The Attorney General has advised the Secretary to the Ministry of Justice that the draft bill of the 20th Amendment to the Constitution does not attract the holding of a referendum, in terms of Article No. 83 of the Constitution of Sri Lanka.
The Attorney General has therefore informed the Justice Secretary that the bill may be enacted by the Parliament with a two-thirds majority of all members.
On Tuesday (01), the Minister of Justice, President’s Counsel (PC) Ali Sabry said the 20th Amendment draft bill was directed to Attorney General Dappula de Livera for his observation.
It had been referred to the Attorney General by the Secretary to Ministry of Justice, M.M.P.K. Mayadunne.
Meanwhile the draft of the proposed 20th Amendment to the Constitution is scheduled to be presented to the Cabinet of Ministers today.
The Cabinet is slated to meet at 4.00 p.m. today under the patronage of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
Puttalam Forest Officer W. N. C. K Wasala said that legal action will be taken against those involved in the destruction of the Kalpitiya Pallivasalthurai Mangroves which was exposed by Hiru CIA.
Following the revelation, forest officials and the police inspected the area today, where the mangroves were destroyed.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of Kalpitiya requested the Hiru CIA team not to reveal the destruction of the relevant mangroves an attempted to pay bribes to the team.
The Geological Survey and Mining Bureau says that they have observed that the epicenter of the tremor that occurred in the Pallekele area in Kandy this morning, and the previous tremors that occurred were located in the same place.
Geologist Nalin de Silva, head of the team investigating the case, said the data from Victoria Reservoir accelerometers would also be used to prepare the final report.
The tremor from the epicenter was reported at 8.32pm on Saturday, with a magnitude of 2.2 on the Richter scale.
People in Gurudeniya, Haragama, Anuragama and Mailapitiya had felt the tremor.
Today, another tremor occurred in this area 04 days after the main quake.
This was slightly felt in Ambakote and Aluthwatte areas.
A team of officers from the Geological Survey and Mining Bureau were staying in the Kandy area at the time of the quake today.
Nothing happens in this world without some geopolitical thrust or shove. In viewing any geopolitical incident, it is necessary to see the pattern in what culminated in an incident(s) and attempt to connect the dots to understand better. With a crumbling economy, with food & water becoming global issues, the power states are fishing around for new horizons to tap. Pivot to Asia is the most lucrative means to satisfy that lust. We must identify the methodology & modus operandi with which the pivot to Asia thrusts are taking place & devise ways to mitigate them. What colonials could not do during colonial rule is now left to the neocolonials to complete. It is interesting how pivot to Asia also fits well into the plan to remove Prabakaran, strangulate Sri Lanka via UNHRC Resolutions & commitments, bring about regime change and then slowly lay ground work to turn Sri Lanka into a military-diplomatic-transnational corporate base for US allies. The dots are now easy to connect. This necessitates Sri Lanka foreign policy makers to understand the nature of how these allies are operating vis a vis relations with Sri Lanka and most importantly necessitates Sri Lanka to fine tune its own foreign policy taking stock of ground realities to ensure Sri Lanka continues to maintain its sovereignty & territorial integrity without compromise while forging mutual ties upholding the non-aligned treaty Sri Lanka is signatory to. Policy must remain Sri Lanka First.
With regime change, Sri Lanka was compromised along numerous angles. However, incremental changes had been happening since independence tying Sri Lanka & most other developing nations to being ‘dependent’ economies enslaved by loans/interest trap.
We saw the manner the US-sponsored good governance government stopped the Port City project immediately with regime change in 2015 only to recommence almost a year later. We also know that the US Pivot to Asia has meant US changing its containing China strategy to a more challenging China strategy. Be that as it may both countries cannot do without each other while US owes trillions to China. Sri Lanka does not need to be part of other people’s battles as ideally we should have mutually progressive dealings with all nations.
Sunday Times carried news of US imposing sanctions on 24 Chinese companies including companies involved in Colombo Port City project as well as Colombo Port. The Port City Project is a bilaterally signed project between two sovereign nations – why should a third party (US) sanction companies involved in it? Obviously US sees China’s One Belt One Road Initiative (BRI) as a threat. Chinese embassy communique strongly expressed US ‘typical hegemonic logic & power politics’ and accused US of ‘violating international law & norms governing international relations’.
The Chinese embassy reference to US violating international law demands Sri Lanka relook at MCC again given that ‘international law’ is to prevail inspite of MCC being passed by Parliament & turned into domestic law by tweaking the constitution to incorporate whatever is advantageous to US/MCC in its bid to take over Sri Lanka’s land & resources amending Title Registration Act, denying land owners to go to court and offering compensation for land taken over. All this will result in citizens without land owned by them, without a place to live, without a means of livelihood and a government that has no land to tax or no say in a country that would be under control of MCC & its Board.
When problems start brewing up and citizens begin to voice their protest, what can the Government do? Any adverse action by the government will only result in sanctions no different to what is being slapped now on China. China has wherewithal to deal with US, but will Sri Lanka be able to?
The GoSL cannot be ignorant of world affairs nor can it ignore the important fact that countries through their multinational companies & alliances are forging ‘investments’ with poorer countries with a bigger ploy to grab land & resources offering a petty ‘foreign investment’ to seal their presence. This $480m is such a deal which invariably is giving with one hand & taking it back with the other as all procurements have to follow US procurement guidelines and purchases from with US/US friendly companies.
Poverty stricken countries are the targets. International corporations have grabbed 454billion cubic metres per year/60% of water globally by 7 countries (US, UAE, India, UK, Egypt, China & Israel). Monitor all NGOs doing projects related to water in Sri Lanka! These international companies are eyeing agriculture, biofuel & timber – watch out for Sri Lanka’s forests & agricultural lands. Foreign investors always seek lands with access to water. 1217 water-land investor deals have taken place in the past 20 years transferring 205million acres of land to foreign hands. 62% of these deals were in Africa (138million acres) – Dr. Paolo D’Odorico. Ironically, land grabbing is by organizations advocating land rights of the poor.
Sri Lanka’s policy makers toying without deciding to reject MCC must also take stock of the 2007 US Energy & Independence Security Act mandating increase in biofuels by 2022. EU has a similar goal. Biofuels are made from different types of plants & crops – most often turning corn or sugarcane into ethanol or turning palm oil into biodiesel. How will Sri Lanka be impacted by MCC?
