I have read the opinion column today’s paper written by a learned Uswatte Arrachi with brilliant opinion in perfect English parlance with an analysis which can cause the CB Bond Scam ( rather government bond. Scam ) legal case to collapse.
In my younger days I was told by my father who was a government Servant and also taught Sinhala to Tamil government servants and English to Sinhalese ,educated in a Missionary school and eloquent in Latin , about a legal case (which collapsed ) filed against a known landowner in our Neighborhood because of the error in defining the place where a certain act of crime was committed
The landowner shot and killed an intruder in the paddy field where paddy harvest is stored for drying prior to being crushed to retrieve rice This plot of land is called Kamatha”
A witness has given evidence that the offender stood behind Goyam Kolaya” which had a double meaning for a heap of rice plants cut and placed in Kamatha and the leaf of the rice plant
When the witness said that killer hid behind the Goyam Kolaya ” the shrewd witty lawyer proved to the ignorant judge that killer could not have been hiding behind a rice leaf” and commit such a heinous crime
I
was told that the charges were dropped and accused was released
Whether
you call this Government or Central Bank Bond Scam it is a horrendous
crime
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe told the parliamentary group of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) yesterday that he was ready to introduce a new constitution within an year based on the consensus reached at the Constitutional Assembly (CA).
Flanked by Health Minister Rajitha Senaratne, the Prime Minister called for a special meeting with the TNA MPs in the parliamentary complex in view of the presidential election.
After the meeting, TNA MP M.A. Sumanthiran told Daily Mirror that his party made significant compromises on its position to reach consensus on constitution-making. He said the TNA would also agree to forge ahead based on a consensus reached to evolve a new constitution.
Mr. Sumanthiran said the TNA informed the Prime Minister that it was left to the United National Party (UNP) to sort out its internal differences as far as its presidential candidate was concerned and that theTNA would not be party it.
He said there seemed to be three presidential hopefuls in the UNP and his party would decide on whom to support only after holding talks with all those in the fray including those from other parties.
It
is my humble pride to write this mote of gratitude in memory to late Mr. D.J.
Wimalasurendra the Eng., the founder father of Hydro Electricity in
Ceylon.
Devapura Jayasena Wimalasurendra born 17 September 1874 (In Galwadugoda, Galle) – died 10 August 1953 with an unparalleled and invaluable service rendered to the Country and Nation which is in bleak memory now, but it is of my duty-bound to remember being a great-grandchild of the Vishwakula clan of which Late Mr. Wimalasurendra belongs is from Southern sect while I am of the Upcountry sect.
Those were the days the County under the Colonial rule that only the Colombo and few other major cities and places important to Colonials were powered by Diesel generating sets and that had been no electricity around the country.
It was my great-great-grandfather who immensely had thoughts and rendered and sacrificed his academic and ancestral talents to create the marvelous work of Laxapana hydropower station which is also known as Wimalasurendra hydropower station situated near Maskeliya.
Like any other such sons of the Hela nation, he too had several barriers to pass through with many obstacles of saboteurs and enemies that did not like him doing his endeavor, however according to family chronicles that he even had to contest the Ratnapura electorate and enter to the Parliament in order to get his project approved by the then govt.
The commendable initiative he had taken was so much excellent even the colonial rulers did not think about, thus Late Mr. Wimalasurendra deserves the same position of Michal Faraday of England and Thomas Edison of America.
The Nation is
indebted timelessly to Late Mr. Wimalasurendra for lighting up the nation.
Yohan Perera and Ajith Siriwardana Courtesy The Daily Mirror
Speaker Karu Jayasuriya said today he would consider contesting the forthcoming presidential election only with the political forces which had since 1995 had consistently stood for the abolishing of the executive presidency.
He said he would also do so together with those who stood for democratic reforms introduced by the 17th Amendment and further strengthened by the 19the Amendment to the Constitution.
Issuing a statement the Speaker said there were many who had requested him to contest for the presidency. Some met me personally and made the request, some others did it over the phone and a few others made the request at news conferences,” he said.
The Speaker said the main objective that was highlighted by them was that the country needs a trusted leadership to safeguard democracy and overcome the current political confusion and establish a civilized society.
He said if he decided to contest the presidential election, it would merely be for a limited period with the intention of laying the foundation for an economically and morally strong country with democratic values.
The Speaker said he would contest only if he received the blessings of the UNP and its allies and within the party’s constitutional framework.
Former Director General of the Telecommunication Regulatory Commission Anusha Pelpita says that certain officials have mislead the President by providing incorrect information that Rs. 2 billion in funds for the construction of the Lotus Tower have disappeared.
He made this comment while explaining the statement made by President Maithripala Sirisena at a function held yesterday on behalf of declaring opening the Lotus Tower
The Lotus Tower at Colombo the tallest tower in all of South Asia of which construction began in the year 2012 was declared open by the President yesterday. During a speech he made at this function the President revealed a fraud of Rs. 2 billion which took place during construction.
At present there is much talk in society regarding this statement made by the President yesterday.
Accordingly, the former Director General of the TRC Anusha Pelpita has posted an item on his Facebook Account as well explaining the facts regarding this statement made by the President
He has added a photo of the then Chairman of the Tender Board in this country Gotabhaya Jayaratne in discussion with the Chairman of the Alit Company’s office in Beijing, China. This discussion had been in connection with the construction of the Lotus Tower.
How complying with
MCC conditions would result in Sri Lanka gifting
the entire country on a platter to the US for ever, is dealt with further down
this piece
What is one word for
an Agreement where one party to an Agreement has to fulfil his part of the
Contract before the Contract is signed and, where the other party
fulfils his part of the Contract only after the Contract is signed? That
word is, ‘MCC-Compact’.
Controverting Edelman
who said that the ‘gift’ is unconditional another page of the MCC document was
shown
The conditions
imposed on Sri Lanka by the MCC are: All State Lands to be mapped out; All
State Lands to be inventorised; a parcel fabric of all State Lands to be
prepared; The Land Registry to be converted from the Deed system to the Title
Registration system; the Land Registry Records to be Digitalised; a new system
of Land valuation to be introduced; All government Grants (of Land) to be
Registered; A Land Policy Bodyto be Established;
pass new laws that support reforms under the Title system.
Sri Lanka has done
nearly ¾ of what MCC want Sri Lanka to do; only about a quarter remains to be
done. From Sri Lanka’s perspective there is now hardly any requirement to sign
an ‘Agreement’ Document as most of what the US wanted Sri Lanka to do, has been
done; from the US perspective, the balance quarter must mandatorily be complied
with if the MCC is to part with the money promised.
The Americans are
laughing all the way.
All State Lands have
been mapped out, inventorised and a parcel fabric of State Lands done. The Land
Registry has been converted from a Deed System to a Title Registration system
(this is the ‘Bim Saviya’ Act that was passed in 1998 by Kumaranatunge, a
member of another secret subversive organisation of the Whites – the Club of
Madrid – dedicated to breaking up Sri Lanka and other Nation States).
With Sri Lanka
responding subserviently to the crack of the MCC whip, MCC requires Sri Lanka
to digitalise the Land Registry, establish a new system of Land valuation,
register all Government Land grants, establish a Land Policy Body and pass new
laws that would support Land Reforms under the Title System.
On these conditions
which MCC requires Sri Lanka to act on and which remain to be completed, Sri
Lanka has already taken the initiative to have them implemented.
To digitalise the
Land Registry, the US advertised in the local newspapers and selected a Sri
Lankan contractor, Harin Gunawardena, to do the job of establishing the
infrastructure for digitalising the Land Registry, under US instructions. The
Registrar General of Lands, Gunasekera, and the Surveyor General, Udayakantha,
devotedly permitted the Americans access to their offices and work on the
process of digitalising the Register. The process is underway, with American
input, unsupervised.
