Friday, May 24, 2013

By a Staff Reporter-2013-05-24

The Ministry of Finance has opened Letters of Credit (LCs) through the Bank of Ceylon to import 55 Mercedes Benz vehicles of the latest S400 model to Sri Lanka for the use by VVIPs attending the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), scheduled to be held in Sri Lanka in November, Ceylon Today reliably learns.

This was revealed less than 48 hours after the Minister of External Affairs, in an official release, refuted media reports of the government importing luxury cars for the CHOGM.

The Mercedes Benz S400 model is the latest in the line-up of the super luxury car, and is to be released to the world market only in September.

Issuing a statement on Wednesday (22), Minister G.L. Peiris, refuted media reports and statements by 'interested parties' that Rolls Royce and BMW cars will be imported at a heavy cost, to be used for the forthcoming CHOGM in November 2013, claiming the allegations as baseless and fictitious. "These media reports are baseless and fictitious, as no importation of cars is being contemplated by the Government of Sri Lanka for the Conference. All expenditure in relation to the CHOGM 2013 will be met from existing budgetary provisions, and additional funds for this purpose will not be resorted to," the release said.

It added: "The CHOGM 2013 will be an opportunity to showcase the development in Sri Lanka following a three-decade separatist terrorist conflict and the vast economic opportunities available in the country. The Commonwealth Business Forum, which attracts extensive participation both from within and outside the Commonwealth, will serve as a springboard for Sri Lanka to promote trade and investment and further enhance economic co-operation. Resources allocated to the relevant government agencies for promotional activities will be fully utilized within the country towards this end.

Preparation of investment projects and sectors for cooperation is already underway, and the response is encouraging for participation at the Commonwealth Business Forum later this year."

The S400 Hybrid is the gas-electric version of Mercedes-Benz's opulent S-Class full-size luxury sedan. It offers marginally better fuel economy than the eight-cylinder S550, although its efficiency numbers are significantly less impressive than those of the diesel-powered S350 BlueTEC 4MATIC. A 3.5-liter V6 and an electric motor team up for a combined output of 295 horsepower and 284 pound-feet of torque. Fuel economy for the S400 is rated at 19 mpg in the city and 25 mpg on the highway.

The S400 Hybrid is the first series production hybrid car to be equipped with a lithium-ion battery. During braking, the electric motor acts as a generator and is able to recover kinetic energy. The lithium battery is particularly suited to this task. The battery's high energy density means it is small enough to fit in the engine compartment. As such, the trunk capacity and interior dimensions remain unchanged. The car's 7G-TRONIC seven-speed automatic transmission is specially configured for hybrid operation.

Farmers in debt arrested

FRIDAY, 24 MAY 2013

It is reported that a group of farmers who had not been able to pay their debts have been arrested by Welimada Police. A farmer and his wife at Boralanda, Welimada, two farmers at Kande Puhulpola and two farmers from Innarangolla are among the ten farmers arrested.

The farmers who have not been able to settle loans for goods taken from Agrarian Services Centers at Welimada have been arrested using a warrant issued by court

Meanwhile, All Ceylon Farmers’ Federation complains that no legal action has been taken yet by the Human Rights Commission despite three months have passed since it made a complaint regarding nonpayment of farmers’ pensions since November, 2011.