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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.

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)

Russian Embassy in Colombo is said to have come under attack during the afternoon today with unidentified suspects hurling stones at the diplomatic office.

However, while expressing their concerns regarding the incident reliable sources close the Russian Embassy in Colombo said that this could be a scheme by the Russian Embassy itself to acquire the land adjacent to the embassy from which the stones appeared to have been thrown from.

While the embassy is said to have kicked up a huge fuss, they have made no official complaint regarding the incident to the police yet.

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).

Law and Order and Southern Development Minister Sagala Ratnayaka said the Police would launch a pilot project in February to send traffic tickets to personal addresses of traffic rule violators.

The Minister, addressing the officers of the Police traffic unit today (11), said the new technology would be introduced to assist the Traffic police officers in their day to day work.

"We all know how they run into difficulties while doing their day to day work. Some even abuse police officers verbally when they try to take action on traffic rule violators. Their videos go viral on social media. All this can be avoided if we use modern technology for the benefit of traffic Police officers who perform their duties despite many hardships," the Minister explained.

The Minister added that a traffic ticket will also come with a photograph of the traffic rule violation as evidence and an explanation of the offence. "If the vehicle owner thinks he is not guilty, he can present his argument in courts," Ratnayaka said.

"I also instructed the IGP to take necessary measures to pay an allowance to traffic police officers working under difficult conditions. A portion of the money we collect from fines can be allocated for this. I will present a Cabinet paper seeking approval in this regard," the Minister said.

The event was organised to give a basic first-aid training to traffic police officers. It was held with the support of the Sri Lanka Red Cross Society.

The Minister said first-aid training to Police officers would help reduce the number of deaths caused by road accidents, on a daily basis.

"Some deaths occur as those who take the victims of road accidents to hospitals use wrong methods. This happens mainly due to unawareness. That is why decided to give a basic first-aid training to Police officers. Tuk Tuk drivers too will be soon given a similar training," Ratnayaka added.

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.

Colombo High Court today served Indictments to NFF leader and Parliamentarian Wimal Weerawansa over the case filed by Bribery Commission for allegedly earning around Rs 75 million by unknown means other than his lawful earnings.

He was granted two sureties of Rs. 500,000 and the case has been fixed for January 19.

The Bribery Commission filed indictments in the Colombo High Court against Weerawansa in November last year.

The Commission had indicted Weerawansa on 26 charges for earning Rs 75 million from January 1, 2009 to December 31, 2014 by unlawful and illegal means.

 Source : Daily Mirror

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.

The incumbent President of the Sri Lanka Bar Association (BASL), President’s Counsel U.R. De Silva was re-elected as the President of the Association.

He was re-elected as the President unanimously for the years 2018/2019.

De Silva has previously served as the BASL Treasurer in 2001 and as Secretary in 2008.

As the chairman of the Standing Committee of Law Week of the Bar Association for several years and as the Commissioner of the Legal Aid Commission he had organized Law Awareness Programs and free Legal Aid Clinics with members of the Bar for the needy people in the country.