Reintroducing repatriation requirement: Have the Finance Ministry and Central Bank gone back on their pledges? 

Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake and Central Bank Governor Arjuna Mahendran  – File photo

Move to change exchange control into exchange management

Monday, 9 May 2016

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, in presenting the Economic Policy Statement or EPS of his Government in Parliament in November 2015, announced that the Government would repeal the age-old Exchange Control Act or ECA.

Instead, he said that the Government would enact a new Foreign Exchange Management Act or FEMA. The main difference between the two legislations is that ECA treats exchange control violations as criminal offences, while FEMA would make them civil offences. Two weeks later, Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake reconfirmed the Prime Minister’s pledge when he presented Budget 2016 in Parliament. The business community welcomed this move because ECA had the notoriety of being abused by those in power at the Central Bank as well as in the Government to persecute their political or personal enemies.

Even architect of exchange control has been victimised

One of the best known victims of ECA was its own architect, the late N.U. Jayawardena, the first Ceylonese Governor of the Central Bank.

In the early 1990s, one of the companies in his conglomerate had made some foreign deals without getting the prior approval of the Exchange Controller. An inquiry was held and a thumping fine was imposed on N.U. by the controller. N.U. maintained that he was persecuted by the then Governor of the Central Bank who had fallen out with him. However, on appeal, the thumping fine imposed by the controller was compounded by the then Minister of Finance to a nominal sum but not before the Governor in question had lost his job.

Architect being victimised for a second time

He became a victim of his own ECA for a second time in the mid-1990s. That was when the Merc Bank, which he set up in the mid-1990s, was denied a foreign exchange dealership by the Minister of Finance, though it had had the Central Bank’s sanction to operate as a commercial bank.

Under ECA, it is the Minister of Finance who has the discretionary authority to grant approval to authorised dealers in foreign exchange. In the Merc Bank’s case, this approval was not granted by the Minister to enable it to handle foreign exchange transactions.

Hence, without profitable foreign exchange business, the Merc Bank soon became bankrupt and had to be sold to another bank which had the foreign exchange dealership. N.U. later confided in this writer that one of the mistakes he made in his professional career was to make ECA a permanent law with draconian powers given to those in the Central Bank and the Ministry of Finance.

There are many such instances where ECA was selectively used by those in power to target those whom they did not like. Hence, it is quite natural for the business community to treat it as a draconian law.

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Clouds clear after May Day rumpus

MAY 09 2016

 

Platform

If one surveys the events that took place this year, especially all Sri Lankan May Day celebrations, one would be able to get a meaningful picture of the political landscape in the country. May Day celebrations here in Sri Lanka are very special.

We had various colourful May Day celebrations in the past including those which were banned or prohibited. However, this May Day, we had the opportunity to witness the entire political picture behind the May Day marches that took place throughout the country.

In Galle, the President led his May Day rally wearing a red jacket. He made two interesting statements. Firstly, he said it is not necessary to debate about federalism, but it is essential to investigate why Tamil leaders make such a demand. It is vital to find the cause of such an agitation. Secondly, he said the populist period of the SLFP is gone, that it is over. It is necessary now to think in terms of social democracy. His May Day rally was organised with groups marching under separate banners and shouting political slogans. Clearly, the pressure of the working masses has made leaders look for left-oriented slogans.

The UNP was better organised as a party with the backing of the urban masses. At a distance, their procession appeared to be a green coloured leftist May Day march! Speaking at the UNP’s May Day rally in Campbell Park, Colombo, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said: “We will take this country forward, without family rule.” He added: “We won’t privatize State institutions, but we will make sure they will not be a burden to the public”.

The Premier also said that government will not increase taxes on essential items, while carrying out work to develop the country with the assistance of the international community.

Social capitalism

He also promised a new salary scheme for public servants, which will be introduced by 2020. His stand is that Sri Lanka should follow social capitalism as spelled out by Bismarck which has become popular in Germany in the recent past.

He said all changes were done after discussions with trade union leaders. “We must follow the ancient tradition of ‘Lichchawees’; we must debate, discuss and try to achieve a consensus.” No doubt, the Prime Minister is under pressure from the working masses.

