TELO Admin, Author at ரெலோ - தமிழ் ஈழ விடுதலை இயக்கம்

Presidential Poll can be held with Acting IGP – Fmr. Election Chief

Posted on July 24, 2024 | by TELO Admin

Former Chairman of the Election Commission Mahinda Deshapriya said there is no obstacle to holding the Presidential Election with an Acting Inspector General of Police.

He said he believes the current IGP can hold the position he held before until the court hearing concludes.

He said he believes a suitable person should be appointed as Acting IGP tomorrow, adding that there may be no IGP until the hearing concludes, but the election can be held under an Acting IGP.

He added that there is no issue because if the country is governed under an appointed President, it is not a big deal to conduct the election under an Acting IGP.

SC Issues Interim Order Barring Deshabandu from IGP Post

Posted on July 24, 2024 | by TELO Admin

The Supreme Court issued an interim order restraining the exercising duties of Deshabandu Tennakoon as Inspector General of Police.

The petition was filed by eight individuals, including the Archbishop of Colombo His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith.

The case was taken up before a Supreme Court bench comprising Justices Yasantha Kodagoda, Achala Wengappuli, and Mahinda Samayawardhena.

The petitioners argue that Tennakoon’s appointment, as recommended by the President, contravenes fundamental rights enshrined in the Constitution.

The Constitutional Council, including Speaker, Deshabandu Tennakoon, the Attorney General, and other relevant parties, have been named as respondents in the case.

Japan decides on immediate disbursement of suspended Sri Lanka loans

Posted on July 24, 2024 | by TELO Admin

Japan has decided to make immediate disbursements of suspended loans, making it the first country to do so after Sri Lanka reached an agreement to restructure official debt, Ambassador Mizukoshi Hideaki said.

Yuri ide, Senior Representative of the Japan International Corporation Agency Sri Lanka office said the decision was taken by Japan to make immediate disbursement instead of waiting for new agreement to be singed in line with the debt restructure.

The decision to make immediate disbursements was showed the confidence in Sri Lanka’s economy and it will also support cashflows and interest rates, Treasury Secretary Mahinda Siriwardana said.

Director General of External Resources Ajith Abeysekera said the move will result in the immediate disbursement of 75 million dollars of pending contractor bills in the next few week.

The were about 1.1 billion dollars of committed but undisbursed fund for 11 projects, in power, healthcare, rural infrastructure and an airport terminal.

Daily Wage Increase for Plantation Workers Cancelled

Posted on July 24, 2024 | by TELO Admin

The Labour Ministry has issued a new Gazette cancelling the previous notification that increased the daily wage of plantation workers to Rs. 1,700. Instead, the new directive mandates that payments be processed through the Wages Board.

Earlier, the Minister of Labor had set the minimum daily wage at Rs. 1,350, with additional allowances of Rs. 300 and Rs. 80. This move faced legal challenges from 21 plantation companies, including Agarapatana Plantations Ltd., which filed a petition to invalidate the wage increase.

SJB to form broad alliance on Aug 8th for Presidential Election

Posted on July 23, 2024 | by TELO Admin

General Secretary of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya MP Ranjith Madduma Bandara said the SJB will face the upcoming Presidential Election as the strongest alliance in Sri Lanka’s political history.

The relevant agreement will be signed on August 8.

Speaking during a media briefing today MP Madduma Bandara said the SJB will face the upcoming election as an alliance comprising of MPs from the most powerful parties in Parliament.

He added that the alliance, comprising over 35 MPs, will be revealed to the public following the signing of the agreement.

Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna to Announce Presidential Candidate After Election Date

Posted on July 23, 2024 | by TELO Admin

The Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) has stated that it will reveal its presidential candidate following the official announcement of the Presidential Election. Minister Prasanna Ranatunga, speaking after an SLPP meeting, expressed his commitment to preserving the party and refrained from commenting on the candidate selection.

Minister Ranatunga personally supports President Ranil Wickremesinghe for his efforts in restoring law and order and rebuilding the economy post-Aragalaya. However, he said that the final decision will be made collectively by the party at an appropriate time.

MP Tissa Kutti Arachchi confirmed the SLPP’s decision to support President Wickremesinghe until the end of his term aligns with Minister Ranatunga’s stance. He clarified that while SLPP members hold ministerial positions and support the government, the party’s decisions remain independent. He also highlighted that withholding the candidate’s name is a strategic move in the party’s election campaign, with the announcement expected within a week.

Election Comm. to meet Thursday to decide prez poll date

Posted on July 23, 2024 | by TELO Admin

The National Election Commission is reportedly scheduled to meet on Thursday (25), in order to discuss regarding the holding of the upcoming Presidential Election.

