News

Forest and Wildlife officers face punitive action for prosecuting culprits

Published

2 years ago

2021/02/26

By Ifham Nizam

Senior officers of the Department of Wildlife Conservation and Forest Department yesterday expressed concern over a directive that they should seek the State Ministry Secretary’s approval prior to taking legal actions against those who harm protected areas.

Representatives of the two departments are attempting to meet President Gotabya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa to seek redress.

An official said: “Some of our colleagues have been charge-sheeted for taking action against culprits who harmed the riverine forest habitats in Polonnaruwa and the Floodplains National Park. We have to uphold the Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance and we don’t need to get the approval from anyone to act according to the Ordinance.”

Secretary of the Ministry of Wildlife and Forest Conservation, Bandula Harischandra, asked for comment, yesterday said no one could take action against officials who enforced laws.

Steps were being taken to institute legal action against those who destroyed nature, Harischandra said, adding that they asked the Inspector General of Police to arrest anyone who harmed the environment.

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News

Stay on course and don’t go back to the past – Dr Indrajit Coomaraswamy

Published

6 hours ago

2023/03/24

Priyan

Former Governor of the Central Bank delivering the keynote address at a high profile Webinar hosted by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka today (24) said that Sri Lanka must implement the structural reforms proposed by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) without relaxing like in the past or else we will be in a deeper economic mess.

The webinar was titled ‘What is next for Sri Lanka in the wake of the IMF programme’

News

Sustainable economic development goals cannot be achieved unless attention is paid to mitigating climate change – Sagala Ratnayake

Published

7 hours ago

2023/03/24

Priyan

President’s Senior Adviser on National Security and Chief of Presidential Staff Sagala Ratnayake said sustainable economic development goals cannot be accomplished without taking steps to mitigate climate change.

He said this while participating in the 10,000 sapling planting program organized by the LEO Youth Vision 2048 Club and the LEO Club at the Royal College, Colombo on Thursday (23rd).

This program was organized in view of President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s birthday, which is today (24), and the required plants were distributed to the main schools of the Colombo District.

News

SF claims thousands of police and military personnel leaving

Published

19 hours ago

2023/03/24

Thilina Walpola

By Saman Indrajith

Thousands of police and military personnel had left the services recently as they did not want to carry out illegal orders, Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka told Parliament yesterday. According to the war-winning army commander 200 policemen have resigned during the past two months and 25,000 soldiers have left the army during the last two years.

“We urged the law enforcement and military officials not to follow illegal orders. We will reinstate them with back pay,” he said.

Fonseka also urged the President and the government MPs not to take people for fools.

“Sri Lanka owes 55 billion dollars to the world. Ranil’s plan is to borrow another seven billion during the next four years. So, in four years we will owe 62 billion to the world.

Ranil and his ministers ask us what the alternative to borrowing is. These are the people who destroyed the economy and society. They must leave. Then, we will find an alternative and develop the country,” he said, adding that the IMF loans had made crises in other nations worse.

“Ranil says that by 2025, we will have a budget surplus as in Japan, Germany and South Korea. These countries are economic power houses, and this comparison is ludicrous.”