cancers in patient’s bodies.

In a statement released today, Minister of Finance and Media Mangala Samaraweera said that the upcoming local elections will determine if Sri Lankans will live free or under the yoke of fear, impunity and grotesque abuse of power by a single family and its henchmen.

The full statement;

 March to freedom or return to fear?

"The National Unity Government ushered in through a historic and revolutionary election in January 2015 has recently marked three years in office. As the Government attains this milestone, our achievements are many, but the road ahead of us remains as long and challenging as ever, and Sri Lanka stands again at the cusp of a crucial election in three weeks time that will determine the course of our nation in the years ahead.

Once again, it is an election that will decide if democratic institutions and traditions, painstakingly rebuilt since January 2015 will be torn down and laid to waste again. It is an election that will determine if Sri Lankans will live free or under the yoke of fear, impunity and grotesque abuse of power by a single family and its henchmen.

 For this local government election on February 10th is much more than a regional contest to capture political power in urban and municipal precincts. It is an old regime’s first real attempt to recapture power and restore an old, corrupt and dictatorial order.

 Incumbency fatigue and the monumental challenges ahead of Sri Lanka as the country strives to march towards sustainable peace and prosperity, weighs heavily on the January 8th constituency and the representatives elected to serve them. Disillusioned by the road ahead, which seems fraught with difficulty and the potential for lost opportunity, this constituency may waver. But I believe it is important to try and build on what has already been achieved and keep the window open for peace and change. I believe it is important to have a long memory. I believe it is important to be long-sighted and clear-headed about the monumental choice facing all Sri Lankans in this crucial election.

As memory fades and we are embroiled in the politics of the present, it is easy to forget that once, not so many years ago, a Government shot and killed its citizens for the crime of demanding clean water.

 We need to ask ourselves, where all the white vans have gone. Where have the grease yakas gone?

 We must question why the Government’s political critics and dissidents are not being thrown in jail. Why media organizations are not attacked and burned any longer. Why journalists are not being abducted or killed.

Remember the night races – the gift of an indulgent father who wielded all the power of his presidential office to ensure his sons could have a good time?

Remember the time when young men paid with their lives for the crime of being a rugby rival?

Remember when an incompetent brother in law to the President ran the national airline to the ground?

Remember how it was impossible to speak openly about the excesses of the ruling family except in hushed whispers not so long ago?

Of course, these are basic freedoms that citizens in any functioning democracy should take for granted. But it must never be forgotten that there is a profound co-relation between the end of this tyranny imposed upon the citizenry and the fall of the Rajapaksa regime in 2015. And it is this culture of extravagance, abuse of state property and state terror that is trying to make a comeback in the February 10th local government election.

Electoral inroads made in this poll could be used to attempt to recapture national control in future elections. So while the forthcoming election may be a ‘little one’ it has national consequences that could reverberate for years to come, casting long shadows over the lives of Sri Lankans who have begun to live unfettered and free again today. Yes, perhaps we are not where we hoped to be by this time. But we will get there. Change is incremental, political systems are entrenched and sometimes immovable; but the will to change remains as strong as ever.

With the Rajapaksa regime and its fellow barbarians at the gates once more, Sri Lanka is at another crossroads at this election. In a way, this makes the choice clearer for all those citizens who want liberty, democracy and peace. On February 10th the people will have to choose once more – will we continue the march to freedom or herald a return to fear?".

Shortly after the government signed a new Free Trade Agreement with Singapore, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said Sri Lanka must make even more deals to its economy to grow.

“For every foreign investment, there are Sri Lankan rupees earned,” he said. “There is a lot of hope in this agreement,” the Prime Minister said

The Prime Minister was speaking at the 59th Annual General Meeting of the National Chamber of Commerce of Sri Lanka at the Kingsbury Hotel last evening.

Prime Minister Wickremesinghe said that the government was already negotiating a new Free Trade Agreement with India.

“The main point is the removal of non-tariff barriers,” he said.

“Another trade deal with China is in the works,” the Prime Minister added.

“(There) is a market of over 3.5 billion people at our doorstep,” he said.

Prime Minister Wickremesinghe said that in order for businesses to succeed there must be a paradigm shift “to make our economy more outward-looking.” He added that politics should not get in the way of development.

“This government finally wants Sri Lanka to be successful,” he said.

