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Cabinet approval is said to have been granted to handover the tender to supply new e-passports sans following the normal tender process. According to sources, this tender has now been given to M/S De La Rue Lanka Currency and Security Print Ltd as proposed by Minister of Telecommunication and Digital Infrastructure, Harin Fernando.

Tender Valued at Rs. 1.2 Billion

While the value of the tender is said to be Rs. 1.2 Billion government insiders have cast doubt regarding the proposal to handover the tender without following the process. According to insider government sources, there are now concerns if any serious financial irregularities are behind this deal.

De La Rue did not bid for tender

These sources while pointing out that M/S De La Rue Lanka Currency and Security Print Ltd. had not even submitted a bid for the tender when it was first called to print the newly proposed e-passports. They further explained that the Government Printers are able to provide these required passports at only an expenditure of Rs. 600 Million. However, according to them, it is questionable as to why this possibility was ignored and cabinet approval was granted to handover the tender to M/S De La Rue Lanka Currency and Security Print Ltd instead.

Presidential observations shown the door

While a similar proposal to hand over the tender to the same company was submitted at a previous occasion, presenting his observations on the project President Maithripala Sirisena had suggested that it is better to grant the tender after a competitive bidding process than grant it to a single supplier.

However, it appears that several parties in the government have continuously pushed to grant this project to the said company and as a result, a MoU was signed by the ICTA and M/S De La Rue Lanka Currency and Security Print Ltd on June 13, 2017, to provide the related technical requirement analysis.

According to the MoU signed disregarding the previous cabinet proposal and the Presidents observations on August 9, 2016, Minister Harin Fernando had presented cabinet paper CP/17/1576/722/017 jointly with the Minister of Immigration and Emigration S.B Nawinna. However, the recommendation of the cabinet at the time was to launch the e-passport project according to the ‘Swiss Challenge’ procedure instead.

De La Rue not up for a ‘Swiss Challenge’

However, according to reports M/S De La Rue Lanka Currency and Security Print Ltd had expressed their displeasure at this recommendation of the cabinet while the British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka is also said to have lobbied for the company requesting several government officials to grant the project to De La Rue.

Insider sources of the government also claim that Minister Fernando had on November 20 presented cabinet paper No. 17/2522/749/022 accordingly requesting the project be granted without calling for tenders as proposed by the cabinet paper presented on August 9, 2017, in this regard.

Immigration and Emigration Department to go out of business

Meanwhile, insider sources of the Department of Immigration and Emigration say the process of issuing passports will be fully privatised by granting the project to M/S De La Rue Lanka Currency and Security Print Ltd.

According to the department trade unions, fears are also rife that the 400 strong staff at the ‘New Passport Office’ newly established at a cost of Rs. one billion recently will be laid off as a result.

Strike action imminent

As a result, all trade unions are expected to voice their dissent against the decision to grant the project to De La Rue. However according to the unions if it the tender is granted nevertheless the union and staff are prepared now to launch a serious trade union action soon.

The third reading of the budget was passed by a two-thirds majority in parliament today. The budget received 155 votes for with only 56 voting against it.

The third reading of the budget presented by the Minister of Finance and Media, Mangala Samaraweera was debated for a months time.

While United National Party, the Sri Lanka Freedom Party faction in the Government, Tamil National Alliance, Ceylon Workers Congress and Eelam Peoples Democratic Party voted in favour while the Joint Opposition and the Janatha Vimukthi Peramun voted against the Budget.However former President Mahinda Rajapaksa was not present during the vote.

The Former official residence of the speaker, 'Mumtaz Mahal' is set to be converted to a Military Training College. According to reliable to sources talks are underway to convert the residence to a Military Training College for the Senior Officers of the Tri-forces. The first round of discussions was held recently in Colombo.

If the project takes off military sources revealed that Senior Officers could undertake certain senior officer courses in Sri Lanka itself. Currently, the military sends officers overseas to countries such as Pakistan in order to complete these courses due to their unavailability in Sri Lanka.

However, sources also claim the project has hit a snag as the land and premises ownership currently lies with the Department of Archeology.

Built in 1929, Mumtaz Mahal was purchased in 1948 to serve as the official residence of the Speaker of the House of Representatives and served in that capacity till a new residence was built in 2000 in close proximity to the New Parliament Complex in Sri Jayawardenapura-Kotte. Since then the house has been used by various government entities.

Pic Source: rootsweb.com

The secret discussions to join the SLFP and the Joint Opposition in marriage for the upcoming mini polls are still underway. Political insiders claim that the SLFP has informed the Joint Opposition that it has agreed to all conditions presented by them except for one.

