News

JVP flays govt. for ministers’ contradictory assertions over toxic coconut oil

Published

2 years ago

2021/04/1

By Saman Indrajith

Ministerial rhetoric will not help cover up the contaminated coconut oil released to the market and the government has to come up with a scientific method to ensure that the public would not consume the oil containing a carcinogenic toxin, the JVP says.

Addressing the media at their party headquarters in Pelwatte on Tuesday, former JVP MP Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa said that ministers’ responses were contradictory and only confused the public.

“One claims the coconut oil containing carcinogens has not been released to the market. According to him all stocks of imported coconut oil have been sealed. Another says there have been no complaints from the public so far. Another minister says that there is nothing to be afraid of as the government will re-export the contaminated coconut oil stocks. They are all at sea.”

Dr Jayatissa said a second test conducted by the Sri Lanka Standards Institute (SLSI) had confirmed that unrefined coconut oil contained the carcinogenic aflatoxin. “The Consumer Affairs Authority has stated that more than 100 samples of coconut oil randomly taken from various parts of the country are already being tested. Doesn’t it show that they are not certain whether the toxic oil has already been released to the market?”

Former MP Sunil Handunnetti said: “The ruling party must not forget the fact that their main campaign slogan was national security and we are now questioning of its ability to ensure food security, which is a prerequisite for national security. We want to know what the government is going to do about the stock of contaminated coconut oil. The re-exporting of this would not be a solution because it is not right to re-export it knowingly that such action will endanger the lives of people in another country. This stock should be destroyed scientifically.”

Handunnetti said the government should know that getting its ministers to make irresponsible statements would not be able to reduce the gravity of the threat confronted by the people and it was prudent to find ways and means of preventing a shortage of coconut oil in the market ahead of the traditional New Year.

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

Published

7 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.”