Dr. PB’s broadside at DFCC, NDB: A home-and-home matter?

 November 25, 2013 

• Treasury Secy. faults duo for failing to raise $ 250 m each as expected in 2013 Budget; analysts note debacle casts onus on Government as both banks are controlled by State entities

Treasury Secretary Dr. P.B. Jayasundera’s broadside at DFCC Bank and NDB on Friday at the Ernst & Young Post-Budget Forum saw some of those present quipping that given the State ownership in both, it was a home-and-home matter.

When speaking about the 2014 Budget’s focus on the financial sector including encouraging mergers, Dr. Jayasundera lamented that development banks despite their strong balance sheets couldn’t raise adequate funds internationally. “What kind of development banks are they when they cannot raise $ 250 million and to do so they wanted the Treasury to guarantee exchange rate risk?” he added.
He told a packed EY briefing for its clients that State banks such as BoC and NSB fared much better.
The Budget 2014 presented by President and Finance Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa last Thursday also referred to the Government encouraging the merger of development banks as a part of financial sector strengthening. Only DFCC styles itself as a development bank whilst NDB converted itself to a commercial bank.
DFCC raised $ 100 million at a coupon rate of 9.625% (semi-annual payment) via five-year international bonds after much difficulty whilst NDB postponed the idea after testing the market. In the 2013 Budget, both were required to raise $ 250 million each. NDB has since proposed a Rs. 10 billion listed debenture issue.
Analysts said that the Treasury Boss being critical of DFCC and NDB was indeed an indictment on the Government because the biggest shareholders of the two institutions are State entities, with a host of Government nominees. “If the two banks haven’t delivered, the board or senior management can be removed,” they opined.
State entities BOC, Sri Lanka Insurance and Employees’ Provident Fund collectively own 33.35% in DFCC whilst HNB, which is also controlled by State entities, owns a further 12%, bringing the total State influence to 45.5%. In NDB, the collective stake of State entities BOC, EPF, SLIC and ETF is 33.2% and with HNB it is 35.8%. State entities hold a 29% stake in HNB.
Focusing on the financial sector, Dr. Jayasundera also said that banks weren’t lending to the real economy but largely concentrating on trade financing, especially for imports. “When an importer wants open a LC to import maize, no questions are asked, whereas when someone wants to grow maize locally, the very bank makes life difficult for the borrower,” Dr. Jayasundera added.
He also was critical of overbanking in rural areas. Everybody is keen to open branches to collect deposits rather than lend in rural areas. “For example, all new branches opened in Kebethigollawa are competing for the same market rather than creating new business via lending to the real economy,” Dr. Jayasundera opined.
President Rajapaksa in his Budget speech said: “Our banking and financial institutions need to focus their lending towards production and value creation industries and move away from traditional import biasness in their operations.”
The Budget 2014 has placed greater responsibility on the banking sector. They are expected to earmark around Rs. 500 million for medium to long-term development of the plantation sector.
The President also requested all banks and financial institutions to grant at least 500 working capital loans of Rs. 25,000 at an interest rate of 6% without requiring any collateral to such winners, towards developing greenhouse farms, poultry/livestock/fish farms or handloom/small industries so that Divi Neguma families could emerge as successful entrepreneurs.
The Government has also arranged Euro 90 million low cost funds (around Rs. 16 billion), to provide credit facilities at an interest rate not exceeding 8% for manufacturing and SME industries to modernize their factories with energy efficient technology to improve international competitiveness.
President also proposed a Women’s Micro Enterprise Credit Guarantee Scheme against which regional development banks and SME banking units of commercial banks will provide working capital loans up to Rs. 250,000 without requiring security. “I propose to dedicate 2014-2015 for women enterprise development, to be facilitated by regional development banks,” the President said in his 2014 Budget speech.

De Facto Chief Justice Clears Way For De Facto Denial Of Parliament Control Over Public Finances

November 24, 2013

The De Facto Chief Justice Mohan Pieris (with two other judges K. Sripavan and S. Hettige not dissenting) have officially cleared the way for the Executive under the Rajapaksa regime to be able to plunder public finances by avoiding effective control by Parliament. Several commentators have pointed out that Parliament is now reduced to a mere rubber stamp, with the powerful Rajapaksa regime doing as it wants with public monies.

