Anti-tobacco campaign: Sirisena agreed to reduce size of health warnings – Nimal
Posted on December 5th, 2014
Hot News
Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva yesterday claimed the anti-tobacco and anti-alcohol regulations had been introduced under his tenure as Health Minister in keeping with Mahinda Chintana programme. “[Former Health Minister] Maithripala Sirisena has claimed the paternity of another person’s child.”
Minister de Silva said though his estranged colleague had claimed the size of the pictorial health warnings on packets of cigarettes had been reduced due to political interference, it was the judiciary that had made that decision. “He agreed to a settlement with the tobacco company and have the pictorial warnings printed in an area covering 60 percent of the display areas of packets of cigarettes. He cannot blame anyone for what he himself approved. Regulations placed on the parliament order paper can be challenged in the Supreme Court and that is a constitutionally guaranteed right of all citizens.”
President Mahinda Rajapaksa said his government had launched its anti-smoking campaign way back in 2006 and its efforts had yielded desired results. “Nobody dares to smoke in buses, trains and public places and our campaign was responsible for a drastic reduction in the sale of cigarettes. There is an allegation that the sale of white beedi has increased and contemplating action to tackle the issue.”
Minister de Silva accused the tobacco industry of having bankrolled the Oppositions Uva PC polls campaign.
Certain politicians want to take me before ICJ – President
President Mahinda Rajapaksa said that certain politicians are hell bent on defeating him at the forthcoming Presidential Election to bring him before the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
“The ulterior motives of these people came to light during a program telecast over Al-Jazeera recently,” he said.
He said the Tamil diaspora together with certain politicians are engaged in this.
President Mahinda Rajapaksa had quoted that in the forthcoming presidential election he is contesting not the common candidate Maithripala Sirisena but former president Chandrika Kumaratunga is contesting me.This is a combined effort of Mangala and Chandrika.He was of the view that Ranil Wickremasinghe would have been a better force as he has a knack,while Maithripala is in a side was said to the media heads at temple trees
The viewer who called Mahindananda Aluthgamage traced-He is Ranjan Ramanayake
The day before yesterday the caller,a viewer who questioned Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage during the live wada pitiya” which prompted the Minister to end the programme abruptly causing a severe embarrassment to him has been traced as Member of parliament, UNP’s Ranjan Ramanayake.He had used the name as Sunil from Matara.This has been revealed through special information.
The call has been initiated through mobile phone 0712781811 and channeled via the Madiwela telecommunication tower.The name and address of the owner of the mobile phone Ranjan Ramanayake, 4D,parliament housing complex,Madiwela,Kotte.The identity card address is No 26/9 C.S Perera Mawatha, Moratuwa.
වාද පිටියේ දුරකථන ඇමතුම
රන්ජන්ගෙන් මිලියන 500ක්‌ ඉල්ලා මහින්දානන්ද නඩු යයි
නෝමන් පලිහවඩන
දෙරණ රූපවාහිනිය ඔස්‌සේ විකාශය වූ “වාදපිටිය” දේශපාලන වැඩසටහන අතරතුරදී තමාට අපහාසාත්මක වන අයුරින් දුරකථන ඇමතුමක්‌ දුන්නේ එජාප පාර්ලිමේන්තු මන්ත්‍රී රන්ජන් රාමනායක මහතා බවත් ඔහුගෙන් රුපියල් මිලියන 500 ක්‌ ඉල්ලා නඩු මගට යන බවටත් ක්‍රීඩා ඇමැති මහින්දානන්ද අලුත්ගමගේ මහතා “දිවයින” ට ඊයේ (05 වැනිදා) පැවසීය.
පසුගිය 03 වැනිදා රාත්‍රි වාද පිටිය විශේෂ දේශපාලන වැඩසටහනට තමා සහභාගි වී සිටියදී රන්ජන් රාමනායක මහතා ඔහුගේ ජංගම දුරකථනයෙන් කටහඬ වෙනස්‌ කරමින් තමාට අපහාස වන ආකාරයට කතා කළ බවට චෝදනා කරමින් අලුත්ගමගේ මහතා මෙසේ නඩු මගට පිවිසීමට තීරණය කර ඇත.
එදින වාදපිටියට දුරකථන ඇමතුමක්‌දී මාතර – සුනිල් නමැති අයකු කළ ප්‍රකාශයක්‌ නිසා උරණ වූ මහින්දානන්ද අලුත්ගමගේ මහතා තමාට මඩ ගැසීම නතර නොකිරීම සම්බන්ධයෙන් දෙරණ නාලිකාවට දොaෂාරෝපණය කරමින් වැඩසටහන අතරතුරදී ඊට සහභාගි වූ රමේෂ් පතිරණ මන්ත්‍රීවරයා සමග පිටව ගියේය.
පසුව රාත්‍රි 12.30 ට පමණ අලුත්ගමගේ මහතා මිරිහාන පොලිස්‌ ස්‌ථානයට ගොස්‌ මෙම සිද්ධිය පිළිබඳව පැමිණිල්ලක්‌ කර ඇත.
එම විමර්ශනවලදී මෙම ඇමතුම දී ඇත්තේ රන්ජන් රාමනායක මන්ත්‍රීවරයා විසින් බව තහවුරු වූයේ යෑයිද ඇමැතිවරයා කීවේය.