Prime Minister Wickremesinghe said that the Anti-Dumping Bill, which would ensure that best practices are implemented in following free trade agreements, would appear in Parliament this week, and that he expected it to pass.

“The government had originally wanted the bill passed before signing the deal with Singapore,” the Premier said.

Speaking of last year’s deal to lease part of the Hambantota port to China, the Prime Minister said the Port had been a “white elephant.”

“Now we’ve come to a joint venture agreement,the Hambantota harbour will be taken over,” he said. “Of the $1.3 billion repaid, we have already been paid $200 million … and additional $600 million has been requested.”

“If the deal sparks new developments like an oil refinery, in the end, “you yourself will be compensated,” he said.

Source : Daily News

The Attorney General’s Department is in the process of studying the possibility of instituting legal action against former Ministers Basil Rajapaksa, Wimal Weerawansa, Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, former Chief Minister S.M. Ranjith and several other persons.

They are alleged to have been involved in misappropriation of public funds and serious acts of fraud.

The study is conducted under the directive of Attorney General Jayantha Jayasooriya. AG Jayasooriya said President’s Secretary Austin Fernando, under the instruction of President Maithripala Sirisena, has submitted eight Presidential Commission reports to the AG’s Department seeking further legal action.

Jayasooriya also said that the above mentioned names and several other names of former chairman and directors appear in the said eight reports.The AG’s Department is studying the avenues of possible legal action against them as well.

The report includes investigations on the Economic Development Authority, National Housing Development Authority, the Hector Kobbekaduwa Agrarian and Training Research Institute, the Kandy MOH Office, National Transport Commission, the Rupavahini Corporation and the National Youth Services Council.

Legal action is also sought on former Rupavahini Corporation Chairman Wimal Rubasinghe, Director General Chandrapala Liyanage, National Transport Commission Chairman Renuka Dushmantha Perera and former National Youth Services Council Chairman Lalith Piyum Perera as well.

Making a shocking revelation, Minister of Law and Order and Southern Development Sagala Ratnayaka admitted on popular social media platform Twitter that fundamentals on quelling tensions and operating guidelines may have been compromised during the Kataragama shooting.

The Minister was referring to an incident where a motorcyclist was shot dead by a police constable on Wedihiti Kanda Road in Kataragama town for allegedly failing to stop the vehicle for inspection. The incident sparked protests resulting in the arrests of several individuals. The shooting prompted a probe directed by Inspector General of Police (IGP) Pujith Jayasundara who ordered a special team from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to investigate the fatal shooting.

“Police themselves are subject to law. When quelling a tense situation or an unruly demonstration, justifiable force should be used, in strict adherence to operating guidelines. It appears to be that these fundamentals have not been followed in relation to Kataragama incident,” the Minister said yesterday.

Inferring reforms of Sri Lanka Police, the Minister went on to add that the “Kataragama incident is not an isolated one. This stems from lack of training and professionalism. Failure to address core issues diligently will throw us into similar situations time and time again. So, drastic reforms will soon be introduced to Police with help of foreign experts.”

The Minister also added that he has communicated to the Secretary of the Ministry and IGP at a special meeting for action to be initiated against those responsible for the Kataragama incident.

 Source : Daily News

The Emir of the State of Qatar Sheikh Tamin bin Hamad Al Thani and his family will be on a private visit in Sri Lanka from 25-28 January, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today in a statement.

Last year in October, at the invitation of the Emir Sheikh Tamin bin Hamad Al Thani, President Maithripala Sirisena undertook a State Visit to Qatar which was the first by a Head of State of Sri Lanka.

The close relations between Qatar and Sri Lanka were further strengthened during the State Visit by President Sirisena with both countries committing to work towards greater cooperation for mutual benefit.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo arrived in Sri Lanka for a two-day state visit today (24), the Sri Lankan Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

President Widodo, who is on a State visit at the invitation of President Maithripala Sirisena, will be accorded a ceremonial welcome with guard of honour and twenty one gun salute at the Presidential Secretariat this evening.

The Foreign Ministry said that the two leaders will conduct official bilateral discussions on a wide range of issues of mutual interest. Several Memoranda of Understanding are to be inked between the two countries during the visit, the Ministry stated.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe is scheduled to have discussions on economic, trade and investment cooperation with President Widodo at a breakfast meeting on 25th January.

Minister of Finance and Media Mangala Samaraweera had a successful meeting with a high-level delegation of investors from Japan, the Finance Ministry said today.

