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COPA orders rotten fish import case to be handed over to CID
The Committee on Public Accounts (COPA) has instructed the officials of the Ministry of Finance to report the unloading of 102 containers of rotten fish in the Colombo Port to the CID as it is a prima facie criminal offence.
CID officers who were present at the COPA meeting were directed to expedite the investigation. That decision was announced when the COPA met recently (March 20) under the Chairmanship of Lasantha Alagiyawanna to examine the facts disclosed by the audit inquiry into the entry of a ship which sailed from Seychelles to Thailand with container loads of spoiled fish and allowed to enter the Colombo port.
A ship carrying 102 containers of fish (over 2,700 mt) from Seychelles to Thailand has suffered a technical fault near Sri Lanka. It was also disclosed that the fish on board had decayed due to the ship’s power failure. Accordingly, the Auditor-General W. P. C. Wickramaratne stated that the ship arrived at the port of Colombo on 13.01.2022 and instead of leaving following the ship’s repair many issues have arisen due to the unloading of the containers of rotten fish in Sri Lanka.
The Auditor-General has pointed out that although certain facilities are provided at the nearest port in the event of an emergency, the decision to allow the stock of rotten fish unloaded in Sri Lanka in violation of the Customs was deeply concerning.
It was disclosed that the containers of rotten fish had been unloaded in Sri Lanka by obtaining a new CUSDEC permit using a buyer as an importer to Sri Lanka on the recommendations of a committee consisting of senior Customs officials.
The Auditor-General pointed out that the date of the invoice had been marked as 10.12.2021, which was a date prior to 13.01.2022, the date the ship arrived at the port. The Auditor-General said it was problematic.
However, the Import and Export Control General said that according to the report of the Customs Committee, on the recommendations of the Central Environmental Authority, the relevant agency had applied for the import of the stock of fish for the production of organic fertilizer and the relevant permission had been obtained according to the Import and Export Control Act.
It was disclosed that four of the 102 containers had been destroyed, 43 of the remaining 98 were used to produce fertilizer, 40 were re-exported and 15 were still remaining in the country. During a physical inspection conducted in July 2023, it was observed that the remaining 15 containers were stinking of rotten fish.
The Auditor-General said it was a matter for serious concern that the main business of the company that obtained the stock of fish to make fertilizer was canning fish. However, the customs officials who were present stated that the were two distinct businesses and therefore, the officials testified to the fact that the rotten fish was not used to make canned fish.
The Committee Chairman said that although there was no issue with assisting a ship in distress, the unloading of a stock of rotten fish was a serious matter.
MP Alagiyawanna said it was doubtful whether the rotten fish had been sold for human consumption.
He pointed out that though it had been recommended to the Department of Import and Export Control during the COPA held on 23.01.2024 to appoint a committee consisting of all relevant institutions in relation to this incident for the purpose of conducting a field tour and report how much fertilizer has been produced, the committee had been appointed the COPA summoned the Customs officials. He expressed his displeasure.
The COPA Chairman said it appeared that the Customs officials had acted very enthusiastically to have the containers of rotten fish unloaded and he wondered why they lacked that kind of enthusiasm as regards other imports.
State Ministers Mohan Priyadarshana de Silva, Diana Gamage, Chamara Sampath Dasanayake, Members of Parliament Tissa Attanayake, Isuru Dodangoda, Dr. Ms. Harini Amarasuriya, officials representing the Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Finance, Department of Import and Export Control, Sri Lanka Customs, Sri Lanka Police, Criminal Investigation Department and Auditor General’s Department were present at this COPA meeting.
Thirty-six (36) naval personnel completed an eight-month Basic Marine Qualification Course and received their Marine insignia at the main parade ground of SLNS Vidura in Sampur, Trincomalee today, (29 August 2026).
At the invitation of Commandant SLNS Vidura, Captain Ravindu Harischandra, the ceremony was graced by Rear Admiral Buddhika Liyanagamage, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Navy and Commander Eastern Naval Area.
The group, comprising 3 officers and 33 sailors, completed the 10th intake of the Basic Marine Qualification Course, after volunteering for the demanding training programme.
In recognition of exceptional performance during the training, trophies were presented to outstanding personnel. Lieutenant (S) VPA Sasanka was awarded trophies for Best Marine of the Course, Highest Aggregate in Overall Subjects, and Best Marksman.
Physical Training Instructor WMGDP Bandara received the trophy for Best Physical Fitness. Addressing the newly qualified personnel,
Rear Admiral Liyanagamage congratulated them on successfully completing the course. He urged them to use the skills and experience gained through their training to contribute to safeguarding the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
He also called on them to apply the courage and determination developed during the course both in their professional and personal lives, and to remain prepared to meet any challenge faced by the country.
He stressed the importance of keeping their knowledge and training up to date and maintaining constant vigilance while carrying out their duties.
Rear Admiral Liyanagamage also expressed his appreciation to
the Commanding Officer of SLNS Vidura and the directing staff for their contribution to the successful completion of the course.
