News
Ten constituent parties of govt. urge President to lock down country
By Rathindra Kuruwita
Leaders of 10 constituent parties of the government yesterday asked the President to lockdown the country for three weeks and establish an all-party mechanism to tackle the pandemic, given that it is a national disaster.
They claimed that it would take another six months to see the results of vaccination and there was a possibility of Sri Lanka becoming a graveyard until most Sri Lankans were vaccinated. They have also presented the President with a number of proposals to tackle the pandemic.
Ven. Athuraliya Rathana Thera (Ape Jana Bala Party), Minister Vasudeva Nanayakkara (Democratic Left Front,) Prof. Tissa Vitharana (Lanka Sama Samaja Party), Minister Wimal Weerawansa (National Freedom Front), Minister Udaya Gammanpila (Pivithuru Hela Urumaya), A. L. M. Athaullah (National Congress), Tiran Alles (Mahajana Eksath Peramuna), Dr. G. Weerasinghe (Sri Lanka Communist Party), Asanka Nawaratne (Sri Lanka Mahajana Party) and Gevindu Kumaratunga (Yuthukama National Organization) are signatories to the letter.
“We need at least six weeks to inoculate those over 18. It will take another month to ensure that they get the second dose. Until we pass that vital threshold, there is a possibility of the country becoming a grave yard. This is obvious when we look at the WHO projections for the country if we continue as usual,” they said.
The political party leaders have said that they are sensitive to the economic challenges faced by the country and the impact a three-week lockdown can have on the economy.
“However, it is also obvious that the health system will collapse unless we lock down the country for at least three weeks. The people now live in fear and therefore although the country is officially open, a lot of economic activities have come to a standstill. Once we lock down the country and get things under control, people will be more willing to go out and engage in economic activity,” they said.
The SLPP constituents have said the pandemic is a national disaster and an all-party mechanism should be implemented to tackle the crisis. This committee must include health and economic experts.
“The people need to trust the government but as the media has revealed, and we have clarified this, there are serious discrepancies in COVID-19 data. It is silly to think that we can tackle a pandemic by manipulating the numbers. The government must punish everyone that is responsible for his data manipulation.”
The party leaders have also asked the President to call in retired doctors, and medical students to vaccinate people. Various grassroots clinics too can be used for inoculation, they said.
They also urged the President to establish grassroots committees, consisting religious leaders, elected officials and civil society leaders to monitor the progress of various activities that have been implemented.
The Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CEYPETCO) has announced a revision of fuel prices, effective from midnight on Saturday (May 30).
Accordingly,
the price of Auto Diesel has been increased by Rs. 15 to Rs.407 per liter,
the price of Super Diesel has been increased by Rs. 20 to Rs. 478 per liter.
the price of Petrol 92 Octane has been increased by Rs. 24 to Rs. 434 per liter
the price of Petrol 95 Octane up by Rs. 25 to Rs. 495 per liter
the price of kerosene by Rs. 20 to Rs. 285 per liter.
Former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga has called for a comprehensive reform programme within Sri Lanka’s Buddhist clergy, warning that repeated efforts to strengthen the Sasana have in the past been derailed by opposition from within sections of the Sangha itself.
In a statement addressed to the Mahanayake Theras of the three Buddhist chapters, Kumaratunga stressed that the long-term preservation of Buddhism depends on safeguarding both the Dhamma and Vinaya, or disciplinary code, and urged urgent internal reform to address what she described as deep-rooted structural weaknesses.
She noted that Buddhist history has consistently demonstrated that periods of institutional crisis were addressed through reform processes, citing precedents from the First Buddhist Council to reforms during the Kandyan era under Welivita Sri Saranankara Thera.
Referring to post-independence efforts, Kumaratunga said initiatives taken during the 1956 Bandaranaike administration to strengthen Buddhism were left incomplete following the assassination of former Prime Minister S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike.
She further stated that during her own presidency, plans to convene a Buddhist Council under the guidance of the late Madihe Pannasiha Mahanayake Thera had received government backing but were ultimately abandoned due to resistance from certain sections within the clergy.
The former President alleged that, on both occasions, vested interests benefiting from existing weaknesses within the Buddhist establishment had worked to obstruct meaningful reform efforts.
Warning that Buddhism in Sri Lanka is currently facing serious challenges, she called for a broad internal dialogue within the Sangha to identify root causes and implement both short- and long-term corrective measures.
Kumaratunga urged the Mahanayake Theras to take the lead in convening a Dharma Sanghayana, or Buddhist Council, and said she was prepared to work with senior lay Buddhist leaders to support such an initiative.
The Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court on Friday ordered the arrest of former Minister Basil Rajapaksa, Tourism Promotion Bureau Chairman Bhashwara Gunaratne, Managing Director Rumi Jauffer and several others over the alleged misuse of Rs. 7.8 million belonging to the Tourism Promotion Authority during the 2014 Uva Provincial Council election campaign.
Magistrate Pasan Amarasena directed the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to arrest and produce the suspects before court, after it was informed that they would be named under the Public Property Act on the advice of the Attorney General.
The CID told court that attempts to take the suspects into custody from their residences had been unsuccessful as they were not present.
The Magistrate also imposed an overseas travel ban on the suspects and ordered that the Controller of Immigration and Emigration be notified.
Investigations have reportedly revealed that the funds were used to print 12,000 T-shirts bearing an image of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa on one side and the name of a political party on the other.
According to the CID, the T-shirts were later distributed at a political event held in the Monaragala District.
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