A similar situation
exists in the Valuation department.
Gunasekera,
Udayakantha and their successors are put on notice; they could however redeem
themselves by assisting the State.
The double-speak of
the Americans is quite evident. In their ‘Constraints’ analysis a primary
concern of the Americans is their inability to access and buy-up land in Sri
Lanka.
Hence most, if not
all, of the conditions laid down by the MCC for Sri Lanka to comply with, is to
give the Americans easy access to buy-up or lease land in Sri Lanka.
What then is the
motive of the MCC compact? The objective of the MCC is to create the necessary
conditions in Sri Lanka to enable the United States to buy up Sri Lanka for a
song.
Where then is the
double-speak? The MCC tells Sri Lanka (and other poor nations) that they are
here to alleviate poverty. If they have access to Sri Lanka’s land and buy up
the land of the poverty-stricken farmer, the MCC does not alleviate poverty,
they only aggravate poverty.
The MCC slogan,
‘alleviating poverty’, is a good sell; poor countries, because of their
poverty, are vulnerable, malleable, and susceptible to economic blackmail; for
example, ‘if you do not conform to our conditions, we take our ‘gift’ and go to
a more appreciative country who would conform’.
Yes, there are many
poor countries in the world; and the world today is a predator’s market for
land-grabs. It could be argued that what motivates MCC is not altruism but
naked self interest.
In the last 70 years
Sri Lanka has been able to maintain sovereignty of her land, not through an
Army that would deter foreign aggression, but with Buddhism, a deeply engrained
culture, a supportive Constitution, an incorruptible judiciary, legislature and
Administration and, an Army that is excellently capable of dealing with the
internal proxies of foreign military powers.
Consequently, the
people of the country own 84% of the land.
Politicians, elected
by the people, are only the temporary custodians of that land; they have been
delegated the people’s authority to protect the sovereignty of that land and to
preserve the fundamental rights of the unborn generations.
To deprive the people
of Sri Lanka sovereignty over their land the foreign aggressor has to attack,
Buddhism, Sri Lanka’s culture, Sri Lanka’s Army, Sri Lanka’s supportive
Constitution, and the incorruptibility of Sri Lanka’s judiciary,
legislation, and administration.
The attack has begun
and the attack is on all fronts. The MCC is an integral part of that attack.
The Corridor from
Trincomalee to Colombo is mostly government land given on lease to farmers. One
of the conditions laid out by the MCC is to register all Land grants.
Why has the MCC
included this condition?
Until about three
years ago no foreigner could own land in Sri Lanka. But Wickramasinghe enabled
foreigners to own land in the country. However, this is restricted to the 14%
of private land available in the market and that too is restricted by extent,
to a limit of 50 acres.
The rest of the
country’s land, a 84%, is not available for sale; it is only available for
lease, only if the temporary custodian of the land, the President, deems
it fit to be leased.
This 84% of Sri
Lanka’s land is under the protective hand of the President of the country
despite amendments to the Constitution and despite interpretation of the
amendments being challenged in the Supreme Court of law.
How could America’s
impediment to access 84% of Sri Lanka’s land, as a result of the President’s
power, be overcome and how could these powers be devolved to the provinces as
is the demand of the TNA?
How could this
‘restriction’ on this 84% of land being available only for lease and not for
sale be removed and such land be made available for outright private sale?
How could the
limitation of ownership of land to a maximum of 50 acres be done away
with?
This is where the MCC, Wickramasinghe and Sirisena have colluded.
Wickramasinghe
promised the issue of a million deeds to farmers who already have lease
ownership to those lands; he and his hirelings have begun issuing deeds for
these lands.
Sirisena placed
the Presidential seal on each one of those million deeds issued, as is mandated
by law.
The MCC has made it
one of their mandatory conditions that all Land grants be registered under the
Title system; please see the box above captioned ‘Conditions precedent for
MCC land investment’.
In short, by issuing
a million Land Grants to the farmers, the land has been privatised; by the land
being privatised, the power to deal with those lands has been devolved to the
respective provincial councils along the MCC Corridor. The issue of land
grants therefore is not to alleviate poverty, as is proclaimed, but
a necessary ‘precedent’ condition – a condition that has to be met before the
MCC donates its ‘gift’ – that would enable the Americans to buy up land
while satisfying the Eelamists demand for power over ‘land’.
With the MCC electric
railway barrier (see map put out by the MCC in Part 1) dividing the North from
the South, with the Americans controlling the Corridor from Trinco to Colombo
and having the ability to hinder movement of the military between the North and
the South, with Land power devolved to the provinces, the separatists have got
what the American-backed terrorists fought for before they were wiped out at
Nandikadal; Eelam.
The farmers are poor
not because of a lack of land; they are poor because they do not obtain, at the
appropriate time, the fundamentals necessary for farming, such as seed, water,
fertiliser, warehouse facilities for their harvest, markets, price, etc.
Since the farmers
continue to be poor, they are encouraged to sell their land (for which they now
have deeds) or mortgage their land with lending institutions; when the farmers
default on their mortgages the lending institutions would seize the properties
mortgaged with them, and sell these properties.
And this is exactly
what the MCC wants and that is why the MCC requires, as a precondition, ‘the
registration of land grants under the title system’. The MCC would buy all this
land for a song.
When land deeds are
given to farmers, these lands now become private land; no longer do these lands
come under the control of the President (or the Centre); all land powers to
these million deeds issued are devolved to the respective provinces.
The Corridor from
Trinco to Colombo, approximately 1.2 Million acres of land, is replete with
Phosphate, Ilmenite, Monazite, Thorium – a nuclear fuel like uranium – and
other precious and rare metals.
Issuing of a million
Deeds – viz a million Land Grants – has removed the restriction on Government
lands being available only for lease; these lands are now available for sale,
as required by the MCC.
A geopolitical
analysis suggests that the US wishes to occupy Sri Lanka and that they propose
to do so by buying out the country; they are restricted in a way that there is
a limitation on ownership of land by an individual to a maximum of 50 acres.
This restriction and
many other restrictions to America’s easy access to buy Sri Lankan
Land have been done away with, in the draft laws prepared by the
MCC, unknown to the Sri Lankan public.
One such law was the
Land (Special Provisions) Bill presented in Parliament but put on hold by the
Supreme Court. This and the Land Bank Bill are some of the mandatory
preconditions adduced to in the ‘Conditions precedent to funding activities’
given in the ‘Box’ above as ‘passage of legislation that supports reforms in
the title registration system’.
The MCC has been
cajoling the Government to sign the MCC agreement before 17 Sep 19.
Wickramasinghe, Sirisena, the MCC and others are put on notice that they would
be in contempt of Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court should they sign the MCC Agreement
before the Supreme Court give its determination on the plaint filed
regarding the constitutionality of the Land (Special Provisions)
Bill.
The member of the
audience who publicly challenged Edelman for being economic with the truth
indicated another pernicious issue in the MCC Plan put out by the MCC; he said
that the MCC was planning to set up a Land Policy Body which would be the
cardinal authority on Land Policy in the country.
This Policy body is
empowered to override any decision relating to land made by the Government
which is the denouement of Sri Lankan people’s sovereignty and democracy.
And in this policy body
are entrenched the Americans and the NGOs, the paid hirelings of the Americans.
When Edelman denied this allegation, this individual calmly pointed to the
‘Conditions Precedent for MCC Land Investment’ where establishment of a Land
Policy Body is one of the conditions that should be done before the MCC ‘gift’
can be given.
Then turning to
another page in the document in his hand, he showed a wire diagram of this
supreme Land Policy making body, as portrayed by the MCC.
At the apex is the
MCC and subordinate to it is the Land Policy Research Council and further below
is the Land Policy Office of the Ministry of Lands!