While both Wickremesinghe and Sirisena appealed to the working masses, Mahinda Rajapaksa appealed to the friends of the family. Former President and Kurunegala District MP Mahinda Rajapaksa, speaking at the May Day rally organised by the Joint Opposition in Kirulapone, Colombo, said his family members, including his son MP Namal Rajapaksa and brother Gotabhaya Rajapaksa faced imminent arrest. He boasted that he would not shy away from fighting for the rights of the people because of such threats. “After today, there will be cases against those who are close to us. I told Namal to be ready. They have implicated Gotabhaya as well. I may also have to go to jail. But our solidarity with the people will never be broken even if I am jailed a thousand times,” he said, adding that the government was making false allegations against his family.

He said it was sad to find that the SLFP, formed by leaders S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike and D. A. Rajapaksa after they quit the UNP during its heyday, had been subjugated by the UNP at the moment.
Mahinda wants to be the hero of Sinhala chauvinist forces and he is expecting the victory of Donald Trump in the US who may reject the resolution on war crimes and failure to protect human rights in Sri Lanka.

While clashes among major parties cleared the dark clouds that used to hide their differences, Left and Trade Unions for Justice organised a successful Left May Day rally at Nugegoda.
As I said in a previous column, this happened after many years. LSSP, CPSL, NSSP and the Trade Unions for Justice contributed to the rally at Nugegoda.

Left and TU May Day

The procession started at Narahenpita junction and moved to Nugegoda via Nawala. Except for a few leaders such as Tissa and DEW, almost all others in these parties joined the Left and TU May Day.
It could be a beginning to build a Left front based on the revolutionary traditions set by old generation Marxists in 1935. A large number of trade unions joined the event with the participation of TUs for Justice with their leader Saman Rathnapriya. Their slogans were to push the leaders of the democratic revolution in the correct direction. However, the fascistic Mahinda movement did not accept the defeat.
They have demanded army security for their leader Mahinda while both PM and President are given only police protection. Probably, these chauvinists want a small army contingent to show around as the leader of the armed power in the country.

Their ambition is very clear: To launch a conspiratorial struggle to take over power to establish a fascistic regime.

Witness In Crucial FCID Case Says CCD Officials Assaulted Him

May 9, 2016 

An important witness in a crucial FCID case, Sarath Dissanayake, the driver of former Presidential Chief of Staff Gamini Senarath today lodged a complained with the Human Rights Commission in fear of his life, after officials of the Colombo Crimes Division(CCD) allegedly ‘abducted’ him last Thursday and assaulted him severely.

Dissanayake, who is an important witness in several FCID cases in relation to monetary fraud carried out during the previous regime, claimed that the CCD officials had insisted that he takes the blame for the alleged frauds amounting to billions of rupees, instead of naming the real culprits behind the fraud.

“This is the first time in history that an important witness in a financial crimes case is being attacked by the police,” Rajith Keerthi Tennakoon, Executive Director of the Center for Human Rights said.

He said that after Dissanayake approached him and members of the Centre, steps were taken to lodge a complaint with the Human Rights Commission. “The Anti-Corruption Front lodged a complaint on 20th January 2015 against financial fraud. But to date there is no investigation, and now even the lives of witnesses are in danger,” he said.

He went on to add that despite the change in Government on January 8, there is not much of a difference. “Even then we had to protect people, and even today we have to do the same. It appears that only the governments have changed, but people continue to live in fear,” Tennakoon added.

Meanwhile, the lawyer representing Dissanayake told media that a group of men dressed in t-shirts and shorts, and covering their face had knocked on the door of Dissanayake’s home in Piliyandala at around 9 in the night and had assaulted him, and then arrested him and his son and taken them both in the most illegal manner to the CCD office in Dematagoda. “Not a single person was in uniform and even after he was taken to the CCD he was severely beaten by the officials,” the lawyer said.

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Sampur coal-power is necessary -Are renewable-energy evangelicals doing themselves a disservice? 

May 7, 2016, 12:00 pm

Cheap, essential power; but environmental downside also

Mile upon mile of solar panels in north China deserts

by Kumar David

OK let me clarify the title which was chosen for brevity. It need not be at Sampur, it can be elsewhere. It need not be a 500 MW Indian plant and a 1200 MW Japanese plant (the two offers on the table) if better offers to be on-line within ten years can be clinched. If gas can be shown to be as feasible as coal, that too is fine. Written out in longhand what the title is attempting to say is that 1500 to 2000 MW of additional thermal capacity is needed, unavoidably needed, within the next decade. This is not a crusade, campaign or conspiracy against renewable energy which accusers and abusers allege I am spearheading. It is just coming to terms with the unavoidable. If politics is the art of the possible, so is electricity sector expansion planning.

