A case filed before the Supreme Court against former MP Ranjan Ramanayake, who is spending a prison sentence for Contempt of Court, was taken up before a three-member Bench comprising Justices S. Thurairaja, Yasantha Kodagoda and A.H.M.D. Navas today.
The former MP was produced before the Court under the protection of prison officers and the Bench declared that the case be heard on March 09, 2022.
In 2018, a number of fundamental rights (FR) petitions were lodged in the Supreme Court challenging the decision of then-President Maithripala Sirisena to dissolve Parliament. Ramanayake, who was then a MP, was accused of Contempt of Court for publicly criticising the five-member Bench appointed to hear the petitions during a television program.
It in this backdrop was the aforesaid case filed before the Supreme Court.
There is indication that the Covid situation is on the rise again could be having some effect on the general treatment of hospitals, warned Deputy Director of the Colombo National Hospital Chandana Gajanayake.
The situation has already affected up to a certain extent on general surgery, he revealed.
Pointing out that the number of people infected with the virus increases simultaneously with the number of patients who become critical ill and require intensive care units, Gajanayake warned that the condition could lead to disruption of normal functioning and even the postponement of essential surgeries.
As of now, a number of health workers have also been infected with Covid and the crisis in the Health Sector may worsen should the number grow. Many hospitals are running out of medical officers as well as nurses and other staff members, so it is imperative to protect them, Gajanayake emphasised.
He added that everyone should act responsibly to prevent the Health Sector from being driven into crisis.
The Health Ministry has focused on taking legal action against those who deny the reception of the booster dose against Covid-19. Accordingly, legal advice has already been obtained from the Attorney General in this regard, revealed Dr. Anwar Hamdani, Coordinator for Covid-19 in the Ministry.
Pointing out that some countries are making vaccination compulsory and penalising those who refuse, Dr. Hamdani added that such measures indicate the importance of being administered with the booster dose against the virus.
He added that legal advice has been sought to encourage the public to collect their dose and that the Ministry does not wish to embarrass the public by penalising them. Law would help make the vaccination process a success, Hamdani suggested.
He urged the public to consider the option in the event that vaccination backed by legal actions is carried out to protect the people.
Former Executive Director of the Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) Thushan Gunawardena revealed that his flight to the United States for a business venture was not allowed and that officers from the Immigration and Emigration Department had detained him, due to what he described as being named as a suspect to a case pending trial in the Welisara Magistrate Court.
Pointing out that he was not informed of such a designation being made against him, Gunawardena added that this case involves the Garlic Scam, which was divulged before the country by none other than himself in the first place.
Accordingly, the former CAA Executive Director noted that him being named as a suspect to the Garlic Scam would be highly problematic.
The body of late Neela Wickremasinghe is to be brought to Sri Lanka at the dawn of Wednesday (26).
Wickremasinghe served as the Consul General for Sri Lanka to Milan, Italy and passed away on January 17 due to a heart attack.
Before her body is brought to Sri Lanka, it was laid at a private funeral home in Milan on January 22, giving Sri Lankans living in Italy the opportunity to pay their last respects.
The Ministry of External Affairs will be in the process of bringing her body back to Sri Lanka and the finals rites will be decided today (24).
Instead of making demonstrations for years ahead, the government should be demonstrating the country’s administration for the next three months, challenged Chief Opposition Whip and Samagi Jana Balawegaya MP Lakshman Kiriella, speaking to a briefing held in the Opposition Leader’s Office yesterday (23).
“We tell the government that you should be demonstrating your administration for the next three months instead of making claims for years ahead. There are no fuel this week; a four-hour power cut. What would be the answer to that? No answers. About 1000 containers are stalled in the Port, no answers. Money can’t be transferred for the expenses of children studying in foreign universities, made them vulnerable. So, who should be held accountable for this fraud? A single day would be enough for anyone with the talent. The one with nothing, even millennia won’t fit.”
The problems faced by the country cannot be solved by the implementation of obsolete solutions, said Leader of the Opposition Sajith Premadasa, speaking to the “Sammuthiyata Nidahas Awakashayak” programme organised by the “Medahath Mawatha” Civil Movements Collective to days (22) ago.
The event was graced by many civil, political and social activists.
The country can be saved from the economic abyss it has fallen into by a genuinely sustainable programme, he noted.