De facto Chief Justice Mohan Pieris

Pieris has made the ruling in the challenge to the Appropriation Bill 2013 by the Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) and Dr. Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu, its Executive Director where the Supreme Court was asked to rule that some provisions which removed and weakened Parliament’s supervision and control of public finances was inconsistent with the Constitution. This was on the basis of the Constitution providing for Parliamentary control of Public Finances, to be able the legislature to act as a check and a balance against possible wastage or plunder by the Executive.

Earlier, when 2012 Appropriation Bill was challenged by the CPA, a Supreme Court bench headed by Justice Shiranee Thilakawardene had held that Parliamentary control of public finances was important and upheld the principle.

This is said to have upset the Rajapaksa regime. President Mahinda Rajapaksa then quietly referred to De Facto Chief Justice Mohan Pieris, the question whether such controls by Parliament were required. This ‘reference’ (using the power given to an Executive President to refer a question to the Supreme Court for its determination) was taken up by Pieris in a controversial way. He had taken it up in court, clearing out all parties and lawyers except for the officers of the Attorney General sent to make submissions so that there was secrecy. Pieris sat with five judges picked by him. This set the stage for overruling the ruling by Justice Thilakawardene. The opinion of the five judges was communicated to the President Rajapaksa and total silence was maintained on the matter until the 2013 Appropriation Bill was challenged.

After the case challenging the 2013 Appropriation Bill was filed, the ‘opinion’ of Pieris and four others picked by him was suddenly brought into circulation. Our correspondents confirm that Pieris himself kept citing from it during the submissions made on the 2013 Appropriation Bill, which was fixed before himself and two other judges only. Pieris could not have failed to realize that if the five-judge opinion was to be brought into play (as he himself tried to do), at least five judges should have heard the case. But that risk was not taken.

The Colombo Telegraph contacted several legal experts, all of whom asked not to be named.  However most of them (a few refused to comment at all) confirmed that according to their professional opinion the ruling by Pieris is clearly wrong, undermines controls and checks on spending of Public Finances and only paves the way for the Executive (Rajapaksa regime) to do as it pleases without controls. One expert said even joked that though it is of very poor quality reasoning, it seems like an attempt to at least sound like Chris Nonis (UK High Commissioner, who used big words in a recent CNN interview). But his smile vanished, as he added that “The implications of the ruling for greater abuse, wastage and squandering of public finances is terrible”.

The determination by Pieris on the 2013 Appropriation Bill is now published in the Parliament Hansard of November 21, 2013 which we publish for the benefit of our readers.

Click here;  Hansard – Appropriation Bill 2013 – Determination of the Supreme Court 

SL Army build archway depicting battles between Sinhala and Tamil king
24 November 2013
The Sri Lankan army unveiled a new archway in Anuradhapura on Saturday, depicting the historic battles between the Sinhala King Dutu Gemunu and the Chola King Ellalan (or 'Elara').


Publicising the opening on its website, the Sri Lankan army said, 

'6 Sri Lanka Light Infantry Regiment (6 SLLI) Headquarters at Mahakandarawa, Mihintale, Anuradhapura on Saturday (23) opened its new colossal archway, in bringing historical characters to life through mural statues that depict the famous Vijithapura battles, waged between Kings Dutu Gemunu and Elara, the South Indian invader during 161 -162 B.C.
          
Lieutenant General Daya Ratnayake, Commander of the Army as the Chief Guest at the invitation of SLLI Colonel of the Regiment and 6 SLLI Commanding Officer, unveiled a plaque and declared opened the new archway, guarded by two symbolic giants (Yodhayas) against infiltration, reminiscent of good olden times of royalties.'