With a very strong possibility of, an
Eelam, a terrorist caliphate in the East (see MCC map), Americans in
control of the entire island, of the littoral states in the Bay of Bengal and
the Bay being destabilised by the caliphate terrorists, Sirisena,
Wickramasinghe and the entire cabinet (collective responsibility) and are
put on notice.
At the end of the
sessions this writer interviewed the person who flustered Edelman and had her
red faced. He spoke of the MCC as a US Foreign Policy tool (about which Edelman
pleaded ignorance), the Atlantic Charter as the beginning of the American
Empire and interestingly about a reciprocal process where the boot is on the
other foot and Sri Lanka invests in Land in the US, on the same
conditionalities that the US has imposed on Sri Lanka. This writer shall report
on this in the next piece.
Yahapalana’s attacks on the Maha Sangha are
part of its attack on Buddhism, Buddhists and Buddhist worship. This
anti-Buddhist strategy has clearly been planned well ahead and given to
Yahapalana to implement.
Ven. Uduwe Dhammaloka observed in 2016 we can
see that strategies are being discussed among various NGOs and the present
rulers seem to be going along with them, one instance is the Katikawata Bill,
the intention was to suppression of the sangha. There is no need for a Katikawata bill, the
Vinaya rules are sufficient.
Kiribathgoda Ananda has over a 1000 monks under him. They conduct
themselves well.”
Uduwe Dhammaloka continued, there is now a
move by NGOs to say that ordaining young boys as monks is child abuse. We know that as far as Buddhism is concerned
adult ordination will never work. Monks have to be ordained when they are young
otherwise they will never be able to conduct themselves in a manner required of
monks. We now see subtle attempt to portray the ordination of children as child
abuse. There was a video clip of a young samanera crying for his mother that
was shared on social media networks some time ago. These subtle campaigns which
strike at the very root of Sinhala Buddhist culture. If child ordination is
eliminated the sangha will be gone in one generation.
Derana news on 10.9.19 showed a young man
repeatedly slapping two samanera bhikkhus repeatedly for allegedly taking an
item from a shop. An onlooker came forward and stopped him but only after about
half a dozen slaps had been given. The next day Derana news showed the two
samanera in hospital. The man was arrested and the camera showed him
apologizing for his action.
Samanera bhikkhus are also featured elsewhere.
The popular teledrama ‘Sidu’ features a village temple, its chief priest, his
assistant Ven. Rahula and two little
samaneras, Soratha and Subhoda. ‘Sidu’ thus shows the three levels of bhikkhus
in the Sangha community, senior, middle and junior, their role and the
difference in attitude among them. The
samanera are shown to be normal, mischievous little boys, training to be
priests. Before it became a soap opera, Sidu” was a lovely film. Buddhist
philosophy was woven beautifully
into a relaxing film which offered, suspense, melodrama, excitement, ‘pight’,
‘comit’ and ‘luv’.
The international conspiracy leaders have
studied the Sangha as individuals and selected the most suitable bhikkhus for
what they had in mind. These handpicked monks talk and behave in a manner
designed to turn Buddhists against Buddhism. That is the nature of the
conspiracy. Getting the monks involved
is part of the conspiracy. This has also happened in Burma where monks were
brought into disrepute., said Uduwe Dhammaloka.
There is a small group of monks playing a
major role in creating disturbances in the country. They paved the way for the present government
to come to power. These monks were completely unheard of until they started
creating disturbances on the streets. This is a small minority of monks with
suspicious linkages to the west.
It is these monks who were arrested at
Homagama. They were brought to court
like criminals with their heads covered, Things that were not done even in
colonial times are being done now. Our
monks are now aware of what is going on, we discuss these matters, concluded
Uduwe Dhammaloka.
The pin
pettiya in temples is also targeted. Some time ago, the pin petti of Alutgama
and Dambulla viharas were sealed by the Department of Buddhist Affairs. The
public protested and the Department gave in. In
September 2019 another round of pin petti sealing started. The pin petti at Badulla raja Maha
vihara were sealed.
In September
2019, the audit Division of the Department of Buddhist affairs had come
Tissamaharama Raja Maha vihara to do a surprise check of its pin petti. The
petti were sealed to be taken for examination to the Department of Buddhist
Affairs. The auditors has said that the temple had not maintained proper
records of the pin petti money.
The
chief priests at Tissamaharama told Derana that they were unable to get the
money they needed for the next perahera due to the bomb blast. They needed
about 1.3 million .They needed another 50 lakhs or so, to keep the chaitya
whitewashed and pay the workers and feed
them for about two or three months. The Chief priest also observed that there
was a Christian Church in Tissamaharama which had about three hundred acres of
land. Are they checking there as well, he asked. ( This is an extract from the
revised version of Yahapalana versus
Maha Sangha Pt 4”)
Condominium Mgmt Authority, National Gem & Jewellery Authority to share information with the Financial Intel Unit
in terms of the provisions of the Financial Transactions Reporting Act, No. 6 of 2006 (FTRA), the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) of Sri Lanka entered into Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) with Condominium Management Authority (CMA) and National Gem and Jewellery Authority (NGJA) on 28 August 2019 at the Central Bank of Sri Lanka with the objectives of outlining the process for providing information and defining the nature of the support that the FIU expects from the CMA and NGJA in ensuring effective implementation of Anti-Money Laundering/Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) legal obligations for condominium developers and licensed gem and jewelry dealers in Sri Lanka.
News Items above raises the question about the laundering of dirty money generated by the drug trade and bribery in third world countries.In Dubai and some other countries like Panama are attracting people to use their liberal banking system to generates healthy cash flow and increase surplus money within the country. Time to time Sri Lankan politicians change laws in the country to suit their needs either to take out surplus cash generated by scrupulous means and also to bring in money which was stashed elsewhere.
Recently
Panama papers which were published by Wikileaks shows many Sri Lankans who
deposited money earned either abroad or in Sri Lanka
The question is whether we should allow Sri Lankans or any other foreign person can bring money to Sri Lanka as investment or deposited in banks which give higher interest rates.
Under a Regime heavily dependent on World Bank, ADB, and other foreign funding agencies, such activity is frowned upon. Therefore Central Bank poke their nose in every transaction to satisfy World Bank
When a country does not have natural resources other than Tea, Rubber and a few other raw materials such as Ilmenite etc it is essential to find a way to improve money flowing into the country.
Many expat Sri Lankan and foreigners are ready to bring money in but Central Bank in Sri Lanka has imposed strict controls. Until recently foreigners could open Share Trading Account and bring money in. The capital and profit brought in can be transferred out to the third party as they wish.
Central
Bank wise governors have advised all State and Commercial Banks that foreigners
can only open new account named IIA ACCCOUNT with conditions attached
Quote
Eligible Investors
A non-national resident in or outside Sri Lanka.
A non-national of Sri Lankan origin, who is a resident outside
Sri Lanka
A Sri Lankan citizen, resident outside Sri Lanka.
A company incorporated outside Sri Lanka.
Country and regional funds, mutual funds, unit trusts and other
institutional investors who are established outside Sri Lanka.
An administrator or executor of a deceased person, in the name
of such deceased person who maintained an Inward Investment Account with that
authorized dealer until the completion of the administration of the deceased
person’s estate.
A receiver or liquidator of a company that maintained an Inward
Investment Account with that authorize dealer until proceedings are concluded.
Any other person or category of persons who may be authorized by
the Central Bank from time to time.
Permitted Credits
Remittances in foreign exchange received from outside Sri Lanka
in favour of the account holder through the banking system.
Transfers from Personal Foreign Currency Accounts, Inward
Investment Accounts or accounts maintained in the Offshore Banking Unit of the
same account holder.
