The arrest on Social Activist Shehan Malaka was made on the instructions of the Attorney General, said the Office of the Police Media Spokesman.
In a statement, the Office of the Police Media Spokesman noted that a lengthy investigation was carried out on a comment Malaka had made during a briefing on August 17, 2021, after which the documentation relevant to the investigation was handed over to the Attorney General.
Upon review, the Attorney General concluded that Malaka can be prosecuted on the charge of committing an offense under Section 120 of the Penal Code and instructed the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on January 24, 2022 to arrest him and produce him before Court, it added.
The Civil Activist who was arrested and produced before Court was granted bail with strict conditions. Malaka is now allowed to leave the country without obtaining a Court approval.
The Central Environmental Authority (CEA), the Coast Guard Department and other responsible government institutes are maintaining a silent policy on the canned fish factory located in the Galle Harbour and the maintenance of this factory is being backed by political power, revealed the Surakimu Sri Lanka National Movement, speaking to a briefing held today (16).
Although the CEA has sought the advice of the Attorney General to take an action against this canned fish factory, it would be a question how many years would it take to receive instructions from the AG’s Office, Pahiyangala Ananda Sagara Thero, the Chairman of the Movement stated, alleging that the fish waste brought to the factory for the production of canned fish is released into the ocean without any treatment.
Accordingly, about one hundred and fifty thousand litres of waste water is released into the ocean on a daily basis, the Thera revealed.
The Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CEYPETCO) is prepared to surge the fuel prices and has forwarded its proposals in this regard to the Finance Ministry and the Energy Ministry.
The CEYPETCO is of the view that the it cannot afford to operate without soaring the fuel prices.
The government, on the other hand, has not yet made any decision on soaring the fuel prices.
The matter was discussed at the Cabinet meeting two days ago, but no definite decision was made in this regard.
In the backdrop, the CEYPETCO believes that the Corporation can issue fuel only for the continuation of essential services, should the government fail to surge the prices.
Should the CEYPETCO implement its decision regarding the issuance of fuel, fuel will be released only to power plants, the railway services, passenger buses and the security forces.
The Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) is advocating for the complete abolition of the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) despite the amendments suggested by the government.
In a statement, the HRCSL emphasised that the offence of terrorism should be included in the Penal Code a new definition of terrorism, which should be explicitly for those who threaten or use violence unlawfully to target the civilian population by spreading fear thereof to further a political-ideological or religious cause.
Terrorism should be investigated under the General Law of the country with necessary amendments, it added.
The HRCSL also supports that it is not required to exclude the application of the Evidence Ordinance for the offence of terrorism, adding that the indefinite period of detention violates the Constitution, citing “Deprivation of liberty of a person pending investigation or trial shall not constitute punishment of Article 13(4).”
Amendments to the Penal Code, the Code of Criminal Procedure Code, Judicature Act and the Bail Act require modifications for this purpose, the Commission went on, pointing out that it recommends these amendments under section 10(d) of the HRCSL Act to be placed before a Parliamentary Select Committee.
The Director General of Health Services (DGHS) has issued a new circular yesterday (15) stating that PCR tests are not mandatory for all deaths occurred in the country under Covid Body Management and such PCR interventions, if necessary, can be carried out at the discretion of the judicial medical specialist assigned to the area, revealed Dr. Channa Perera, Chairman of the National Covid Body Management Committee and Judicial Medical Specialist of the Colombo East Base Hospital and the Institute of Infectious Diseases, Angoda, speaking to media today (16).
Accordingly, all corpses will not be subjugated to PCR interventions, unless the relevant judicial medical specialists recommend otherwise, he noted.
He added that in the early days of the pandemic all infected corpses were cremated, but both cremation and burial were permitted based on the knowledge gained about the virus’s behaviour and that propositions have been made to adopt a relaxed cremation and burial system for the management of these corpses in the future.
We often do not think about the significance of an elevator at our workplace except that it provides us with ease and mobility in our day-to-day lives. But when looking back at its story over the many years or decades, we realize the pleasant greetings, invaluable conversations, and new friendships that were made in what we thought was a compact, trivial place.
