The Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) yesterday (17) recorded a statement from former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on the allocation of a house for a maid working at the residence of the then Chief Justice Mohan Peiris, PC.

Gotabaya Rajapaksa, in his capacity as the Secretary to the Ministry Defence and Urban Development, allegedly authorised the allocation of the house on the recommendation of the CJ during President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s second term. The Rajapaksa government brought in Peiris as the Chief Justice after impeaching Dr. Shirani Bandaranayake in January 2013.

The allocation of the house was made by the Urban Development Authority (UDA), following the mandatory examination of the request, sources said, adding that during that time the government had launched several mega housing projects in Colombo and its suburbs to accommodate those living in shanties, etc.

CIABOC is expected to record a statement from ex-CJ Peiris who subsequently served as the country’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York.

By Shamindra Ferdinando

As part of the assistance extended by the Government of India towards rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts in Sri Lanka in the aftermath of Cyclone Ditwah, a four-member technical delegation of health experts from Sri Lanka visited India recently.

The Indian HC said: “The delegation studied the Indian models of Medical Kiosks/Health ATMs, Mobile Diagnostic Laboratories and the telemedicine platform ‘eSanjeevani’ to explore replicating these initiatives in Sri Lanka in order to strengthen the local healthcare delivery system.

During the visit, the delegation participated in a series of technical sessions organized by premier Indian institutions like National Health Authority, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC). Visits were arranged for the delegation to Combined Hospital at Loni, Ghaziabad, and Civil Hospital, Sector 10, Gurugram as part of exposure to India’s digital health ecosystem. Demonstrations were conducted on Mobile Health Kiosks / Health ATMs, including basic diagnostics and their role in strengthening primary healthcare delivery. The Sri Lankan experts were also provided an overview of India’s highly successful Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission. A live teleconsultation through eSanjeevani was demonstrated, highlighting the integration of remote consultations with digital health records.

The initiative reflects the continued robust cooperation between India and Sri Lanka in strengthening healthcare delivery systems, particularly in vulnerable areas, and supporting recovery efforts among affected communities.”

Professor G.L. Peiris, former Foreign Minister of Sri Lanka, addressed a seminar on current international affairs and the peace process of Sri Lanka last week in the National University of Singapore. Organised by the Institute of South Asian Studies of Singapore University, the event was chaired by Professor Iqbal Singh Sevea, Director of the Institute.

Professor Peiris presented an analysis of far-reaching changes in the world today, with emphasis on the replacement of rules-based systems by unilateralism and impulse, scant regard being paid to legitimacy. Against the background of peace processes assuming heightened significance in many parts of the world, he dealt with the structure and dynamics of the peace process in his own country, examining its limited achievements and the reasons why it failed to achieve its broader objectives. While each situation has unique characteristics and successful initiatives cannot be mechanically applied in different contexts, he explained the value of the Sri Lankan experience from a comparative perspective.

A vigorous question and answer session followed.

The seminar was attended by academics, diplomats, and representatives of civil society.