December 5th, 2014 at 5:24 pm
My3 agreed to reduce the size AFTER the government ministers protested it saying large size would DISCOURAGE people buying tobacco.
In 2013 CEYLON TOBACCO COMPANY became the MOST VALUABLE CORPORATE in the country!!
How come that be CONSISTENT with MATHATA THITHA in the Chinthanaya?
December 5th, 2014 at 5:32 pm
This minister should explain how his own ministry release water of Parakrama Samuddraya indiscriminately to help his estranged colleague’s brother, destroying the livelihoods of hundreds of farmers and paddy industry in Polonnaruwa.
December 5th, 2014 at 7:04 pm
I don’t trust this guy Mahindananda Aluthgamage. He would make a good bus conductor in a private bus.
However acting like someone else and accusing a person in public is a treachery and misrepresentation.
Ranjan Ramanayake should know that this is real world, not cinema. All these fellas bastadising the legislation in the country.
There should be a minimum qualification of at least an Arts Graduate level to become a member of parliament. Then all these looters and hooters will not make the whole nation jokers.
Even to give your life to the motherland as a Ranawiruwo by joining an armed force need certain qualifications. But the rulers of the country do not need any qualifications!
This is a key area needs changing. It doesn’t mean educated are clean handed.. Even highly qualified doctors are greedy for money and doing un-ethical things.. so where do we strike a line??
December 5th, 2014 at 8:16 pm
Independent,
The tank has a capacity.
It should not be filled to flood recognized private property.
ALL reservoirs are released when reached capacity.
Please check here how many SPILL GATES were opened!!
“https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=zBHqbjvAfVuM.kZdwGsqY6VeI&ie=UTF8&source=embed&oe=UTF8&msa=0″”
December 5th, 2014 at 9:38 pm
Lorenzo:
the following article talks about why right now 13th amendment should not be abolished. It is not India, it is the UNHRC and Tamils chasing that.
“http://www.southasiaanalysis.org/node/1673 ”
The Centrality of Economics in Sri Lanka, Paper No. 5839, Dated 05-Dec-2014
By Dr. Parasaran Rangarajan
– See more at: http://www.southasiaanalysis.org/node/1673#sthash.OUlCiWgN.dpuf
December 6th, 2014 at 2:55 am
Lorenzo
You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to understand the concept behind the irrigation reservoir.
It is for the purpose of sustaining ancient concept developed by our ancestors like great king King Parakrambahu the great (1164-1196 AD), when he built the rainwater reservoir “Sea of Parakrama”. The motivation was “Not one drop of water must flow into the ocean without serving the purposes of man”
So during rainy season reservoir should be filled to its maximum capacity and drain water for irrigation during other seasons. So it should have a maximum capacity. If the maximum capacity is lowered to satisfy and save politicians illegally constructed hotels, it is wrong.
Please stop pampering corrupt politicians. Sri lankans should fight against not only corruption, but against extortion, cronyism, nepotism, patronage and against also people like Lorenzo who think that cronyism, patronage are acceptable.
December 6th, 2014 at 5:02 am
NMY,
It was not just the Sea of Parakrama where SPILL GATES were opened. Please follow the link I gave to see the MANY other tanks where spill gates were opened.
The area where the hotel is located was NOT part of the reservoir. That was why the LAND REGISTRY recorded the PRIVATE LAND TITLE and the UDA (under MOD) authorized the owner to build a hotel there.
If the private land recognized by the govt. and the UDA is flooded then there is a problem.
I’m not trying to whitewash the crimes and sins of Dudley and My3. Just stating facts so we can make an informed decision.
December 6th, 2014 at 5:04 am
AnuD,
That article is from a TAMIL ELAM point of view. The writer talks of Tamil AUTONOMY in SL!
That is enough reason why we should SCRAP 13 amendment.
You can’t run a country fearing the UNHRC and Tamils!
December 6th, 2014 at 7:34 am
THE AREA WAS NOT A PART OF THE RESEVOIR, TRUE. YET IT IS THE TANK BUND RESERVATION AREA. THE LAND BELONGS TO THE PARAKRAMA SAMUDRAYA, AND THE HOTEL IS ILLEGALLY, AND FRAUDULENTLY BUILT ON IT. THIS IS NOT PRIVATE LAND, PERIOD. It was specifically mentioned by authoritative sources that it was State Land. ENGINEERS ALLOWED DUDLEY TO BUILD THE HOTEL UNDER SEVERE DURESS FROM THE STRONG AND POWERFUL. You know who it is eh ? UDA Officials were servile. They refuse, they go home, that is the long and short of it.
December 7th, 2014 at 8:15 am
I think Susantha Wijesinghe is right on this matter relating to the release of water from the Parakrama Samudra, keeping it about half a metre or so below its full capacity level, just to prevent it flooding the property irregularly or maybe illegally acquired by the Hotel owned by Mr Sirisena’s relative. It is also reported that similar reduction in water levels are illegally carried out in other tanks too, where influential people have encroached into land reserved as tank bund reservation areas.
December 7th, 2014 at 1:00 pm
Chamal Rajapaksha and Dudley Rajapaksha (USA) are likely to make a significant political statement on Friday before the parliament goes to HIBERNATION for holidays.
(Source: Lankatruth)
These 2 were never happy about the way some things were done. Chamal has been a GOOD Speaker of parliament compared to his predecessors.