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Public Security Minister flays JVP for spreading extremist views

By Norman Palihawadane
Public Security Minister Rear Admiral (Retd.) Sarath Weerasekera yesterday said that there was reason to believe that the JVP, too, was promoting extremist ideologies of the Zahran Hashim’s group.
Speaking at a ceremony held at the Maligakanda Mahabodhi Vihara to mark the 147th anniversary of the Police Department, the Minister said the JVP’s Bimal Ratnayake had recently stated that those who worship statues should be called tribesmen.
“It was Zahran Hashim’s group that propagated such extremist views. They were the ones who damaged the Buddha statutes, and Ratnayake’s statement tallies with their ideology. So, we suspect that they shared same views. In addition Mohammad Yusuf Ibrahim, a key suspect in the Easter Sunday bombings, was on the JVP’s National List. Ibrahim has mentioned many names. We are proceeding with our investigations on information divulged by the suspects. We also have information that the JVP-led National People’s Power and Sri Lanka Jamaat-e-Islami signed an MoU when the NPP was formed in 2019. The extremist Islamic organisation is one among those banned for their links with Zahran’s group.”
Minister Weerasekera said that 3,170 policemen had died in the line of duty, and they included those who made the supreme sacrifice during the war against terrorism.
Secretary to the Ministry of Public Security Maj. Gen. Jagath Alwis, Western Province Senior DIG Deshabandu Tennakoon and senior police officers were present on the occasion.
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Veteran singer and musician Professor Sanath Nandasiri passed away at the age of 81

Veteran singer and musician Professor Sanath Nandasiri has passed away at the age of 81
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Overtime gravy train for public sector back

Govt. MPs make contradictory statements on state of economy
By Shamindra Ferdinando
UNP National List MP Wajira Abeywardena on Sunday (26) disclosed the issuance of a circular by the Finance Ministry to restore overtime and other payments in the public sector.
The declaration was made in Galle soon after Transport and Media Minister Bandula Gunawardane lamented that the government was short of billions of rupees to pay public sector salaries, pensions, Samurdhi payments and meet recurrent expenditure.
Minister Gunawardena and UNP National List MP Abeywardena addressed the local media after the handing over of several buses to the Galle SLTB depot.
Cabinet Spokesman Gunawardena said that the government needed as much as Rs 196 bn before the Sinhala and Tamil New Year and its projected revenue was Rs 173 bn. In addition to that Rs 500 mn was required to settle what Minister Gunawardena called bilateral debt.
Minister Gunawardane said that a part of the first tranche of USD 333 mn from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) would be utilised to pay public sector salaries.
Of the USD 333 mn received so far, USD 121 had been used to pay the first installment of USD 1 bn credit line secured from India early last year, according to State Finance Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya.
Power and Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekera in the second week of August last year revealed as much as Rs 3 bn had been paid as overtime to Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) workers for several months. This disclosure was made in response to a query raised by Chief Opposition Whip Lakshman Kiriella.
One of the major demands of the public sector trade unions on the warpath over the Wickremesinghe-Rajapaksa government’s new tax formula is the restoration of overtime.
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Now, Opposition wants Finance Secy. hauled up before Privileges Committee

Prof. G. L. Peiris yesterday (27) urged Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena to act speedily on the main Opposition Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) request to summon Finance Secretary Mahinda Siriwardena before the parliamentary Committee on Ethics and Privileges.
Addressing the media on behalf of the Freedom People’s Alliance, the former External Affairs Minister said that the Treasury Secretary had challenged the parliament by withholding funds allocated in the budget 2023 to the Election Commission thereby sabotaging the election.
Prof. Peiris said that there couldn’t be a far worse violation of parliamentary privileges than a government official undermining Parliament.
Instead of appreciating the intervention made by the Supreme Court to facilitate the delayed Local Government polls, the ruling party had sought to challenge the apex court, Prof. Peiris said, urging Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena to fulfill his obligations.
Prof. Pieris said that if the government lacked funds, just one percent of USS 333 mn received from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) was sufficient to conduct the election.
The ex-minister said that the IMF wouldn’t oppose the utilisation of a fraction of the first tranche of USD 2.9 bn loan facility provided over a period of four years to guarantee the constitutional rights of the Sri Lankan electorate. (SF)
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