Most land grabs come in the form of foreign investments claiming to ‘modernize farming’. Cash-strapped countries are enticed to accept an influx of money as ‘investment’ in exchange for handing foreign companies land and resources. Sudan was divided into two and MCC is involved in Sudan where Texas-based Nile Trading & Development have grabbed 1,482,632 acres of land for just $25,000
There has been enough and more critique of the MCC for any government to decide not to pursue with such a one-sided project where Sri Lanka has over 60 obligations & commitments which includes changes to be done even to the country’s constitution before, during and even after passing the agreement by Parliament as well as making additional payments which questions the exact nature of this ‘gift’.
The arm-twisting now taking place is pretty obvious. The sanctions on Chinese companies working in Sri Lanka also gives a clear message. It should also showcase the dangers of what Sri Lanka can expect, handing over all of Sri Lanka’s basket of eggs to US. China can well maneuver itself inspite of sanctions. Will Sri Lanka be able to do same if MCC signed and US decides to further throttle Sri Lanka with sanctions if Sri Lanka does not follow US orders!
What we all should understand is that we can never understand US foreign policy except that it is one-sided and dependent on what is of interest to US corporate stake holders and the invisible others who rule US. Thus, US has forged ties with the worst of the world’s dictators while on international forums proclaiming to uphold human rights & rule of law. Most of these dictators, once friends ended up foes – some were eventually hung like Saddam, ended up dead like Osama or inside prison like Hosni Mubarak. The liberal democracies that US treated as poodles, lasted so long as they followed orders. The moment any leader acted out of line – they were removed. Perhaps that’s what happened to Ranil or US may have felt they had better options. But a good look at all of the dictators, fascists once friends turned foes and once foes turned friends, highlights the unpredictable nature of US foreign affairs adopted by either of the two main parties that comes to power. The dangers for this is that countries cannot expect mutually beneficial relationship. It will always be one-sided.
Returning to the question of sanctions against China, which aligns to the US pivot to Asia and the concentration of US military & corporate presence in Asia, requires Sri Lanka’s policy makers to seriously review all dealings with US and pro-US steering locals. It is well enough to want to adopt a pro-US line of thinking but the MCC SOFA and ACSA taken together with extended partnerships with India, Australia & Japan means Sri Lanka is slowly being throttled incrementally and the battles are now coming onto shore than at international levels, where Sri Lanka could mitigate. Little does India realize that behind the honeymoon with India, is the ultimate plan to balkanize India which becomes a piece of cake using Sri Lanka as base.
The last time the enemies were invited to shore, we lost our island nation for 443 years. The Wasteland Ordinance took away our lands. MCC will end up doing the same.
The best piece of legislation introduced by the yahapalana government is the clause related to dual citizenship. It highlighted the NATIONAL SECURITY aspect of a person who was a citizen of two countries contesting elections to hold public office & surfaced many conflicts that could arise from holding citizenship in two countries. Therefore, this important clause must remain in 20a. If the President of Sri Lanka had to forsake his dual citizenship to become President, there is no reason why any other cannot do so if they genuinely wish to serve Sri Lanka.Geetha Kumarasinghe was unseated because she was a dual citizen. Onus is on authorities to ensure that no other MP is seated in Parliament hiding their dual citizenship. MilindaM designate Sri Lanka High Commissioner with cabinet ranking as per media reports is also a dual citizen. This clearly nullifies his ability to serve as High Commissioner and petition can be filed to this effect. Dual citizenship nullification should also be extended to all public servants in the light of national security threatto Sri Lanka given our post-independence past of external interference into internal affairs by foreign destabilizing agents.
The 19thamendment came into effect on 15 May 2015
Article 92(b) and Clause 20(4) of 19thamendment & Article 91(1)(d)(xiii) of Constitution stipulates that No person shall be qualified to be elected as a Member of Parliament or to sit and vote in Parliament if (d) (xiii) a citizen of Sri Lanka who is also a citizen of any other country”from contesting elections.
Geetha contested for the 2015 Parliamentary Election from Galle District & was elected to the 15th Sri Lankan Parliament by receiving 63,955 preferential votes. She took her oaths on September 1st when the new Parliament convened.
Nominations for General Elections closed on 13 July 2015. The Elections Department had enough opportunity to reject nomination papers if the contestants were dual citizens. The UPFA Galle District list was challenged but the Returning Officer said he could not reject the entire UPFA list due to one candidate being a dual citizen.
Did the Elections Commission investigate dual citizenship status in 2015 & 2020?
16 September 2015 – Petition against MP Geetha K in Court of Appeal
5 voters of Galle District filed a Writ petition in the Court of Appeal requesting Court to declare Geetha K ineligible to remain in Parliament while holding dual citizenship.
The Petitioners W.W.E. Buweneka, J.K. Amarawardhana, A.C. Gunasekera, J.K. Wijesinghe and Prasanna Deepthilal from Galle electoral district.
C A (Writ) Application No. 362 / 2015
They cite Section 20 of 19thAmendment, Article 91(1)(d)(xiii) of the Constitution.
MP Geetha files statement of objection in the Court of Appeal
3 May 2017– Court of Appeal issued Writ of Quo Warranto declaring MP Geetha Kumarasinghe disqualified to be a MP. Attorney General was asked to recover expenses caused to the State by Kumarasinghe as per Parliament Election Act.
9 May 2017– Geetha appeals to the Supreme Court
12 May 2017– 3 bench judge (Justice Buwaneka Aluvihara, Justice Priyantha Jayawardena & Justice Anil Goonaratne issues Interim Order until 15 May staying operation of judgement by Court of Appeal
15 May 2017– Divided 3-bench Supreme Court grants special leave to appeal on petitionfiled by Geetha K. Date fixed for 25 September 2017.
Justices – Eva Wanasundera, Upaly Abeyrathne & Anil Gooneratne
Court extended Interim Order staying till final determination for 25 September 2017
2 Nov 2017 – 5 bench Supreme Court headed by Chief Justice Priyasath Dept unanimouslyheld that UPFA MP Geetha Kumarasinghe was disqualified to be in Parliament as she was a dual citizen
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
3 May 2017 – Court of Appeal unseats Geetha as MP
C A (Writ) Application No. 362 / 2015 – Judgement by Justice P Padman Surasena
Court of Appeal issued a Writ of Quo Warranto disqualifying UPFA MP Geetha as she was a dual citizen of Switzerland/Sri Lanka when filing nomination to contest Parliamentary elections & failing to negate her dual citizen status by renouncing her Swiss nationality before applying to contest to enter Parliament in August 2015.
