Those attempting to instigate communal discord will be arrested: Kiriella
The government instructed the Police to arrest anybody who attempts to instigate communal discord, Leader of the House and Minister Lakshman Kiriella said in Parliament yesterday.
The minister said the Police have been instructed to arrest the offenders irrespective of their status.
He made these observations in reply to a statement by UPFA MP Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena who questioned the apathy of government towards the recent incidents of racial extremism unleashed in the country.
The minister, stating that the government was investigating on the recent trend of incidents, stressed that it does not have an intention to cover up any individual.
He in return questioned MP Abeywardena on what the previous regime did following the Aluthgama and Beruwala unrest in 2014.
Meanwhile, Co-Cabinet spokesman and Parliamentary Reforms and Lands Minister Gayantha Karunathilake said the Cabinet which met yesterday paid special attention to the latest situation where several religious places of worship have come under attack.
The minister addressing a press conference at the Parliament Complex said the Cabinet decided to hand over the responsibility of handling and controlling subversive activities in various places of the country to rouse racial and communal violence to the officers in charge of the police stations in the respective areas.
“The government will not permit the activities seeking to create communal disharmony.
The President, the Prime Minister and the Cabinet of Ministers discussed the latest situation and a decision was taken to entrust the OICs in all Police stations with the responsibility to maintain law and order and take action to prevent any incident which may lead to communal disharmony,” he said.
“The government will ensure that there would be no room for creating disharmony and disturbances to change the status quo by parties with vested interests,” the minister said.
Underworld members carried out Piliyandala shooting: Sagala
Investigations on the shooting at Police Narcotics Bureau (PNB) officers in Piliyandala on May 9 have found that the attack had been carried out by underworld members on directions of an underworld kingpin, Samaraweera Arachchige Madusha alias Matara Madush, who is in Dubai, Southern Development and Law and Order Minister Sagala Rathnayake said in Parliament yesterday.
The minister said he was the one who is said to have killed Dannie Hittetiya and been involved in the recent prison bus shooting incident at Kalutara. He said according to findings, an army deserter, D P Asitha Noel Kumara of Habaraduwa who is suspected to have attacked PNB policemen and M. M. Mohamod Navas, the PNB informant who gave misleading tip-off for the raid have left the country through sea route via Thalaimannar to Tamil Nadu on May 16 night.
He made these observations yesterday in response to special statement made by Chief Opposition Whip and JVP Parliamentarian Anura Kumara Dissanayake under standing orders 23 (2).
Minister Rathnayake said investigations are in progress to arrest Shivanathan Coonghe, Judi Coonghe and Nimal Coonghe who are found to have supported the two suspects to flee from the country. He said Noel Kumara’s wife Thanuja Priyanthi, Isuru Kumara and Tharindu Madushanka were arrested for attempting to conceal facts about the suspects on May 21. They were remanded by the Kesbewa Magistrate until June 5.
Minister Rathnayake said that the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has been tasked with probing the shooting incident where one policeman and a girl were killed and several other policemen injured. He said the results would be presented to Parliament after the investigations. The minister said he ordered an investigation into the incident as soon as he heard of it, but later decided to hand over the probe to the CID. He said a separate investigation by the Mirihana Special Crime Operations Division was also in progress.
“The CID would investigate all aspects with regard to the incident, whether the policemen conducted reconnaissance, consulted intelligence reports and took other precautionary measures before they had launched the raid,” Minister Sagala Rathnayake said.
The investigators found that the motorcycle used by the shooters had been purchased three hours prior to the attack, he said.
Indian teachers for estate sector schools only on conditions: Akila
If the proposal to bring in Indian teachers to serve in Tamil schools in the estate sector is implemented, that would be done only under conditions of returning to their country after a specific time period, Education Minister Akila Viraj Kariyawasam said.
The minister made this clarification in response to a supplementary question by UPFA MP Kanaka Herath over Education State Minister V. Radhakrishnan’s comment on bringing in 100 Indian teachers to fill teacher vacancies in estate sector schools.
The minister said if the project is carried out, it would be done with the funds of the Indian government. He said as a long term measure to address the teacher shortage in estate schools, the government has decided to lower minimum qualifications when recruiting individuals from the estate sector for National Colleges of Education.
PSC to look into purchasing of properties in Brazil and USA
Speaker Karu Jayasuriya yesterday appointed a Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) to look into and report on the expenses incurred by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka for the purchase of properties in Brazil and the USA.
The committee headed by UNP MP J. M. Ananda Kumarasiri is comprised of 22 MPs.
JVP MP Sunil Handunnetti presented a resolution early this year requesting a PSC to look into the purchasing of the Office for the Sri Lankan Embassy in Brazil and the Office for the Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations, New York, USA.
The PSC will also probe whether these purchases were duly authorised, the amount incurred on each of these premises and officers responsible for the purchasing of the premises.
The committee will present its report to Parliament within six months of the date of its first sitting.
