Where’s evidence milk powder containing DCD, melamine was destroyed?
- Thursday, 18 September 2014
Health ministry officials have so far failed to provide evidence to prove that the several tons of milk powder containing DCD and melamine that had been handed over by milk powder companies were destroyed.
At a media briefing last week, science and technology minister Patali Champika Ranawaka raised this matter. However, an invisible hand is at work to conceal reports of that particular media briefing from the mainstream media. Only Daily Lankadeepa carried an article pertaining to that media briefing.
On a court order, the milk powder containing DCD and melamine were handed, over and director (environmental and occupational health) of the health ministry Dr. Ananda Jayalal showed around 200 milk powder packets to the media and promised to destroy them. But, according to reports reaching us, that had not been done.
Unconfirmed sources say these milk powder stocks had been repacked and issued to the market. If that is not the case, the helath ministry should release to the media the photographic evidence that they had been destroyed. Despite being questioned, Dr. Jayalal has adopted a silent approach ove this matter.
Dr. Jayalal was appointed to this director position during the time Dr. Athula Kahandaliyanage was secretary to the health ministry. Since his resignation from the health ministry, Dr. Kahandaliyanage serves, as a consultant, Fonterra company that had been accused of importing milk powder containing DCD and melamine.
He receives a monthly salary of Rs. 750,000 and out of that, he gives Dr. Jayalal a sum of Rs. 500,000, according to very reliable sources. From that, Dr. Jayalal pays three senior journalists – two men and one woman – Rs. 100,000 each, according to the sources. Although we do know the identities of these journalists, we will not reveal them for the time being.
We also have details of how Fonterra’s former human resources chief Roshan Kulasuriya had balanced the Sri Lankan media during the DCD and melamine controversy. On behalf of the Sri Lankan consumers, we kindly request that the fate of those milk powder stocks containing DCD and melamine be revealed without delay.