J.C. Weliamuna PC appeared for the petitioners.
Manohara de Silva PC appeared for Geetha K.
Deputy Solicitor General Janak de Silva appeared for Controller of Immigration and Emigration, the Secretary General of Parliament and the Attorney General.
Why is the same not being done to other MPs hiding their dual citizenship status?
The Court of Appeal by its order dated 28.9.2015, directed the Controller General of Immigration and Emigration to produce all the documents relating to the citizenship status of MP Geetha
THIS MEANS OTHER DUAL CITIZEN MPs IN HIDING CAN ALSO BE EXPOSED by the Controller General of Immigration & Emigration.
Court of Appeal is charged with the jurisdiction to hear Election Petitions as has been provided for in section 93 of the Parliamentary Elections Act and Article 144 of the Constitution.
Court directed the State to recover costs from Ms. Kumarasinghe for each day she sat in Parliament knowing she was a dual citizen & disqualified to be a MP.
The Court of Appeal also highlighted the role of Parliament
Deputy Solicitor General Janak de Silva stated that Geetha who possessed citizenship in another country could not lay claim to any privileges provided to MPs because it violated Clause 91 (1) of the Constitution.
How many MPs are hiding their dual citizenship & enjoying privileges of an MP illegally?
Role of Attorney General
If the Attorney General could inform the Court of Appeal that MP Geetha was still a dual citizen – why cannot the AG inform if any other MPs are in Parliament hiding the fact that they are dual citizens. Geetha’s case is important because she was honest enough to disclose in her nomination papers that she was a dual citizen whereas others holding dual citizenship aware of the 19a provision against dual citizens, chose not to mention they were dual citizens.
Should the Election Commission & AG take a bigger role in declaring to the Public that there is no MP in Parliament who is a dual citizen. Can the EC & AG tell this with authority? EC is further bound to establish contestant’s dual citizenship status by Election Act too.
If the Controller of Emigration & Immigration wrote to Geetha to provide proof that she had relinquished her dual citizenship, can the Controller of E&I provide dual citizenship status of other MPs hiding their dual citizenship?
25 September 2017 – Geetha appeals to Supreme Court against Court of Appeal verdict
5 bench Supreme Court comprised – Chief Justice Priyasath Dep, B.P. Aluvihara, Sisira J. De Abrew, Anil Gooneratne and Nalin Perera.
Legal counsels representing Geetha – President’s Counsel Romesh de Silva, with Sugath Caldera and Niran Anketell,
Legal counsel representing 5 petitioners – J C Weliamuna
Written submissions on 10 October 2017
Arguments: 28 September 2017 and 3 October 2017
Decision 2 November 2017
2 November 2017 – Supreme Court upholds Court of Appeal decision
Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court upholds decision of Appeal Court to annul MP Geetha’s Parliamentary post as she was a dual citizen.
Some important aspects of the Supreme Court verdict
The Court held that anyone who was a dual citizen on the day of the Parliamentary Election or on the day of taking oaths as a MP cannot be considered a MP.This means that if there is any MP in Parliament who on the day of the elections or on the day of taking oaths was a dual citizen, he/she cannot remain as a MP in Sri Lanka’s Parliament.
How many MPs in present Parliament are hiding their dual citizenship status?
Controller General of Immigration & Emigration affidavit to Court of Appeal stated Geetha was granted dual citizenship (SL & Swiss) on 29 August 2006 & dual citizenship certificate No.17096 was issued to her.
THIS MEANS THE CONTROLLER IS ALSO AWARE OF ALL OTHER DUAL CITIZENS IN PARLIAMENT. How can he be made to reveal these names?
The need to produce evidence of negating one’s dual citizenship as per Sections 101, 103 and 106 of the Evidence Ordinance
Contention that writ of quo warranto does not apply to a Member of Parliament.However, Quo warranto is a remedy available to call upon a person who is holding a public office to show the authority under which he claims to hold the office but if holder is not legally entitled to hold public office, court has power to grant writ of quo warranto to oust holder. Justice Yapa cites examples:
Supreme Court gave an unanimous verdict with CJ Priyasath Dep, Justices Buwaneka Aluwihare, Justice Anil Gooneratne and Justice Nalin Perera all agreeing.
If President Gotabaya Rajapakse had to forsake his dual citizenship to serve the nation, all others holding dual citizenship must be forced to make that same sacrifice. As members of Parliament or holding public office & being looked after by the State of Sri Lanka, their loyalty and allegiance should ONLY be to SRI LANKA.
And what he says about DS, He not only took GGP into his Cabinet and made him the Minister of Industries but also accepted the name of his new Party UNP proposed by Governor Moor which itself meant that there were more than one nation in this country which was an absolute travesty of history which they deliberately planted here for the first time. Neither D.S. nor any other so-called Sinhala leaders in that Parliament had the brain to refute this diabolic lie and put the record right. None of them perhaps knew the history of the motherland beyond their noses or else deliberately ignored history to appease colonial masters in order to get the reins of power into their hands. More than that all of them were only crazy to take the power into their hands from the white people to consolidate their positions in Lankan society. I don’t think anyone of that group had a vision or a mission of building up an Independent. a free and new nation.
As for me, I do not know whether they knew what freedom from a conquerer and independence means at all for a nation that was once on its own feet for two and a half millennia in all respects like territory, statecraft, legal system. economy. language, culture including religion, freedom of thought, and conscience no other nation enjoyed. I am lost to understand whether D.S or anyone else in that group knew. that we had a great heritage that was in par with ancient civilizations like Roman, Greek. Indian or Chinese, going back to 2500 years as against the colonial power who controlled us for 133 years were savage barbarians who did not know what civilization was
I pause these few questions to those who claim they have got Independence in 1948 to this country, including D.S?
.In 1948
1 Did they get back the full territory free of all encumbrances including the Islands of Male, what was handed over to British by Convention in 1815
2 Did they get the name of the country
‘Sinhale” that was handed or in
1815, the name by which it was known
from the inception of history
3 Did they get restored the place of Buddhism as the State religion in terms of the Sec 5 of the Kandyan Convention
4 Did they get the full freedom to declare this country as the Independent Kingdom or at least Aa Republic
5 Did they get the freedom to have our own
legal system restored
6 Did they get the language of the natives Sinhala restored as the language of Public Administration and administration of Justice
7 Did they ask the British to take back all South Indian slaves brought by them to work on their projects, particularly the 1..2 million South Indians on their plantations in the Central Hill Country to make the country free of not only the British masters but also their coolies to make sense of vacant possession of every inch of the motherland handed over to the original owners of the country?