The other members of the committee are MPs Lakshman Seneviratne, Pavithra Wanniarachchi, Douglas Devananda, Bandula Gunawardena, Mahindananda Aluthgamage, Sunil Handunnetti, Bimal Rathnayake, Anura Sidney Jayaratne, Lakshman Ananda Wijemanna, Vidura Wickremanayake, E. Sarawanapavan, Nalin Bandara Jayamaha, Hector Appuhamy, S. Aravinda Kumar, Ananda Aluthgamage, Prof Ashu Marasinghe, Thusitha Wijemanne, Sandith Samarasinghe and S. Sivamohan.
Findings of Police Patrol Vehicle shooting incident to be presented before House
The findings of the shooting incident at the Police Patrol Vehicle at Palai in Kilinochchi on May 18 would be presented before Parliament after investigations, Southern Development and Law and Order Minister Sagala Rathnayake said in Parliament yesterday.
He said five Police groups and a group of Army personnel have been deployed to investigate into the incident. He said the Palai Police Station was not attacked but a patrol vehicle.
He made these observations in response to a query made by Joint Opposition Member Padma Udayasantha Gunasekara during the round of questions for oral answers as a supplementary question. He asked as to what steps have been taken in connection with the attack on the Palai Police Station. He queried if the government received information to the effect that the attack was an act of terrorism.
Committee on Public Finance seeks details of vehicles purchased for ministers
The Committee on Public Finance headed by TNA MP M. A. Sumanthiran has requested the Director General of the National Budget Department to provide the details of vehicles purchased for ministers from January 2015.
It has requested to include in the report the present condition of previous vehicles used by the ministers.
The committee has made this direction in respect of the Supplementary Allocation presented to the House on May 5 which among other things sought Rs. 329 million to purchase vehicles for six ministers, a Provincial Governor and a Secretary to the Prime Minister.
MP Sumanthiran told Parliament yesterday that the Public Finance Committee decided to withhold its approval on this Supplementary Allocation until the receipt of requested details.
Extremism, corruption should be eliminated to achieve prosperity: Mangala
Extremism and corruption should be wiped out to achieve economic prosperity, Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera told Parliament yesterday while promising to put his maximum effort to rebuild the debt-ridden economy.
The minister was moving seven resolutions under the Appropriation Act for the approval of the House to give effect to budgetary revisions.
The minister outlining his plans towards resurrecting the economy, said the private sector should be the engine of growth. Its contribution is vital for development, he said.
While pledging to bring in a “new wave of reforms” which will take Sri Lanka forward as a “modern, dynamic and democratic economy”, he said his target is to ensure that the country becomes the hub of Indian Ocean by 2020.
He identified extremism and corruption as forms of terrorism which act as bane of the country’s progress.
“In January 2015, we inherited an economy in shambles. It was no different to the Meetotamulla garbage dump. Financial discipline was ruined due to crony capitalism and dictatorial rule. For the last two years, my predecessor under the leadership of the Prime Minister put great effort to bring the economy back into the right track. We regained the confidence of international community. Our leaders are well-received in anywhere they go in the world,” he said.
The minister spoke on the achievements made in the international relations front.
“Considering the political stature of my predecessors such as Roni de Mel, N. M. Perera, Felix Dias Bandaranaike and J. R. Jayawardena, I felt that these shoes are much bigger for me to wear. However, I will commit myself to do economic reforms needed and save the country from the debt trap,” he said.
Shooting incident in Piliyandala
Anura Kumara quizzes on possible other parties except for underworld
Chief Opposition Whip and JVP Parliamentarian Anura Kumara Dissanayake queried the government if there is any information to the effect that there were other parties except for the underworld to eliminate the Police Narcotics Bureau (PNB) inspector who was in charge of the raid in Piliyandala on May 9.
He made the query yesterday in Parliament making a special statement under standing orders 23 (2).
MP Dissanayake said there were serious doubts on the shooting incident in Piliyandala where a group of policemen of the PNB were attacked while they were on their way in a car for a raid.
“One constable died on the spot and an inspector and another constable were injured, while three girls and a person standing by road too had been wounded” MP Dissanayake said.
“A 12-year-old girl injured in the incident succumbed to the injuries at hospital on May 19.”
He said this government came to power promising to eradicate the killing culture. It should pay its attention to Chicago style murders on the road. He said there were media reports that the raid had been launched on a tip-off. It was found that information was false to lure policemen to an ambush, he said.
“The question was as to how and why the policemen engaged in a raid of this nature which would place their lives at stake were subjected to such an attack,” queried MP Dissanayake.
“The inspector injured in the incident is said to have been involved in the Welikada prison shooting incident. There is a doubt that a party which intended to destroy evidence which could have been obtained from the inspector tried to kill him.”
MP Dissanayake said the Opposition expected the minister would inform Parliament if the raiding party had followed security procedures and taken precautions in conducting a raid. He questioned as to who were involved in the shooting. He queried if the government had established that it was an act of the underworld.
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