Dividends, sale or maturity proceeds, disposal of liquidation,
capital redemption, share buyback, profits, surplus funds, rental income,
recovery of principal, interest or any other related income received from
capital transactions undertaken in Sri Lanka by persons resident outside Sri
Lanka as permitted under the provisions of the Foreign Exchange Act, No. 12 of
2017.
Foreign currency brought into Sri Lanka by the account holder
upon declaration (i.e., where such foreign currency notes exceed or equals to
USD 15,000 or its equivalent in other foreign currency on a declaration to
Customs Department or where such foreign currency notes are less than USD
15,000 or its equivalent in other foreign currency on an appropriate declaration
to the authorized dealer).
Sale proceeds including capital gains, leasehold rights,
sub-lease hold rights, if any, received in Sri Lanka rupees re-designated where
such investment had been made through the Inward Investment Account or through
the Securities Investment Account of the account holder or upon ascertaining
the proof of inward remittances prior to these regulations come into effect.
Transfers from Business Foreign Currency Account of a person
resident in Sri Lanka as repayment of foreign currency loans obtained by such
person (i.e., borrower) from the account holder (i.e., foreign lender) under a
general or special approval granted under the provisions of the repealed
Exchange Control Act or Foreign Exchange Act, No. 12 of 2017.
Sri Lanka rupees converted into foreign currency by a resident
in Sri Lanka (i.e., borrower) for repayment of foreign currency loans obtained
from the account holder (i.e., foreign lender) under a general or special
approval granted under the provisions of the repealed Exchange Control Act or
Foreign Exchange Act, No. 12 of 2017.
Transfers from Diplomatic Foreign Currency Accounts and
Diplomatic Rupee Accounts of the same account holder.
Transfers from an Inward Investment Account of another person
(i.e., buyer) in respect of sale of permitted investments to such buyer by the
account holder where such investment has been made by the account holder
through the same Inward Investment Account (including any subsequent shares
devolving on the investor by virtue of a corporate action by the issuer,
exercise of a right, entitlement or conversion).
Transfers from Capital Transactions Rupee Account of the same account holder as permitted by directions issued by the Central Bank.
Transactions or Transfers from any other category of accounts
that may be permitted to maintain by the Central Bank from time to time, to the
extent such transactions or transfers have been permitted by directions issued
by the Central Bank.
Interest earned on the funds held in the account.
Permitted Withdrawals
Disbursements in Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka rupees.
Outward
remittances in favor of the account holder.
Transfers to Inward Investment Accounts, Personal Foreign
Currency Accounts or accounts maintained in the Offshore Banking Unit of the
same account holder.
Payments relating to capital transactions undertaken in Sri Lanka by person resident outside Sri Lanka in terms of the permissions granted under the provisions of the Foreign Exchange Act, No. 12 of 2017.
Disbursements relating to foreign currency loans to a person resident in Sri Lanka where such loans have been obtained in terms of a general or special approval granted under the provisions of the Foreign Exchange Act, No. 12 of 2017.
Transfer of proceeds of foreign currency loans (including debt
securities) to an Outward Investment Account of the borrower, where such loans
have been obtained for the purpose of financing an overseas capital transaction
(i.e., an outward investment) permitted under the provisions of the Foreign
Exchange Act, No.12 of 2017.
Transfers to Diplomatic Foreign Currency Accounts and Diplomatic
Rupee Accounts of the same account holder.
Transfers to an Inward Investment Account of another person
(i.e., seller) in respect of the purchase of any permitted investment from such
seller by the account holder.
Transactions or Transfers to any other category of accounts that
may be permitted to maintain by the Central Bank from time to time, to the
extent such transactions or transfers have been permitted by directions issued by
the Central Bank.
If and when a foreign or Sri
Lankan national intends to repatriate funds to Sri Lanka .they are discouraged
to do so when they are told about such conditions listed above
The most questionable condition is that the person who opens an account has to visit the Sri Lankan embassy of the respective country and get his identity verified and submit a plethora of forms to prove his identity and residence status and of course source of funds.
Many investors have expressed their dissatisfaction with this condition as it is cumbersome.
Another ludicrous condition is that if you need to transfer the proceeds of investment to an outsider (even your kith and kin) is not allowed. The proceeds should only be remitted to an account anywhere in the world on the condition that the receiving account is on the same name.
If our country which considered underdeveloped ( though some claim that we are developed !) cannot attract funds from other countries like Dubai.Panama.Gurnsey Islands Solomon islands etc we will never be able to find enough cash for development.
Once developed we can exercise such rules.
With all such rules, people were wondering how an eastern politician received an enormous amount for an investment suspected of funneling for terrorist activity ( though it was not substantiated ) bypassing the safety net of Central Bank?
It is high time we liberalize cash movement in and out for at least 5 years initially, and then start imposing strict monitoring rules.
People are wondering whether we
can entice the Bond Scammers and other politicians as well as powerful
government officers to bring back the money with a penalty like what they used
to do in Iran
There was an Iranian National holding a high position in the shipping sector who plundered money through illegal means was pardoned when he agreed to bring the money back with a 100% penalty. He avoided being sent behind bars
The people of Sri Lanka finding them in the grip of an evil system tried for one last time to change it in 2015. The people trusted for one last time the usual set of politicians. The rascals promised ‘Yahapalanaya’ or good governance and deceived the people again. There is no point in elaborating the endless robberies that took place after 2015 and are currently going on with impunity, unchallenged and unpunished. The country is going from bad to worse. Bombs are going off again with hundreds of innocents dying and property destroyed. The very fact that the powers that are do not want to set up an independent probe into it smells fishy. Are they in collusion with some global powers playing their sinister games? With the dirty American tentacles groping around the country may even lose its sovereignty. After it became the dumping ground of British and international garbage there is nothing more to say. This country is at the end of its tether.
To save this country for the next generation we have no option but to chase away the traitors and betrayers of our people, the Ali Baba and the 225 thieves, robbers, murderers and pimps. It can be done by a radical system change.
It simply cannot be done within the current system. The system and the constitution have been dabbled and fiddled with the sole intention of the 226 staying in power for always either in the government or in the opposition and handing over this country to their dynasties. In this system they can commit any crime and get away with it. If even a few of this evil 226 come to power the rest of this despicable gang will be safeguarded. The system is tailor made for these criminals to stay in power with impunity. Therefore the need for a radical system change is imperative.
People have realized, finally, that there are only two sides to this national struggle. On one side the innocent, good but helpless citizens, the poor, the hard working white collar and blue collar workers, honest professionals and rank and file of the armed forces with their officers who are loyal to the people and the country, on the other side the 226 rascals who exploit them and the resources of the country supported by their boot-licking lackeys in the judiciary, armed forces, the administration and the business community.
The two sides can be easily recognized. The 226, their boot-licking lackeys and their foolish supporters are against a radical system change declaring it cannot be implemented for one reason or another. They try to trivialize it calling it an impractical dream or eyewash of a charlatan. Of course they will not expose the real reason: they know they will be defunct, politically speaking, if there is a real system change from their evil governance to genuine good governance.
On the other hand all good people, simple, hard working, decent citizens of the country who have had enough of this Ali Baba, the 225 thieves and their venal governance; professionals with clean hands, upright of character and love of the country who have had to suffer and put up with the evil shenanigans of their political masters simply tolerating it all for the sake of feeding the family; the farmers, the fishermen and the casual labourers who are in dire straits who have finally opened their eyes and seen why there is poverty in this country even after 71 years of independence, who have realized that it is corruption at the top that generates their poverty are not only accepting the revolutionary system change with much hope but also promoting it.
The people of this country has been offered a clear cut, logical and reasonable, revolutionary and non-violent system change in a new autochthonous constitution still in draft form. It will be finalized by the end of this month and at the nominations for the presidential election it will be presented to the people with the manifesto of the alternative candidate.
