BASL urges stop to harassment of CJ43
By Wasantha Ramanayake-Sunday, May 12, 2013
The Executive Committee of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) passed a resolution on Friday evening urging the authorities immediately stop harassing and humiliating Chief Justice 43 Dr. Shirani Bandaranayake. A BASL spokesperson said the BASL Executive Committee (Ex-co) deplored that Dr. Bandaranayake has been subjected to what it regarded as an “absolute unnecessary harassment and humiliation.”
The Ex-co noted that Dr. Bandaranayake had visited the Bribery Commission as requested by the Commission on April 2, in spite of the original date of May 17 given by the Commission when she appeared before it on April 1.
Dr. Bandaranayake arriving at the Bribery Commission
“ Chief Justice 43 appeared at the said Commission at the stipulated time, with her attorneys-at-law. She had been kept waiting for over half an hour and then told that no officer was present to record her statement and turned her away, directing her to return to the Commission,” on May 17, the resolution noted.
Meanwhile, lawyers close to Dr. Bandaranayake said that when Dr. Bandaranayke visited the Commission at 9 am on Friday, not a single responsible officer let alone the Commissioners or the Director General were present at the Bribery Commission. Those present were unaware of any letter sent by the Commission asking Dr. Bandaranayake to visit the Commission on May 10. They kept her and the lawyers waiting around 35 minutes before her statement of objections was accepted by two members of the Commission. Although she was prepared to make further orals submissions they were not prepared to record it, the sources said.
The media reported that in a letter written to the Director General of the Bribery Commission Dr. Bandaranayake pointed out that the Chairman of the Bribery Commission has violated the law of confidentiality by giving various statements to the press regarding the Immigration and Emigration Department ban on her visiting foreign countries.
She wrote that there were no such preparations to go abroad and noted that last time she went abroad was in 2006. In her objections, she said that neither the Chairman nor a member of the Commissioner should participate in any inquiry against her. She also reiterated that she had duly declared all her bank accounts and assets, which forms the basis of the allegations against her.
She alleged that the Bribery Commission chairman made various false statements to the media in connection with the inquiry and has failed to “maintain the necessary standard of impartiality and independence required by the Chairman,” of the Bribery Commission.
She pointed out that the chairman was biased against due to his relationship with a former Chief Justice.
She pointed out that the chairman was biased against due to his relationship with a former Chief Justice.
Dr. Bandaranayake also pointed out that the other member of the Commission should not participate in her inquiry since she presided over a Supreme Court Bench that dismissed a fundamental rights application filed by the particular member.
This made his spouse to actively campaign supporting her impeachment, Dr. Bandaranayake noted, adding that the particular spouse appeared on certain Government controlled television criticising her.
Matara Bar to cold shoulder CJ 44
The Matara Bar has resolved it would not welcome Chief Justice 44 Mohan Peiris who is due to visit Matara on May 17.
The majority decision was taken at a meeting of the Bar Council of the Matara Bar, a council member said.
The majority decision was taken at a meeting of the Bar Council of the Matara Bar, a council member said.
The decision was not because of any personal animosity towards Mr. Peiris but was in accordance with a resolution passed by the Bar Association of Sri Lanka on December 15, 2012, he added. Earlier, on two occasions the Bar Councils of Anuradhapura and Kandy decided not to welcome Chief Justice 44 when he visited Anuradhapura and Kandy, the Sunday Times learns.
At a special general meeting held on December 15 the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) passed a resolution that if Chief Justice 43 Dr. Shirani Bandaranayake would be removed without giving an opportunity to have a fair trial in terms of the rules of natural justice, the BASL would not welcome the newly appointed Chief Justice 44.
By Namini Wijedasa-Sunday, May 12, 2013
SriLankan Airlines has stopped its unprofitable air taxi operation, just 28 months after it was re-launched amidst much fanfare.“We will not operate our own aircraft,” confirmed SriLankan’s Chief Marketing Officer G.T. Jeyaseelan. The company’s costly lease agreement with the Canadian Kenn Borek Air for float planes, lapsed last month, and was not renewed.
The airline is in negotiations to operate a code-share with a private firm, Cinnamon Air, as an alternative. Cinnamon Air has three aircraft, all Cessna 8-seater float planes. Under the agreement, which is likely to be signed within a few days, one of these will sport SriLankan Airlines livery.
Cinnamon Air is managed by Saffron Aviation (Pvt) Ltd, a joint venture between MMBL Leisure Holdings (Pvt) Ltd, John Keells Holdings PLC (JKH) and Phoenix Ventures Ltd. SriLankan Airlines 2011-12 Annual Report admits that its air taxi service was a “loss-making operation”.
The float planes were reintroduced in December 2010, after a lapse of several years, caused by the unstable security situation. Mr. Jeyaseelan said the new arrangement with Cinnamon Air was “an opportunity to work it (air taxi service) better”.
There had been insufficient bookings from international markets to make SriLankan air taxis sustainable on their own. “We felt overseas tour operators were not keen to sell the air taxi product,” Mr. Jeyaseelan observed. “Instead of making the air taxi an integral part of their packages, they made it an option. To operate the service, we have to sell this product in the international market.”
“In the Maldives, the air taxi product is paid for by the resorts and not the passengers.”
“In the Maldives, the air taxi product is paid for by the resorts and not the passengers.”
Other industry sources said SriLankan’s schedule had not been sufficiently structured to allow air taxi departures to coincide with international arrivals. “It also required a road trip to get to the air taxi base,” they said. “Meanwhile, the aircraft they leased are in pretty high demand the world over, so they would have paid steeply for the leases. Sustaining the operation was a problem.”