According to reports the SLFP has refused to leave the government as requested by the JO but has agreed to other condition set forward. It has also agreed to present the position of General Secretary of the Podujana Eksath Peramuna to the JO sources said.

If the SLFP and JO union is confirmed the parties are expected to contest under the ‘chair’ symbol under the banner of the Podujana Eksath Peramuna party in the upcoming local government polls. Meanwhile, sources also claim that the SLFP has agreed to give over 50 percent of the nominations over to the members of the JO.

Additionally, the SLFP is said to have proposed that some flexibility should be adopted when appointing the President of the Podujana Eksath Peramuna insiders revealed.

Response not favourable

However, while no favourable response has been received from the JO, talks are said to be yet underway to bring the two parties together.

Meanwhile, it has also been reported that secret discussions have commenced between a group of Ministers and Parliamentarians that left the SLFP and a group of others who were about to leave the party ranks recently.

Discussions are also said to be underway to resolve the nominations related issues that have cropped up within the JO.

Mahinda’s Stance

Basil: Steerer of the JO

Meanwhile, the website ‘Lanka C News’ maintained by the leader of the National Freedom Front, Wimal Weerawansa has reported that the Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa has revealed that the parties belonging to the JO may contest the local government elections as the ‘Podujana Peramuna’.

The website has also reported that the former President has said the JO has no intention to join hands with the SLFP who are governing the country in cahoots with the UNP.

According to the report, Rajapaksa had opined that if the ‘Podujana Peramuna’ joins with a political party which is part of the current government this may suggest that the party has accepted the policies of the current government.

Due to these reasons the JO members have refused to contest with the SLFP, he was further quoted as saying.

Wariyapola Police have successfully nabbed three suspects along with 70,000 tablets of Tramadol, an opioid pain medication. The arrests had been made on the Wariyapola - Puttalam road near the CTB depot in Wariyapola.

Acting on a tip-off received the team of officers discovered the haul of Tramadol pills which were being transported for sale by the three individuals at the time. The Police arrested two males and one female during the raid.

The suspects aged 49, 50 and 39 are said to be residents of Mannar, Naththandiya and Negombo.

The painkiller is commonly used as a substitute for drugs. Experts claim Tramadol abuse can cause serious consequences and be highly addictive.

Pic Source : justiclawyer.com

A Sri Lankan man who threatened to set off a bomb onboard a flight from Melbourne is facing a maximum 20 years' jail after pleading guilty to attempting to take control of an aircraft.

Manodh Marks, 25, forced Malaysia Airlines flight MH128 to Kuala Lumpur to turn back shortly after take-off when he tried to enter the cockpit while screaming that he had a bomb.

The catering student was overpowered by passengers who tied him up with belts until the flight landed at Melbourne Airport in June.

Police were criticised for taking up to 90 minutes to board the plane and remove Mr Marks, who had in fact been holding what officers described as a "speaker-type" object.

He was initially charged with multiple offences, some of which carried a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.

But prosecutors dropped a number of charges, leaving Mr. Marks to plead guilty in the Melbourne Magistrates' Court to a single charge of attempting to take control of an aircraft. It carries a maximum penalty of 20 years' jail.

(ABC)

Photo Credit: AAP

Anniversary celebrations were kicked off with a series of religious programmes commencing from a flag blessing ceremony at the Sri Maha Bodhi in Anuradhapura. The Hindu religious ceremony was conducted at the Ponnambalamwaneshwarar Hindu temple l in Colombo while the Islamic ceremony was held at the Fort Jummah Masjidh and the Christian Service was conducted at the St. Lucia's Cathedral. An all-night Pirith chanting ceremony was also conducted at the Welisara Navy camp.

The Ceylon Naval Volunteer Force (CNVF) was formed in 1937 and after World War II, it was brought under the Royal Navy and named as the Ceylon Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve (CRNVR). Turning a new chapter in the annals of Sri Lanka's maritime history, the Royal Ceylon Navy was established on 09th December 1950. With the country becoming a Republic, the Royal Ceylon Navy was renamed and came to be known in its present name; Sri Lanka Navy from 22nd May 1972.

The Navy has etched its name in the annals of Sri Lankan history by the courage and the commitment of its men, displayed during the humanitarian operation that led to the defeat of terrorism ushering in an era of peace and harmony to the country. As the first line of defence of this island nation, the Navy plays a pivotal role in protecting the country's maritime regions and resources within it. In addition, the blue jackets also play their role well during natural disasters and emergency situations.