Nimalka’s Partner Minister Vasu Declines To Enter Debate On State Media Threats Against Her

November 24, 2013 

Minister of National Languages and Social Integration in President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s cabinet, Vasudeva Nanayakkara today declined to comment on the threats issued against Human Rights Lawyer and Activist Dr.Nimalka Fernando on the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation during a radio show hosted by the Corporation’s Chairman Hudson Samarasinghe.

I don’t want to speak about this issue

“I don’t want to speak about this issue,” Minister Nanayakkara, who is also Dr. Fernando’s Partner said when contacted by the Colombo Telegraph.

“I do not want to enter into the debate on this matter,” he insisted when pressed about what action he had taken as a Government Minister over the threats against his Partner.

“I am not ready to talk about this matter,” Minister Nanayakkara said, before hanging up the telephone on being pressed further on the issue,.

Related posts;

AHRC Condemns State Media Attack On Nimalka Fernando

Watch – Nimalka’s interview with Channel 4 

SL military threatens Tamil Catholic priests in Jaffna, Mannaar

[TamilNet, Saturday, 23 November 2013, 19:38 GMT]
The intelligence operatives of the occupying Sri Lankan military have threatened Tamil Catholic priests in Mannaar and Jaffna, who have been active in exposing the genocide of Eezham Tamils by the Sri Lankan State. The threats against the priests in escalated following the visit by UN Human Rights Commissioner for Human Rights and have topped after British PM visited North on 15 November. The Catholic priests were active in exposing the recent genocidal experiment of birth control carried out by the Sri Lankan authorities and the priests joined the peaceful march by the kith and kin of the missing persons when they wanted to berate their plight to the visiting British PM and the foreign journalists who accompanied him to Jaffna. 

The priests have complained to their respective Bishops on the threats coming from different corners of the Sri Lankan military system. 

In the meantime, the Sri Lankan Defence Secretary and presidential sibling Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, called on Pope Francis at Vatican on Wednesday and handed over a letter to Pope Francis inviting him to the island on behalf of his brother. This is the second time within four months Rajapaksa siblings are campaigning Pope to visit the island. 

Rev. Fr. E. Sebamalai in Mannaar, writing an appeal on behalf of the Citizens' Committee in Mannaar, on Friday said: “Even the people affected in various forms expressing their grievances, objections or protests in the internationally accepted democratic way and peaceful resistance are not tolerated in this country.” 

Fr. Sebamalai also noted that the Police in Jaffna had manhandled Catholic priests who were with the people at a peaceful rally in front of Jaffna Public Library on 15 November. 

However, the visiting PM didn't meet the grieving relatives of the missing persons in Jaffna despite the British mission officials were being fully aware of the peaceful gathering waiting outside the Public Library. 
The Catholic priests and rights activists like Jude Bashil Sosai (Sunesh), who has now been subjected to the death threat by the SL military intelligence operatives in Mannaar, played a key role in bringing the families closer to the visiting Channel-4 journalists who were being waylaid by a camouflaged protest organised by the SL police and SL military intelligence operatives in civil who had blocked the road with their truck, shielding the visiting journalists from spotting the Tamil demonstrators. 

Angered by the efforts of Mr Sunesh and the Catholic priests present with the protestors, the SL military has stepped up its threats. 

In the East, Jesuit Priest Fr Veeresan Yogeswaran, who is one of the leading human rights activists, was at the receiving end of the SL government's ire after his meeting with Ms Navi Pillay during her visit to the East in August. 

Ms Navy Pillay was told that what was going on in the island was a genocide against Eezham Tamils. 

However, the Human Rights High Commissioner, in her intention to project the crime of genocide as a crime of bad governance on the part of the Sri Lankan State, came with an open lie to the press in Colombo stating that no one used the word genocide during her visit to North and East.

Mobile clinics to facilitate ID documents to 45 000 Easterners - CaFFE

Sunday, 24 November 2013 

Second stage starts Monday

A service by Centre for Human

 Rights (CHR,) Department for Registration of Persons (DRP) and Campaign for Free and Fair Elections (CaFFE)

The second stage of the mobile clinic programme to facilitate 45 000 Easterners with National Identity Cards (NICs) and birth certificates is to commence on Monday (November 25) in Batticaloa. 6000 persons, in six divisional secretariat divisions, are expected to be facilitated during this stage.

