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Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera said that in partnership with the AIIB, the government plans to implement the Urban Regeneration Programme which aims at relocating 50,000 low and lower middle-income households living in slums and shanties in Colombo City into new apartments. 

The Minister further said that the main focus of the concept of 'Sustainable Cities' should be on serving the poorest segments of the society by providing better living and working conditions for them by ensuring affordable housing, health care, water, sanitation and electricity. 

Samaraweera made these remarks at the Third Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) held yesterday in Mumbai, India.

He also reiterated that the Sri Lankan government has accorded high priority to achieve sustainable development in urban areas, while taking various policy measures to uplift the living conditions of the poor. "My government introduced a new Cabinet Portfolio three years back only to manage city development under the Megapolis and Western Region Development Ministry. In line with the Megapolis Development Plan, various development activities have been initiated targeting both economic and social development", Samaraweera said. 

Noting the frequent occurrence of natural disasters and the severity of their impact, the Minister said that various measures are being implemented to mitigate the effects of natural disasters and solicited the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank's assistance in this regard.

"The project of Reduction of Landslide Vulnerability Mitigation Measures is aimed at implementing mitigation measures and thereby minimizing the damages caused from landslides. It is evident that both the frequency of occurrence of disasters and their severity have been increasing in the recent past. Therefore, the AIIB collaboration was solicited for disaster risk reduction strategies to minimize the damages".

Samaraweera also underscored the importance of protecting lagoons and estuaries as envisioned in the Blue-Green Budget proposed by him last year. 

"The theme of my National Budget Proposals for 2018 was Blue-Green Economy. In this context, we recognised the inalienable relevance of ocean related economic potential of our country as an Island. Sri Lanka hosts over hundred lagoons and estuaries.

Environmental sustainability of those precious water bodies will ensure the well being of many aquatic resources. Therefore, we expect to implement a lagoon development project in the country for which the AIIB could become a strong partner in due course", he added.

Local civil society has condemned the actions of the Probation Department and the National Child Protection Authority (NCPA) accusing them of attempting to send children back to Darun Nusra, a children’s home where sexual abuses of children have taken place.

Civil society also condemned state institutions for their inaction in finding suitable Government schools for the affected children to continue their education.

A statement signed by civil society organisations and individuals noted that in June 2017, an anonymous phone call was made to the NCPA that sexual abuses were being committed on the children residing in Darun Nusra.

During the police investigations, it was revealed that a male staff of this home was allegedly committing these offences and both the Matron and the Coordinator of Al-Muslimaath the charity managing Darun Nusra were reported about these incidents but did not take action.

Despite ongoing investigations into the allegations of abuse, which not only include the alleged abuser but also the matron and the Coordinator of Al-Muslimaath, the Probation Department has vehemently opposed calls by activists for the children to be transferred out of Darun Nusra for their own safety.

Officers from the Probation Department have consistently engaged in victim blaming in Court by portraying the two main victims of abuse as mentally unsound. One of the first children to be transferred out of Darun Nusra due to Court orders were sent by the Probation Department to a home which the Probation Officers themselves later admitted in Court as unsanitary, lacking in running water, and unsuitable for children.

Further in March 2018, an NCPA report found Darun Nusra to be unsuitable for children to live in and the institution requested the court to transfer the children out. However, in May 2018, the NCPA backtracked on this and sought to transfer some of the children back without explanation.

Furthermore, the Courts instructed the Probation Department and the NCPA to find suitable government schools for the children, yet for around three months both institutions have taken no concrete action. Instead, we are informed that at a meeting called by the NCPA with the guardians and Probation Officers in June 2018, the guardians were either pressured to take the children back home or return them to Darun Nusra if they want their education to continue.

The local civil society said that this raises many questions on why the state has been unwilling or unable to find suitable government schools in a country which has a tradition of providing free quality education.
“This also raises questions as to why the state continues to promote an organisation that is being investigated for allegations of child sexual abuse. As of today, the inefficiency of the Probation Department and NCPA has deprived these children of schooling for three months. We condemn this negligent and callous attitude of the Probation Department and the NCPA for failing to provide justice for children who are economically and socially vulnerable – many of whom have suffered recent trauma. This entire incident would not have happened if the Probation Department which is tasked with monitoring children’s homes had mechanisms to identify child abuse occurring within institutions. We condemn the Probation Commissioner of the Western Province, the Chairperson of the National Child Protection Authority, and the Secretary and the Minister of the Women and Child Affairs Ministry for not performing their roles responsibly. The conduct of the State institutions in this case also raises concerns about the welfare of other children in Probation Certified Homes who are under the overall care of these Institutions,” the statement said.

