War heroes boo at ground-kissing Mahinda!
- Tuesday, 23 December 2014
A performance of popular comedian Wilson Gunaratne’s comedy ‘Charitha Atak’ took place at Naiwala Sanasa Hall in Veyangoda on December 20 to raise funds for the welfare of disabled war heroes.
Present to see the stage drama were disabled soldiers of the three armed forces, including those from the Special Forces and the Ranaviru Sevana in Ragama.
One character in this drama is that of president Mahinda Rajapaksa, whose first scene is his kissing the ground at the Katunayake airport upon his return from overseas following the war victory in 2009. Gunaratne expected a big round of applause from the war heroes for that scene, but much to his surprise, the disabled soldiers started booing. Unable to believe what was happening, he sat down and kept looking at the booing disabled soldiers. “This is the one who denied us our salary. We fought the war. He sold the war and is treating us like this,” the disabled soldiers in the hall cried out, as the special guests present, several major generals and brigadiers, looked at each other questioningly.
Nil Balakaya seizes Kahawatte Plantation!
- Tuesday, 23 December 2014
Poranuwa Estate in Ratnapura, owned by Kahawatte Plantation PLC, a leading listed private estate in Sri Lanka, has been seized by Namal Rajapaksa’s Nil Balakaya and is sinking fast, say people of the area.
Touring Ratnapura recently, Namal asked Nil Balakaya members there for the land, saying that the only job he is familiar with is gem mining. Using the GPS satellite system, they identified Poranuwa estate and Kiribathgala Estate, owned by Agalawatte Plantation Company, as having gem deposits.
When he was told about this, Namal said they could do anything they wished. Overjoyed by his answer, his supporters in Demo Batta vehicles from Embilipitiya, Hambantota, Angunakolapelessa invaded these estates.
Uprooting the richly grown tea bushes, they had removed loads of earth from these estates and taken them to their areas. Other than Nil Balakaya, other government supporters too, have invaded these estates and destroyed the tea plantations. Unable to control the situation, the estate superintendents have complained to deputy minister Premalal Gunasekara alias Choka Malli, who represents the area. He had come to the area along with the police and tried to stop the destruction, when Namal’s supporters threatened him, “Mr. minister, if you stop this, we will not vote for the government.” Due to these threats, Choka Malli beat a hasty retreat.
As a solution, Kahawatte Plantation is to handover Poranuwa Estate to the Gem and Jewellery Authority to be auctioned, a top executive officer of the company told ‘Lanka News Web.’