8 Did they get back Katunayaka and
Trikunamale bases under our control to make freedom meaningful
9 Did they get back the freedom to have our own system Governance and Administration restored?
10 Did they get the freedom to call the citizens of this country Sinhala as it had been for 2500 years up to 1815( (including Tamils and Moors) and declare that there is only one nation in this country. (Actually, even the word Ceylon means the land of the Sinhala people and Sinhalese also means the people of the Sinhale) I really don’t understand why D.S and Co did not insist for this .and accepted the multi-national, multi-linguist, multiethnic and multi-religious nonsense crafted by the British and accepted Sec 29 of the Constiruriothat gave legal teeth to this concept for the first time in the instead of all these basic requirements to make this country fully independent, free and sovereign what di they do?
They accepted the Soulbury Constitution
hook, line, and sinker that laid a permanent mechanism to perpetuate the
Colonial control forever
According to K.M.De Silva
D.S.has accepted the concept of the presence of what they call Sulujaatin (minority nations such as Demala and Muslim) and their rights, Laankiya Ajtiya, the concept of a secular state, and the rejection of religious intervention in matters of State I see D.S The First Prime minister of Ceylon K.M.De.Silva) Unfortunately this is the tragic political legacy that is being continued up to date, which has become a veritable canker in the body politic of this country, Had these problems been addressed properly at the very beginning Sri Lanka would have been a different country today.
The republic of sri lanka shall give to Buddhism the
foremost place and accordingly it shall be the duty of the state to protect and
foster the Buddha sasana while assuring to all religious the rights granted by
articles 10 and 14 (1)(e) මෙම ඉංග්රීසි වගන්තිය මෙලෙස යොදන්නට
ඇත්තේ කලු සුද්දන් සහ අන්ය ආගමිකයන් සැනසීමටයි.
The draft of the proposed 20th Amendment to the Constitution has been sent to the Attorney General for observations, the AG’s Coordinating Officer Nishara Jayaratne said.
She said Justice Ministry Secretary M.M.P.K. Mayadunne has referred the draft for the AG’s observation.
President’s Media Division requests the general public to refrain from inviting President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to private functions.
This request is made considering that such invitations may hinder his priority to attend to vital national issues, stated PMD issuing a press release.
PMD points out that President Rajapaksa has given priority to expedite development projects and resolve issues of grass-root level public issues in his daily schedule.
Accordingly, the general public is kindly requested to refrain from inviting the President as he does not expect to spend time attending functions, prize givings, weddings and parties in addition to fulfilling national duties.
The PMD says that the President is invited to many private events due to the public’s respect and admiration towards him and that President Rajapaksa appreciates this bond between him and the people.
However, the President is determined to commit every hour spent away from official duties to work towards the upliftment of the people, PMD stated.
Flooding of many parts of Colombo, the commercial capital of the country as well as the most populous city, has been an unresolved issue for a long time.
About 35% of the area in Colombo city is inundated due to unauthorized and informal constructions.
Another factor is the inadequacy of canals to drain rainwater.
The people of Colombo have suffered from floods in the last few years.
In order to find a solution to this situation in 2013 several projects were launched according to a concept of the then Defense Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa.
Out of the 55 projects, 45 projects have been completed by now.
Work on 10 more projects has already commenced and the new Muthuwella underground tunnel is being constructed as another phase.
Rainwater collected in Kotahena, Orugodawatta, Bloemendal, Dematagoda and other areas will flow through the new Muthuwella Aluthmawatha canal and will be taken to the newly constructed tunnel facing the canal.
The Programme of providing 100,000 employment opportunities aimed at eradicating poverty will commence on September 02.
The objective of the Programme is to empower those who live in absolute poverty with no formal education and skills through the Multi-Purpose Development Task Force established by the government.
During 6-month continuous training programme a monthly allowance of Rs 22,500 will be paid.
Following successful completion of the training program trainees will have the opportunity to be appointed to an accepted permanent government position in his own residence area with a non-primary skilled salary of Rs. 35,000 and allowances.
After a satisfactory and uninterrupted career record of 10 years he/she will be eligible for pension
Hiru CIA reports on another mangrove devastation in the Puttalam district amidst the devastation of the Anavilundawa Ramsar wetland.
The mangroves have been destroyed by changing the boundaries of a land belonging to the Forest Department with the direct intervention of the Chairman of the Kalpitiya Pradeshiya Sabha.
Politicians expressed their views regarding the repealing of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution and the introduction of a new constitution.
Samagi Jana Balawegaya MP Rajitha Senaratne stated that the technical issues in the 19th Amendment should be resolved.
Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said that the 19th Amendment to the Constitution should be withdrawn as soon as possible.
Samagi Jana Balawegaya MP Manusha Nanayakkara stated that if the 19th amendment to the constitution is repealed, the voice of the people will be raised against it.
State Minister Sarath Weerasekara stated that the executive power has been devalued through the 19th amendment to the constitution.
Former Member of Parliament Vajira Abeywardena stated that a review is needed regarding the independent commissions created through the 19th Amendment to the Constitution.
With a two-thirds majority, there is every possibility of bringing in a new constitution, said MP SB Dissanayake.
MP Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka stated that the government is ready to control various institutions.
Meanwhile, State Minister Dayasiri Jayasekara stated that nothing can be said until he sees the draft.
According to the disclosure of Foreign Secretary Admiral Jayanath Colombage to the media, the government is to appoint one time Minister Milinda Moragoda, as Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner of Cabinet rank to India and, once such status is afforded, Mr. Moragoda will be able to interact with the leaders of both the countries directly without the procedure of going through the respective foreign ministries.
Meanwhile, considering the recorded background and chequered history of the person involved, social media have started to raise questions on the government’s intermediaries connected to Moragoda and his Pathfinder outfit.
Moragoda, founder of Pathfinder Foundation, served in Ranil
Wickremesinghe’s Cabinet from 2002 to 2004. We are fully aware of his close
connections with the LTTE hierarchy including
Anton Balasingham, Norwegian Solheim etc and
the key role played by him to make infamous Ranil-Prabhakaran CFA a success. (www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=7222) It would be advisable for the
government to revisit to that era, for a moment, and see what would have been
the disastrous situation of the country today if Moragoda was successful in his
endeavor.
