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Minister Amaraweera ready to resign if allegation of shipping local sand to the Maldives is proved
By Ifham Nizam
Minister Mahinda Amaraweera yesterday said he would resign if it was proved that a Minister of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party was involved in a racket where sand was shipped from Sri Lanka to the Maldives.
Illankai Tamil Arasu Kadchi (ITAK), Batticaloa District/National List MP Shanakiyan Rajaputhiran Rasamanickam said in Parliament on Tuesday that a Minister of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party was involved in shipping sand to the Maldives.
Addressing a media briefing yesterday, Environment Minister Mahinda Amaraweera said that as a Senior Vice President of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party as well as a Minister, he believed that the resources of the country must not be plundered.
Minister Amaraweera said the Maldives had taken delivery of six and a half cubes of sand recently to be used for water filtering in that country. “I asked GSMB and they said it had been sent by a company in our country and all taxes had been collected by the government. But the sand was not for any construction purpose in the Maldives.”
He said there were politicians involved in sand, soil and granite smuggling. “I know that these politicians are also following these racketeers. Mr. Rasamanickam, MP always seeks publicity. If he has any information about a sand racket, he should submit it to use for action.
Minister Amaraweera also said that mineral resources here were exported by a government-owned company. “It is a government company. The income from it goes to our Treasury. The GSMB said no licence had been issued for sand exports. “Therefore, I responsibly say that there has been no such racket.
Chief of Staff to the President and National Security Advisor (NSA) Sagala Ratnayaka led the Sri Lanka delegation to the 20th IISS Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia’s premier Security Summit held in Singapore from 2 – 4 June 2023.
The highly anticipated summit commenced on 2 June with a powerful Keynote address delivered by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. Throughout the event, a series of plenary sessions delved into various crucial geo-political issues, encompassing the establishment of a stable and balanced Asia Pacific, the resolution of regional tensions, the evolution of maritime security in Asia, US leadership in the Indo-Pacific, and China’s latest security initiatives, among other topics.
During the Special Session focusing on ‘Defence Cooperation in the Indian Ocean Region,’ Ratnayaka delivered an impactful statement, participating alongside representatives from India, Oman, France, and the United States. He emphasized the significance of keeping big power rivalries and external conflicts out of the Indian Ocean, highlighting Sri Lanka’s efforts in the United Nations to declare the region as a zone of peace. Furthermore, he underscored the country’s contributions to preserving freedom of navigation and over flight, stressing the crucial need for constructive dialogue among all stakeholders in the Indian Ocean region to pursue shared interests.
The Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal raised by the Minister of Health to reduce the maximum retail price of 60 medicines by 16% with effect from 15.06.2023 and review the price of medicines every three months
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