The first stage of the initiative took place between November 11 – 16 and 2074 applications for NICs and 2200 applications for birth certificates were facilitated. A large number of individuals who lost their identification documents during the war took advantage of this free service. In addition marriage certificates were also provided during the clinics and 37 couples registered their marriage including DM Gunabanda (85) and DM Anulawathie (52) of Periya Pilluma who had been living together for 36 years.

There was a lot of enthusiasm among the residents of Batticaloa for the mobile clinics as all facilities needed to obtain an identification document were provided free of charge. A special feature of the clinics is the guarantee that NICs will be provided within 14 days of application. During the second stage the mobile clinics will be held at Koraleipattu West (Oddamawadi) - November 25, Koraleipattu Central (Nawaladi) – November 26, Koraleipattu (Walachchanai) – November 27 and 28, Vavunathivu DS Office – November 29.

Rajapaksa Promotes Instigator Of Channel 4 Protests To Cabinet

November 24, 2013 

Deputy Minister S.M. Chandrasena has been promoted to the rank of Cabinet Minister by President Mahinda Rajapaksa, one week after he and his brother organised massive demonstrations in Anuaradhapura against the Channel 4 crew in Sri Lanka to the cover the Commonwealth Summit.

Chandrasena was sworn in as Cabinet Minister in charge of Special Projects by President Rajapaksa on Saturday (22).

Chandrasena and his brother S.M. Ranjith were instrumental in stalling the train carrying the Channel 4 crew to Kilinochchi on Wednesday (13 November) at Anuradhapura by bringing their supporters in numbers to the railway station.

Interestingly, Chandrasena lost his Cabinet portfolio in September 2012 after the President announced his brother could not be appointed Chief Minister of the North Central Province since two members of the same family could not hold top posts in the Government. Accordingly Chandrasena resigned his portfolio and his brother S.M Ranjith was appointed North Central Chief Minister.

SM Chandrasena was then appointed Deputy Minister in the spate of new deputy ministerial appointments made by the President in October this year. His Cabinet portfolio has now been restored completely.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa has the largest cabinet of ministers in the world.

Related posts;

Situation Report: Sri Lanka’s CHOGM Repressive Tactics To Stifle Dissent

UNP says traitor tag a joke

November 23, 2013

The main opposition United National Party (UNP) says the traitor tag has now become a joke as anyone who speaks the truth is labeled as a traitor.

Speaking in Parliament today UNP MP Karu Jayasuriya said that even journalists are suppressed and not allowed to speak the truth.

However he noted there are a handful of journalists who do not give in to pressure or bribes to hide the truth.

He praised journalists who keep their head high and think about the country first.

Jayasuriya also said that investigations into the murder of 17 Sri Lankan journalists have not seen progress.

He said that even opposition members who attempt to reveal anything on the government are termed as traitors to the nation.

Speaking during the budget debate in Parliament, Jayasuriya said that the budget proposals for 2014 is far below expectations.

He claimed that even some members of the government have expressed disappointment over the budget.

Jayasuriya also said that defence expenditure for next year is high despite the end of the war over four years ago.

He noted that the government is even looking at purchasing fighter aircraft when there is no war. (Colombo Gazette)

Lip service to forces of Rajapakses exposed: 292 disabled soldiers sue Gota and army commander
(Lanka-e-News-24.Nov.2013, 8.00PM) The mendacious and hypocritical Rajapakses from whose mouths never a lie fails to drop each time they open their mouths , and who do lip service to patriotism and the forces who won the war were well and truly exposed when the disabled soldiers filed action in the appeal court against Gotabaya the SL defense secretary and the Army commander . The appeal court day before yesterday (22) which examined the petitions filed by 292 disabled soldiers on the ground that their compensations that were promised had not been duly paid issued notice on the respondents cited in the petition , namely , Army commander Daya Ratnayake, defense secretary Gotabaya Rajapakse , and 5 others.

