State Minister Sanath Nishantha has been issued summons to appear in Court on October 13, based on a complaint lodged in the Appeal Court accusing him of contempt of court.
The complaint lodged by lawyers Priyalal Sirisena and Vijitha Kumara accusing the State Minister of committing contempt of court at a briefing was taken up before the Appeal Court Bench comprising Justices Nissanka Bandula Karunaratne and R. Gurusinghe today (29).
In order to prevent the accused from being penalised, Nishantha has been summoned to appear in Court on October 13 and provide reasoning, the Bench concluded.
Petitioners pointed out that Nishantha is cited as a suspect to a lawsuit filed by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) before the Fort Magistrate Court in connection with the May 09 assault on Galleface ‘GotaGoGama’ protesters.
Nishantha was granted bail following a remand custody period after his arrest as ordered by the Fort Magistrate, but he criticised the Magistrates for granting Galleface protesters bail addressing a public briefing held at the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) Office on August 23, the petitioners pointed out, thereby arguing that the respondent has undermined the Judiciary’s dignity and has challenged the law, paving the way for the public to lose confidence with the Judiciary.
The Excise Department revenue has increased by Rs. 10 billion, as a result of the new fool-proof sticker initiated in July, Acting Finance Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya said yesterday.
“Although the consumption of alcohol has decreased by 20% to 30% due to the increase in the cost of living, about 65% of the expected excise revenue for this year has been achieved,” he said during an inspection visit to the Excise Department yesterday, whilst appreciating officials for their efforts taken to achieve the set targets amidst challenging economic situations.
The Excise Department warned that licenses of liquor traders who fail to comply with the relevant regulations of the fool-proof sticker scheme under the Excise Notification No. 01/2021, will be cancelled.
The fool-proof liquor sticker on locally manufactured alcohol was first proposed last year to be made mandatory from 1 January due to strong industry protests, it was pushed from 1 April to 1 July.
Noting that raising State revenue is a matter which should be done very carefully, he said the taxes must only be collected from the groups that are legally liable to pay tax and evade their responsibilities.
“We all know that there are many people who are legally liable to pay taxes but are not paying them. There are multiple factors for why we collect taxes. Some of the taxes have a broader social philosophy that goes beyond tax revenue.
Given the high taxes as well as the health disadvantages, we are expecting a drop in alcohol consumption in the future. No matter how much income you get, it will never be promoted,” Siyambalapitiya said.
He pointed out that of over 6.8 million families, 1.7 million families are dependent on Samurdhi, whilst 2.6 million are waiting for it.
“Therefore 90% food inflation is a concerning situation compared to the overall picture,” he added. Generally, the Government receives around 75% of the tax on alcohol and about 65% to 75% tax on cigarettes.
“All parties and Opposition parties in the Parliament have personally suggested increasing the tax on alcohol and cigarettes to 90%,” he added.
Minister Siyambalapitiya also said they were exploring how palmyra coconut and palm industries could be improved to a level of exports.Excise Commissioner General M.J. Gunasiri and a group of senior officials also participated.
Except three, every Police officer attached to the Kandy Police Station has been transferred, based on an order by the Senior Superintendent of Police in Charge of the Division, following multiple complaints of the expected public service not being delivered properly.
Accordingly, nearly forty Police officers including a Police Inspector and five Vice Police Inspectors have been transferred.
Only the Officer-in-Charge (OIC) of the Various Complaints Department, who was recently transferred to Kandy, together with two more sergeants related to judicial affairs, remains at the Station.
The two sergeants remain un-transferred due to the risk of judicial proceedings being hampered.
Dates have been fixed for the parliamentary debate on the proposed 22nd Amendment to the Constitution. The decision was made during the Parliamentary Working Committee meeting held today (29).
Accordingly, the 22A will be taken for debate on October 06 and 07.
Parliament sittings will be held from next Monday to Friday and Monday has been fully reserved for questions by MPs expecting oral responses.
Despite the current President’s claim of crossing a ‘rope bridge’ in his coming, the so called rope bridge was crossed by the Rajapaksas and their cronies, whilst the 22 million people of Sri Lanka were thrown into Hell, said Leader of the Opposition Sajith Premadasa, addressing the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) Authority Board meeting in Buttala yesterday (28).
The event was organised by SJB Monaragala District MP W.H.M. Dharmasena and was attended by a lot of people.
The current President is a comedy and the current regime is a fraud, and any regime opposing the people faces unpleasant consequences, as the history bears witness, Premadasa pointed out.
