News
Sri Lanka’s request for AstraZeneca vaccines from US pending
Sri Lanka hasn’t been able to secure a sufficient stock of AstraZeneca vaccines needed for booster doses in the Western Province.
Government sources told The Island that efforts were being made to obtain over 600,000 urgently needed AstraZeneca vaccine doses. The second dose should be provided between 12 to 16 weeks.
According to Sri Lanka’s Ambassador in Washington Ravinatha Aryasinha, Sri Lanka requested US assistance in this regard in late April. The following is the text of the statement issued by the mission in Washington: “Ambassador to the USA Ravinatha Aryasinha today called on Overseas Sri Lankans (OSLs) and Friends of Sri Lanka in the US to contribute relief goods and make donations, in the face of the urgency resulting from the increasing number of COVID infected persons being detected in Sri Lanka and the challenges posed in treating them. In a communication addressed to the community, Ambassador Aryasinha said the immediate need is for ventilators, oxygen concentrators, high flow oxygen units, multi-parameter monitors, PPEs including N95 masks, telemedicine platforms which could be used by medical professionals in Sri Lanka.
Providing an update on the efforts being made to procure COVID-19 vaccines from the US, Ambassador Aryasinha said Sri Lanka’s urgent need for AstraZeneca vaccines had been well received by the US Government in late April, but the release of this vaccine to all countries in need will have to be preceded by authorization for its use by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Following the announcement on Monday (17 May) that the US will also share already domestically authorized vaccines, he said Sri Lanka is seeking to secure Johnson & Johnson (J&J) vaccines through this modality. Additionally, the Embassy had also facilitated discussions between the State Pharmaceuticals Corporation and the J&J Regional Manager in India, with a view to enabling the purchase of these vaccines.”
The Colombo Stock Exchange (GL 12) has contributed LKR 25 million to the Rebuilding Sri Lanka Fund.
The cheque was handed over to the Secretary to the President Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake by the Chairman of the Colombo Stock Exchange, Dimuthu Abeyesekera, the Chief Executive Officer Rajeeva Bandaranaike and Senior Vice Chairman Kusal Nissanka at the Presidential Secretariat.
News
Karu argues against scrapping MPs’ pension as many less fortunate members entered Parliament after ’56
Former Speaker of Parliament Karu Jayasuriya has written to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake expressing concerns over the proposed abolition of MPs’ pensions.The letter was sent in his capacity as Patron of the Former Parliamentarians’ Caucus.
In his letter, Jayasuriya noted that at the time of Sri Lanka’s independence, political participation was largely limited to an educated, affluent land-owning elite. However, he said a significant social transformation took place after 1956, enabling ordinary citizens to enter politics.
He warned that under current conditions, removing parliamentary pensions would effectively confine politics to the wealthy, business interests, individuals engaged in illicit income-generating activities, and well-funded political parties. Such a move, he said, would discourage honest social workers and individuals of modest means from entering public life.
Jayasuriya also pointed out that while a small number of former MPs, including himself, use their pensions for social and charitable purposes, the majority rely on the pension as a primary source of income.
He urged the President to give due consideration to the matter and take appropriate action, particularly as the government prepares to draft a new constitution.The Bill seeking to abolish pensions for Members of Parliament was presented to Parliament on 07 January by Minister of Justice and National Integration Dr. Harshana Nanayakkara.
Five suspects, including former Minister Johnston Fernando and his two sons, who were arrested by the Financial Crimes Investigation Division (FCID), were further remanded until 30 January by the Wattala Magistrate’s Court yesterday.
The former Minister’s , sons Johan Fernando and Jerome Kenneth Fernando, and two others, were arrested in connection with the alleged misuse of a Sathosa vehicle during Fernando’s tenure as Minister.
Investigations are currently underway into the alleged misuse of state property, including a lorry belonging to Lanka Sathosa, which reportedly caused a significant financial loss to the state.
In connection with the same incident, Indika Ratnamalala, who served as the Transport Manager of Sathosa during
Fernando’s tenure as Minister of Co-operatives and Internal Trade, was arrested on 04 January.
After being produced before the Wattala Magistrate’s Court, he was ordered to be remanded in custody until 09 January.The former Sathosa Transport Manager was remanded on charges of falsifying documents.
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