{"id":93856,"date":"2019-10-13T16:05:24","date_gmt":"2019-10-13T23:05:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/?p=93856"},"modified":"2019-10-13T16:05:24","modified_gmt":"2019-10-13T23:05:24","slug":"yahapalana-as-a-puppet-regime-part-12","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2019\/10\/13\/yahapalana-as-a-puppet-regime-part-12\/","title":{"rendered":"YAHAPALANA AS A PUPPET REGIME Part 12"},"content":{"rendered":"

KAMALIKA PIERIS<\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n

ECONOMY\n(1)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

GRAPHITE MINING.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sri Lanka is the only country in the world\nthat produces super grade, lump and chippy dust graphite containing between 95\nand 99 percent pure carbon. Global demand for graphite has risen sharply in\nrecent years because of new industrial uses. For instance, graphite is a vital\ncomponent in lithium-ion batteries used in hybrid cars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Foreign companies have been trying to get full\nmining rights to Sri Lanka\u2018s graphite mines for several years now. Agents of\nforeign companies present themselves at the Geological Survey and Mines Bureau every\nweek,   its officials said in 2013. The\nCanadians, Australians and Chinese have expressed the most interest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Several companies were registered in Sri Lanka\nfor graphite mining between 2011 and 2013.  Torch River Resources Ltd, a Canadian mining\nfirm based in Calgary, said in 2013 it was working with Han Tal Graphite, based\nin Sri Lanka. There was also V.V.M. Lanka Minerals, M.R.L. Graphite , G.I.R.\nInvestments and Graphon Mining Resources.  Several of these had the same address. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Australia\u2019s Bora Bora Resources announced in\n2013 that it owns 75 percent of a  local\ncompany Plumbago Lanka which was set up to explore for graphite. They have\nalready started airborne electromagnetic exploration they said. In 2012 Board\nof Investment signed an agreement with Sarcon Development Ltd for a graphite\nmining and processing project. Sarcon\u2019s main investor then was the\nCuracao-based Plumbago Refining Corporation. Nothing seems to have come of\nthese ventures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 In August\n2019, under Yahapalana rule, extensive mining rights were awarded to a Canadian\ncompany Ceylon Graphite. This company with headquarters in Vancouver was in the\nbusiness of exploring and developing lump vein Graphite mines in historic\nresource jurisdictions in Sri Lanka. Sarcon\nDevelopment Ltd is a wholly owned subsidiary of Ceylon Graphite. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Geological Survey and Mines Bureau (GSMB), has\nin August 2019, granted the industrial mining license category A to Sarcon Development,\nfor its K1 Graphite Mining Project at Karasnagala. Karasnagala is Sri Lanka\u2019s third largest\nlicensed mine after Bogala and Kahatagaha mines. Industrial Mining License <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Category A is the highest category license in\nSri Lanka and grants exclusive rights to mine, process and trade in graphite\nmined within the area specified in the license. It also allows for underground\nmulti-borehole blasting, commercial production, use of all mining machinery and\nequipment and export of graphite. It is the final milestone before commercial\nproduction. Historically the GSMB has granted just four IMLA licenses for\ngraphite mining in Sri Lanka including the Sarcon\/Ceylon Graphite license.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This   license\ngives Ceylon Graphite mining rights in a land package of over 120 square\nkilometers. This is a huge development for Ceylon Graphite. We have all been\nworking towards this for the last two and a half years, said Ceylon Graphite\u2019s\nChief Executive Officer in 2019. We have achieved this license in a short\nperiod of time thanks to the hard work of all our Sri Lankan colleagues. I must\nalso thank the GSMB for their assistance and guidance. We now start to commence\ncommercial production at our K1 site in Karasnagala, he said in August 2019.\n<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

ECONOMY\n(2)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

COLOMBO\nPORT EAST TERMINAL<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sri Lanka is\nlooking at developing the east terminal of the Colombo Port on its own and\nRanil Wickremesinghe absolutely had no business to go to India or any country\nand give assurances regarding it, said Sarath Amunugama in November 2018.\nThat is not how it works. It has to be\npassed by Parliament. The matter was under discussion but was not signed and\nsealed. We will have to heed the opinion of the workers and the trade unions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Colombo port\nis very vital for Sri Lanka because it is a trans-shipment port. The East\nterminal is extremely important to the country as it is a deep water port, [Developing\nthe east terminal] has to be a Sri Lankan operation, concluded Amunugama.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

India is also\ndeveloping its own ports. But Sri\nLanka\u2019s ports are superior to those of India said analysts. Colombo port enjoys\na better reputation in international shipping than the ports in South India.\nTurn over time for ships in Colombo is much less. India\u2019s attempt to substitute\nIndian ports for Colombo failed.  India now recognizes Colombo to be the\nregional transportation hub. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