To build the country, a new mandate is required, hence the necessity to hold an immediate election, and those coming before the public in the face of ‘elephants’ and ‘crows’ will be taught the right lesson this time, he added.
Premadasa also stressed that the SJB, should it gain state power, wishes to serve the village and the city alike and initiate programmes that emits more income at a lower cost via new technology.
Unlike the Gotabaya Rajapaksa regime, the SJB in its role as the Opposition served the people aiming their well being, when the Rajapaksas made false demonstrations driving the country into a state of bankruptcy, he noted.
President Ranil Wickremesinghe met with the Prime Minister of Singapore Lee Hsien Loong in Tokyo recently and pledged to implement Free Trade Agreement with Singapore
During the discussions, President Wickremesinghe informed the Singaporean Prime Minister that an international trade office was being established in the President’s office.
He also explained that his priority was to bring into effect the Free Trade Agreement with Singapore.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong welcomed the news, and stated that Singapore was looking forward to investing in Sri Lanka once again.
President Wickremesinghe invited the Singaporean Prime Minister to visit Sri Lanka next year when the country celebrates its 75th Independence anniversary.
The Sri Lanka-Singapore Free Trade Agreement was signed in 2018 when Wickremesinghe was Prime Minister.
The Government led by Gotabaya Rajapaksa had raised concerns over the FTA and had proposed several amendments.
Sri Lanka signed the Sri Lanka – Singapore Free Trade Agreement (SLSFTA) on 23 January 2018 and the Agreement was brought into operation with effect from 1 May 2018.
In view of the impact of the contents of this Agreement and the potential that Government states it offers to boost domestic trade, the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce Chamber decided to set out its perspectives on the significant features of the Agreement.
In finalizing this brief a consultative process was adopted with adequate opportunities given to members of the Chamber to submit views.
The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce sees the Agreement positively in the context of enhancing Sri Lanka’s trade initiatives and deepening its current relations with the economies in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
ASEAN is a growing trading region with links to global production networks that Sri Lanka could have the potential to integrate with to diversify its exports basket and attract Foreign Direct Investment.
Considering that the Agreement is comprehensive in its coverage, there exists opportunities for Sri Lankan businesses to derive benefits from this Agreement by leveraging on the synergies it is expected to bring between trade, investment and services.
It is worthy to note that consequent to the signing of the Agreement, there have been numerous delegations that have visited the country from Singapore to explore potential investment opportunities.
The Chamber was an active stakeholder participant whenever consultations and meetings were convened by the Ministry of Development Strategies and International Trade (MoDSIT) and with the negotiating team of SLSFTA.
The Chamber also assisted in the consultation process by making timely submissions and convening sector specific consultations on trade-in-service for its members, in maritime, construction, tourism and IT sectors, in 2017.
The state-run LITRO Gas Company said it commenced the repayment for the credit facility provided by the World Bank for uninterrupted gas supply.
LITRO Chief Muditha Peiris told media that by September a sum of Rs. 6.5 billion was settled to the General Treasury and by October, a sum of Rs 08 billion will be repaid.
Accordingly, the total credit facility of US $ 70 million (LKR 26 billion) will be repaid to the General Treasury by December this year, said the state-run gas distributor’s Chief.
The Sri Lankan tourism sector has evolved and will continue to evolve immensely from where it was just over 10 years ago in 2009.
In a post-COVID world, regaining investor and consumer confidence may take some time. However, given the attractiveness of the country as a destination as well as its strong potential for growth, there is no doubt that the sector will get back on its feet.
With the continued development and maturing of the hotel and real estate markets in Sri Lanka, it will certainly be a destination to watch in the years to come.
Multi-million-dollar casinos are to be planned for Colombo to boost Sri Lanka’s ambitious hopes of becoming Asia’s new gambling hotspot, but the projects still face political and religious opposition.
Sri Lanka legalised gambling in with the aim of eventually luring cashed-up tourists to the island nation and boosting an economy battered by covid-19 and economic crisis.
Turning Mannar Island into a casino resort like Macau, well known as a gambling destination, could attract tourists and bring revenues to the country, this according to Sri Lankan Tourism State Minister Diana Gamage, who also backs the legalization of cannabis, over which she clashed with the opposition.
The idea of turning the island into a gambling mecca is controversial. Macau is the only city in China where gambling is legal (online betting is banned with repercussions for the entire region).
Since 2014, Macau Special Administrative Region has topped Las Vegas in terms of revenues at least seven times, with 60 per cent of its GDP depending on gambling, while other sectors of the economy are marginal.