The new autochthonous constitution will drastically reduce the number of members of parliament, so much so that it will be brought back to the venerable old building at the Galle Face and similarly the number of cabinet ministers will be cut. Thus a huge amount of money will be saved to the treasury. The new MPs will be people who come forward to give the country their best unlike the present set of kleptoparasites who have come to take the best from the country. So the MPs will not receive a salary or a pension. They will be given an allowance and will leave the service after one or two terms of office. No dynasties will be formed and no life membership in the parliamentary club. They will have to be graduates from a recognized university or educated up to that level. They will have clean hands and have no criminal allegations. They or their close relatives will have no business dealings with the government. They will not get any permits for sale. Will anyone of the present 226 be willing to join a government of the people as described above?
Sri Lanka will be one country and it will be unitary. There will be only one people and they will be Sri Lankan. There will be only one law and the Kandyan law, the Thesawalami law and the Muslim law will be abolished. Executive presidency will be abolished and everybody, without exception, will be equal before the law. The provincial councils, the nine white elephants, will be abolished and one hundred billion rupees saved annually to the treasury! The illicit National List, the hole in the back door of the parliament, through which the rejected candidates creep into the parliament, will be abolished. Proportional representative method of election will be abolished. The old method of first past the post will be re-established. And thus democracy, true and genuine, will be brought back to the country.
There is a school of thought among the alternative groups that some good, clean people be sent to the parliament and slowly increase their number to form one day a government of good governance. They want to work within the present constitution and the way of proceeding. They want to throw clean people into a cesspit and expect them to remain clean! What a pipe dream! Didn’t the JVP try that for the last forty odd years? What have they got to show for that? They too finally and shamelessly resorted to the illicit national list to get into the parliament and sell vehicle permits to fatten the party coffers. There is only one method to clean the Augean stables, the autochthonous constitution and a system change.
A system change is a revolution. It can be violent or non-violent. It can be either by the bullet or by the ballot. The Autochthonous Constitution is the non-violent method by the ballot. It will be presented to the people at the next presidential election for their approval. Getting a simple majority it will become the supreme law of the land. Not a drop of blood will be shed, not a brick from a building will be moved, not a match will be struck to burn anything and not a tear will be shed. There will be only relief and joy at the dismissing of the Ali Baba and the 225 thieves from the country’s political scene. They shall receive their just dues for all the crimes they have committed and the wealth they have robbed from the poor of the country will be requited and returned to the people. The people of the country are yearning for a complete overhaul of the government, chasing away Ali Baba and the 225 thieves and giving the governance to a group of upright men and women of integrity. We need a system change.
At the time of writing, it is not clear if Sajith Premadasa’s wish to be the UNP’s presidential candidate would come true. It is clear however that he will not easily back down from the challenge he had posed to the UNP leadership. The UNP camp is currently divided over the issue, but the odds seem to be favouring Premadasa especially with Malik Samarawickrema and Mangala Samaraweera, who were key members of Ranil Wickremasinghe’s inner team, also shifting their loyalties to Premadasa.
However, Premadasa’s fight for presidency is very much akin to a couple planning their wedding without a care for the days after. It is the sad trend for most young adults to spend what they cannot afford on their weddings. They invest lavishly on this one function and wake up to a wedded life mired in debt. Essential components to a happy wedded life such as a place of their own, children and savings are pushed back until these financial commitments made are met.
It is likewise with Premadasa as well. His one goal is to become the President of Sri Lanka. However, as exposed by the promises he made at the recent talks with the TNA, it is clear that he does not have a proper plan beyond getting elected to lead the country. To the TNA, he promised to ‘prioritise the process to solve the Tamil question within six months, from the time I assume duties. However, a solution to the Tamil question should be acceptable to the people in the South.’
It is interesting that he said that the solution he gives to the ‘Tamil question’ must be acceptable to the ‘people in the South’. He did not say that the solution must be acceptable to the Sinhala people, nor did he specify as non-Tamil citizens of the country. Instead, he mentioned a particular geography of the country – the South.
However, the demography of the South is not devoid of Tamils. According to the 2012 census, 43.5 per cent and 26.8 per cent of Sri Lankan Tamils live in the Northern and the Eastern provinces respectively. Sri Lankan Tamils constitute 29.7 per cent of the population in the other parts of the Island that Premadasa collectively called the ‘South’. These figures discount the presence of Indian origin Tamils, who are now known as the ‘Upcountry Tamils’. If this component is also added to this group to calculate the Tamil ethnicity in its entirety, then 49 per cent of Tamils live outside the Northern and Eastern provinces.
Interesting
Therefore, it is interesting that Premadasa’s solution to the ‘Tamil Question’ excludes 49 per cent of the Tamils in the Island. Instead, only their acceptance of this solution that is not catered to their need is sought by Premadasa. Premadasa was thus promising to solve the ‘Tamil Question’ to a group of politicians who only represent the North and the East of the Island. The Tamil politician, Digambaran, who does not represent this constituency, despite openly pledging his alliance to Premadasa was clearly excluded from this assurance.
This thus brings forth the question, what is the ‘Tamil Question’ that obviously afflicts only the Sri Lankan origin Tamils living in the Northern and Eastern provinces. It is indeed a strange dilemma because the minute one leaves the Northern or Eastern Province to reside in any part of the south, he is freed from this so-called “Tamil Question”.
A few weeks ago, TNA Spokesman M.A. Sumanthiran declared that out of the three presidential aspirants, Wickremesinghe would make a better president for Tamils than Gotabaya Rajapaksa or Premadasa. Wickremesinghe, clarified Sumanthiran, at least came up with a Draft Constitution that met the aspirates of the Tamils. Sumanthiran too worked very hard to bring this draft to light for the past four years.
Had this Draft Constitution became a reality, then Sri Lanka would effectively have nine separate semi-autonomous governments. The Central Government would have been rendered a beggar of the provincial councils for power. If Premadasa manages to implement this solution, then instead of contesting for the second presidential term, it would be better for Premadasa to seek to be a Chief Minister of a Province.
Interestingly, the solution that the TNA proposes will unite the North and the East as one unit while the rest of the country will remain fragmented. Therefore, this draft constitution was advocating the rest of the country that is obviously not affected by the ‘Tamil Question’ to move out of the present unitary status to a united system whilst seeking to retain a unitary characteristic for the North and the East.
Canard
However, the promise to merge the North and the East is a canard. According to the Draft Constitution, two or three provinces may be merged but only after the people in the regions through a referendum would agree to it. Though in the Northern Province 93.3 per cent are Tamils, in the Eastern Province Tamils make only 39.3 per cent of the population. The balance 60.7 per cent of non-Tamils in the East would never agree to live under the hegemony of Tamils ruled by the most xenophobic sector in Sri Lanka.
Hence, had the Draft Constitution become a reality, what would have effectively taken place would be a country trapped into nine enclaves. The Tamils in the East would be forced to live under the Muslim authority. The Police powers would also be handed over to the individual provincial councils. In the event of tragedies such as Easter Sunday massacres, the National Police would have to seek the permission of the Eastern Province Chief Minister to enter the province to investigate extremist elements like Zahran. This means that the entire investigation would be in the hands of the Provincial Council politicians.
The TNA and those promoting federalism had always stressed on a political solution. They had however, never tied that political solution to the economy, which is the most important component for one to live with dignity. If this solution as specified by the draft constitution and advocated by the TNA becomes a reality, the North that has the least fertile soil and limited water would be severely affected. The area does not have any other natural resources. Though the people in the North are hard working agriculturalists, the earning are not adequate to finance important sectors like health and education in the North. Thus North is heavily dependent on the earnings from enterprises such as tea, rubber, garments, gems, agrarian products that are now in the export market and also the remittances sent from those who are working abroad. All these incomes are mainly generated from the South.