The petition is to be heard on 20 th January 2014.

A A S K Abeysinghe and the other petitioners have stated in the petition that though their sorrows and sufferings have been conveyed in writing to the President Mahinda Rajapkse , the defense secretary and the army commander , the petitioners have received no proper response , and therefore they are compelled to seek legal redress.
Among the petitioners there are many soldiers who have gone on pension some time ago on account of their disabled condition resulting from the war. Soldiers who are disabled and still on light duty are also among the petitioners.

The petition had requested court to issue a writ ordering the army commander and the respondents to pay the compensations due to the petitioners duly.

J C Weliamuna , the attorney at law, appeared on behalf of the petitioners.

An Institution Under Gota Has Not Submitted Rs 489 Million Fixed Asset Register

Read More

An institution under the Secretary of the Ministry of Defence, Gotabaya Rajapaksa had not prepared the Fixed Asses Register amounted 489 million a parliamentry committee found.

The Committee on Public Enterprises noted in its latest report to the Parliament that the Fixed Asset Register of the Defence Service Command and Staff College had not been prepared although the value of fixed assets amounted nearly to Rs.489,179,923 /-.

The Committee also noted;  ”around 40 vehicles received from Sri Lanka Army, SL. Navy, SL Air Force and the Ministry of Defence had not been legally transferred to the Institution. The annual reports of the College for years 2010 and 2011 had not been presented in Parliament. The College had not maintained the ratio of 2:1, which should exist between the Current Assets and the Current Liabilities. “

An Institution Under Gota Has Not Submitted Rs 489 Million Fixed Asset Register

Read More

An institution under the Secretary of the Ministry of Defence, Gotabaya Rajapaksa had not prepared the Fixed Asses Register amounted 489 million a parliamentry committee found.

The Committee on Public Enterprises noted in its latest report to the Parliament that the Fixed Asset Register of the Defence Service Command and Staff College had not been prepared although the value of fixed assets amounted nearly to Rs.489,179,923 /-.

The Committee also noted;  ”around 40 vehicles received from Sri Lanka Army, SL. Navy, SL Air Force and the Ministry of Defence had not been legally transferred to the Institution. The annual reports of the College for years 2010 and 2011 had not been presented in Parliament. The College had not maintained the ratio of 2:1, which should exist between the Current Assets and the Current Liabilities. “

Lip service to forces of Rajapakses exposed: 292 disabled soldiers sue Gota and army commander

(Lanka-e-News-24.Nov.2013, 8.00PM) The mendacious and hypocritical Rajapakses from whose mouths never a lie fails to drop each time they open their mouths , and who do lip service to patriotism and the forces who won the war were well and truly exposed when the disabled soldiers filed action in the appeal court against Gotabaya the SL defense secretary and the Army commander . The appeal court day before yesterday (22) which examined the petitions filed by 292 disabled soldiers on the ground that their compensations that were promised had not been duly paid issued notice on the respondents cited in the petition , namely , Army commander Daya Ratnayake, defense secretary Gotabaya Rajapakse , and 5 others.

The petition is to be heard on 20 th January 2014.

A A S K Abeysinghe and the other petitioners have stated in the petition that though their sorrows and sufferings have been conveyed in writing to the President Mahinda Rajapkse , the defense secretary and the army commander , the petitioners have received no proper response , and therefore they are compelled to seek legal redress.

Among the petitioners there are many soldiers who have gone on pension some time ago on account of their disabled condition resulting from the war. Soldiers who are disabled and still on light duty are also among the petitioners.

The petition had requested court to issue a writ ordering the army commander and the respondents to pay the compensations due to the petitioners duly.

J C Weliamuna , the attorney at law, appeared on behalf of the petitioners.

CSE reports 61 market manipulation cases-

Draft bill before cabinet to strengthen law 

Amunugama

By Saman Indrajith-November 23, 2013, 

Deputy Finance Minister Dr Sarath Amunugama told Parliament yesterday that 67 cases of insider dealings and 61 market manipulation cases like ‘Pump and Dump’ had been reported from Colombo Stock Exchange.