It would be difficult, however, to transplant this model in Sri Lanka. Mannar has an ancient port and 16 landing points along its coasts. Fishing and dry-fish production are the mainstay of its economy.
About 36.7 per cent of the local labour force works in fisheries, and almost 40 per cent is employed in agriculture. Sri Lankan parents often threaten their children to send them to work on farms on the island as punishment.
In 2016 the island’s fish catch was 10,300 metric tonnes and dry-fish production exceeded 1,800 tonnes.
A development plan for the island already exists, approved by the Urban Development Authority for the period 2016-2030, with the areas that need immediate attention already identified.
To attract wealthy Indian tourists, when he was prime minister, Sri Lankan President Wickramasinghe promoted the construction of a link between the island’s main pier to Dhanushkodi and Palai, which in turn would be connected to Chennai via direct flights.
According to journalist and political analyst Kusal Perera, Gamage’s proposal is typical of the minister.
However, developing Mannar as a gambling hub would not only change the island’s economic vocation, but risks bringing businesses that typically revolve around casinos, on the margin of the law, like the sex trade.
In fact, human traffickers are heavily involved in Macau with illegal brothels, nightclubs, and massage parlours.
A special District Coordinating Committee meeting was held under the direction of Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena on the instructions of President Ranil Wickremesinghe today (28) to provide relief to those displaced by the fire that broke out last night (27) in a housing complex located in Kajeemawatte, Thotalanga. The future plans regarding those displaced was also discussed at this meeting.
It was revealed at this meeting that 306 persons residing in 71 houses had been displaced as a result of the fire. It was also revealed that 60 houses were completely destroyed, while another 11 houses were partially damaged. Out of 306 displaced people, 200 are adults and 106 are children. So far, the Colombo District Secretariat has made arrangements to accommodate the displaced people at the Modara Garden Community Hall and the Kelani Nadee Viharaya.
With the intervention and support of the Disaster Management Center, Colombo Municipal Council, Madampitiya Grama Niladhari Division, Police and the tri forces, steps have been taken to continue to provide basic facilities including food and water to the displaced persons.
Further, health facilities are maintained under the Regional Health Services Director. The District Secretary also stated during this discussion that with the assistance of several non-governmental organizations, including Sarvodaya, the required necessities and dry food rations were provided to the affected families.
Director General of the Urban Development Authority Mr. Prasad Ranaweera, pointed out that since 2007, Thotalanga Kajeemawatte has been maintained as an intermediate camp by the Urban Development Authority, and by the end of 2014, houses were provided to all the residents.
However, the Urban Development Authority also pointed out that since 2015, the land has been occupied by squatters from time to time.
During the discussion, it was decided that these houses caught fire on 03 occasions within the past two years, and that a formal and impartial investigation should be carried out immediately regarding the incident yesterday (27).
Accordingly, a committee headed by Major Pradeep Undugoda (Rtd) and Colombo District Secretary Pradeep Yasaratne was appointed. Other committee members include Colombo Divisional Secretary, Director General of the Urban Development Authority, General Manager of Housing Development Authority, Government Inspector, and Superintendent of Police in charge of the area, OIC of the Police Station of that area and Madampitiya Grama Niladhari Officer.
The committee was also informed to submit an urgent report to the President and the Prime Minister within 07 working days regarding the cause of the incident, future development of this area and proposed measures for the residents.
It was also directed that all displaced school children should be sent to school as usual from next Monday (October 03) and to be provided with necessary text books, exercise books, uniforms and shoes, and to provide required health facilities for pregnant mothers, mothers and women. It was also decided to continue the supply of cooked food and essentials in temporary shelters and to provide them all basic facilities.
Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena and Ministers Prasanna Ranatunga, Bandula Gunawardena, former Ministers Gamini Lokage, Sarath Weerasekera, Members of Parliament Eran Wickramaratne, Yadamini Gunawardena, Madhura Withanage, Major Pradeep Undugoda (Rtd) and Colombo District Secretary Pradeep Yasaratne attended this discussion.
The Fort Magistrate yesterday (28) temporarily lifted the overseas travel ban imposed to former Minister Rohitha Abeygunawardena, based on a request made through his lawyers to fly to Italy to attend to an educational affair of his child and to fly to the United Kingdom for a business affair.
Accordingly, the former Minister was allowed to leave Sri Lanka from October 10 to November 20 at a bail of Rs. 01 million, as ordered Fort Magistrate Thilina Gamage.
An overseas travel ban was imposed to Abeygunawardena based on the allegations in connection with the May 09 assault on Galleface protesters.