Let me get the abusers and accusers out of the way first. They are paltry, but it is a Lankan trait that we do not discuss topics but abuse and insult persons; or we go off the track damning people but unable to explore ideas. I do not refer to myself as I am not the worst sinned against; that honour on Lankan websites goes to Dr Dayan Jayatilleke. Politically, I have zero to do with DJ, but I spurn specious spats and despise cowardly anonymous commentators who indulge in ad hominem insults.

What prompted the previous paragraph? I had a piece on the electricity sector recently which I concluded with the aside that a thermal plant as outlined in my opening paragraph was needed. It was greeted on the web with personal abuse and phony tirades (there were productive contributions as well). One donkey accused me of being an LTTer and a Tamil racist; even if true what has that to do with electric power? I was challenged to produce my CV and prove I had a single refereed journal paper on any aspect of renewable energy. I do, and have conducted a graduate course on the topic at the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) in Sweden; but that is beside the point. The point is that the asinine focus is on a person one dislikes, not on the topic. A few of my former students – displaying the heroism of anonymity (look I don’t grade your coursework any longer) - lamented that their former lecturer had decayed into a senile fuddy-duddy. OK, but still you must discuss the substantive topic at hand. A few did and they are the ones who shunned anonymity. OK subject closed.

Case for renewable energy

Climate change, environmental concerns and in consequence or for other reasons, vigorous pursuit of electricity generation from renewable and non-polluting sources is our moral obligation to our children - in my case grandchildren. That’s a categorical imperative and needs no repetition; case closed again. As always however the devil is in the details; in what steps (time-frame) and in what ways (technologies) to do it, and what intermediate measures to take in the interim. Every Sri Lankan green-energy evangelical I have come across flops on this score; well ok, there are exceptions, but the more your passion – god bless your sainted soul - the more likely it is you overreach. I will return to a challenge that I have thrown at renewable-energy evangelicals, but a little about technology first.

There are three credible technologies for large-scale green electricity generation in Lanka – solar, biomass and wind. Solar is promising; the technology is advancing and location problems are the least. Biomass and wood burning (including ‘dendro’ plantations) are small scale, a few kW at a place, and even with the best effort will not exceed a few tens-of-thousands of units. A total of 100 GWh per year will be a marvel. (GWh, giga-watt hour, is one million of those things we call ‘units’ when the meter-reader comes calling; the technical name is kWh, kilo-watt hour).

There are very few outstanding onshore sites for wind generation in Lanka; offshore is expensive and the sites are no good. I have not examined the latest wind-power potential maps but I would hazard the guess that 100 GWh per annum within a decade would be a very generous estimate. OK, be more lavish, call me mean, multiply biomass and wind by an order of magnitude and declare all can be done by Superman within ten years. Still compared to the output of a 1700 MW thermal plant at 80% load factor (12,000 GWh) it is peanuts.

That brings me to solar, the most credible option. My attention was caught by a report in the Economist, 16 April 2016 of a proposed 160 MW solar park on a 5 sq km site at Ma’an, Jordan. The site is one of the best in the world with 330 sunny days a year. Still the sun does not shine by night (not even in Jordan) and by day it is directly overhead for only a few hours. We have to estimate the equivalent-time when the plant will generate a full 160 MW. I propose 30 to 40% equivalent-full-power-duration. How much energy is this? Trust me; it is 420 to 560 GWh per annum. Since this is on a five sq km site it works out at 84 to 112 GWh per sq km per year for this top-class site.

A ball-park number, if actual studies are unavailable, is that 1MW of installed solar capacity at a really good site gives 1.5 to 2.5 GWh a year; less than 1.2, junk the project! The MW capacity per unit area should, as a rule of thumb, be the same at all sites since one wants to extract full power at ‘cloudless high noon’, even if that duration be short. Design power determines plant acreage and it is reasonable to think of 35 MW or thereabouts of solar installed capacity per sq km. Levelized cost of modern, already operating, solar in the best desert locations is about Rs 12 per kWh.

