Connect with us

News

Those who insulted Cardinal now trying to use him to gain political mileage – Johnston

Published

on

Minister of Highways Johnston Fernando yesterday opened the first Home Shop as part of the International Women’s Day programme at Payagala. Women and Child Development, Pre-School & Primary Education, School Infrastructure & Education Services State Minister Piyal Nishantha is also in the picture.

Those who had insulted the Archbishop of Colombo His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith when the Easter Sunday attacks took place, were now trying to use him to gain political mileage, Minister of Highways Johnston Fernando said yesterday at the opening of the first Home Shop.

“When President Mahinda Rajapaksa was defeated in 2015, our GDP growth was second only to China. A lot of development activities were taking place here. The country was secure. Treasury had a lot of reserves. That’s why the yahapalana crooks carried out the bond robberies,” he said.

Fernando said that the Opposition now claimed that the government was not punishing those who had carried out the Easter Sunday attacks.

“After the attacks, the Cardinal asked Catholic MPs to push for a presidential commission of inquiry. Because we asked the former President, he appointed a PCoI. Earlier there was a Parliamentary Select Committee on the attacks. On that committee was Rauff Hakeem whose party members were associated with terrorists. There were JVP members who had fielded Ibrahim with terror links on their national list; his sons blew themselves up during the terror attacks. They also got a lot of cash from him. So much for the members of the PSC!”

“It will take months for us to study the report. Even the Cardinal said he was studying the report. Most people have not read it. The report was in English but we needed to translate it to present it to Parliament. Within 20 odd days we translated it into Sinhala. This is the first time that such a sensitive Presidential Commission report has been made public.”

Fernando said that a number of people had been arrested over the Easter Sunday attacks since President Rajapaksa came into power, but cases were not filed because the AG asked the government to wait till the PCoI report was published.



Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

News

Swiss ambassador meets President Dissanayake

Published

on

By

Dr. (Ms.) Siri Walt, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Switzerland to Sri Lanka, met  President Anura Kumara Dissanayake at the Presidential Secretariat this morning (09).

During the meeting, Ambassador Walt extended her congratulations to President Dissanayake on his recent election victory, conveying best wishes on behalf of the Government and people of Switzerland.

Ambassador Walt reaffirmed Switzerland’s commitment to supporting Sri Lanka, particularly through the ongoing IMF program, and expressed Switzerland’s readiness to assist in President Dissanayake’s efforts to combat corruption. She also emphasized Switzerland’s expertise in foreign direct investments (FDI) and tourism, offering assistance to Sri Lanka in these sectors to promote economic growth.

Further areas of collaboration discussed included constitutional reforms and labour migration, with Ambassador

Continue Reading

Business

President discusses enhancing revenue and efficiency with Sri Lanka Customs and Inland Revenue officials

Published

on

By

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake held a key meeting with senior officials from both the Sri Lanka Customs Department and the Inland Revenue Department at the Presidential Secretariat today (09). The discussions centered on strategies to enhance revenue generation and improve operational efficiency within both departments, in line with the government’s broader economic mandate.

During the meeting, officials from both departments presented the challenges they face in managing revenue and tackling tax evasion. They stressed the importance of strengthening coordination between the Inland Revenue Department (IRD) and Customs to effectively combat these issues. It was highlighted that better collaboration would ensure more robust enforcement of tax laws and prevent tax leakage, further boosting the country’s revenue collection.

Representing the Sri Lanka Customs Department were  P B S C Nonis, Director General of Customs; Mrs. H W S P Karunaratne, Additional Director General of Customs; . C S A Chandrasekara, Additional Director General of Customs;  W S I Silva, Additional Director General of Customs;  S P Arukgoda, Additional Director General of Customs; J M M G Wijeratna Bandara, Additional Director General of Customs;  A. W. L. C. Weerakoon, Senior Deputy Director and  M R G A B Muthukuda, Chief Financial Officer, among other officials.

From the Inland Revenue Department, Mrs. W S Chandrasekara, Commissioner General;  B K S Shanta, Deputy Commissioner General; Mrs. J A D D B K Siriwardena, Deputy Commissioner General; Mrs. J D Ranasinghe, Deputy Commissioner General; D M N S B Dissanayake, Deputy Commissioner General;  H H S Samantha Kumara; and Ms. T M S Thennakone, Senior Commissioner, participated in the discussions.

Continue Reading

News

Vietnamese Ambassador meets President; explores possibility of enhancing direct flights between Vietnam and Sri Lanka

Published

on

By

The Ambassador of Vietnam to Sri Lanka, Ms Trinh Thi Tam, paid a courtesy call on President Anura Kumara Dissanayake at the Presidential Secretariat this afternoon (09).

During the meeting, Ambassador Tam conveyed her congratulations on behalf of the Government of Vietnam and expressed optimism for continued cooperation between the two nations.

Highlighting Vietnam’s achievements in foreign direct investment (FDI) and trade, President Dissanayake requested Vietnam’s assistance in fostering these sectors in Sri Lanka.

The discussion also explored the possibility of enhancing direct flights between Vietnam and Sri Lanka, with a focus on strengthening Buddhist ties and cultural connections. Ambassador Tam further pledged to explore opportunities to promote Sri Lanka as a key destination for Vietnamese tourists, thereby expanding people-to-people connections and boosting tourism.

 

Continue Reading

Trending