News
Kiriella alleges India withheld vaccines from Sri Lanka to spite govt.
By Saman Indrajith
Chief Opposition Whip Kandy District MP Lakshman Kiriella told Parliament yesterday that the excuse given by the government for its failure to get vaccines from India was a lie.
Kiriella said that the government ministers’ excuse for failing to get vaccines from India was that there had been a fire in the vaccine manufacturing factory on Jan 21. “That is not true. After Jan 21, India supplied 7,575,000 vaccine doses to seven other countries. It showed that the reason was that the current government had antagonised India.
Kiriella said: Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka was the first to stress the need to bring vaccines. We hoped that we could get AstraZeneca vaccine from India. But what has happened. Only 500,000 free vaccines could be obtained from India.
The government said that there had been a huge fire in the facility that produced vaccines in India and as a result we could not get vaccines. Thereafter, on Jan 21 India provided vaccines to seven other nations. It gave 500,000 vaccines to Canada on March 02, five million vaccines to England on March 05, 125,000 vaccines to Iran on March 10, 300,000 vaccines to Brazil on March 18, 1.5 million vaccines to Saudi Arabia on March 28, 100,000 vaccines to the Maldives on March 29 and 50,000 vaccines to Palestine on March 29. Those seven countries got vaccines after Jan 21. We could not get it because India is not on good terms with us after this government’s Port city project.
“The government has started inoculation in the upcountry areas. There were vaccination projects in Kundasale and Mahaiyawa. Those who get the vaccine have to sign a letter that they may not need the second dose of the Sputnik V vaccine. Signature is obtained on another letter saying that the government would not be responsible for the side effects of the vaccine. Innocent people after spending hours in queues are asked to sign the letter moments before getting the jab. I have heard that this particular letter has been printed at the Kundasale Pradeshiya Sabha. What authority do they have? Do the local government officials have the same authority as doctors? There is no proper inoculation plan. I request the government to give vaccines to plantation workers because they are vulnerable. There are eight apparel factories under BOI in Kundasale. One such factory has at least 500 employees. All factory workers in the country must be given.
The government does not have money. It took a loan from the World Bank in May. This government is a total failure. It has failed in both vaccination and fertiliser projects. They laughed at us when we were planning to make Wi-Fi available to the public free of charge. They protested when we tried to give free tablet computers to schoolchildren. If that project had been completed, today the children would have been able to make use of them while the schools are closed.
The government gave tax concessions to mega companies, that caused a loss of Rs. 800 million.
The government has no vision to prevent losses. For example, look at the recent incident of a fire aboard X-Press Pearl ship. I saw an article in the London Times on this incident and about the possibilities for the cause of the fire. In future, we will know who is responsible for the fire. But the problem is that now it is exposed that our harbours did not have the capacity to extinguish such fires in the vicinity of the country’s main port. This would bring down our ratings and that would result in an increase of insurance surcharge. The government must take action to rectify this immediately.”
… Prez Secretariat faulted for not maintaining asset declaration registry
By Shamindra Ferdinando
The Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) has decided against refiling 34 cases that were withdrawn during the 2019-2024 period.
The 34 cases are among 102 cases withdrawn during that period, the CIABOC has disclosed, adding that 65 cases had been refiled. Decisions on three others are pending according to statistics made available on 01 March 2025.
The CIABOC provided a breakdown of the withdrawal of cases: 2019 (5), 2020 (0), 2021 (44), 2022 (49), 2023 (02) and 2024 (2).
The current CIABOC consists of Justice W. M. N. P. Iddawala (Chairman/Commissioner), K. B. Rajapakse (Commissioner) and Chethiya Goonesekera P.C (Commissioner). Its Director General is R. S. A. Dissanayake.
According to the CIABOC the majority of cases were withdrawn due to the absence of the signatures of all commissioners who served during 2019-2024.
Among the cases dropped by the CIABOC were four involving former Cooperatives and Internal Trade Minister Johnston Fernando. The CIABOC found fault with the Presidential Secretariat (PS) for the collapse of the cases due to the failure on the part of the PS to maintain a proper asset declaration registry at that time. The charge against the then Minister Fernando was the non-disclosure of assets and liabilities during the 2010-2014 period.
Fernando contested the last general election on the SLPP ticket but failed to retain his seat in Kurunegala District.The CIABOC has also decided against refiling the case against MP Rohitha
Abeygunawardena (New Democratic Front/Kalutara District) as the corruption charges pertained to acquisition of illegal assets amounting to Rs. 41.2 mn in 2004 and due to their failure to move court within 20 years.
The CIABOC also disclosed that the case against one-time Chairman of National Lotteries Board A.I. Ismail (2002-2003) charged for wrongful payment of Rs 9.8 mn to a private party had been dropped due to main witnesses former prisons Commissioner G.M.K. Bandara and former Director Public Enterprises K.M. Indrajith having migrated.
The Election Commission yesterday announced a revision to the postal voting schedule for the upcoming Local Government Elections, which are set to take place on May 6.According to the updated timetable, postal voting would now be conducted on April 24, 25, 28, and 29, Election Commission Chairman R.M.A.L. Rathnayake said yesterday.
“All government institutions, including the police, tri-forces, schools, corporations, and statutory
boards, will conduct postal voting on these four days,” Rathnayake said, adding that employees of those institutions can mark their postal ballots at their respective offices without any change to the existing arrangements.
A special postal voting centre will be set up at Kandy Girls’ High School to facilitate voting by police personnel on duty at the Sri Dalada Maligawa during the exposition of the Sacred Tooth Relic.
Arrangements have been made for tri-forces personnel to cast their postal votes under the supervision of designated certifying officers at their respective camps during the same four-day period.
In preparation for the elections, official ballot papers for all eligible postal voters across the 339 local government bodies were handed over to the Postal Department by Returning Officers on April 16. Distribution has already begun and will continue until April 29.
The Election Commission advises any postal voter who has not received their ballot by April 29 to make inquiries at their respective post offices.
The revised schedule replaces an earlier announcement made on March 27, which had designated April 22, 23, and 24 for postal voting at district secretariats and election offices, with April 28 and 29 set aside for those unable to vote on the initial dates.
With the latest changes, April 24, 25, 28, and 29 are now the official postal voting dates for the 2025 Local Government Elections.
A total of 18 candidates and 62 supporters have been taken into custody across the country in connection with criminal complaints related to the impending local government elections by yesterday morning (17).
A total of 38 criminal complaints related to the election and 138 complaints regarding violations of election laws have been lodged with police stations in different parts of the country.
According to the Police Media Division, on 16 Jan., two criminal complaints related to the election and six complaints regarding election law violations were received.
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