Anil Cabraal has sent me a spread-sheet where he estimates that 12,000 GWh of solar powered electricity can be obtained per year from hypothetical 110 sq km of good sites in Lanka. This is 109 GWh per sq km per year and near the top of my Jordanian estimate. He is optimistic (where in Lanka can you get 330 cloud free days?) but let that pass; technology is on his youthful side in that solar panel efficiency is rising year by year. For convenience – an important consideration at my age when the multiplication table gives me goose pimples – let us optimistically compromise on a future 100 GWh per sq km per year. Then to get the 12,000 GWh - equivalent to the proposed Sampur thermal plant - we need 120 sq km of prime land, all plant commissioned, technical complexities sorted out, and electricity squirting into the grid by say 2025. Is this reasonable? If you were the CEB would you stick your neck out for this option? Manic speed-merchants (I do not include Cabraal) do not stick out their own necks; no, smartasses stick out other people’s necks – "those who should do it", the CEB, the government, etc. QED, another chapter closed.

Minister Champika Ranawaka’s

eruption

Let me digress for a moment. What amazes me is not that the Minister previously in charge of the CEB for five years makes statements that would make the public think the place is a nest of rogues and vermin, especially the engineers. No, what astounds me is that the present minister Ranjit Siyambalapitiya is taking it lying down; and not a squeal from the CEB, its Chairman, Board of Directors and A/D/X/Y GMs the place is crawling with; nor a whimper from the usually loud trade unions. (The unions may have made a grovelling statement but have been careful to ensure it gets minimum publicity). If a senior Cabinet Minister calls your corporation a nest of thieves what is the Corporate and Managerial top doing about it? Isn’t silence acceptance of complicity? What is Siyambalapitiya doing? Does he agree with his Cabinet colleague; if so what action to root out ‘massive corruption’ is he taking?

Does he reject it; then why does he not call a press conference and tell his buddy to shut up and stop talking through his lower orifice? And finally, what are President and PM doing? If they concur they should send in the riot squad to clean up the CEB; if they dissent, collective responsibility dictates that they rid the Cabinet of a reckless stirrer.

Ranawaka was minister in charge of the CEB for many years. Did crooked engineers sprout out of thin air the moment he left? What did he do when he was there to root out venality? I am not in the political know of what political game he is up to since I don’t hob-knob in high circles, but I repeat, it is not Ranawaka’s ranting, it is the cowardice of the other parties who I named that has got me shaking my head. Speak up, otherwise bend your heads in shame and don’t tell anyone that you graduated from Peradeniya EFac, or for that matter Moratuwa.

My challenge to the evangelicals

There is a challenge that I have thrown but has thus far found no takers. The purpose is not to put down anybody but to force manic renewable-energy evangelicals to be serious on the time-frame issue. The CEB will need about 20,000 GWh (20 TWh or terra-watt hours) in 2020 or thereabouts; 50 percent of this is10 TWh and a quarter five TWh. I ask evangelicals who declaim that all, half or a quarter of Lanka’s electricity needs "can easily" be met from renewables within a decade to cough up concrete proposals. Halt your clamour lovely ladies and kind gentlemen and get out your data bases and laptops.

I am asking you for a list of projects, concrete proposals, specific and concrete, that the worthies claim can generate five, 10 or 20 TWh (depending on how manic your optimism) within a decade. No finessing data or evangelical exuberance; let’s have specifics, including:-

Location of projects: Not vacuous "in Hambantota, around Jaffna, floating on Minneriya Tank".

Technology details: E.g. wind 10x100 kW turbines; solar project outline, etc. Land needed; proof that land is available, or people to be displaced and forest cover to be felled. Proper engineering estimates of annual energy production of each project. Proper and convincing explanation projects can be completed within a decade. Reasonable proof they can be linked into the grid and integration issues solved; estimates of capital costs and comparison with Sampur. Energy costs per GWh and comparison with Sampur.

If evangelicals can’t make concrete proposals adding up to five, 10 or 20 TWh to be done within 10 years, they should descend from Mount Sinai and join us mundane folk to work on realistic ways to increase renewable content over time. Realistic 5% solar penetration by about 2025 means about 40 MW distributed in about 10 sq km of sites. In the meantime Sampur is a necessity. And what after the best renewable sites are used up (as already with hydro)? Our visionaries would do well to mull over the longer term as well.

MAY DAY Cacophony

May Day was a happy day for Sri Lankan political parties as all four May Day rallies drew significant crowds.