Mr. and Mrs. Anton Balasingham with State
Secretary of Norway, Vidar Helgesen and Sri Lanka’s Minister, Milinda Moragoda
(right) (Photo: Jorn Tomter)
Although we are
aware of the background and what he did in the past since 2002, his links to
the USA, and allegations of corruption etc after going through media
reports, the easiest way to convince
information, acceptable to many, is to refer to Wikipedia.
US
Government interest and the services rendered by Moragoda are stated as
follows.
US Embassy cables
released by WikiLeaks show
Moragoda to be a long time information source of the US Embassy in Colombo. The
cables also state the US Government’s interest in Moragoda as their key partner
in Sri Lanka.”
Writing to Washington in 2003, then US
Ambassador to Sri Lanka Ashley Wills says of Moragoda:
[Regarding] the U.S.,
the intelligent, articulate Moragoda is a perfect fit. born in Washington, D.C,
he is a dual national Amcit (please protect) married to an American, with
plenty of Washington connections, many from his days as a visiting fellow at
the Heritage Foundation and at Harvard. A “big picture” person,
Moragoda is also highly aware that the U.S. is the most powerful country in the
world, and he feels that it is better that Sri Lanka recognize that fact and
work within it.
Under the introduction and ‘allegations of corruption’ sections, Wikipedia states;
In 2007 the
Parliamentary Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) accused then opposition
parliamentarian Moragoda of large scale corruption during his time as a UNP
minister. In a bid to dodge prosecution Moragoda crossed over to the ruling
UPFA government and was appointed Minister of Justice and Law Reform.
Currently dual citizenship is a bar to
enter the Parliament as an MP or to be a President of the country. It looks like our politicos who are critics
of appointing a Central Bank Governor with Singapore citizenship, during the
previous government, haven’t learned a lesson from the past. Thus appointing a
person with dual citizenship with past records of above nature as a High
Commissioner of Cabinet rank” is highly questionable.
The Society for Peace Unity and Human Rights for Sri Lanka (SPUR)
The Society for Peace Unity and Human Rights for Sri Lanka (SPUR) has provided expatriate leadership to protect Sri Lanka’s unitary status, territorial integrity and sovereignty for over 25 years. It has fought many battles against Tamil diaspora led LTTE separatism and Muslim extremism, and Western denigration of our beloved Nation and its people. Attempts by the Yahapalana government since 2015 to prosecute valiant armed forces within and external to Sri Lanka in Geneva, undermine nationalistic values, persecution of Buddhists and despicable attempts at fabricating evidence to prosecute President Mahinda Rajapksa’s leadership team including the then Defence Secretary Hon Gotabaya Rajapaksa, were passionately and vigorously resisted and campaigned against.
While respecting the absolute right of the President to appoint people who he sees fit for positions of strategic importance to the Nation, we strongly believe the appointment of a person such as Milinda Moragoda as the Ambassador to India is counterproductive to the National Interest. Whilst we acknowledge the absence of any formal government announcement, we base our position on extensive media reporting of Mr Moragoda’s appointment and a reference to ambassadorial appointments made by none other than the Secretary to the Foreign Ministry, Dr Colombage that best career diplomats should be posted to neighbouring capitals” (Daily Mirror 26 August 2020).
Our request to reconsider the appointment of Mr Milinda Moragoda as ambassador to India is predicated on his past evidence based conduct that he is driven by personal or external interests, and not by Sri Lanka’s interests. Evidence referenced include but are not limited to his: Bias towards foreign nations detailed in the leaked cable sent by the US Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Ashley Willis in 2003 where he says Moragoda is the ‘perfect fit’ to promote the interest of USA in Sri Lanka and the region (Wikipedia 2020); Ongoing involvement with USA through close association with the Pathfinder Foundation established by Moragoda as recent as late 2017 during Yahapalana regime (Daily FT Nov 2017); Willingness to consider setting up an alternative cabal to counter the Non Aligned Movement (NAM). NAM is currently supported by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and is government policy; Provision of internal LTTE war related information to foreign powers undermining President Kumaranatunga, whilst being a cabinet minister (Scoop Independent News, Cablegate: Minister Moragoda reviews upcoming visit to Washington in meeting with US ambassador to Sri Lanka); Request foreign country representatives to pressure then President Kumaratunga to secure outcomes that are favourable to LTTE parroted by then PM Ranil Wickramasinha (Wiki Leaks); Willingness to receive 60 million Norwegian Krona funding (Rs 1,260 million in today’s rupees) from Norway to work with Indian NGOs Horizon and Sarvatra (Norad Report 2011); Establishment of the China-Sri Lanka Cooperation Studies Centre under the auspices of Pathfinder Foundation to balance bias towards US and Indian interests; and Arranging a CIA operative to attend weekly meetings of the intelligence community reported by retired, highly respected DIG Merril Gunaratne in his 2011 book titled ’Cop in the Crossfire’.
Given above-referenced evidence, we humbly request the President and the Foreign Minister Hon Dinesh Gunawardena to reconsider entertaining the appointment of Milinda Moragoda as the High Commissioner to India and select instead, a patriotic and competent career diplomat to this most important position.
Sri Lanka recently had a nationwide blackout that cost millions and even compromised its security. A blackout may be compared to a sudden heart attack, leaving a debilitated individual. This was the fifth heart attack” suffered by the grid since the end of the Eelam wars, with blackouts in 2009, 2015, twice in 2016, and on 17th August 2020. So we have a chronically sick patient. Given that a big chunk of Sri Lanka’s foreign exchange income goes for importing fuel, any government must urgently look at the power sector and make it work efficiently, uninterruptedly, and as inexpensively as possible.
Letting the Cat out of the Bag. The CEB authorities have conveniently ascribed the problem to human error”. The patient got the 5th heart attack accidentally, and to say that it was because he yawned too hard – without mention his chronic condition would be absurd!
Dr. Tilak Siyambalapitiya has written to the island Newspaper (19-08-20) about the anatomy of the blackout”. We thank him for letting the cat out of the bag! He suggests that the CEB grid can be perturbed by small erratic inputs from Solar and Wind energies, making the grid unstable!
The SL-power grid provides about 2000 MW. However, even if many solar installations, wind farms etc., contributed erratically to the grid, they might hardly add to 10 MW within a time interval of a few seconds. A few seconds is a large” time for electrical systems that react in milli-seconds or faster. A ten MW fluctuation in a 2000 MW system is just a half percent fluctuation!