The insignia ceremony also included a demonstration showcasing the capabilities and skills of the Sri Lanka Navy Marine.
Rear Admiral Achala Silva, Director General Logistics; Rear Admiral Kusal Dissanayake, Commandant Naval Infantry; Commodore Sanjeewa Kodikara, Director Marine; officers
from Navy Headquarters and the Eastern Naval Area; senior officers from the Army, Air Force and Police; and parents of the newly passed out marine personnel attended the ceremony.
Norwegians are grieving the death of the beloved King Harald V, as a period of national mourning begins and his son Haakon VIII assumes the throne.
After Harald’s death was announced early on Friday, crowds amassed at the royal palace in Oslo, laying flowers and flags, some mourners visibly in tears.
The 53-year-old new king held an extraordinary council of state meeting with government ministers, saying he was taking on the royal family’s motto “All for Norway”.
Harald – who was on the throne for 35 years – died in hospital at 06:35 local time (04:35 GMT) aged 89, after being treated there for a rare blood condition. His coffin was later taken to the palace in a public procession.
Memorials outside the palace included a candle with the word “thanks” written on it (BBC)
An estimated 10,000 people lined the streets in the capital to see the late king go past, Norway’s public broadcaster reported.
The late monarch has been described as an inclusive, transparent and empathetic “people’s king” who modernised the Norwegian monarchy.
European royals, including King Charles III – whose mother Queen Elizabeth II was Harald’s second cousin – as well as political leaders and ordinary citizens, paid tribute to his service and the stability he brought to the country.
Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, who laid flowers outside the palace and signed a book of condolences after greeting the new king, said the country was “united in grief and gratitude”.
In a televised memorial address – one of multiple eulogies by ministers – he said the late king’s “legacy lives on” and offered condolences to the royal family and Queen Sonja, who would have celebrated her 58th wedding anniversary with Harald on Saturday.
Støre was joined by ministers and a crowd of citizens grieving outside the palace (BBC)
Norway’s superstar footballer Erling Haaland thanked Harald for “everything you meant to Norway” in a post on Instagram, adding that it had been an honour to meet him earlier in the summer at the palace following the Fifa World Cup.
In the country’s capital, Norwegians shared their grief and affection for the late king.
“I personally will say he was everything for us, especially being an immigrant,” Biteya Terfassa, an Oslo resident who was born in Ethiopia, told news agency Reuters outside the palace.
“He made us feel at home and he made us feel loved. So he was like a grandfather that I never had.”
At noon, the Norwegian Armed Forces honoured Harald with a funeral salute of 21 shots from Akershus Fortress in central Oslo.
Later on Friday, a procession left the chapel at Rikshospitalet, where Harald died, taking his coffin in a hearse to the royal palace.
The date of Harald’s funeral is yet to be officially announced. Until then, he will be lying in state in the palace chapel so the public can pay their last respects.
During the national mourning period, flags will be flown at half-mast across the Nordic country, while Harald’s portrait will be displayed, candles lit and moments of silence held at professional events.
All non work-related social events will be cancelled or postponed. Oslo Mayor Anne Lindboe, who was due to get married on Friday, even postponed her wedding,
King Haakon, who is Harald’s younger child, is now the monarch and his wife Mette-Marit queen.
He is due to take an oath before the Norwegian parliament on Tuesday and will later participate in a consecration service – a stripped-down version of a coronation, which Norway no longer has.
His daughter, the 22-year-old Ingrid Alexandra, who joined her father to meet ministers at the palace on Friday, is next in line to the throne as crown princess after the rules of succession changed in 1990 to allow firstborn women to inherit the crown.
Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra, second from right, stood by her father’s side (BBC)
Haakon assumes his new role at a difficult time, as the royal family has faced health challenges and scandals this year.
Now-Queen Mette-Marit came under scrutiny earlier this year when it was revealed that she had a three-year friendship with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, for which she has publicly apologised.
Later in the year, she received a lung transplant, after suffering from pulmonary fibrosis since 2018. Doctors will not declare her stable until next year, meaning her husband must balance his new official duties with her care.
Meanwhile, Mette-Marit’s son from a previous relationship, Marius Borg Høiby, was convicted in June of rape and other offences and sentenced to four years in prison. He is appealing.
Høiby is not a member of the royal family, but was raised with them since he was four years old, when now-King Haakon married his mother.
Although Harald remained popular until his death, a poll for newspaper Aftenposten earlier this year found that support for the monarchy had dropped from 72% in 2024 to 54%.
However, Norwegian royal experts told the BBC that the new king, while facing questions about the turbulence surrounding his family, was respected, hard-working and, they believed, able to move forward despite the challenges.
(BBC)
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Sun directly overhead Pallawarayankaddu, Akkarayankulam, Ariviyal Nagar, Puthukkudiyiruppu, Ananthapuram at about 12.11 noon today (29)
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 (29) are Pallawarayankaddu, Akkarayankulam, Ariviyal Nagar, Puthukkudiyiruppu, Ananthapuram about 12.11 noon.
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