Sharing a deep emotional connection with elevators is Baurs, one of the leading diversified business groups in the country as it recently bid farewell to its elevator that has been a part of its family for a stunning 80 years.
Mr Shayne Pietersz, the General Manager of Purchasing & Admin took a last ride together with Mr Anomal de Soysa, Jt. Managing Director of Trade Promoters Limited, representatives of Swiss elevator brand Schindler in Sri Lanka for 33 years. A brand-new replacement Schindler elevator was inaugurated at the auspicious time clocking in at 10.18AM on Monday 31st January 2022.
Mr Pietersz, fondly called as the ‘elevator whisperer’ has been taking care of the elevator for the last 24 years. And as Baurs bid farewell to its elevator, it is sheer coincidence that Mr Pietersz also expressed his retirement from the company by end-February. The strong bond between the two goes without saying.
Baurs was the first Schindler customer in 1941 when Sri Lanka went by the name Ceylon, and it is believed that this is the oldest Schindler elevator on the island. After 80 years of good service, the elevator could undoubtedly go for another 80 years, but sadly its spare parts for maintenance have been discontinued. Baurs has been running the elevator fully functional in near perfect condition for 80 years.
The long-standing relationship between Baurs and Schindler, the Swiss multinational company moving more than one and a half billion people a day, goes a long way. Both are deeply rooted in its Swiss traditions and values. The new Schindler elevator, equipped with the latest technologies and safety features designed for optimum mobility, also hints the new outlook Baurs is gearing up for, as it celebrates 125 years of revolutionary growth and progress through its values namely Trust, Reliability, Quality, and Innovation being at the heart of everything it does.
Photo Captions: 1.Shayne Pietersz, Baurs GM- Purchasing & Admin (L) taking the last ride together with Trade Promoters Limited Jt. MD Anomal de Soysa 2.Baurs Managing Director/CEO Rolf Blaser (L) seen here cutting the ribbon for the new Schindler elevator
89-Comradeship, a group organised by a group of activists who actively contributed to the struggle of 1989 and do not currently represent any political party, stated that a broad mass movement should be built together to overcome the current crisis of the country.
In a statement, the 89-Comradeship pointed out that political circles and movements on the involvement of leftist parties and groups, as well as progressive mass movements in the North, East, South, the highlands and globally should be urging the citizens of Sri Lanka to immediately foster a programme with a clear vision to overcome this crisis.
Bhadrani Jayawardena, Secretary to the Ministry of Trade, has been appointed as the acting Chairperson of SATHOSA, revealed Trade Minister Bandula Gunawardena.
Her appointment comes in in due course of the probe launched into Venura Gunawardena, Chairman of SATHOSA, who is currently suspended in connection with illegal transactions.
Essential hospital equipment worth Rs. 2,990,000 were donated to the Base Hospital, Samanthurai yesterday (15) under the ‘Jana Suwaya’ corporate social responsiblity project undertaken by the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) to build a healthy country as part of the ‘Samagi Jana Balawegayen Husmak’ based on a concept by Leader of the Opposition Sajith Premadasa
Accordingly;
Two Highflow Therapy Machines worth Rs. 1,200,000
Two Multipara Monitors worth Rs. 295,000
were donated to the hospital at the hand of the Opposition Leader.
The ‘Jana Suwaya’ Project together with the ‘Samagi Jana Balawegayen Husmak’ initiative is undertaken by the SJB Parliament group and its organisers, members and foreign branches and is funded by local and foreign donors.
The SJB have previously donated essential hospital equipment worth Rs. 119,242,500 on 43 occasions in keeping with the CSR initiative.
The Colombo Chief Magistrate Court yesterday (15) dropped the charges against Minister Keheliya Rambukwella and a number of other accused over the case filed by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) in connection with the purchase of 600 GI Pipes with public funds belonging to the Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation thereby incurring a loss of Rs. 990,000 to the government during his tenure as the Mass Media Minister in 2014.
This was when the case was taken up before Colombo Chief Magistrate Buddhika C. Ragala yesterday.
The order to drop the charges was made as the CIABOC had requested the Court to allow the case to be withdrawn on the condition of re-filling.
Many persons allegedly involved in bribery or corruption cases were seen being released in the recent past due to the CIABOC’s own withdrawal of cases.