Isolating the North from the country’s collective earnings will not help them recover from the wounds of a 30-year war. The cries of the war widows struggling to make the ends meet are drowned by the howls of the mothers of the disappeared. It is not that the latter group is larger. On the contrary. It is only that the vested interest groups are only focusing on the grief of the mothers of the disappeared for their own vile agendas. Yet the real struggle is with the war widows who are fighting for their families’ survival. It is indeed a shame that they are hardly in the radar.
Premadasa is a relatively-young politician. As a product of the London School of Economics, a greater vision could be expected from him. Yet, all we hear is the same old empty election promises that has been the bane of this country. As voters we have an option. We can continue with this archaic flow where the one who lies and slanders the most is elected as our leader. The other option is, pave the way for a man with a true vision for the country to be our leader.
Committee on Public Accounts (COPA) found that the government had suffered a loss of around Rs. 4 billion owing to a decision made by the Department of Registration of Motor Vehicles to extend a contract given to a private company to issue smart driver licences. The private company had a contract for seven years. When its term ended, in 2016, the Department gave it a two-year extension.
The private company should have handed over its machinery used for the issuing of smart licences to the RMV at the end of the contract so that the department could issue licences on its own. However, the company instead of handing over their machines, continued to obtain extensions, causing a massive loss to the government. If the task had been carried out by the Department it could have earned an average income of Rs. 120 million a month.
According to the contract, the private company was to provide technology and training to RMV officials but they had not done so. The RMV officials said that they did not have a sufficient number of employees to be sent for the training considering the workload at the Department. Officials said they were not ready to take over the task of issuing smart licenses themselves.
COPA then ordered Chairman, RMV to take immediate action to take over the task of issuing smart driver licenses from the private company. If the RMV needed, it could set up a company managed by the government for the purpose and the approval of the Cabinet could be obtained.
SRI LANKA
INSTITUTE OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SLIIT)
SLIIT stands on a 25-acre land owned by Mahapola Education Trust Fund (METF). SLIIT was built by Mahapola at a cost of Rs 373 million at Malabe. The Malabe facility was estimated at Rs 408 million. An agreement signed in 2005 said SLIIT would pay METF either Rs. 8 million or 20% of the net profit, whichever was greater.
Instead on May 12, 2015, METF leased the land, on which SLIIT stands, at Rs. 20 million per annum for 60 years and also signed an agreement that made SLIIT independent of Mahapola. The deal was finalised during the yahapalana 100-day programme, observed critics. Auditor General said in his report on the METF, that due to the new agreement, the Trust lost Rs. 120.99 million between May 2015 and December 2017.
METF was headed
by the Chief Justice. Justice K. Sripavan, Head of METF told
the Presidential Commission of Inquiry investigating corruption in the current
administration that the METF Board of Trustees had not authorized the 2015
agreement between the Trust and SLIIT to make the institute an independent body.
He said that a board minute was presented to him by Wickrema Weerasooriya which said that the Board had approved the two agreements, when in fact, there had been no discussion at the Board meeting on the matter. “I informed him that it was misleading information and asked him to remove that part immediately,” Sripavan informed the Commission. Usually, the Director of the Trust prepared the minutes. But minutes of the 56th and 57th board meetings had been prepared by Weerasooriya as the Director had been removed.
Two appointed members, namely, Padmadeva Rajakaruna and Dr. Wickrema Weerasooriya had signed the agreement with SLIIT and told the other members that as two appointed members by ministers they had the power to do so.
Padmadeva Rajakaruna had told the Commission that he had been given permission to sign an agreement with SLIIT. Rajakaruna produced a document which he claimed contained the minutes of the 56th board meeting of Mahapola trustees on the decision, and two trustees, appointed by the Minister, had been authorized to enter into an agreement with the SLIIT. However, the official from the Attorney General’s Department pointed out that Rajakaruna’s document was different from the one-handed over by the Head of the METF.
ELECTRICITY
(1)
Power and Energy Ministry has since January 2019 submitted multiple Cabinet papers seeking approval for varying quantities of emergency power. In June 2019 Cabinet approved the purchase of 200MW from a Turkish Karpowership barge for six months and another Karpowership barge for nine months. They are being contracted without tender. The CEB has already bought 100MW of emergency power from Aggrekko International, Altaaqa Alternative Solutions of the United Arab Emirates and V Power Holdings of Hong Kong.
ELECTRICITY
(2)
Power, Energy and Business Development Ministry is planning to dip into the consumers’ deposits to the tune of billions of rupees, says Electricity Consumer Rights Movement the Ministry was planning to obtain permission to utilize the money of the electricity consumer deposits of the Ceylon Electricity Board. They were planning to take Rs. 1.45 billion from CEB and Rs. 500 million from Lanka Electricity Company (LECO) without paying an interest to the consumer. According to Section 28 of the Electricity Act CEB and LECO had to pay an interest on consumer deposits. They have not done so for years. Yahapalana government has taken steps to remove the Section 28 from the Electricity Act to enable the CEB and LECO to use the consumers’ deposits as they wished.
ELECTRICITY
(3)
Since Minister
Karunanayake took over the ministry in January, he has floated various
emergency power proposals; contracted barge-mounted electricity outside
accepted procurement procedure; and ordered the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB)
to appoint 27 personal nominees as coordinators to projects that have not even
been initiated, said Dushana Vidu Nethin ,an association of professionals.
“We also
noted that the Minister of Power and Energy has taken various steps to halt solar
power development in Sri Lanka. [He has taken]
steps to increase the electricity tariff. This would drastically affect the development of
solar power in the country as there will be no incentive for people to purchase
roof top solar power plants”.Minister Karunanayake is also attempting to
reduce the PUCSL’s status of Economic, Technical and Safety regulator” to only
“safety regulator” and “ombudsman” of the electricity
industry, said Dushana Vidu Nethin.
APPOINTMENTS
(4)
A probe
conducted by Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) found that 1,707 persons had been recruited as
Staff Assistants and Office Assistants of the National Savings Bank on the
basis of lists sent to the bank by the Private Secretary of the Minister of
Finance. 104 persons had been recruited in 2017, 36 in 2018 and 250 in 2019.
They had been given letters of appointment. General Manager, NSB stated that
this has been the procedure since 2008. We changed it in 2018 and recruited
them as trainees, but they also were
recruited from the list..
APPOINTMENTS
(5)
Media
reported that in June 2019 , Power and
Energy Minister Ravi Karunanayake had
ordered Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) to appoint 27 of his personal
nominees as project coordinators” for a spate of non- existent power plants and the power transmission facilities for the
non-existent power plants. Project
coordinators usually work under a project manager to help ensure tasks are
completed on time and within budget.
Most of these
power plants are not in operation, .some have not even gone before the Cabinet,
said the media. These include two new coal power plants, two government-to-government funded 300MW natural
gas combined cycle power plants, the proposed 300MW natural gas combined cycle
power plant by the CGL Windforce Consortium and the 300MW natural gas combined
cycle power plant by Lakdanawi. A spate of wind, hydro and solar power parks
around the country area
also included. These project coordinators were to be appointed in view of
prevailing security situation of the country”. It is not explained how these new project coordinators could help the
prevailing security situation, concluded the media.
APPOINTMENTS
(6)
in July 2019 Dushana Vidu Nethin, (DVN) , condemned the appointment of Power and Energy
Minister Ravi Karunanayake’s lawyer Sandun Gamage to the fifth vacant
position of Commissioner at the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka.
Gamage’s name was approved by the Constitutional Council. Gamage represented
Karunanayake multiple times during hearings into the Central Bank bond scam
before the Presidential Commission appointed to inquire into the case, DVN
said.