Responding to a question asked by UNP Colombo District MP, Ravi Karunanayake, the Minister said that during the period from 2008 to 2012, the investigation unit of the Securities and Exchange Commission has found 182 instances of suspected dealings in the CSE. Of them 38 had been investigated.

Since January 2013, the SEC investigators had noticed 10 instances of abnormal transactions suspected to be inside dealings.

Asked to reveal the names of the companies that involved in those cases, the minister refused to give the names saying that the cases had been filed against individuals and not against companies.

Asked whether the existing laws are sufficient to overcome the manipulators in the CSE, the Minister responded that the provisions of the SEC regulations introduced under the Gazette No 1215/2 dated December 18, 2001 and added the cases related to artificial influencing of CSE shares would be heard in criminal courts. 

The Minister said that action was being taken to amend the existing laws to curb market manipulations in the CSE. A draft bill and related Cabinet paper prepared by the SEC have been forwarded for the approval of the Cabinet of ministers to make the cases against market manipulations to be heard before not only in criminal courts but also in civil courts.

Former Army Commander Saves Crony From Book Purchase Scandal

November 24, 2013 

Former Commander of the Sri Lanka Army, Lt. Gen. Jagath Jayasuriya, presently Chief of Defence Staff, has saved one of his favourite officers after a Court of Inquiry found him guilty of corruption.

Major General Lal Perera

Colombo Telegraph is able to reveal today that the Security Forces Commander for East, Major General Lal Perera was saved by Lt. Gen. Jayasuriya.

The Army Commander for the East was absolved and Jayasuriya succeeded in getting a Court of Inquiry to placed the blame on subordinate officers.

It is learnt that a military court had earlier found many discrepancies in a matter involving Maj. Gen. Perera and the purchase of books for a library at the Security Forces Headquarters (East) at Welikanda.

Maj. General Perera has allegedly manipulated the tender process to purchase books. On 05.11.2011 authorisation had been given to purchase books to the tune of Rs. 915, 000.

It is alleged that after initially obtaining quotations from renowned publishers in Colombo, the senior military officer had ordered his subordinates to make a purchase from a local bookstore in Polonnaruwa for Rs. 560,000. Later another batch of books worth Rs. 355,000 had been purchased from the same source. The Colombo Telegraph is in possession of documents which confirm some of the hand written quotations obtained by Maj. Gen. Perera were not from the would be suppliers.

Once the discrepancy was discovered by the auditors, Maj. General Perera is alleged to have forged a quotation from the local bookstore long after the items had been apparently purchased. There is a further allegation that receipts and delivery notes had also been forged by subordinates to indicate that the books had been purchased from the originally named more renowned publishers.

After the initial military court pointed out these acts of misconduct Maj. Gen. Perera is said to have influenced senior officials at Army headquarters to change the verdict of a report by the then Army Commander Lt. Gen. Jagath Jayasuriya.

Subsequently in February 2013, Gen. Jagath Jayasuriya had issued a report in to the matter absolving Maj. Gen. Perera of all wrong doing in the matter but making an observation that some of his subordinates had not followed due process as per the Financial Regulations of the government.

Senior ranks are perturbed that some top officials have been protecting corrupt personnel.

Murder suspect Tangalla local body chairman released to hit back at British P.M. who made criticisms

(Lanka-e-News-24.Nov.2013, 8.00PM) Tangalle local body chairman Sampath Chndrapushpa Vidyanapathirane and other suspects involved in the murder of the British citizen Khurram Sheikh who were arrested suddenly and swiftly while also expediting court proceedings in view of the arrival of the British Prime Minister (P.M.) David Cameron for the commonwealth summit held recently , were released on bail again after the British P.M. castigated the MaRa government openly when he attended the summit . It is to be noted that there were as many as 17 charges against the suspects , and after they were read out in court , they had been released.
Sis suspects including Tangalle chairman , Obada Arachige Lahiru Kelum alias Ravi Uduwage , Saman Deshapriya and Weerapullige Praneeth Chaturange were enlarged on bail yesterday (22) . Since this case was transferred to the high court Colombo as a special one , it was heard by te judge Ms.Kumudini Wickremesinghe. The principal reason behind the granting of bail was MaRa’s attorney general not raising any objection to it. When the attorney general who represents the plaintiff does not object to granting bail , it becomes necessary to grant bail to the accused.

