News
Govt. refuses to answer question on special treatment for Udayanga
By Saman Indrajith
The Opposition yesterday asked the government whether it would provide all diplomats with the same facilities as Sri Lankan Ambassador to Ukraine Udayanga Weeratunga. The latter refused to answer the question.
SJB Badulla District MP Chaminda Wijesiri said that Weeratunga had now been given accommodation at Temple Trees after his services to the country. Weeratunga’s present address is No 3, Temple Trees, Kollupitiya. Will a career diplomat such as Ravinatha Aryasinha be given the same benefits and facilities? Aryasinha is known as a diplomat who served the country.” MP Wijesiri raised this as a supplementary question to a query he had raised about Aryasinha’s career records.
Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena said that Aryasinha had joined the Foreign Service on Oct 03, 1988. Since then Aryasinha had worked as Assistant Director of the Foreign Ministry, Third Secretary at the Sri Lankan High Commission in New Delhi, Assistant Director (South Asia) at Foreign Ministry, National Information Officer at UN Information Centre, Director (Political Affairs) Foreign Ministry, Ministerial Advisor and then as the Deputy Head of Delegation at Sri Lankan Embassy in Washington, Director General (Public Communication) Foreign Ministry, Sri Lankan Ambassador to Belgium, Sri Lanka’s Permanent Representative at Geneva, Additional Secretary (Economic Affairs) Foreign Ministry, Secretary to the Foreign Ministry and now is in service as Sri Lankan Ambassador to the US in Washington.
MP Wijesiri: Minister’s response shows that Aryasinha had rendered an exemplary service to this country. Will such diplomats such as him be given the same benefits now enjoyed by Weeratunga, who was a diplomat once?
Minister Guanwardena: This question has no relevance. His original question is about Ravinatha Aryasinha. He cannot raise a supplementary question on another person.
MP Wijesiri: There is a concern that positions in the Foreign Service are given on political affiliations and to friends and relatives of political leaders. The positions in the Foreign Service were given only for qualifications and examinations. We hear that system has been changed.
Minister Gunawardena said that there no appointments had been made in the Foreign Service on political relationships. The Foreign Ministry followed the recruitment procedure and the appointments made to the Foreign Service had to get the approval of a Parliamentary ommittee headed by the Speaker of Parliament.
by Saman Indrajith
TheBatalanda Presidential Co-mission report was tabled in Parliament yesterday (14) by the Leader of the House and Transport Minister, Bimal Ratnayake.
Minister Ratnayake announced that the government has decided to forward the report to the Attorney General for legal advice. Additionally, a Presidential Committee will be appointed to provide guidance and recommendations on how to proceed with the findings of the report.
Ratnayake said that the Cabinet-of-Ministers, along with President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, has made a policy decision to take necessary action in response to the report. He reassured the public that steps are being taken to ensure that such a dark chapter in the country’s history is never repeated.
Minister Ratnayake said that a two-day debate on the Batalanda Commission report will be scheduled in Parliament at an appropriate time, allowing for a detailed discussion on the report’s findings and recommendations.
The report, which will be printed in all three official languages—Sinhala, Tamil, and English—will be made available to the public in the near future. Ratnayake confirmed that printed copies would be provided to Members of Parliament, as well as the general public, for review.
The Leader of the House revealed that there are 28 evidence volumes associated with the Commission’s work, which will be submitted to Parliament at a later date for further scrutiny.
Ratnayake said that as the entire country is concerned about the findings of the Batalanda Commission, the government’s commitment to addressing the issues raised, and preventing future atrocities, stands clear. The next steps, including legal action and policy recommendations, will be shaped by expert advice and informed parliamentary discussions, he said.
The Parliamentary watchdog Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) has found that there were fake documents regarding the importing of medicines under the emergency procurement system in 2022 and 2023.
This was revealed during a COPE meeting held at Parliament probing the transactions of the National Medicine Regulatory Authority (NMRA).
NMRA CEO Saveen Semage told the Committee that several fake documents have been found due to the lack of registration of medicines.
Stating that six such fake documents were found last year alone, Saveen Semage said he had recorded statements regarding each of the documents with the Financial Crimes Investigation Division.
He revealed that, however, no investigations have been conducted yet into the incidents.
“We have documents with confessions from a woman accepting that fake documents had been made. However, a statement has not even been recorded from that woman yet,” he said.
Meanwhile, COPE member MP Asitha Niroshana Egoda Vithana also revealed that the highest number of waive-off registrations (WOR) for medicines had been obtained in 2022 and 2023.
He said 656 waive-off registrations (WOR) had been obtained in 2022 and 261 in 2023, adding that this proves that discrepancies have taken place during the emergency procurement of medicines during these periods.
Furthermore, Deputy Director General of the Medical Supplies Division of the Health Ministry, Dr. G. Wijesuriya, said discussions are underway on allowing the State Pharmaceutical Corporation (SPC) to directly import essential medicines.He pointed out that it was essential to take a policy decision in this regard as a solution to mitigate such discrepancies.
by Norman Palihawadane
Department of Prisons’ Media Spokesperson, Gamini Dissanayake said yesterday that retired Superintendent of the high security Boossa Prison, Siridath Dhammika, who was tragically gunned down at Thalagaha, in Akmeemana, on Thursday (13), had been provided with a firearm for his protection during his tenure, considering the potential threat to his life.
Dissanayake said that during his service period, he had received threats from certain individuals.
Furthermore, the Prison Department stated that during his service, there were no significant issues or shortcomings found in his personal records.
Dissanayake said that the majority of detainees at the Boossa Prison are individuals linked to organized crimes.
Batalanda Commission report tabled … finally
COPE finds fake documents submitted for emergency procurement of drugs
Retired Superintendent of High Security Boossa Prison had threats – Prison Spokesman
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