BUSINESS
Yahapalana government announced that it would set up a National Single Window
(NSW) to help business. Sri Lanka’s National Single Window (NSW) will allow
businesses to lodge information and documents with a single entry point, to
fulfil all import, export and transit-related regulatory requirements. A NSW
Blueprint would be released soon, said officials. The implementation of the NSW
is a legal obligation under the World
Trade Organisation’s (WTO) Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA), which Sri Lanka
has signed.
This was
discussed at public-private consultative organised by the International Trade
Centre (ITC), in collaboration with Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL),in September
2018. It was suggested that Sri Lanka
should take a gradual approach and not try to bite off more than it can chew.
The participants pointed out that
improving the functionality of a NSW is more important than extending
the service to all traders and geographical locations in the country at the
start of operations. It should start with Colombo port.
Sri Lanka should go for a more phased
implementation, where change is gradually introduced over a longer time frame,
starting on a small or limited scale. This
was what Indonesia had done. In its first stage Indonesia limited the activity
to three government agencies in one
port. Second stage covered five seaports, while the third stage expanded the
INSW to all import procedures in the ports. The fourth stage in July 2009
covered import procedures for Government agencies in a seaport, airport, and
dry-port. In January 2010, the fifth stage made the INSW mandatory for all
import procedures in five ports. In the final phase, the INSW was extended to
21 ports and all import-export procedures in the country. (Continued)
Jenner Edelman, the
new Country Director of the controversial Millennium Challenge Corporation
(MCC), had egg on her face when she was caught red-handed dishing-out fake news
during a series of public presentations in Sri Lanka.
The MCC had acquired
a malevolent reputation in Sri Lanka and the US was hellbent on whitewashing
that image. Edelman embarked on a laundering campaign conducting a series of
public presentations and artfully placed newspaper articles scripted by large US
Corporate-funded organisations like Advocata.
Razeen Sally, a
member of a secret and subversive organisation – The Mont Pelerin Society that
is dedicated to destroying universal franchise and democracy -dutifully sang
for his supper as instructed.
However, anger
against the MCC has been snowballing and the Sri Lankan people
are now demanding that any Presidential hopeful seeking their vote should
publicly affirm before a Maha Sangha Council that he/she would not sign the MCC
Agreement or any other similar Agreement, and that if such agreements, laws or
Treaties have already been signed he/she would repeal such Agreements, Laws and
Treaties when elected to office; furthermore, the people are demanding that the
Presidential hopefuls make this the foremost statement, unambiguously, in their
Manifesto.
It appears that the
objective of Edelman’s programme, besides whitewashing the MCC, is to take the
MCC off the political agenda at the forthcoming Election campaign.
When Edelman was
caught out being untruthful and metaphorically with her pants down, critics
were quick to pounce on her ham-handed deception, pithily describing her
conduct as America’s ‘Millennium-Gate’ scandal.
Many in Sri Lanka
have accused the MCC of subversion and of spearheading an alleged US military
thrust into Sri Lanka; this campaign, people say, is in consonance with
America’s much trumpeted, and bi-partisan, foreign policy doctrine of
‘Pivoting-to-Asia’ pronounced officially by Obama in 2012.
In all their
presentations and contrived newspaper articles, Edelman and her assistant
projected the MCC as an altruistic organisation, playing ‘Santa-Claus’ to the
most poverty-stricken countries of the world and, making the poor in those
countries rich.
Edelman went on to
suggest that the MCC was created by Washington as a philanthropic arm of the US
and not a tool of US foreign policy; she said that if Sri Lanka is not
interested in America’s benefaction, the US would take their ‘gift’ to a more
appreciative and grateful country.
Having said that,
Edelman in the next breath did a positional pirouette; rather sternly,
she said, We are determined that Sri Lanka shall accept our ‘gift’; we shall
sign the agreement before 17 Sep 19; if the people do not like it, the
President, they elect, can annul the Compact at that time”.
Edelman then went on
to say, The MCC has been maligned by much fake news. There are no electrified
railway lines and there is no special economic Corridor running from Colombo to
Trincomalee; everything being done by the MCC is what the Sri Lanka Government
wants”.
At this point, a member of the audience got up; he
fumbled through a wad of documents and, selecting one, he addressed Edelman,
This document is not a spurious one; this document was produced by the MCC and
was distributed by the MCC team leader Steve, at a meeting at Temple Trees, in
September 2018, to all attendees that included legal officers from various
banks and the President of the Bar Association, U R L De Silva.” This member of
the audience then proceeded to show the first page of the document.
Turning towards the
audience, this person then went on to show another of the pages from the
document in hand, a page that had a Map. This writer has
enlarged that map for greater clarity
As the lettering just
above the map indicates, the map is a visual representation of the spatial
structure of Sri Lanka in 2050, as perceived by the MCC.
Edelman was clearly
upset and she mumbled feebly that Steve had erroneously shown the wrong map.
Contrary to what
Edelman said, there is an electrified railway line running from Trincomalee to
Colombo; see the map-legend on the right side of the map; it indicates
‘proposed electrified railway line’. The protective electric fences on either
side of the railway line would be the electric border between the North and the
South of Sri Lanka.
Again, contrary to
what Edelman said, the Corridor between Trinco and Colombo is one of the focus
areas for land investment selected by the MCC; it has been chosen by the MCC
for maximum economic impact, as indicated in the MCC document above.
In the 7 districts
along this Corridor, the Edelman team admitted that there are 10 Land
Registries; the GOSL has authorised the Americans to go into these Land
Registries where documents pertaining to Sri Lanka’s sensitive and precious
Land-Assets are stored and secured; this, even before any Agreement has been
reached.
Today, from all
accounts received, there are Americans seen crawling out from all crannies and
crevices in the Land Registry and Survey department buildings.
The Commissioner General
of Lands is no doubt aware of the principle of law applied at the Nuremburg
Trials; he is required to comply with only lawful orders; failure to do so
would make him equally liable before the law. Perhaps, the Surveyor General,
the Land Title Commissioner, the Government Chief Valuer, officials involved
with digitalising land documents and other Government Officers thrust with
responsibility should bear this in mind and consider themselves, to have been
put on notice.
In that same MCC Map above, to the South East of
Polonnaruwa where the MCC have projected an International airport, there is a
distinct encirclement of an area bounded by Vallachenai, Kattankudi,
Batticaloa, Sainthamaruthu, Kalmunai, Amparai, Moneragala, Badulla and
Hingurakgoda.
Within this area is,
where the ‘Muslim University’ has been constructed, where investigators have
identified the heartland of Sri Lanka’s Caliphate terrorists, where the US
army, from the US Indo-Pacific Command, has built barracks that could
accommodate a Division of US troops, where 20 Caliphate terrorists committed
suicide following the Easter massacre, where investigators have identified the
home-base of terrorist Zaharan and where the meeting between Hizbullah and
Teplitz took place, just two days prior to the Easter slaughter.
Quite suspiciously, while Sri Lanka was yet in
deep shock the MCC Board in Washington, just two days after the Easter
massacre, unilaterally approved the MCC compact although there is much
opposition to it from the Sri Lankan public (on the grounds that they have been
deliberately kept in the dark about the details of the Agreement).
and, the matter not
even discussed in Parliament; the ‘gift’ had been upped from 420M to 48OM USD
by an organisation adjudged the most transparent in the US.
‘Matara-Spyhole’,
Samarawickrema and Teplitz announced the details of the ‘gift’ gleefully to a
Nation numbed by shock and horror; it is a silver lining was their message and
a ‘gift’ that must be taken immediately, lest the Americans withdraw the
‘gift’.
It would appear that
the Americans are using the Easter killings to force us to accept their ‘gift’.