MAY 04 2016

It was quite obvious that the UNP rally at Campbell Park, Borella, outnumbered May Day rallies of other parties. However, the SLFP rally at Galle and the Joint Opposition rally at Kirulapone could also be described as success stories. The JVP rally at BRC grounds, Colombo, too, was a colourful May Day event with a significant crowd support. The JVP, over the past 20 years, has earned a reputation as the most disciplined and committed celebrators of the International Workers’ Day.

Media Ministry Secretary Nimal Bopage

It was all too evident that Sri Lankan political parties exploited May Day to flex their muscles. The UNP used its massive May Day rally to reflect the strength of the government against all sorts of economic odds and on the other hand, the Joint Opposition used its May Day rally to convince the SLFP that the pro-Rajapaksa movement was a force to reckon with. The SLFP, at the same time, wanted to show that its core strength still remained within the party, despite the cacophony of the Rajapaksa group.

However, it is important to understand that the statistics of May Day rallies hardly translate into success on the ground. But, the Joint Opposition’s May Day rally at Lalith Athulathmudali Stadium, Kirulapone, gave rise to some important observations on the current state-of-affairs in the blue camp.

The Joint Opposition, despite their strategic blunders in the recent past, knew exactly how to choose a venue for a May Day. The Joint Opposition’s venue was a relatively small space for a May Day rally and it offered them many advantages. For instance, aerial photographs showed that the rally was jam-packed and all adjacent roads were blocked. Such photographs were widely shared on Facebook and other social media platforms by ardent Rajapaksa supporters. However, this doesn’t belittle the crowd drawn to the Kirulapone rally. According to various eyewitness accounts, nearly 30,000 people attended the Joint Opposition’s May Day event. It is also important to understand that this only amounted to one third of the crowd attracted by the UNP rally at Campbell Park.

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Clearing Or Laying Land Mines With Friends & Family?

By Rajeewa Jayaweera –May 8, 2016

Rajeewa Jayaweera

A recent full page advertisement, carried out and paid for by the Ministry of National Policy & Economic Affairs headed by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe was indeed thought provoking. Its headline was “The Landmines that have Wrecked the Economy”. The text stated “State-owned enterprises are heavily in debt to domestic and foreign banks to the tune of 1,042.8 billion rupees. The SriLankan Airlines share alone is approximately Rs 212 billion. Keep in mind that these are only the liabilities that have surfaced so far. Handing over these institutions to friends and family members of politicians as well as gross mismanagement facilitated corruption, waste and the illegal use of budgeted funds. With better policies and management, we have managed to repay 100 billion rupees of the outstanding debts these institutions have accumulated. And this is only 10% of what we owe! These debt-ridden institutions constitute a minefield that stands in the way of progress. We cannot and will not pass on this burden to our children and future generations.” The advertisement ended with “Instead of seeking short-term political benefits we will take prudent and decisive steps to resolve this unprecedented debt crisis.”

The legality and ethics of ministries carrying paid advertisements in state owned and private publications, especially with messages carrying political content is best left for another day.

The most curious part of the advertisement was “Handing over these institutions to friends and family members of politicians.” We are all aware of the promises made by both the President and Prime Minister prior to Presidential and Parliamentary elections of eradicating nepotism and family bandyism, turned into a fine art by the Rajapaksa administration. That said, the past fifteen months has seen members of the Yahapalanaya administration indulging in similar acts of nepotism and family bandyism. An entire newspaper will not suffice to list out the various acts of nepotism and family bandyism of this administration. Two glaring examples will suffice for the purpose, one of which was raised by Trade Unions immediately prior to the Sinhala New Year break. The silence thereafter suggests unions may have been silenced.

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JVP complains to Press Complaints Commission regarding smear campaign against it

MONDAY, 09 MAY 2016

The JVP has complained to the Press Complaints Commission of Sri Lanka regarding the lead news and feature article maliciously published in ‘Irida Divaina’ on the 8th targeting the JVP.

The Leader of the JVP Anura Dissanayaka, its General Secretary Tilvin Silva, the Information Secretary Vijitha Herath. The National Organizer Bimal Rathnayaka and Administrative Secretary K.D. Lal Kantha and several senior members of the party participated.