Local civil society has demanded that the Probation Department, NCPA and the Ministry of Education work together to immediately find Government schools with an English medium curriculum for the 13 children in this case.

They also demanded that the two children having special educational needs be enrolled in a suitable educational institution and that children transferred to a home located in Bandaragama, be relocated together immediately, as all parents who have visited it, have expressed deep dissatisfaction with the treatment of their children in this home. 

Source : Colombo Gazette

Two members of a family of Tamil asylum seekers from the Queensland town of Biloela have won an 11th-hour injunction preventing their imminent deportation.

Nadesalingam and Priya and their two young Australian-born daughters have been in immigration detention in Melbourne since March, when they were forcibly removed from their home in Biloela in central Queensland.

The family had previously been told by Australian Border Force officials they could be deported as early as Tuesday.

But federal court justice Bernard Murphy on Monday granted an urgent injunction prohibiting immigration authorities from deporting Priya and their eldest daughter, three-year-old Kopika.

“It’s a good result and we’re all taking a big sigh of relief,” family friend Simone Cameron said.

On Thursday last week, the federal circuit court denied Priya’s bid to stay. The court was asked to consider whether her plea for protection should be reexamined by the immigration assessment authority.

That decision was subject to a 21-day appeal period.

But on Friday, the ABF issued deportation notices to both Nadesalingam and Priya and told the family they could be sent back to Sri Lanka from Tuesday. Advocates for the family said issuing the notices was “underhanded” as they had not exhausted their legal options in Australia.

Justice Murphy on Monday restrained immigration authorities from removing Priya and her eldest daughter until their appeal is finalised. A date for their appeal is yet to be fixed.

Nadesalingam’s application for protection had been rejected by Australian authorities, and his appeals extinguished. Nadesalingam and Priya arrived in Australia separately and their immigration cases have been dealt with independently.

Cameron, one of many Biloela residents who has rallied behind the family, said supporters would continue to campaign for a reprieve.

As arrest warrant has been issued for the arrest of former MP Sarana Gunawardena by Colombo Additional Magistrate, Thanuja Jayatunge today. 

The warrant was issued as the Former MP failed to appear for the case filed by the Bribery Commission regarding the lease of vehicles without following due tender procedure during his tenure as the Chairman of the Development Lotteries Board.

Hundreds of postal workers held demonstrations yesterday in several parts of Sri Lanka, including Colombo, Gampaha, Galle, Ambalangoda, Kaluthara and Trincomalee in support of their demands. The national strike of more than 25,000 postal workers that began on June 11 has now entered its third week.

The government is adamant that it will not grant the workers’ demand to abolish the 2006 circular, which has affected promotion and slashed salaries. The minister of postal services, M.H.A Haleem, yesterday evening stated that a “solution” would be found today, but did not say how. Last week he attacked the strike as being “politically motivated” and aimed at “toppling the government.”

On his instructions, postal authorities cancelled the leave of postal workers and threatened to sack those who failed to report for duty by June 19. The government also took a decision to deploy police at post offices. Despite these threats, however, the government failed to break the strike.

The National Salary and Cadre Commission (NSCC) told the press that the government has no money to grant the workers’ demands. The NSCC declared that “it will cost the government” an additional 8 billion rupees (USD 51 million), adding that granting the demands would create “complications” and anomalies in relation to other public sector workers.

The government has intensified its implementation of the economic reforms dictated by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), including freezing salaries and the privatization of public services, including the postal department.

Striking postal workers last week

The Joint Postal Trade Union Collective (JPTUC) and Union of Postal and Telecommunication Officers (UPTO) are promoting the myth that workers can win by appealing to reactionary forces such as Buddhist prelates to exert more pressure on the government.