The discussions will be preliminarily focused on deciding the date for the 2024 Presidential Election and following that, the election date will be announced.

However, a spokesperson from the Election Commission stated that the Gazette notification related to announcing the Presidential Poll will be published before this weekend.

US missile destroyer arrives in Colombo

Posted on July 23, 2024 | by TELO Admin

USS Michael Murphy of the United States Navy arrived at the port of Colombo on a formal visit today (23).

The Sri Lanka Navy welcomed the visiting ship in compliance with naval traditions.

The 155m – long Arleigh Burke class of guided missile destroyer is manned by a crew of 323 and she is commanded by Commander Jonathan B. Greenwald.

Meanwhile, Commander Jonathan B. Greenwald called on Rear Admiral Chinthaka Kumarasinghe, Commander Western Naval Area at the Western Naval Command Headquarters today. The cordial interaction came to an end with an exchange of mementoes.

During the stay of USS Michael Murphy in the island, her crew members are expected to visit some of the tourist attractions in the country. The ship is scheduled to depart the island on 26th July.

Air Force funded Gotabaya’s escape to Maldives during protests By Rifthi Ali

Posted on July 23, 2024 | by TELO Admin

A Right to Information (RTI) request has revealed that the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) funded the final departure of Gotabaya Rajapaksa, as President of Sri Lanka, to the Maldives via an Air Force aircraft on 13 July 2022.

The former President fled to the Maldives a few days after protesters occupied both the President’s House and the Presidential Secretariat in Fort on 9 July 2022, following a mass public protest in Colombo.

“The movement was carried out using an aircraft of the SLAF, maintained by funds allocated to the Air Force, via the Ministry of Defence, through the Treasury,” the SLAF stated. However, when asked in the RTI request, the SLAF did not disclose the cost of this trip.

The SLAF explained that they facilitated the movement due to the President’s role as the Head of State, Head of the Executive, Government, and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, at that time (as per Article 30(1) of the Constitution of Sri Lanka).

The SLAF noted that the movement was approved by the Ministry of Defence, but stated they could not disclose the details of the approval document due to the confidential nature of this air transit.

“As per existing practice, we do not calculate the fuel consumption for the air transport of the President, as he is the Head of State and falls under the VVIP category,” the SLAF said.

According to an SLAF press release on 13 July 2022, former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, his wife and two bodyguards boarded an Air Force flight to the Maldives early that day.

Earlier in 2022, both the Information Officer and Designated Officer of the SLAF rejected the RTI application, stating the requested details could not be released under Section 5(1)(b)(i) of the Right to Information Act No. 12 of 2016.

Following the rejection, an appeal was filed with the RTI Commission. After three hearings, the Commission concluded that Section 5(1)(b)(i) did not apply to the information request and ordered the SLAF to release the information to the appellant by 4 July 2023.

However, the SLAF did not release the information and submitted 26 extension requests to the Commission. The RTI Act does not provide for extensions to implement the Commission’s order.

An affidavit was submitted to the Commission to initiate legal proceedings under Section 39 of the RTI Act. The Commission called both parties for a non-compliance inquiry on 16 May 2024 and ordered the SLAF to announce their decision on the matter at the next hearing on 7 August 2024. Finally, the SLAF released the information on 12 July 2024.

GR govt. made wrong decision to cremate COVID dead, RW govt. to apologize

Posted on July 23, 2024 | by TELO Admin

-The Gotabaya Rajapaksa government made the wrong decision to forcefully cremate the COVID dead, after recent research found that the virus had not spread in the surface water.

In a cabinet paper released today, it stated that in July 2021, a study was commenced by the Ministry of Water Supply with the assistance of the University of Jayawardenapura to identify the SARS-CoV-2 virus in aquatic environments in Colombo and Kandy including the river water, the water released from the hospitals, other quarantine places and other potential places where the waste water was discharged. It was revealed in this studies that there is no virus in the surface water.

A second study was also completed in March 2024 by the China-Sri Lanka joint research and demonstration center for water technology under the Ministry of Water Supply and Estate Infrastructure Development that investigated the transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus to water resources, including ground water, and it was confirmed that the faeces and urine were the primary sources of the transmission of the virus but not with safe burial.

Accordingly, the cabinet of ministers has approved the joint proposal presented by the Minister of Justice, Prison Affairs, and Constitution Reforms, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and the Minister of Water Supply and Estate Infrastructure Development to plead an apology on behalf of the government to all the communities effected as a consequence of the compulsory cremation policy enacted in Sri Lanka during the COVID-19 pandemic period.