News

COPE demands report on imported milch cow controversy

Published

5 years ago

2021/04/10

Ridiyagama farm lost Rs. 173 million in 2017 and 2018

The Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) has directed the Secretary to the State Ministry of Livestock and Farm Promotion and Dairy and Eggs Related Industries to review the controversial milch cow project, under the previous government, and submit a full report urgently.

Under a subsidy scheme to introduce high-yielding imported pregnant cows from Australia in 2017, the last government distributed 3,030 substandard cows, imported from there, and distributed them among dairy farm investors.

The COPE uncovered that the National Livestock Development Board (NLDB) owned Ridiyagama farm that holds cattle imported in 2015 had incurred a loss of Rs. 173 million in 2017 and 2018.

The COPE has found out that feed worth Rs. 508,793,160 had been purchased for cattle, from 1 October 2017 to 30 September 2018 in violation of the guidelines given by the Procurement Committee.

The Chairman of COPE Prof. Charitha Herath pointed out that many issues had arisen due to the improper financial decisions of the NLDB.

The COPE has also instructed the NLDB to carry out its functions within the legal framework.

State Minister Susil Premajayantha, MPs Eran Wickramaratne, Premnath C. Dolawatte, and Shanakiyan Rasamanickam were present at the COPE Committee meeting, held to review the Auditor General’s reports for the years 2016 and 2017 and the current performance of the NLDB.

The COPE also said that the Annual Reports of the NLDB from 2017 to 2020 had not been tabled in Parliament. Prof. Herath said that the inability to table the annual reports at the proper time prevented the COPE from determining the progress made in more recent times. He directed the Ministry Secretary to expedite submission of the reports to Parliament.

The COPE also found that 166 vacancies had been left unfilled at the NLDB for some time. Several executive posts have also fallen vacant. It observed that the NLDB had to create a legal officer’s post.

The NLDB, by 31 December 2016, had constructed buildings worth Rs. 194,565,192 and structures worth Rs. 701,358,733 in 24 farms. Although the NLDB had been running these farms from 1974 and 1992, the land where they are located had not been formally acquired by the NLDB, the COPE noted.

The COPE also found that three institutions, the NLDB, the Mahaweli Livestock Enterprises Ltd., and Sri Lanka Poultry Development Company (Pvt) Ltd., owned 12,617.43 hectares of land. But by the end of May 2019, 2,311.35 hectares of those lands had remained unutilised.

The COPE also found that the NLDB possessed machinery capable of producing 3.75 tons of cattle feed at a time, but these machines had not been utilised properly. Farms at Menikpalama, Dayagama and Ridiyagama which keep the imported cattle cannot even cover their minimum direct expenses, the COPE has noted.

The NLDB should look into the matter immediately, Prof. Herath said.

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News

Geneva takes up Sallay’s case and govt. ignores opportunity to answer accusations

Published

13 hours ago

2026/10/5

Thilina Walpola

Suresh Sallay

The government has chosen not to respond to questions raised by the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) regarding the detention of retired Maj. Gen. Suresh Sallay in connection with the ongoing investigations into the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks.

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) arrested the ex-official in late February this year. The Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism, the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, the Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health and the Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers have jointly raised the issue on 20 July, 2026.

Drawing attention of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to what they called alleged arbitrary detention of Sallay, former Director General of the State Intelligence Service (SIS) and former Director of Military Intelligence (DMI), under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), as well as allegations of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment while in custody, resulting in the grave deterioration of his health, and imminent risks of retaliation through further torture and ill-treatment resulting in irreparable harm, should he be released from hospital and returned to custody, the UN sought the government explanation with a 60-day period.

The UN has stated: “This communication, and any response received from your Excellency’s Government, will be made public via the communications reporting website at the 60 days mark. Should your Excellency’s Government respond within 60 days, both the communication and the response, may be published before the 60 days mark. The communications and responses

will also be made available in the subsequent periodic report to be presented to the Human Rights Council.”

In the absence of the government’s response, the UN posted the letter, dated 20 July, 2026, addressed to President Dissanayake. The full letter can be accessed https://spcommreports.ohchr.org/TMResultsBase/DownLoadPublicCommunicationFile?gId=31125

News

Section of wartime KKS High Security Zone vacated to facilitate economic development in the area

Published

13 hours ago

2026/10/5

Thilina Walpola

The Army, last week, vacated an area, within the wartime high security zone in the Jaffna peninsula. The Defence Ministry said that an extent of 187.56 acres of land, belonging to the Cement Corporation in Kankesanthurai, Jaffna, has been released by the military. The released land, located in Grama Niladhari Division J/233, Kankesanthurai West, within the Valikamam North (Tellippalai) Divisional Secretariat Division, had been utilised by the Sri Lanka Army since the middle of 1997.

The release of the 187.56-acre extent forms part of the initiative to make State land available for the proposed investment zone in Kankesanthurai, thereby facilitating future investment and economic development in the area.

News

Lawyer lodges complaint against Govt. Printer, Media Ministry Secy.

Published

13 hours ago

2026/10/5

Thilina Walpola

A complaint has been lodged with the Colombo Fraud Investigation Bureau against the Government Printer and the Secretary to the Ministry of Media regarding the online release of falsified documents bearing a forged Speaker’s certificate.

Attorney-at-Law Aruna Laksiri has lodged a complaint with the Colombo Fraud Investigation Bureau requesting legal action against the Government Printer of the Department of Government Printing (No. 118, Dr. Danister de Silva Mawatha, Colombo 08), Prasanna Jayaratne, and the Secretary to the Ministry of Mass Media (Asidisi Medura, 163, Kirulapone Mawatha, Polhengoda, Colombo 05), Dr. Anil Jasinghe.

The complaint alleges the commission of offences by forging and uploading falsified documents online using a forged Speaker’s certification, failure to perform statutory duties, and misappropriation of public property.

The complaint states that a copy of the English translation of the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution was downloaded and printed from the official website of the Government Printing Department (www.documents.gov.lk), which operates under the Ministry of Mass Media. On its outer cover and on page 1, the text “certified on 25th of September, 2026” is inscribed inside brackets.

The complaint pointed out that the Speaker has certified an English translation. Under Articles 23, 79, 83, and 80 of the Constitution, Parliament enacts laws and the Speaker certifies bills strictly in the Sinhala and Tamil languages; under the Constitution, therefore the Speaker cannot apply such certification to an English translation.