The Member of the Central Committee of the JVP Attorney at Law Sunil Watagala too was present and the complaint was handed over to the Chief Executive Officer of Press Complaints Commission of Sri Lanka Sukumar Rockwood and Complaints Officer Kamal Liyanarachchi.

The JVP requested officials to carry out an investigation regarding the false news and fabricated article published in ‘Irida Divaina’ and reveal the truth.

Gagan’s record breaking feat..! 8 junkets in 9 months..! Enrique- love- sick daughter and families too in them

(Lanka-e-News- 09.May.2016, 10.40PM) The Air force Commander of Sri Lanka Gagan Bulathsinghala has created a world record ! That is ,he is the only Air force commander in this whole Universe who has gone on 8 foreign junkets ! in just nine months since his date of appointment. His last record breaking tour was to Russia lasting three and half weeks. This great Bulathsinghala ‘hero’ descended from the sky last weekend to arrive in Sri Lanka at the end of the tour .

Even the Air  force commander of America has embarked on his first  foreign tour one year after appointment. So it is with the Air Force Commander  of India our neighbor . That is obviously because , a responsible duty conscious  Air Force  Commander when appointed needs at least a year to put things in place in his new pastures, and streamline operations. 

Our  Bulathsinghala zero alias  Air force ‘hero’ on the contrary has no such concern , obviously because he has other illicit agendas. By trying to  hit sixers from the first ball of the first over like Sanath Jayasuriya , he had only  end on  a ‘zero’ score. This  ‘zero’ was appointed as Air force Commander only  in June 2015. Yet by now he had toured India , Pakistan , Bangla Desh , Nepal , England, Australia ,Canada and Russia (his last touring country). Mind you in respect of all these junkets he has been travelling  on business class air tickets.  All these expenditures have been met out of Air Force funds ,-that is precious public funds!

What’s more ! This Air Force ‘zero’ has taken his entire family along when touring England , Australia , Canada and Russia . In addition ,on his tour of England and Australia, he has taken along the family (Laugfs gas chief Wegapitiya’s family)  of his prospective son –in- law due  to marry his daughter Ayendra Bulathsingala who created a storm of controversy recently by shamelessly hugging and kissing the foreign singer Enrique most passionately when he was performing on stage  in Sri Lanka . This Bulathsinghala , the bulath (betel) eating Singhala (or so  the name suggests ) disgraced the entire Sinhala race by openly demonstrating her sex frustration ( itch at the wrong place ), while her’s and her father’s Sinhala race is noted for their love for betel (bulath) chewing , and decent Sinhala traditions. 

Believe it or not ! this commander in chief of the Air Force on his tour of Pakistan  has taken a wheeler dealer by the name of Mohomed M. Saleek Marzook , and when travelling to India , he has taken Wegapitiya and Saleem  together with two more Muslim wheeler dealers.. All these expenses have been defrayed by the Air Force. In other words , it is  precious  public funds that have been wasted !!

It is the Air Force that had met   the expenses of all these junkets and the groups the Air Force Commander took along with him. That is ,precious  public funds have been wasted on all of them.

The worst part is : Gagan Bulathsinghala has made the tours citing bogus grounds. He had claimed that he has to make the tour since  six planes are to be purchased , and he has to be there to inspect and select them .

The true position is , although a proposal has been made to the Cabinet to purchase 6 planes , still the approval has not been granted. In a cash strapped country where the Vat levy is being increased to re pay country’s debts , there is no such necessity to buy six planes at once. In such circumstances  there isn’t any  need for anyone to travel from country to country to inspect planes . Besides , when purchasing a plane, nobody has to travel abroad to inspect the planes in the same way as going  to the Pola to squeeze and feel like  when buying tomatoes . If anybody has such an affinity and derives a thrill from that there are better things  ( not only tomatoes)  in Sri Lanka for squeezing and feeling.

So far , in Sri Lanka planes have never  been purchased from Bangla Desh , Nepal or  Australia, yet Gagan has chosen these countries ostensibly for the purchase of planes in order to go on junkets with his families at public expense. 

Unbelievably , it is the defense secretary the notorious moron who had approved these junkets of Gagan Bulathsinghala . May we recall Lanka e news in an earlier report exposed how the defense secretary Karunaratne Hettiarachi enjoys drinking orgies together with Gagan; and Hettiarachi is the only defense secretary in the world who  puts his arms around the Air Force chief and calls him ‘machan.’ Naturally , it is this liquor bottle camaraderie that has led Hettaiarachi to accept whatever bogus reason cited by Gagan and give ministry approval. Gagan had made hay while the sun shines exploiting  their drinking bouts in the nights after the sun has set.