So the human error” is merely the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back. The 2000MW system should have a peak to trough daily fluctuation of, say, plus or minus 500 MW, and these are scheduled changes” handled by the grid using set procedures for load adding and load shedding. But the system cannot handle other inputs because there is no monitoring system!
So the CEB power system is not a smart grid controlled by an intelligent set of algorithms that deftly and rapidly manipulate well maintained on-load tap” changers, shunts, relays and switches. Instead focusing on such realities, we are told that a superintendent accidentally earthed a live line and the system collapsed, almost like a cheap Wesak Pandol without a fuse built by the village Baas”. Such system has no protective mechanisms for such events! The Baas” and the CEB technicians both seem to work without written-down procedures or risk management protocols. Is the CEB just managing”, riding the cusp of the blame for neglecting to modernize it and maintain it.
There is hardly a scientific paper or engineering report published by CEB scientists and engineers in peer-reviewed technical journals of, say, the IEEE, that would report the evolution of the CEB’s control systems, its many blackouts etc. In effect, the officials have worked like Baas Unnaeheys”, with no Research and Development (R&D) or establishing a learning curve. Although five blackouts have occurred since 2009, does the CEB have in-house” capacity to simulate such events? Why does it have to call a Canadian or some outside company to simulate such breakdowns? CEB’s only R&D” seems to be to host an occasional student working with a University Professor to do research that costs a dime.
The CEB boasts of some 22 major hydro-electric stations. But it has not acquired the knowledge to, say, innovate a new pilot plant better fitted to the needs of the country. If such competence had been acquired, it could export its knowledge and win tenders in foreign lands!
So the CEB and its affiliates constitute an UNTHINKING beast that generates, transmits and sells power, and calls for tenders when needed within the standard frame of available ready-made” power plants. Anything beyond that set path, even a modest roof-top solar panel, gives the creature a heart attack.
Is there a Wealthy CEB Mafia”? The public talks of a power mafia leading a high life” in the CEB. The blackout has even been linked to conspiracies! A Derana TV discussion labeled the CEB a fifth power” that can hold the country to ransom!
However, the CEB can point to successive governments that have scuttled their plans. Though building a power plant may take just a couple of years, the approval, tenders, acquiring land and licenses may add decades.
The government can change every five years. Sri Lanka periodically changes governments and the new politicians discredit and smash the plans of their predecessors. Power plants proposed in the 1980s have been canceled, re-approved and new tenders called by politicians since the time of Premada, through Kumaratunga, to Rajapaksa and Sirisena a dozen times!
The CEB engineers can say, if we only had that excess capacity” then these blackouts wouldn’t have happened! On the face of it, this might indeed be true. But this is irrelevant given Dr. Siyambalapitiya’s admission that the system cannot even handle a 0.5% power fluctuation from un-monitored” sources like solar and wind”.
We now understand the foot dragging of the CEB in incorporating Wind, Solar and bio-energy. The grid is an ad hoc patchwork of wires connecting a bunch of power stations in the simplest manner possible. It is a STUPID grid when a SMART grid that collects its own data and servo-controls the supply and demand is needed.
The engineers, taken individually, are technically capable well-trained people whose integrity must be accepted until proven otherwise. They are not political appointees like some secretaries to ministers. But clearly, they have failed to maintain a healthy power grid and this is not simply because new power plants have not been built. There seems to be a culture of neglect and mismanagement. They have taken advantage of the fact that politicians have created chaos to avoid admitting their own failings. So, what has gone wrong?
How to correct the mess. Given the finances of the CEB, it MUST be guided by its own vibrant research arm with in-house research, pilot projects and research publications. The research arm can advise and devise best practices for the CEB ro operate.
If industries like Tea and Rubber can have their research institutes, how can the power sector which dominates Sri Lanka’s foreign expenditure not have one? The CEO’s of the CEB are unforgivably guilty of not establishing such a research arm. The first task of R&D should be to to create a smart grid with automatic data collection at a large number of monitoring stations within months.
Unlike in the old days when power engineering was the strength of a power utility, today the Information Technology division plays a key role. The CEB R&D branch should work on new technologies like solar power. The public must not grudge high salaries and attractive perks to top engineers and researchers who produce new research, build pilot plants and usher in new technology. Here we are not talking of bureaucrats who spin narratives to justify ongoing failures.
Practical ways to cut costs, and boost hydro and solar to meet targets. A large fraction (usually over 50%) of the cost of a unit of power goes for the generation step, and additional costs arise in transmission and marketing. The generation cost of hydro-electricity in Lanka is about Rs 2 to 4 per unit. Clean coal and dendro energy (biomass energy, see : https://www.lankaweb.com/news/items/2019/05/23/rebooting-agriculture-to-provide-clean-practical-solutions-to-sri-lankas-energy-crisis-ii ) may cost Rs 12 per unit, while fossil fuels (LNG or Diesel) need Rs 20-30 per unit. Today, a unit of solar or wind energy may be less than Rs 10 for large scale installations. Of these, hydro, wind, solar, and dendro are the only environmentally acceptable energy sources.
Clearly the best option is hydroelectricity. Although most hydro sources are already tapped, there is at least a 30% increase possible with very little effort. This is because hydroelectric installations have been designed with no though for conservation of water, the most important asset of any hydro-system. Engineers rarely think about losses of water from evaporation, although this is a very serious problem.
I have written much about floating solar installations since 2009 and why they are particularly suitable for Sri Lanka. Even in a recent article in the Island as well as the Lankaweb (https://www.lankaweb.com/news/items/2019/05/06/clean-practical-solutions-to-sri-lankas-energy-crisis-i) I wrote about the advantages of floating solar panels which cuts evaporation of water, generate electricity, and provide the land area needed for installation of new solar panels, without the need for complicated land acquisition steps or dealing with the private properties of hundreds of roof-top owners. In fact India, Europe and China are increasingly using this approach. It opens up mass-scale installation of solar panels and economies of scale, bringing down the cost of production of a unit of electricity (a kWh) to less than Rs 10.
The CEB is gung ho” for building floating (off-shore) LNG storage units and coupling them with pipelines dangerously passing through busy urban areas to deliver fuel to a new 300 MW power plant. And yet, it does not seem to be able to put floats and cover hydro-electric reservoirs to prevent the evaporation of the water that occurs day and night! Evaporation will get even worse with global warming. But the CEB has no plans for global warming.