On Saturday, the union bureaucrats met the chief Buddhist prelate of Malwatta Chapter in Kandy to obtain his “blessing” for the strike. The prelate had said either unions or the government must be “flexible,” meaning workers should water down or abandon their demands. The conservative Buddhist hierarchy in Sri Lanka is a major prop for capitalist rule.

The union leaders are continuing a futile “sathyagraha” or sit-in in Colombo and several outstations. Yesterday after failure of discussions with government authorities, JPTUC secretary Chinthaka Bandara said that next step would be to resort to a “fast until death.” However, like the other trade unions, the JPTUC leaders are deeply hostile to any turn by postal workers to other sections of the working class.

In contrast to the union leaders’ back peddling, about 15 postal workers gathered outside the Matara post office to discuss the political challenges they face with leading members of the Socialist Equality Party (SEP).

After reading an SEP leaflet, the workers said the union leaders had not told them anything about the government’s restructuring program. The leaflet explained that the government has prepared restructuring proposals, which have been handed to the unions, for postal services, the railways and education in line with the IMF’s directives. The 2006 circular was an initial attempt to slash the postal service.

The discussion focused on the need to fight for socialist policies and to build independent workers’ action committees as the trade unions had become a barrier for any struggle for the interests of the working class.

Upali Jayathunga, a postman, said: “I joined the service in 1989. Even though I have worked for 30 years, my total monthly salary is just 39,000 rupees [$US260]. I have to pay 7,000 rupees monthly as an installment to pay back loans from the banks. With five children, I can’t cope on my salary so I am doing a security job to earn 800 rupees a day.”

Postman Upali Jaythunga
Jayathunga commented that the media were mostly silent about the strike and the problems faced by postal workers. “I thank your World Socialist Web Site for supporting us. It gives us strength,” he said.

Ronal Shantha, another postal employee, said: “It is true that we need a political program for our struggle. No other organisation or media supports us genuinely like you do.”
Upul Nishantha from the Ambalangoda post office told WSWS reporters that he doubted that workers could win their demands by exerting pressure on the government. “The unions say that the strike will continue until the prime minister or president will give a promise,” he said. “We have got such promises in earlier strikes but nothing happened.” He criticised the unions for not allowing discussions by workers about what to do or what is happening.

Shantha joined the postal service in 2007 as a porter with a basic monthly wage of 22,000 rupees ($US140). In 2015 he was promoted to postman grade, but had to work for the same salary.

“A postman’s basic monthly salary is 25,000 rupees. But there are five postmen in our office that do not get the due salary,” Shantha said. After deductions for loans, he receives only 21,000 rupees per month. “My mother and older sister are also living with us. We manage the family expenses with the mother’s pension.”

He said that several colleagues in his office had to do part-time work like driving taxis as they could not manage on their salary. “We must form action committees and discuss every issue in the struggle and develop a program to continue the fight,” he concluded.

Employees from the Kandy post office also spoke to WSWS reporters and expressed their opposition to the unions. One worker said unions were putting faith in the government, saying a solution will be given, but workers have had experience with the current and previous governments. “The unions are demanding a written assurance saying it would be a guarantee. However, as in the past, this time they will also tear up such agreements.”

In Chilaw, a postal worker told the WSWS: “The president or the prime minister has not said a single word regarding our demands so far. So we understand the government’s position regarding our demands. We have no trust in the government’s promises as we have been cheated again and again. We must join other workers to broaden our struggle.”


(WSWS)

Sri Lankan Army commander and 80 Sri Lankan Armed Forces personnel and their families commenced on a three day trip to Bodh Gaya in India under the special invitation of the Indian High Commission.

Releasing a press release the Indian High Commission in Colombo stated: 

“The High Commission of India organized a special visit to Bodh Gaya in India for 80 Sri Lankan Armed Forces personnel and their families. The three-day visit includes travel to and from India on an Indian Air Force C-17 Globemaster aircraft, which was specifically deployed from India to transport the travellers. Apart from a visit to the sacred Mahabodhi Temple, various other events and activities, including interaction with their Indian counterparts and a tour of the Officers Training Academy (OTA) at Gaya, are part of the group’s itinerary, which is being coordinated by the Indian Army.           