At the recent security council meeting ,the president had inquired about the absence of the Air force commander Gagan  at the   meeting. It was this moron of a defense secretary who had defended and saved Hettiarachi who did not attend several security council meetings, and  who is breaking ignominious records while wasting public funds  on his worthless foreign junkets.

In our subsequent reports  we shall reveal the measures taken by Gagan Bulathsinghala together with Air Marshal Rohan Pathirane to obstruct information of  corruption and rackets  from reaching  Lanka e news

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by     (2016-05-09 17:29:55)

A matter of showing sincerity - EDITORIAL

2016-05-09

ri Lanka’s former diplomat Udayanga Weeratunga is reported to be flying freely with two passports from country to country despite allegations of frauds and corruptions -- while the National Unity Government appears to be going slow in cracking down on those who have allegedly plundered billions of rupees from public money. This delay, whether for political or legal reasons is causing widespread concerns among the people who had rallied to bring about the people-power revolution with the election of President Maithripala Sirisena on January 8 last year. 
Udayanga Weeratunga, a cousin of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa and former ambassador to Russia is wanted for questioning over alleged kickbacks and commissions connected to the purchase of MiG-27 fighter jets from Ukraine, the alleged sale of arms to pro-Russian rebels in Ukraine and other crimes.

Shockingly, according to disclosures in our sister paper the Sunday Times yesterday, Mr. Weeratunga last week flew to Thailand to meet the former President Mahinda Rajapaksa on a new passport issued by the present government. This raises a series of questions including whether it was lawful or legitimate for the former President to meet and also have a  feast with the ex-diplomat who was expelled on corruption charges running into millions of rupees.  Mr. Weeratunga had been given his second passport despite his refusal so far to hand over the diplomatic passport. If this is highly irregular, what is worse is the delay of the state intelligence agencies to track him down on charges of major criminal offences. When a ‘Red Notice’ is issued,  all entry and exit points and border controls are informed of it. But because the present Sri Lankan government has issued another passport to him, he is legally free to travel to any country he wishes. 

Sri Lanka’s people would like to ask the government what is happening and whether any VIPs trying to cover up the huge crimes of the former regime’s political leaders, top officials and diplomats. This massive plunder of the people’s money has led to a crisis where the country has virtually gone bankrupt and from May 2, millions of poor or low income people have been asked to pay more in value added taxes for items ranging from their cup of tea and packet of lunch to telephone calls and essential items. 

According to the Sunday Times, it was not the Sri Lankan intelligent services but the Thai Immigration Officers who investigated and discovered that the wanted diplomat had travelled to Thailand and other countries on a valid passport issued to him by the present government. The Thai Immigration authorities have told the Sri Lanka Embassy in Bangkok that Mr. Weeratunga did not enter Thailand on a diplomatic passport which had been cancelled by the government but on a new passport issued by the same government.What a shame and a scandal.  The officials responsible must be found and prosecuted if the government wants to restore its credentials relating to good governance and accountability. Furthermore, the National Government at least now must fulfil its campaign pledge and take legal action against those who have plundered billions of the people’s money.

Animal Rights Activists Demand Truth: Horse Charlatan Killed Or Alive?

May 8, 2016

Animal rights activists have demanded Royal Turf Club to disclose whether the champion race horse Charlatan who fell and broke his leg at the concluded races in Nuwara Eliya on the 30th of April 2016 is alive or killed.

The champion thoroughbred fell during his last race for the season and was transported to the stables thereafter.

The following day the Royal Turf Club officially posted a comment on its Facebook page stating that the champion horse will be treated and used as a ceremonial mascot.

Royal Turf Club in its statement also went on to blame people for spreading negative comments and also said that only those with twisted minds would want to see the horse put down.