About 70-80%\nof the Colombo port is transhipment based and 90% is Indian cargo. This could be increased because\nIndian ports do not have adequate depth.\nSethusamudran canal will not be a problem either. Only vessels less than 10\nmeter draft can go through it. India can use it to get to Colombo faster.  Sri Lanka location gives its ports a natural advantage.  Colombo port has become a\nstrategic location for both India and China concluded analysts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ECONOMY\n(3)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

LIGHTING UP MIHINTALE<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Lanka\nElectricity Company (Pvt) Ltd (LECO) Board unanimously rejected in October\n2019, the Rs 275 million donation ordered by the Prime Minister\u2019s office for lighting\nup of Mihintale World Heritage Site. They said this had nothing to do with the\ninstitution\u2019s mandate for CSR. CSR projects are usually selected internally\nbased on mutual benefit to the company and beneficiary. Power and Energy\nMinister Ravi Karunanayake had for weeks exerted pressure on LECO officials to\nrelease the money by electrifying Mihintale, he told Cabinet, foreign and local\ntourists would be able to visit the site by night. The Sri Lanka Nidahas Sevaka\nSangamaya lodged a petition with the Commissioner of Elections as well. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

CORRUPTION (1)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

PHONE TAPPING<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A\nSinhalese-language weekly reported in August 2018 that phone tapping equipment\nand software had been installed at a home in Pita Kotte. This was a clandestine\noperation said to be carried out by a covert arm of the police outside standard\nintelligence gathering, reported the media. The facility was being used to\nlisten to conversations of senior politicians as well as some senior police\nofficers, the report said.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subsequently senior\nDeputy Inspectors General (SDIGs) told the Police Commission that Jayasundera\nwas monitoring their mobile phone conversations. The head of the Criminal\nInvestigation Department (CID), Senior DIG Ravi Seneviratne had told the\nCommission that the Special Investigation Unit functioning directly under Jayasundera\nhad provided him a list of telephone numbers to obtain details from the service\nproviders.  Seneviratne\u2019s number was also on the list.  These reports of an illegal phone tapping\noperation from a “safe house” in Pita Kotte   has sparked fears that top politicians may\nhave been targeted, said the media. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

CORRUPTION (2)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

MINISTRY\nOF AGRICULTURE BUILDING<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was no\ntermination clause in the lease agreement signed between the Ministry of\nAgriculture and D.P. Jayasinghe Company in 2016 on renting a building for the\nMinistry, the Presidential Commission of Inquiry probing corruption in the\ncurrent administration was told. The Attorney-at-law who prepared the\nlease agreement said that both parties had agreed not to have a termination\nclause. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

 The total\nvalue of the agreement was over Rs. 1.3 billion. From April 08, 2016 to April\n07, 2019 The Ministry of Agriculture was to pay Rs. 21 million plus VAT and\nNation Building Tax a month. From April 08.2019 to April 07, 2021 the Ministry\nwas to pay Rs. 24.1 million plus VAT and Nation Building Tax a month. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

  When\nthe agreement was executed the Ministry paid Rs. 504 million to the lessor.\nThis money was to be used during the last two years of the lease period to\nreduce Rs. 21 million from the monthly lease of Rs. 24.1 million.  Although\nthe Ministry signed an agreement with D.P. Jayasinghe Company in April, 2016,\nthe Ministry officials did not shift to the building till August, 2017, as D.\nP. Jayasinghe Company failed to provide the promised facilities. However, the\nMinistry paid the company over Rs. 21 million a month from April 2016.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The notary fee\nwas around Rs. 3 million. This was to be shared by the Ministry of Agriculture\nand D. P. Jayasinghe Company. “However the Ministry didn\u2019t pay and after\ntrying several times we gave up,\u201d said one witness. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

CORRUPTION (3)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

LAW COURTS AND THE UN <\/p>\n\n\n\n

 In July 2019 Justice Ministry Additional\nSecretary Ahmed A.Jawad had written to the Chief Justice and High Court judges\nthat they should meet the visiting UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of\nFreedom of Association and Peaceful Assembly, Cl\u00e9ment Nyaletsossi Voule and his\ndelegation and, provide them with details they required pertaining to the\nongoing proceedings on the Roshen Chanaka murder case, Welikada prison massacre\nand Rathupaswala shooting incident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dinesh Gunawardena MP tabled a copy of the\nletter in Parliament stating, This is a violation of the Constitution.\u201d\nOpposition Leader Rajapaksa notified the Speaker that it was already 3 p.m. at\nthe time and that the Chief Justice and the High Court judges were instructed\nto shortly meet the UN official. Therefore, he requested the Speaker to take\nimmediate action to prevent this. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaker of Parliament Karu Jayasuriya then\npersonally intervened to quickly prevent a visiting United Nations official\nfrom convening a meeting with the Chief Justice and justices of the High Court\nconcerning specific cases being currently heard by the Court. Later the Speaker informed the House that he\nhad instructed the Foreign Minister to take necessary action to suspend the\nletter until the matter is looked into. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

