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Chief Govt. whip alleges bid to derail booster dose

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It was unfortunate that the Opposition, which carried out a disinformation drive against the vaccination programme during the first and second waves of the COVID-19 pandemic, was now trying to discourage the public from receiving booster shots, Chief Government Whip and Highways Minister Johnston Fernando has said.

 Speaking at a ceremony to mark the opening of a new three-storeyed building complex for the Kurunegala Pradeshiya Sabaha, the Minister said that the Opposition parties wanted to see bodies pile up so that they could gain some political mileage, but the government’s successful vaccination drive had disappointed them.

  “Some members of the public fall for the Opposition’s lies, which are however short-lived. Both Sajith Premadasa and Anura Kumara Dissanayake have spoken against vaccination. They said that we had allowed the people to be used as guinea pigs. However, both Premadasa and Dissanayake too got jabbed later on. Now, they have got their men and social media activists to spread doubts and fears about the booster dose. It is such an unfortunate situation that we have got opposition members who speak against science to mislead people.

“The pandemic is a huge challenge, but President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has faced it successfully. He gave the leadership to the government to work hard to counter the threat. When they said medical oxygen was in short supply, we increased supplies. Then the opposition MPs said that people would die on hospital floors without beds, we made 20,000 new beds in a couple of weeks’ time. Sri Lanka has been recognised today as the third best country in the world where the vaccination programmes against COVID-19 are concerned.

“I spoke to regional health authorities yesterday and told them that the process of administering the booster dose should be completed in the Kurunegala District by the end of February.

 “We are not a government that goes around boasting about what we did, because we know that time spent on boasting could be used to do some more work. We have several economic challenges. We’ll address them too. We did not do politics during the past several months, but worked to help people get out of the pandemic dangers. In the next few months to come people will see the results of what we did and also realise that the opposition members lied to them. Our target is not elections because we know that when we complete our work, there is no need for a separate polls campaign to win again. People in this country are intelligent and can understand the political bankruptcy of the opposition parties and would never cast their votes for such a bankrupt lot.”



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Southern Expressway land leased to Rajapaksa allies for Rs. 10,000 – Minister

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Bimal Rathnayake

Leader of the House and Transport Minister Bimal Rathnayake told Parliament yesterday that a service area on the Southern Expressway had been leased for 99 years to individuals linked to the Rajapaksa family for just Rs. 10,000.

Responding to questions raised by Opposition MPs Rohitha Abeygunawardena and Ajith P. Perera, Minister Rathnayake also claimed that the Rajapaksa associates had obstructed the construction of several other approved service areas along the expressway.

He said that the Southern Expressway project suffered from serious irregularities, including deviations from feasibility studies, which he said led to the wastage of billions of rupees.

Highlighting specific discrepancies, the Minister pointed to the construction of two interchanges that were not part of the original expressway blueprint.

“One is at Kapuduwa, just 5 km from Godagama in Matara, serving only traffic to and from Colombo. The other is at Bedigama, 6 km from Beliatta,” he said, adding that each interchange cost over Rs. 10 million to build.

By Saman Indrajith

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Hike in bus fares if Israel-Iran conflict results in higher fuel prices

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Gemunu

A hike in private bus fares could be on the cards next month if global fuel prices continue to climb as a result of the ongoing Israel-Iran conflict, according to Lanka Private Bus Owners’ Association (LPBOA) President, Gemunu Wijeratne.

Wijeratne told The Island yesterday (20), that the annual bus fare revision, scheduled for the 1st of next month, could lead to a revision in fares, should fuel prices in the global market remain on an upward trajectory.

He said that while fuel prices are already high due to the prevailing geopolitical tensions, the Association is cautious about pushing for a fare increase immediately, warning that such a move could adversely affect the industry in the current economic climate.

However, Wijeratne emphasised that if international fuel prices stabilise and remain at their present levels, a fare hike may not be necessary.

“The situation is being closely monitored. We hope that the global market stabilises, but if fuel prices continue to rise, we will have no choice but to adjust fares accordingly,” he added.

By Pradeep Prasanna Samarakoon ✍️

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Committee probing alleged abuse of power by IGP approves inclusion of two additional witnesses, currently abroad

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The Committee of Inquiry investigating allegations of gross abuse of power by IGP Deshabandu Tennakoon convened for the fourth consecutive day on Thursday, under the Chairmanship of Supreme Court Justice Preethi Padman Surasena. The Committee also includes Justice W.M.N.P. Iddawala and E.W.M. Lalith Ekanayake, Chairman of the National Police Commission, the Parliament Media Division said.

It said that as of Thursday, 28 prosecution witnesses have testified before the Committee, including seven on that day (Thursday).

The Committee has also approved the inclusion of two additional witnesses, currently abroad on official duty, to testify after their return to the country on 26 June. This request was submitted by Additional Solicitor General and President’s Counsel Dileepa Peiris, and Deputy Solicitor General Rajitha Perera, representing the Attorney General’s Department.

Attorney-at-Law R.S. Weerawikrama, appearing on behalf of IGP Tennakoon, gave his consent for the two witnesses to be summoned for examination and cross-examination upon their return. The Committee granted the request.

Although initially scheduled to reconvene yesterday (20), proceedings have been postponed to Monday, 23 June, following a request by Weerawikrama to allow additional time to prepare the IGP’s defence. With the Attorney General’s Department not objecting, the Committee approved the postponement.

The next sessions will be held from 23 to 25 June, commencing at 9:30 a.m. daily. During this period, 15 witnesses are expected to testify on behalf of the Respondent IGP.The Committee will reconvene again at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, 26June, following the conclusion of the defense’s witness testimonies.

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