The full comment read ” “The final race meet for the spring season finished with great success with the patronage of the governor his Excellency Niluka Ekanayake, the central province MP for Nuwara Eliya and president of CWC Mr. Arumugam Thondaman and his worship the Mayor Mahinda Dodampegamage. Some tense moments were experienced when charlatan the champion of the hills who never lost a race for the past 3 years was nipped by the hind hoofs of the horse in front fell on the tracks. Charlatan is now back in the stables ably cared for by the veterinary team from Peradeniya and Dr. Mahesh from Bangalore. Another specialist team will be arriving from India at 5am Monday morning to take care of him. Charlatan will become the ceremonial lead horse for RTC after he is fully cured. All are welcome to visit him and offer him their support. Those who have made negative comments kindly note that RTC is a proper professional racing club with animal protection rules. Putting horses down just because of an injury is a suggestion that comes from twisted minds. RTC is here to protect animals and not to kill them. Horses are athletes. They should be treated with the respect any athlete deserves. There are many safety regulations that have been brought after RTC took over. But sometimes accidents do happen as in any sport. RTC has installed methods and rules of how these incidents are handled so that horses can come back and play a big role”.

Owners of Edwards Stables

A week has now passed by and the Royal Turf Club has been silent with no official statement made to the media about the champion horse.

However a source close to the Edwards Stables in Nuwara Eliya owned by Rienzie Edwards a committee member himself of the Royal Turf Club said ” the day after the races an Asiri Hospital ambulance arrived with a guy called Bernard transporting a portable scanner to check on the injury of the horse. The report was not favorable and if it was another country they would have put down the horse immediately. However the veterinary surgeons from both Sri Lankan and India treated the horse and somewhere in the afternoon on the 1st of May 2016 the horse died. I think they gave the horse an injection to die but I am not sure.The horse was fine until they gave him the injection. However later in the night the dead horse was transported in a lorry that was driven into the stables. It was a good camouflaged job they did and not many people knew what really happened. Rienzie Edwards has a plantation in Kurunegala and that is there where they said they were taking the carcass of Charlatan to”.

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Converted black money to white through an invisible radio channel !

 May 08, 2016

The Financial Crime Investigation Department (FCID) has started a special investigation about a radio channel operated by parliament MP Namal Rajapaksa supposedly aiming money laundering.

A relevant license was issued on May 16th 2008 and the license was obtained to start a radio and a TV channel. Investigations have already begun about two addresses used to convert black money in to white through an invisible radio channel by the name of Vis Broadcasting Network. One address is 366B, Pipe road, Koswatta, Battaramulla and the other is 17A, Ocean Tower, Station Road, Colombo 4.

 

Ranganie Hettiarachchi, a relative of Namal Rajapaksa has functioned as the chief of Vis Broadcasting Network pvt Limited and Nishantha Ranathunga has served as the administration manager. Menaka Leanage and Kassapa Senarath have served as the members of the director board. The police investigation team has able to reveal, Vis Broadcasting Network has signed an agreement with CSN channel, singha FM and Red FM in 2011.

 

When we inquired Kassapa Senarath an active member of a radio channel owned by the Vis broadcasting network pvt Ltd  which was alleged to be indulged in money laundering the latter said since there is an investigation conducted he cannot give any comments.

Fort McMurray fire: What’s happening now, and what you’ve missed

Smoke and flames from the wildfires erupt behind a car on the highway near Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada, May 7, 2016.MARK BLINCH/REUTERS

Read the latest on the size of fire, the progress firefighters are making, the response by government and Canadians, and how the evacuees are coping. Also, the latest photos and videos of the fire’s devastating impact

• The fire: How you can help, and receive help

THE LATEST

• Alberta Premier Rachel Notley is visiting Fort McMurray today to take stock of the damage
• She’ll also be meeting oil-company executives to discuss next steps
• Cooler temperatures are expected to help firefighters get a handle on the fire
• The blaze will take months to extinguish, an Alberta fire official says
• Police found some people in the evacuated city
• The Russian government has offered to send water bombers, but Ottawa hasn’t responded yet
• Analysts are scaling back their projections for Canada’s economic growth because of the fire
• Canadian insurer Intact Financial Corp. is assessing the damage, and suggests it is of “unprecedented” scope

Ms. Notley and her officials said Sunday that crews will begin examining the damage from the blaze as well as check on infrastructure like natural gas lines and the power grid.

Adding to the evacuees’ misery, a stomach virus struck dozens of the Fort McMurray residents now being temporarily lodged in Edmonton. During the weekend, 40 to 50 cases consistent with viral gastroenteritis were reported at the reception facility up at the Expo Centre at Northlands, said Christopher Sikora, the local senior medical officer of health.

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