This ghastly stigmatic murder committed in 2011 was not subjected to any proper legal inquiry , and an M.P of Britain had to arrive here to inquire into this. 
Simultaneous with the CHOGM summit this murder of the British national and the lack of proper investigation sparked a tremendous controversy . The Rajapakse regime was compelled therefore to transfer the case to the high court Colombo and remand its local body chairman involved in the crime. However after the conclusion of the CHOGM summit , the lawless Rajapakses who were provoked over the bitter forthright criticisms of the British P.M. against the government retaliated by releasing the suspects in the case on bail while the criminal charge sheets had been served on them.

Rajapakses have again by these (il)legal processes only wittingly or unwittingly underlined the lawlessness prevailing in the country , and the fast degeneration of the SL judicial system into MaRa jungle law system headed by brutes and beasts in human forms.

Army soldier arrested for assaulting an 8-year old

By Sunil Shantha – Navinna-Monday, 25 Nov 2013

Cinnamon Garden Police has taken an Army Soldier into custody on charges of sexually abusing an 8-year-old girl in a room at Colombo Municipal Council.

It is revealed that the girl is a daughter of an ASP, who had visited the CMC for a discussion regarding some arrangements with regard to CHOGM.

Police say the soldier was a body guard of an Army Officer (Colonel) who had come for the same discussion.

The Police Officer had come to the Municipality along with his 8-year-old daughter and gone for the discussion leaving his daughter in another room close by under the care of two female employees of the Municipality. The army soldier too had stayed temporarily in the same room.

The two female workers had left the room leaving the girl after finishing their duty in the evening.

The discussion had finished at about 7 p.m. on that day. The ASP had gone home with his daughter.

The girl had told her mother that an ‘Army Uncle’ abused her, using words according to her knowledge.

The ASP had made a complaint at Cinnamon Gardens Police that led to the arrest of the suspect Army Soldier.

OIC, Kapila Premadasa, Cinnamon Gardens Police and a team of police is making further inquiries, under the instruction s of S.R. Colombo (South), Premalal Ranagala and ASP Colombo Anti Crime Division, L.N.G. Jayarathne. (Ceylon Today Online)

Three prisoners escape from Mahara prison

By Ashan Paranahewa- Monday, 25 Nov 2013

Three prisoners have escaped from the Mahara Prison yesterday (23), the Police Media Unit told Ceylon Today Online.

The mode of escape by the prisoners has not been identified as yet, while they had escaped last evening from the prison.

Police have commenced investigations to apprehend the escaped prisoners. (Ceylon Today Online)

Is sex work, work?

• by Shilpa Samaratunge
• - on 11/24/2013 

Two weeks ago we found ourselves sitting in a room full of three wheeler drivers working in the Colombo Fort area on what seemed like an all or nothing mission. Of all taboo topics we work with, sex work is perhaps one of the most difficult to approach. The level of judgement and the lack of understanding on the topic is unprecedented.

Is Sex Work, Work by nelvely

A two century old mosque has burnt down by Buddhist extremists in Maung daw

 November 23, 2013

Burma Times – A villager from Maung daw reported that the Rakhine extremists who earlier gave fire at municipal market burn down a two century old mosque called Hakim Ali mosque or Gabi Mosque at around 9:30 pm Myanmar standard time.

The Rakhine extremists are burning Rohingya religious and non-religious building one after one. The mosque is located in Myo Thu Gyi ( Hainda fara) village near  3 mile Maung daw. The Rakhine extremists are burning the Muslims’ buildings with master plan.

The extremists touch the mosque while returning to their home because they were not satisfied of failing to burn down the whole market where 99 percent of shops belong to Rohingya.

Amazingly there is no any report of arrest to those extremists who touch fire to the market and mosque.