So, preventing evaporation will rapidly increase the island’s power capacity by, say, 30% . Given some 22 major hydroelectric reservoirs with a surface area of about 1000 ha each, if 50% of the surface be covered using floats, 11,000 ha (110 sq km) are protected. It can be shown that the environmental impact is positive. The annual hydro-power of about 6000 GWh will rise to 8000 GWh when evaporation is cut. This is the cheapest and cleanest electricity!
Typically, sunlight can annually produce about 100-200 GWh per sq. km (100 ha) under Sri Lanka’s conditions. If solar panels are also placed on the floaters deployed to cut evaporation, then 1000-2000 GWh per annum of solar energy can be harvested, with no hassle about acquiring land rights. Any excess daytime energy can be saved by retaining the corresponding amount of hydro-head in the reservoirs, without sending the reservoir water down into the turbines. That is, solar electricity has been stored without batteries!
Of course, this kind of fine tuning and optimal control cannot be done using the stupid” grid that is available to the CEB at the moment!
[The author has published over a hundred research papers on high-energy density matter and topics on laser-assisted fusion energy, often in collaboration with scientists at the French Atomic Energy Commission & Electricité de France, the US Lawrence Livermore Laboratory, and the US Los Alamos Laboratory.]
Country weather the storm of Covid-19, for individuals, businesses, routines of lives; by developing resilience muscle is the tool to improve reality, make lives meaningful, and improvised. – Research On Resilience
Our country is
changing in many ways towards progress. It is happening everywhere for better.
The country was in a crisis situation in two ways and still not yet over. First
of all we haven’t had the safety as well as political stability. Ranil
Wickramasinghe had introduced mockery to our constitution to stay in power in
his position. The result was complete anarchy which was prevailed during the
time of Yahapalanaya” regime. He has allowed drug business to thrive as a business
in this country. Because of those unsafe, ground realities and constitutional
mockery; the big picture of the country was quite unstable & we were fast
moving to a failed state in the region.
However, the
present government has taken timely decisions to fight with the reality and
long way to go to achieve objectives. Government leadership and vision has been
the driving factor for change and it is the trust of people. Like every country
we are in a crisis time with less ability to complete eradication of Covid -19.
So this is a profound time for businesses and individuals to develop positively
adapt to disturbances that threaten its functioning, viability &
development. In other words we need to develop the Resilience” muscle as
individuals and organizations. It is time to grow through our ability in many
fronts and we need to understand and dynamic, which explains in resilience. One
school of thought of resilience is the ability to go on with life or continue
living a purposeful life after hardship or adversity. Resilience makes positive
outcomes during adversity possible. The most important thing to consider what
have we learn over the past 4 years during the Yahapalanaya time. People build
up uncertainty on daily basis which builds anxiety in the hearts and minds of
the people. As a result of a power hungry government and a rule.
People went to work
with uncertainty. They were not sure the bus or train will be there for them
get to work. Farmers were not sure they might be able to procure fertilizers
for the farming. They were not sure they could sell their harvest to a better
price. Parents were in fear of sending their children to schools due to drug
abuse environment of the community. Police was not maintaining law and order of
the country. As a result Pascu Sunday attach killed more than 250 people and
disabled many lives in the country. There was massive corruption scandals every
where in the country. In rural areas of the country; people were positive in
their daily lives and mitigated among their communities how to live safely in
an uncertain time. The contagion part of that resilience was remarkably
positive. People were helping each other and, inspiring each other and leading
each other to overcome hardships.
We all know the
world is in a crisis situation due to pandemic. The economic activities are not
functioning as it was. Economic theories need to rewrite again by taking a
different perspective of self sufficiency of a country. As a country we weather
the storm and will be much prepared to face the challenges & disturbances
which will experiencing during the time.
During this time
improving the resilience muscle and
entrepreneurship is the way to change the identity of the way we doing
things and live. People have made many changes to the ways they do their
businesses. Virtual sessions, online purchasing etc. As everybody aware tourism
industry hit hard and continue due to Covid-19. The entrepreneurial thinking
has changed the way they do their businesses. Hotel Lavanga” at Seenigama in
southern Sri Lanka has open their hotel for locals. They reduced the prices and
made changes to their food menus & done positive changes to attract local
businesses. I think the hotel owner was more resilient in the face of challenge
and had come out with better solutions. So the resilient people always find
opportunity in the face of challenge and come out with more characteristics to
their business and find ways, they do their businesses. There are 3
distinct characteristics of resilient people they are; a/ Accept the reality,
b/Believe that life is meaningful, c/Ability to improvise.
Another way of
building ourselves on resourcing from resilience in front of challenges. What
happen in resilience; the process in which an individual or system positively
adapts to disturbances that threaten its functioning, viability or development.
So there are key two things happen in resilience the disturbance and a positive
action. There are key things to build capacity over time. The first is dynamic.
Think about Ajith Perera in Sri Lanka. He is the dynamic Potter in Sri Lanka
trying to mobilize the industry to a position in the world. Resilience is not a
trait. Which means it is not a characteristic or quality. It is something a
person can built over time. Which could be developed. Most important is how a
person could develop resilience muscle over a disturbance.
There are three
ways could boost resilience. 1. Risk focused strategies; which means reduce or
prevent risk. We need our decisions to be more greater viable places from all
perspectives of operations, but reality is it is quite difficult. The second 2.
Resource focused strategies; which means increase resources or access to
resources. The third one is one which will help to build anyone’s resources or
utilize the resources. Practice and promote the resources in the environment.
3. Process- focused resources; Practice and promote adaptability/agility.
When think of
resources what are them; which are resources of resilient functioning for
people; In the big picture of research there some individual attributes,
relational attributes, social attributes that people are doing quite well. Some
of the protective factors demonstrate are 1. higher problem solving skills,
self regulations skills, Motivation, self efficacy (belief themselves, they
think they can do hard things), Internal locus control(Person will have the
influence to know over what happening to you), psychological tendencies towards
faith, hope, optimism. High quality social relationships, well functioning
organizations and communities.
Think about the the
new state ministries portfolios and the functioning expectations to achieve
goals of sufficiency. Those functions parameters and resources use has been
well documented and relied on to build the rural economy from a diverse
perspective.
