News

Ex-Maldivian minister arrested over rape of underage Lankan girl

Published

5 years ago

2021/07/6

By Norman Palihawadane

A former Maldivian Minister is among 32 suspects arrested over the exploitation and rape of an underage Sri Lankan teen.

Police Spokesman DIG Ajith Rohana said that the ex-Maldivian Minister had reached the girl via the Internet. He said that a hotel manager had also been arrested in connection with the incident.

The mother of the child, the Deputy Chairman of the Mihintale Pradeshiya Sabha and a captain of a ship are among the other suspects arrested over the sex scam.

The suspects now in custody also include the main accused.

A three-wheel driver, a car driver and the suspect involved in designing the website used to sell the child for sex, were also arrested earlier.

The 15-year-old girl had been sold for sex via the internet to multiple customers for sums ranging from Rs. 10,000, to Rs. 30,000 over a period of three months. She had been first marketed as a virgin.

The Police Spokesman said that another 12 suspects had also been identified and are to be arrested.

Preliminary investigations had revealed that the suspect had rented an apartment in Mount Lavinia to conduct his operations.

The suspect, who is reported to have sold the girl to several people on a daily basis, is said to have bought the girl from her mother, who is a resident of Delgoda.

Later in the evening four of the suspects including the Maldives’ former state minister of finance Mohamed Ashmalee (38) were produced before Colombo Additional Magistrate Lochani Abeywickrama and were ordered to be remanded till July 16. Others were a cashier of a Colombo-based hotel Dissanayake Mudiyanselage Malinga, owner of the Lankaads.com Ranasinghe Arachchige Duminda Sampath Perera of Panadura and Finance Manager of the website Makewelagedara Dhanuka Kaushalya of Bandaragama.

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Cabinet nod to accept Japanese government grant of 08 used low floorboard buses

Published

6 hours ago

2026/03/4

Priyan

The Cabinet of Ministers approved the resolution furnished by the Minister of Transport, Highways and Urban Development to accept 08 used low floorboard buses offered as a grant by the Government of Japan.

News

Payment of the financial subsidy for fertilizer to farmers cultivating paddy lands for the Yala season 2026.

Published

6 hours ago

2026/03/4

Priyan

While approval has been granted at the Cabinet meeting held on 18.08.2025 to pay the financial subsidy for fertilizer to farmers cultivating paddy lands for the Maha season 2025/26, the programme is planned to be continued for the Yala season 2026 as well.

Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers approved the resolution furnished by the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Lands and Irrigation to pay a financial subsidy of Rupees 25,000/- per hectare and for a maximum of 02 hectares per farmer for paddy cultivation and to pay Rupees 15,000/- per hectare for field crops cultivated in paddy lands[maximum of 02 hectares per farmer]

News

Ministerial Committee appointed to submit recommendations on proposed program to mitigate loss of crops to wild animals

Published

6 hours ago

2026/03/4

Priyan

The rural agricultural livelihood and food security have been severely impacted due to the damage caused by wild animals such as elephants, wild boars, monkeys, toque macaque, squirrels, and peacocks roaming around human habitats and cultivated lands.

Animal-human conflicts and property destruction have mostly been reported around these areas, and serious social and economic issues have also arisen.

Therefore, the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Land, and Irrigation has prepared a comprehensive program based on the opinions of all stakeholders, including the public, university community, farmers’ organizations, environmentalists, non-governmental organizations which work for environmental issues, the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Agrarian Development, and other relevant organizations.

Taking into consideration the report submitted by the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Land, and Irrigation, the Cabinet of Ministers has decided to appoint a ministerial committee with the participation of other relevant ministers, chaired by the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Land, and Irrigation, to submit appropriate recommendations on how the aforementioned program should be implemented by further reviewing the proposals included in the said program and incorporating new proposals.