Shri Taranjit Singh Sandhu, High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka, and Lt. General Mahesh Senanayake, Sri Lankan Army Commander met the Sri Lankan personnel and their families at Colombo airport on June 24, before the group embarked upon their visit to India. The travellers shared their excitement about their special visit, and thanked the Government of India for organizing it.        

The visit to Bodh Gaya is yet another manifestation of the shared Buddhist heritage of India and Sri Lanka, and will help deepen the bonds of friendship and camaraderie that exist between the Armed Forces of both countries.”

The Deputy Assistant Secretary of the US Navy (International Programmes) , Rear Admiral Francis D Morley together with his delegation met Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy, Vice Admiral Sirimevan Ranasinghe, at the Naval Headquarters in Colombo, today (26) to discuss matters of mutual interest.

Vice Admiral Ranasinghe paid his gratitude to Rear Admiral Morley for the cooperation extended to the Sri Lanka Navy. Mementos were also exchanged between the top ranking officers symbolizing the event.

Minister of Finance Mangala Samaraweera at the launch of the 'Enterprise Sri Lanka' (ESL) program recently said the country must develop a comprehensive entrepreneurship structure that encourages people, especially graduates, to embark on building their own businesses.

Under the ESL program, "Arabuma" loan scheme has been tailor-made for the youth to encourage young graduates to enter into the economic development process by turning their innovative business ideas into potential businesses. The scheme ensures the cash flow through loans at zero interest rate, with a full government guarantee.

Under the program of supporting to SME companies, the youth are invited to establish SME companies with the technical support of the government and the needed financial and non financial supports is also provided to that companies could engage in any business from agriculture to apparels to IT.

The Finance Minister said that ESL also has several other target groups including micro-enterprises, self-employees, young entrepreneurs as well as selected vital groups of society.

Samaraweera said that at present whenever enterpreneurs called over at banks, they were asked to name suitable guarantors. As a result, even if they had a good business proposal, they were unable to obtain a bank facility.

That era is going to end. We have held a meeting with state banks and instructed them to have a separate Enterprise Sri Lanka desk staffed by employees knowledgeable on the loan scheme, he said.

Some in the Airline industry is requesting that the ongoing Presidential commission inquiring into Srilankan Airline's alleged misappropriation or financial irregularities should consider screening the parties who are voluntarily providing information or in the alternative should clearly verify the allegations against the perpetrators, before releasing to the media,
According to them Marlon Ferreira, a former employee at Phoenix Duty-Free Services Lanka Private Ltd has been on a personal vendetta against former employer Phoenix ,  who had they say accepted his resignation instead of sacking him, when they were informed of  two cases of financial  Fraud filed against Ferreira  by HSBC and Standard Chartered Bank in Colombo .  They pointed out that most companies in Sri Lanka give the option to the party to submit and accept their resignation so as not to spoil the prospects of future employment elsewhere. 

They say the Presidential commission has recorded his statements where he has made totally baseless, and damaging allegations against his former employers, filled with malicious lies and untruths. 

At the commission, Ferreira had claimed that he found certain anomalies in the contract between Sri Lankan and Phoenix which he went on to note as he kept track of the in-flight duty-free sales there was an issue about the revenue and expenses of the company.

He said from the date acquired, Phoenix Duty-Free Services Lanka Private Ltd would make annual sales of 5.54 Million US Dollars, however, when taking in to account the expenses of the company and the dues that should be given to SriLankan Airlines as commission, the company would incur a loss of 1.2 Million US Dollars. He believed something was happening behind the scenes as the Managing Director Raju Chandiram and Finance Manager Mohamed Hamza kept financial statements a secret.

Elaborating this further he had gone on to say that the senior management of SriLankan Airlines Comprising CEO Kapila Chandrasena and Head of Commercial G.T.Jayaseelan also wrote off 37% of the guaranteed commissions Phoenix Duty-Free Services had to pay SriLankan Airlines when both parties secretly amended the existing contract to favour Phoenix Duty-Free Services.

The Board of Directors at that time need to be held accountable for the millions of dollars SriLankan Airlines subsequently were deprived of during the entire five-year contractual period.

The witness also said that there appears to be sufficient evidence that the country’s Customs Ordinance Act and the contracts signed between the SriLankan Airlines and the suppliers of duty-free goods had been violated by Phoenix Duty-Free Services.