CORRUPTION (4)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

SANDUN GAMAGE<\/p>\n\n\n\n

in  July 2019 Dushana Vidu Nethin, (DVN) ,  condemned the appointment of Power and Energy\nMinister Ravi Karunanayake\u2019s lawyer Sandun Gamage to the fifth vacant\nposition of Commissioner at the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka.\nGamage\u2019s name was approved by the Constitutional Council. Gamage represented\nKarunanayake multiple times during hearings into the Central Bank bond scam\nbefore the Presidential Commission appointed to inquire into the case, DVN\nsaid.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

CORRUPTION (5)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

COMMISSION\nTO PROBE YAHAPALANA CORRUPTION.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In January\n2019 President  Sirisena appointed a\nfive-member Commission of Inquiry (CoI), headed by retired Supreme Court judge\nUpaly Abeyrathne, to probe allegations of large scale corruption between\nJanuary 15, 2015 and December 31, 2018. The other four Commissioners are\nretired High Court Judge Sarojini Kusala Weerawardane, retired Auditor General\nPasdunkorale Arachchige Pemathilaka, retired Secretary to a Ministry Lalith R.\nde Silva and retired Deputy Inspector General M. K. D. Wijaya Amarasinghe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nCommission is mandated to probe into the alleged acts of corruption, fraud,\ncriminal breach of trust, criminal misappropriation of property, cheating and\nabuse or misuse of power or authority, State resources and privileges\u201d in the\nlast four years by persons who had held or continue to hold political office\nand those who have been or continue to be public servants and officers of\nstatutory bodies\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PARLIAMENT   (1)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over 200 MPs\nattended only one sitting day of Parliament from January 1 to October 1 2018. The\nonly day there were more than 200 was the day of the no confidence motion against\nRanil Wickremesinghe, said   Sunday\nTimes<\/em> having got the information from a Right to Information application.\nThe amount spent per day for a Parliament sitting is around 4 million rupees. The\ndaily attendance allowance had been increased from 500 to 2500, said Sunday Times.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

PARLIAMENT   (2)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to\nthe findings of the \u2018Manthri.lk\u2019 run by Verit\u00e9 Research, thirteen MPs had not\nspoken during Parliamentary debates in 2018, The claim was based on Hansard\nreports from January to December 2-18. Twelve out of the thirteen MPs belonged\nto the UPFA. They had not taken part in any Parliamentary debate throughout\nlast year.  \u2018Manthri.lk\u2019 also found that  1,150 statements by MPs had been expunged\nfrom the Hansard on the order of the Chair from September 15, 2015 to December\n2018.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PARLIAMENT   (3)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the past three and a half years, Joint\nOpposition had less time to speak in Parliament than the JVP even though they had\nnine times the number of MPs, said Chandraprema in November 2018.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PARLIAMENT   (4)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ports and\nShipping Minister alleged that the UNP went to the extent of manipulating the Parliamentary\nprocess to thwart efforts to expedite investigations into the Treasury bond\nscams of 2015 and 2016. The debate on Bond\nCommission report had to be put off since the Attorney General had said that releasing\nof the entire set of documents could hamper investigations. President Sirisena,\nin a recorded televised address to the nation said that the recommendations\nwere made on the advice of the CIABOC and the Attorney General. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Minister\nalleged that the Office of the Leader of the House was responsible for the\ndeliberate bid to hold up legislation required to speed up investigations\nundertaken by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or\nCorruption (CIABOC).  He alleged that the\ntop UNP leadership had influenced the parliamentary process and ensured the\namendments needed to the Bribery Act were not incorporated. (Island 1.11.18 p 1).   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

PARLIAMENT   (5)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaker Karu Jayasuriya came under open\ncriticism. Karu\u2019s list of transgressions is long and serious. For nearly four\nyears he presided over a complete mockery of democracy, said Chandraprema. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He has been a willing accomplice in every\noutrage committed by the Yahapalana government in Parliament. He went along\nwith the government during the passage of the Bills that amended the Local\ngovernment and Provincial council\u2019s elections laws by bringing in committee\nstage amendments to them though they had been presented to Parliament for\ncompletely other purposes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Quite\napart from upholding parliamentary traditions and the Standing Orders. Karu\neven kept Parliament going till late for the government to collect enough MPs\nand to complete the horse trading that went on before the smaller Yahapalana\npolitical parties agreed to vote for the changes in the Provincial Councils\nelection law.  Karu Jayasuriya was with\nSarath Fonseka in a five star hotel, after Fonseka was defeated in the\nPresidential election of 2010. Critics have not forgotten that either.  ( CONTINUED)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

KAMALIKA PIERIS ECONOMY (1) GRAPHITE MINING. Sri Lanka is the only country in the world that produces super grade, lump and chippy dust graphite containing between 95 and 99 percent pure carbon. Global demand for graphite has risen sharply in recent years because of new industrial uses. For instance, graphite is a vital component in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[104],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-93856","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-kamalika-pieris"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93856","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=93856"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93856\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=93856"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=93856"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=93856"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}