That, is food for thought.
An untruthful Edelman said that this ‘gift’, has
no attached conditions, it is an outright grant and does not have to be repaid.
Bernard Gunathilaka
of Pathfinders, of the same ilk as Prasad Kariyawasam the willing servant of
the US, said Do not look a gift horse in the mouth”.
Was it Sri Lanka’s
misfortune that these two persons had to be in the Foreign Ministry and head it
too?
When does a gift
horse become a Trojan horse? It is when the gift horse is given with attached
conditions; it is when an Agreement has to be signed, to receive a ‘gift’. The
‘conditions’ laid down by the MCC for Sri Lanka to comply with, become the
price Sri Lanka has to pay.
When payments are
made by the receiver of the ‘gift’, the money touted as an outright grant,
ceases to be a grant.
This is the type of
modus operandi that was adopted by the travelling snake-oil-salesmen of the
wild-west to dupe the people in America; MCC, Teplitz and Edelman have
travelled a long way to Sri Lanka to do the same.
And in the case of
the MCC Compact, Sri Lanka would be making an eternal payment to the
donor of the ‘gift’ horse; Sri Lanka by complying with the conditions laid down
would be gifting the Americans, the donor of the ‘gift’ horse, the entire
country for ever.
It was the time when Lalith and Gamini were bitter the
president JR for nominating Premadasa as the candidate and they were conspiring
to form a new party.
Both left UNP and .planning to take over the helm
One prominent land developer who was famous for illegal, landfilling was carrying out unauthorized development in Rajagiriya
I was the chairman of SLLRDC , at that time. My engineers objected to him for filling and building a bridge over the Canal. After he ignored the advice by engineers I personally visited the location to advise him not to do so, but his brother who was at the site threatened me.
I took action to complain to Borella police which planned to
arrest him and place behind bars
I spoke to a known judge (who is no more) and explained to
him about the incident
He said that we should teach such people a lesson and guided me on how to proceed
Same day early morning I received the customary 4 am
telephone Call from the estate of the land developer where the President was
visiting
I was asked about the incident and received a very cordial
advise to get the developer down with the ASP and force the land developer to
apologise
His words were this man is a supporter but take any
relevant action after apology and get the Ministry Secretary to intervene”
I did so and the matter was closed after the developer was told to. build the bridge to the specification of the corporation
Though the matter died down I was subjected to
indirect harassment by citing false allegation against me by him
In the meantime, another developer who was later an Ambassador was filling land in Jaela and we objected
He was forced to get the design from the corporation for drainage and also to build a lake in the site
That was done to prevent filling with no proper drainage.
Corporation forced him to use the services of out in house engineers and the developer invited me to the inauguration of lake dredging
Without knowing his ulterior motive I visited the land, where the developer placed a garland around my neck and published a photo in the national papers.
At that time a luxury Toyota car was missing from Mahawali
Pool and Premadasa deployed A DIG To hound both Gamini and Lalith
It would have gone unnoticed, but to my unluck, the same developer was caught for having a car transferred illegally from Mahaveli Ministry which was under Gamini who has already left the party.
The first developer who filled land in Rajagiriya took a copy of the Newspaper cutting with the photo where I was garlanded by the second developer from Jaela claiming that the developer is a supporter of Gamini and I am also a supporter of Gamini! ( I have never even met Gamini at that time )
The first developer prepared a dossier with that information and included another false information claiming that I was a supporter of Lalith. He substantiated that claim by writing a petition that I was deploying a surveyor for land surveying of SLLRDC who is a friend of Lalith!
As expected Premadasa called me to the secretariat in the presence of the ministry secretary and treasury secretary where he placed the dossier in front of me and asked me for explanation
Both secretaries knew that I was above board and rescued me
by defending me.
Finally, I was asked to send a letter closing the matter.
The first developer hanged a mammoth banner in front of the corporation in Sinhala naw ( ships) Kaapu Lalith and Mahaveli gilapy ( gulped )Gamini
Well I did not bother to remove them after the demise of Premadasa DB took over and Gamini came back to the party Same developer hanged a Banner Ape’ Gamini Weerayata Jaya Wewa” And now all three have died tragically and we live to see the mess this country is now in
This is the type of politics the leaders were playing
The selection of the UNP’s presidential candidate would take some more time as the TNA, yesterday, has said it is not ready to accept Sajith Premadasa as the candidate of the coalition to be formed.
The TNA has pointed out that Premadasa will not get the votes in the North and the East as his position on the national question is not clear.
Ministers Dr Rajitha Senaratne, Mangala Samaraweera and Malik Samarawickrama met with TNA members R. Sampanthan and MA Sumanthiran at the Minister Samaraweera’s residence, yesterday, to discuss matters pertaining to the formation of the UNF and naming its presidential candidate. The meeting commenced around 11 am and lasted for nearly one and a half hours.
Minister Samaraweera pointed out that Premadasa commanded the support of the majority of the UNP’s rank and file and that majority had already endorsed his candidacy. The UNP would soon nominate Premadasa as their nominee to the UNF and the minority and minor parties should ensure his victory.
The TNA members, however, responded that Premadasa did not have proper understanding of the national problem and not proposed a solution.
Minister Samaraweera then said that Sumanthiran was against Premadasa and had been able to get other TNA members to oppose Premadasa’s candidacy.
MP Sumanthiran, however, rejected Minister Samaraweera’s accusation and said that his party was not swayed by an opinion of a single individual. The talks between the TNA and Premadasa so far have not been successful. Premadasa could not respond clearly to the TNA’s question as to what the Tamil electors in the North and East would get by voting for him.
Asked to explain what the Tamil electors would expect, the TNA members responded that they would not expect anything more than what had been promised as solutions by former Presidents Chandrika Kumaratunga, in 2000, and Mahinda Rajapaksa later at an All-Party Conference.
The TNA said it was ready to support Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe came forward as the presidential candidate, for he had a clear understanding of the national problem and had been consistent in his opinion for years on the matter of solving the national problem, Sampanthan said at the meeting.
The TNA agreed to meet Premadasa again. Addressing a meeting of leaders of civil society and trade union representatives at Temple Trees yesterday, the Prime Minister pointed out the UNP’s vote base would not be enough for anyone to win the next presidential election.
The Prime Minister had said that the party’s Working Committee would pick the Presidential candidate of the UNP and that nomination would finally have to be approved by the UNF’s leadership council.
President Maithripala Sirisena, who is the Chairman of the SLFP, could not unilaterally decide to sack him, MP S.B Dissanayake said, yesterday, commenting on the announcement that his party membership had been suspended.
Dissanayake said: “Only the Central Committee of the SLFP can take away my membership. A number of people who took part in the CC meeting told me that they had not talked about suspending MPs. Thus, the Chairman can’t take a unilateral decision.”
A. H. M. Fowzi, who has also been suspended, said that he had been an SLFP member for 40 years and he had been sacked without any warning. “This is not fair. None of us have received this in writing yet. We will decide what to do when we get the letter,” he said.
On Saturday, the SLFP suspended the membership of five of its national list MPs, for joining other political parties.
They are Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena, S. B. Dissanayake, Dilan Perera, Vijith Wijayamuni Zoyza, and A. H. M. Fowzi, according to political sources.
The party will write to them, informing them of its decision to suspend them.
SLFP General Secretary Dayasiri Jayasekera said: “These MPs will receive their charge sheets soon. Disciplinary inquiries will be conducted against them for supporting other political parties while holding SLFP membership. They have already been removed from the positions they held in the party,.”
MPs S. B. Dissanayake and Dilan Perera obtained SLPP membership on August 29. MP Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena joined the SLPP earlier. SLFP MPs A. H. M. Fowzie and Vijith Wijayamuni Zoysa crossed over to the government, last year.