Phoenix Duty-Free Services who signed its initial contract with SriLankan Airlines on the 25th of January 2012 under the name of Phoenix Rising Ventures who operated out of Canada, currently still operates out of Colombo Sri Lanka conducting other businesses.

However, they have now renamed their business as ‘Duty-Free Partners’ and operates out of their existing office at Park Street Colombo 2.

It has now come to light, SriLankan Airlines never knew of Phoenix Rising Ventures until they put forward a bid to enter the airlines Duty-Free Program.

Marlon Ferreira, testifying before the commission said before the company was awarded the contract, Sri Lankan Airlines had an exclusive supplier for all Duty-Free Products. Romeo Ferdinands the In-Flight Services Manager at SriLankan Airlines who also testified said they never heard of Phoenix Rising Ventures until they came forward to bid to supply perfumes and cosmetics for the Duty-Free Program.

In 2012, Phoenix Duty-Free Services Lanka Ltd was given the contract to supply perfumes and cosmetics, but Marlon Ferreira believed the contract was awarded without following tender procedure. Romeo Ferdinands testified to this matter in the affirmative noting the contract was to be given for 06 months and then reviewed in the fourth month to ascertain if the contract can be given for three years.

Marlon Ferreira went on to testify, Phoenix Duty-Free Services Lanka Ltd was then awarded the contract to provide liquor for in-flight consumption and that too was done without following proper tender procedure. Finally, the contract for the entire duty-free program had been awarded to Phoenix Duty-Free Services Lanka Ltd for 2012 to 2017 without following the proper tender process.

The witness Marlon Ferreira believed, the deal for the contract was brokered by Former SriLankan Airlines Board Director Sanath Ukwatte by negotiating it with the then Chairman Nishantha Wickremesinghe and CEO Kapila Chandrasena.
With regard to the contract, Managing Director of Phoenix Duty-Free Services Lanka Ltd Raju Chandiram had signed the document as a witness while an individual knows as Rumesh Dilan Wirasinghe the CEO of Phoenix Duty-Free Services had also signed the document.

Rumesh Dilan Weerasinghe the CEO of Phoenix Duty-Free Services was named in the offshore leaks database released by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists several years ago.

Marlon Ferreira testified when he had questioned Raju Chandiram over certain losses made by Phoenix Duty-Free Services Lanka Ltd in its services, the latter had stated: ” We must make losses here, to make profits elsewhere”.

He also testified that Phoenix Duty-Free Services Lanka Ltd had breached the contract by allegedly engaging in trading, an act which is not acceptable internationally and can have the airline sued by suppliers.

Former Defense Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa arrived at the Financial Crimes Investigation Division (FCID), this morning going on to give a 3 hour statement. He was summoned by the FCID to record a statement on his alleged involvement in misusing state funds amounting to Rs.90 million to build D.A. Rajapaksa Museum and Memorial in Medamulana.

The Paddy Marketing Board (PMB) incurred a massive loss of Rs 7000 million from 2009 to 2014, PMB Chairman Upali Mohotti revealed. 

According to the Chairman, the PMB has continued as a loss-making government institution over the years. He says the incurred loss was a result of exporting rice to Somalia for free and selling metric tons of paddy to the private sector for the production of animal food during that time. The Chairman made these comments at a progress review meeting regarding the future activities of the PMB.

At the meeting, Minister of Agriculture Mahinda Amaraweera said that the PMB expects to create a competitive position in the market so that the farmers will be able to sell their paddy at a stable price in the future.

Sri Lanka Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe says steps will be taken to develop Galle as a major tourist destination according to a systematic plan.

“We are not talking only of the Galle Fort but the Galle town as a whole” he said addressing a function in Galle yesterday. 

Prime Minister Wickremesinghe also stressed that the government has taken steps to give priority to the tourism sector in the process of moving Sri Lanka forward as an economically developed country.

According to the PM the country will also be taken forward by getting foreign investments and generating new income avenues.

“The debt burden will not be left to the future” he said adding that with the investment from the China Merchant Company the debt burden of the country has been reduced by one billion dollars. He said the Chinese Company will develop Hambantota Port and talks are being held with India about also utilizing the Mattala International Airport.