The Sri Lanka Navy is also in the forefront of steering the maritime capabilities of the nation as the country is strategically situated in an international shipping route. The 'Galle Dialogue Maritime Conference' held in-line boosts the link between the nations while discussing maritime related issues of the future world.

Source: Ministry of Defence
Pics Source: Sri Lanka Navy

Making a statement regarding the cost of living in Parliament today Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe clarified steps taken by the government to counter its rise. “In order to reduce the cost of living, food items will be imported if the need arises” the PM confirmed adding that the government is prepared to take the necessary steps in this regard.

According to the PM the country’s economy, as well as food supply, is highly dependant on the weather and climate patterns of the country. “This has had a negative impact on the household economy,” Prime Minister Wickramasinghe said adding that the continuous erratic weather has hindered farming activities thereby causing the cost of goods to rise.

Meanwhile, the State Minister of Finance, Eran Wickramaratne yesterday (07) announced that the PM has ordered the purchase of One million Metric Tonnes of Rice. He further said that measures are now being taken to reduce the prices of rice.

Three political parties belonging to the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) will contest together in the upcoming local government polls.

Accordingly, the Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization (TELO), Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK) and People's Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE) have come together for the elections. The trio is set to contest under the 'house' symbol of ITAK.

Announcing the move the Secretary of TELO, N. Srikanthan said the decision was arrived at following a meeting attended by the leaders of all three parties.

The meeting held yesterday (09) was held between Mavai Senathirajah (ITAK), Selvan Addiakalanathan (TELO), Dharmalingam Siddharthan (PLOTE) along with other MPs and party members. Party sources say important decisions regarding the upcoming election was arrived at during the meeting.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) stated that the Executive Board completed the third review of Sri Lanka's Extended Fund Facility (EFF) arrangement on Thursday (06), which enabled the disbursement of about USD 251.4 million. With the latest tranche, the IMF has disbursed a total of USD 760 million to Sri Lanka.

Issuing a statement following the third review, the IMF Executive Board stated that Sri Lanka's fiscal performance has been satisfactory and all targets until September were met. IMF acknowledged that despite a series of weather-related supply shocks, the macroeconomic and financial conditions have been stable. The release also states that the authorities remain committed to the economic reforms under the program and have undertaken measures to improve government revenue and accumulate international reserves.

Deputy Managing Director and Acting Chair, Mitsuhiro Furusawa stated that, "it is important to build on the progress made and accelerate reforms to further reduce fiscal and external vulnerabilities”. He added that timely progress in structural reforms, including tax administration and energy pricing, will further support fiscal consolidation.

The Central Bank nor any state bank was controlled by the Ministry of Finance during his tenure as Minister of Finance, the former Minister Ravi Karunanayake has said.

The former Minister, therefore, claimed that in such a situation he cannot be made responsible for decisions taken by those institutions at the time.

Karunanayake made these comments while in an interview with the editor of lankanewsweek.com, Sujith Mangala De Silva. During the discussion, the Minister also claimed that the public will understand the truth in the near future.

 People will realize the truth someday:

“I have not done anything wrong. The people will someday realize the truth and join me as the truth cannot be concealed for long”.

“I have been involved in social service since childhood so whether I have the power or not my service to the public will not be stopped”.

“When one is involved in social services it creates enemies within the party and from the opposition as well” Karunanayake was quoted as saying while also adding that he has the strength to able to face such enemies.

The Minister had previously claimed that he was not involved in the Bond scam as the Central and state banks were not under the Ministry of Finance.

The Rajakasa’s including Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa is now secretly attempting to once again build a close rapport with President Maithripala Sirisena political sources have revealed.

According to sources, the discussion held between Minister Dayasiri Jayasekara and MP Namal Rajapaksa at the Parliament yesterday (07) which was initiated by the Former President is said to be an initial step in this regard.

While organizer and front-runner of the ‘Pohottuwa’ political party Basil Rajapaksa has not agreed yet to these secret discussions it is said the former First lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa and former Secretary of Defence Gotabaya Rajapaksa are highly favourable of the new political move.

Accordingly, sources revealed that the Former President sent an initial draft of a MoU to President Sirisena yesterday (07) which will allow the SLFP and JO to contest in the upcoming polls under a joint ticket. The response of the President in this regard is expected to be conveyed today (08) reliable sources said.

SLFP and JO stalwarts have been continuously emphasizing the need for an alliance between the SLFP and JO in the upcoming mini polls.