The three ways of
increasing more resilience by improving thinking process focused strategies of
normalize the struggle and embrace the ambivalence in all of our moments. Think
of what is happening to us now, and what we are going through the pandemic. By
observing the positive and negative incidents we be able to find a path for
growth. Identify the ways we can
re-narrate things; take control of your story. We cannot control the
environment. Think about the life when this time pass of Covid-19. As the hotel
industry going through a pause for its momentum. The Lavanga” made changes to
its target customer focus and did introduced changes to menus, slashed down
prices, and made it more family oriented resort for locals. What a wonderful
thinking of resilience. The last aspect is Investing in your relationships even
when it is hard to do so. It is quite hard when living in a pandemic. Most of
the time people perspective they do act defensively, undermine relationships,
it is actually time to investing our relationships being more compassionate on
co workers, friends & more to help us become more resilient ourselves.
Well having
noticing change in many ways people doing things one of the key need to
improvise as individuals is pride certainly. Person like Ajith Perera, and
Hotel lavanga owner has shown their resilience to lift others up for better by
believing themselves, engaging and achieving. From the perspective building our
lives of people which matters during the pandemic. One of the foremost common
to rest of the world and our country we are all together in this time of
pandemic. It doesn’t matter person live in Canada, U.S.A, England, France, or
India. All experience the same intensity of the pandemic. People & groups
connecting through virtual platforms to share things with them to feel better
themselves. Grand parents are involving with the children to help out speaking
and schooling time with them. All these activities strength our bonds with each
other. One of the key aspect of compassionate to other is something need to
build each other during the time, it is because nobody knows what is going on
with other person at this moment of time.
Resilience through
challenges grows in the country as the government encourage our own industries
to grow and prosper. The key
intervention of Ajith Perera and his clay industry to establish the brand
initiative through Sri Lankan image has enormous contagion entrepreneurial
spirit. He is mobilizing the concept among youngsters; it is contagion &
growing. There is hidden inspirational potential to explore, put into crafting
the image. I am certain he is doing it in the coming years inspiring with the
others. The most important advantage for his initiative of entrepreneurial thinking
of establishing brand is blessed by the present government. The government will
encourage & will support of improving the clay industry and exporting
products.
New normal under
the circumstances is different by now. Personally myself, I am going through a
tough time, but as a person I realized the the reality, and always want to
think life has to be spent meaningfully. And trying to improve as an individual
and through my commitment to my children. My own story is a see myself more
resilient way and my engagement has been inspirational to certain people which
is resilient to me as well as for others.
By Noor Nizam – Peace and Political Activist, Political Communication Researcher and SLFP/SLPP Stalwart since 1969, 31.08.2020.
Sabry
asks MPs to abhor Machiavelli type behaviour
Hon. Justice Minister Ali Sabry.
The above news item about your
presentation in parliament on the debate on vote on account, is
woderfull though the full speech had not been published due to space
management – https://island.lk/sabry-asks-mps-to-abhor-machiavelli-type-behaviour/. But,
in my opinion as a Political Communication Researcher and a student of
Communication Studies, your speech to educate your member of parliament
colleagues on that day was like a “beautiful melody sung in the
wilderness” of parliament.
Looking at the TV report on that
speech on TV, I found ONLY just a handful of the 225 MP’s present/seated
in the parliament well. The MP’s, 90%, both from the Government and the
Opposition were “NOT PRESENT” to listen to your wonderful speech
please. Therefore, I most kindly request/appeal to you to do something, with
notice to HE. the President, the PM and the Speaker to bring in parliamentary
procedures that will make it compulsory for all MP’s to be present during
parliamentary sittings and debates in the future. MP’s failing to do so must be
subject to heavy penalties. This may not be your in your purview, but it will
be a great service to the nation and our “MAATHRUBOOMIYA”.
YOU ARE THE ONLY MP/MINISTER WHO CAN
ACCOMPLISH THAT TASK SUCCESSFULLY.
The MP’s are elected by the people
to be present in parliament to “LISTEN, THINK, PONDER, CONTEMPALTE and
UNDERSTAND” issues and act accordingly for the benefit of the
“PEOPLE”. They are NOT ELECTED to collect “pocket money and
perks” at the end of every month and galavant around the country doing
“NOTHING” at the taxpayers of the masses but staging
“DRAMAS” for the media and TV broadcasters.
A discussion between Education Minister Professor G. L. Peiris and Acting Chinese Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Hu Wei revealed that China was keen to extend their fullest support for Human Resource (HR) Development in relation to the industrial and investment zone planned for the Hambantota District, the Ministry of Education said.
The discussion focused on preparation for the industrial and investment zone with the manufacture of pharmaceutical products and the tyre factory as major components of the activity envisaged.
A variety of skills, especially in the construction and logistics fields, would be required for speedy implementation of these projects. The two sides agreed that it is important to anticipate the kind of skills which would be needed, and to take rapid steps to develop these skills within the next few months.
In addition, the Ministry said the discussion focused on the whole range of support expected from China for the successful implementation of the extensive programme of the Ministry of Education and related activities. (Thisari Walawege)
While claiming that the Attorney General had no power to decide on Premalal Jayasekara attending Parliament sittings, Minister Vasudeva Nanayakkara said today it should be decided by the Speaker and Parliament.
He told a news conference that the AG can only appear in court on behalf of the plaintiff.
The AG has said that MP Jayasekara cannot attend Parliament sittings. He has no power to decide that. It should be decided by the Speaker and Parliament. The AG can only appear in court on behalf of the petitioner,” he said responding to a question raised by a journalist.
He said Mr. Jayasekara has filed an appeal against the verdict and added that the verdict is halted after being appealed.
He is not a convict now. It is decided after the verdict of the Court of Appeal. If he was convicted by the Court of Appeal, then, everything is over,” he said.
Minister Nanayakkara said former MP Duminda Silva, who was convicted, was also allowed to attend Parliament sittings after appealing against the court order.
Thirty-one more foreign arrivals have tested positive for the COVID-19 infection jumping the total count of coronavirus cases recorded in the country to 3,049.
All 31 cases are recent returnees from Qatar, Department of Government Information confirmed.
Accordingly, a total of 36 new cases have been reported within the day. Among them, 32 are from the Qatar, 02 from the United Arab Emirates while the other 02 is from India,
As per the Epidemiology Unit of the Health Ministry, 169 active cases are currently under medical care at selected hospitals.
In the meantime, the number of recoveries from the disease has moved up to 2,868 as 08 patients were discharged upon recovery today (31).
Sri Lanka has witnessed 12 deaths from the virus so far.