The Japanese investors are here on an invitation by the Japan – Sri Lanka Joint Comprehensive Partnership Secretariat of the Prime Minister’s Office in the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Tokyo.

The Sri Lanka Human Rights Commission (HRC) has notified seven individuals to appear before the Commission to record a statement, today.

The statements will be recorded in relation to investigations carried out on the misconduct of the Uva Chief Minister who allegedly forced a female school Principal to kneel before him.

Accordingly, Uva Education Secretary Sandya Ambanwela, Provincial Education Director Ratnayaka, Zonal Education Director Ranasinghe, the Badulla Police OIC and three other Provincial Council workers were notified

At the invitation of President Maithripala Sirisena, the Indonesian President Joko Widodo, conducted a State Visit to Sri Lanka from 24 – 25 January 2018.

During the visit, President Widodo met with President Sirisena and had bilateral discussions. Recalling the establishment of formal diplomatic relations over 65 years ago, the two Leaders expressed satisfaction on the vibrant, strong bonds of friendship that exist between the two countries, and agreed to further consolidate and expand the relations.

The two Presidents also witnessed the signing of three MoUs in the fields of Search and Rescue (SAR); Higher Education, Research and Technology; and, Cooperation against Trafficking in Narcotic Drugs, Psychotropic Substances and their Chemical Precursors.

Recognising the vibrant maritime connectivity between Sri Lanka and Indonesia, the two Leaders discussed a wide range of issues of mutual interest pertaining to trade and investment, and reaffirmed their commitment to deepen and broaden economic collaboration. They acknowledged the need to harness the untapped potential, which exists in the bilateral economic sphere and emphasised the need for the early establishment of the Joint Working Group on Trade and Investment.

The two Leaders agreed that a joint feasibility study be undertaken for a possible comprehensive bilateral free trade agreement.

President Joko Widodo also met with Prime Minister Hon. Ranil Wickremesinghe and had extensive discussions on a range of issues including investment, trade, economic cooperation and science and technology.

The two leaders acknowledged the positive outcomes of the Business Forum co-organised by the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce and the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KADIN), which was well attended by leading investors and businesspersons from both countries and welcomed the signing of the MoU between the two Chambers.

The Indonesian business delegation comprising members of KADIN which accompanied President Widodo called on Prime Minister Wickremesinghe and discussed enhancing bilateral trade and investment.

Physical work of the proposed light railway project from Kaduwela to Colombo Fort would commence this year said Minister of Megalopolis Development Champika Ranwaka.

Speaking at the launch of Construction EXPO 2018 he said that in addition the Arukkal project in Puttalum, the solution to Colombo’s garbage disposal too would begin this year. The Minister also said that the government is keen in promoting green buildings and all future government building would be built accordingly ensuring energy efficiently. The Colombo Port City too would be built under the Green concept.

Meanwhile Chairman Ceylon Institute of Builders, Dr. Rohan Karunaratne said that today the cost of local construction is very high and the main reasons for this were high cost of material, waste of labour and taxes.

He also said that local construction companies was facing stiff competition from multinational companies and requested Minister Ranawaka to make regulation ensuring 25% contracts be awarded to locals. He also said that today ‘Green Certification’ is well accepted and requested the Minister to only award building contracts to ‘Green Certified’ building contractors.

The 7th building, construction, engineering and architecture industry, Construction Expo will be held from June 29 July 1 at the BMICH, with the there “Towards a Green Sri Lanka”.

The event is organized and managed by Lanka Exhibition and Conference Services (Pvt) Ltd in collaboration with the Ceylon Institute of Builders (CIOB) and more than 20,000 to 25,000 visitors are expected at the exhibition.

“This year, Construction Expo 2018 will feature numerous concurrent and new events to supplement the main exhibition. Apart from the exhibition, seminars, discussions and meetings with foreign and local construction experts will be held, which would enable local contractors to know and understand the trends and new technology available in the sector,” said Lanka Exhibition and Conference Service (LECS) CEO Aasim Mukthar.

A 50 members high profile delegation led by the Business Department of Liaoning Province and Shenyang Zhongquao International Exhibition Co Ltd will arrive in Colombo to attend the Construction Expo 2018. The objective of the visit is to actively promote economic and trade cooperation between Sri Lanka and the Liaoning region of China.

Source : Daily News