News
Aragalaya violence: Minister alleges section of clergy protecting those who destroyed private properties
Chief Government Whip and Urban Development and Housing Minister Prasanna Ranatunga has accused a section of the clergy of protecting those responsible for the premeditated destruction of property belonging to SLPP politicians and supporters during the May 09/10, 2022, violence across the country.
The Minister alleged that police investigations into the incidents were slow. Claiming that JVP activists had been involved in the violence, Minister Ranatunga said that he requested IGP Deshabandu Tennakoon to bring the investigations to a successful conclusion, regardless of interventions made by the clergy.
The Gampaha District SLPP leader said so at a meeting held at the Gampaha Divisional Secretariat yesterday (27) to expedite the process meant to pay compensation.
A press statement issued by the Ministry quoted lawmaker Ranatunga as having urged the people to seek the intervention of the Human Rights Commission if they believed the police and the military failed to protect their properties.
Minister Ranatunga has requested the Office of Reparations and the Government Valuation Department to expedite the process.
Declaring that the Gampaha administrative district was the worst affected due to systematic attacks carried out by organised mobs, Minister Ranatunga said that of the 42 houses destroyed and partially damaged in the district during this period, owners of 33 houses had been fully compensated.
According to the Minister, altogether 162 properties, including vehicles, had been destroyed/damaged in the Gampaha district. Of them, 138 were vehicles, three wheelers and motorcycles and the rest were houses.
Lawmaker Ranatunga said that their ancestral home, though destroyed in the wake of 1977 general election, full compensation couldn’t be obtained till 2004. The Minister assured that he would try to finish the compensation payment as soon as possible (SF)
The Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CEYPETCO) has announced a reduction in the prices of Petrol 92 and Petrol 95, effective from midnight today (30).
The price of Petrol 92 has been reduced by Rs. 15 per litre, from Rs. 414 to Rs. 399 while the price of Petrol 95 Octane has been reduced by Rs. 20 per litre, from Rs. 495 to Rs. 475
There will be no change in the prices of diesel, Super Diesel and kerosene under the latest revision.
The book “Rathuwewi Mihimadala”, written based on the life story of Vasudeva Nanayakkara, Leader of the Democratic Left Front, was launched on Friday [August 28] at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH) in Colombo, with the participation of Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya.
Speaking to the media afterwards about Vasudeva Nanayakkara, Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya stated:
“Vasudeva Nanayakkara is a prominent figure in Sri Lankan politics, particularly within the left-wing political movement. There were several influential figures within the left movement, and that left-wing influence also contributed to bringing the country to where it is today. Politically, there were areas where we agreed and areas where we did not. However, I have great respect for the contribution made by Vasudeva Nanayakkara to left-wing politics. When I entered Parliament in 2020, Vasudeva Nanayakkara was also in Parliament. We sat in the same row, and we spoke about many important as well as interesting moments in his political career. I believe some of these experiences have also been included in this book.”
The event was attended by members of the Maha Sangha, Minister of Justice Harshana Nanayakkara, former President Maithripala Sirisena, former Speakers Karu Jayasuriya and Chamal Rajapaksa, as well as party members, family members and friends.
[Prime Minister’s Media Division]
Latest News
Sun directly overhead Mannar, Periyamadu, Puliyankulam, Welioya and Pulmoddai about 12.11 noon today (30)
The sun is going to be directly over the latitudes of Sri Lanka from 28th of August to 07th of September due to its apparent southward relative motion.
The nearest places of Sri Lanka over which the sun is overhead today (30) are Mannar, Periyamadu, Puliyankulam, Welioya and
Pulmoddai about 12.11 noon.
Petrol to cost less from midnight today (30)
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