He added that the President, the Prime Minister and Parliament cannot build a country via an isolated approach, for the legislature, the executive and the judiciary should exist with the checks and balances system.
The Opposition Leader went on saying that he believes that the country’s problems should be resolved on the basis of social democracy and that the need for a more pragmatic and common agenda has now become more acute unlike ever before. This programme should be practical and honest and can be discussed regularly, he emphasised.
Suggesting that the trajectories for economic development addressed today are not practical, Premadasa stressed that it would be ridiculous to disregard income inequality, which is a burning issue in the country, and speak of economic growth.
In the midst of this calamity, a diplomatic intervention would be vital, the Opposition Leader went on, adding that the ambassadors assigned to Sri Lanka in other countries have a huge responsibility in this regard. Most of these ambassadors, on the other hand, have failed to recognise their role rather pitiably, he noted.
The civil movements must be included in the five main pillars of the country’s development, Premadasa pointed out, adding that the representation of the civil movements would be essential for good and optimal governance.
Nishantha Sandabarana, who was appointed as the new Chairman of the Film Corporation, has reportedly denied the appointment.
Sandabarana previously served as the Chairman of the Ceylon Salt Corporation and was ousted from his position days ago.
His dismissal came in in response to the pressure exerted by Hambantota Mayor Eraj Fernando, who had even staged a death fast against Sandabarana’s role in the Salt Corporation.
Reports claimed that Fernando’s strong objection to the former Salt Chief was actually due to losing his ransom from the Corporation under Sandabarana’s regime. The matter at one point was intervened by Minister Chamal Rajapaksa to ensure Sandabarana’s dismissal, reports added.
The event being investigated, our correspondents revealed that the affairs at the Salt Corporation are being handled as per the will of a certain family for a long time and that Fernando was merely being a proponent.
There is a rising trend of heads of state-run institutes being ousted, offered new positions and denying them.
Nevertheless, whether the ‘huge profits’ they claim they gained with their talents over the last two years were actually due to the country’s economic policies should separately be investigated into.
Every roof can be turned into a power plant in the event that Sri lanka is a country receiving sunlight 12 hours a day, but a ‘clan’ of engineers does not allow it, said State Minister of Warehouse Facilities, Container Yards, Port Supply Facilities and Boats and Shipping Industry Development speaking to media yesterday (23).
The current power crisis exists in the country under this circumstance, Samaraweera noted.
“This is a country receiving sunlight 12 hours a day. Every roof can be turned into a power plant. This has been ceased by a ‘clan’ of engineers. Instead of looking for an answer, they have proceeded with a project that depends on fuel-based power generation and wastes money, and are saying that there is no money to import fuel,” he said.
The State Minister added: “We say, that this matter should be solved in the Cabinet, gentlemen. These shall not be disclosed to the people. People have enough problems to deal with. The man who had his three meals can afford to only two, the one with two only one, and the one with one suffers from hunger. Do they have to see these ministers’ drama on TV?”
The action of cutting power may have to be carried from today (24) itself given the ongoing fuel shortage, said the Engineers’ Association of the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB), speaking to a briefing yesterday (23).
“Sapugaskanda Plant has been inactive since about 22 noon. The Power Barge Plant has fuel oil only for about a day and a half. The Uthuru Janani Power Plant has a storage of oil sufficient for about four days, hence diesel for about four and a half days.
Considering the situation, the national grid may lose a capacity of about 160 – 180 megawatts from the evening of Monday. Therefore, a power cut may have to be proceeded for a shorter period on Monday night and from 2.30 pm to 3.00 pm, a period of about an hour and a half, on Monday eve. The Yugadanavi Plant has fuel oil only for about ten days.” said Eranga Kudahewa, Committee Member of the Engineers’ Association of the CEB.
Contributing, Union Secretary Dhammika Wimalaratna said,”Should this fuel situation continue, we may be compelled to cut power for about an hour on Monday and for about one hour and forty five minutes – two hours from Tuesday, running up to a couple of days. These cuts may be carried out under four sections; from 2.00 pm, or 3.00 pm in the eve to 9.00 pm at night, under four sections. The exact timetable will be revealed on Monday. The timetable will be forwarded to the Public Utilities Commission by Monday morning.”
