Author: TELO Admin

Indian billionaire Gautam Adani called on President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa during his private visit to Sri Lanka on Monday (25) and Tuesday (26).

Adani tweeted that he was privileged to meet President Rajapaksa and PM Mahinda Rajapaksa.

“In addition to developing Colombo Port’s Western Container Terminal, the Adani Group will explore other infrastructure partnerships,” he further added, noting that India’s strong bonds with Sri Lanka are anchored to centuries’ old historic ties.

Ahmedabad-headquartered Indian multinational conglomerate Adani Group last month entered into an agreement with the Sri Lanka government-owned Port Authority to develop the Colombo Port’s West International Container Terminal.

The $700 million Build-Operate-Transfer deal is the largest foreign investment ever in the port sector of the island nation.

The Adani group is also exploring the possibility of investing in the island nation’s energy and wind sector, a senior official from the state-owned Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) said on Tuesday, reported the Hindu.

On Monday (26), the Adani Group delegation were seen visiting several areas in Mannar by helicopter.

According to The Hindu, Sri Lanka’s Board of Investment said the Phase II of the Mannar Wind Energy Park with a capacity of 100 MW is open on a Build, Own, Operate and Transfer (BOOT) basis for potential investors.

The Chinese Ambassador to Sri Lanka and representatives from Qingdao Seawin Biotech Group Co., Ltd. have made a request from the Agriculture Ministry to re-test the rejected Chinese Organic Fertilizer via a third party.

This was confirmed to News 1st by the Director-General of Agriculture.

This development comes after the Colombo Port Harbour Master said he was unaware of the whereabouts of the ship ‘Hippo Spirit’ carrying contaminated Chinese Fertiliser to Sri Lanka and, issued stern directives preventing it’s entry to the port.

On the 17th of September Sri Lanka’s Minister of Agriculture confirmed that a microorganism identified as ‘Erwinia’ was discovered in samples brought down ‘unofficially’ to Sri Lanka and tested.

The supplier was the same, Qingdao Seawin Biotech Group Co., Ltd.

On September 29th, Sri Lanka’s Agriculture Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage announced the suspension of organic fertilizer imports from China.

This was after Director-General of Agriculture Dr. Ajantha De Silva on 28th September confirmed that Harmful Bacteria was detected in a fresh sample (2nd batch) of Chinese Organic Fertilizer.

However, on the 10th of October 2021, the Chinese Embassy said the comments noting that Erwinia was found in the samples from Qingdao Seawin Biotech Group Co., Ltd. has no scientific basis.

Yet, the Ceylon Fertilizer Company Limited had got a court order to block payment to Qingdao Seawin Biotech over the shipment of organic fertilizer which was contaminated.

The Colombo Commerical High Court had issued the order on October 22nd, against the Qingdao Seawin Biotech, its local agent, and the People’s Bank.

It has been more than six weeks since that epic moment when a ruling party politico who happened to be the state minister of prison reforms stormed the Anuradhapura Prison, and forced a group of Tamil inmates on their knees, threatening them at gunpoint.

What happened since then was path defining. It was the Prison Commissioner who broke the news to the public and ordered an investigation. A sycophantic pet poodle might have claimed ignorance and might even have defended the errant minister’s nightly visits.

The Minister had a clean slate in the past did not matter. Surely the courts and even the party seniors might have been tougher if the errant politico had a history of violence, and had surprisingly gotten away with the alleged murder of an expat Rugby players and mass murder in the hill country

The president who was visiting New York for the UN General Assembly woke up to the news that the police had arrested the minister of prison for endangering the lives of prison inmates. The Attorney General charged the errant minister with a series of criminal charges, which if found guilty would land him in jail for a long time.
In any Third World Banana Republic, the police have awaited the green light from the political leadership. The Attorney General would have cared more about saving his grace than charging politicos of thuggery, even if the alleged behaviour amounted to attempted murder. But, not in Sri Lanka, where independent institutions stood tall and are not a captive of anyone’s- even the president’s – whims and fancies.

The President, so to speak had a hectic schedule in New York; after a string of meeting with G8 leaders and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and a much sought-after interview with the CNN, a reception fit to his larger than life persona at home. His counterparts from forsaken places might go sightseeing and do a bit of babysitting. But, not here. The public money was at work to the optimum return.

By the time his brother, the Prime Minister also on a major international engagement on the invitation of the Prime Minister of Spain – who threw his Sri Lankan counterparts a state banquet, and the duo watched a bullfight- checked up with the party secretary back in Colombo, the Party seniors have already launched the process to sack the Minister from the party.

That the Minister had a clean slate in the past did not matter. Surely the courts and even the party seniors might have been tougher if the errant politico had a history of violence, and had surprisingly gotten away with the alleged murder of an expat Rugby players and mass murder in the hill country.

The country’s independent institutions were at their best. The independent Human Rights Commission launched an investigation and called on immediate legal action and sacking of the errant minister. The President and the government heard it loud and clear.

For Sri Lanka’s illustrious bureaucracy, competent legal service and independent-minded judges, these are probably the best of the times to serve the nation, according to their conscience. The fall out of Ratwatte’s drunken prison escapade is proof that nothing and no one is above the rule of law.

In the following day, despite a hangover, the state minister was humble enough to take responsibility for his actions and to admit that he had one too many shots. But, before he resigned, the president had sacked him of all positions, not just from one portfolio, which would have reeked hypocrisy.

It was the naysayers of the Gotabaya Rajapaksa government, who claim it is a familial cabal of corruption and rights abuses – and that the president himself has skeletons in the closet- that got egg on their faces.
The UN Human Rights Commissioner had all that in her pre-written speech before she sucked up the words, seeing how Sri Lanka’s straight-shooting institutions and officials launched themselves against the politically powerful miscreant.

President’s much-avowed promise for one country – one law was out there in full force.

Even the critics, some of the bitterest were pleasantly surprised. Sri Lanka seemed to have come a long way, from the dark days when prison inmates were picked, allegedly according to a list of names authorized by high officials and were killed, and their killers got away, they confided in private.

For Sri Lanka’s illustrious bureaucracy, competent legal service and independent-minded judges, these are probably the best of the times to serve the nation, according to their conscience. The fall out of Ratwatte’s drunken prison escapade is proof that nothing and no one is above the rule of law.

Really? Probably this is how things would have unfolded in any civilized nation. Now you should know, why every other local with a sense of fair play, the international community, NGO captains, media have a low opinion of the current administration, and by extension, sadly though, of the country it represents. Do not blame them for that, blame those who have made it happen and who keep reinforcing that law of the jungle.

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The SLFP in a bid to go separate ways at future elections rather than in alliance with the SLPP will start selecting district and electoral organisers tomorrow (27) at the party head office, a spokesman of the party said yesterday.

The SLFP has already appointed a five-member panel of top party officials to select suitable members as district and electoral organisers aimed at the Provincial Council polls expected in early next year.the first interview in this respect is scheduled to be held tomorrow, he added.

“The party head office has received several thousand applications from all 25 districts for consideration for positions at the SLFP.WE have requested about 300 applicants to appear before the interview board at 9.00 in the morning at the party office on Wednesday,” he said.

Priority would be given to educated youth to be appointed as constituent organisers. Experience in politics would be also considered when selecting district organisers. However, a clean sheet of character, standing in the society and free from allegations of corruption, criminal acts and court cases would be the first and foremost qualifications to be selected for any responsible post in the SLFP, the spokesman noted.

The interview panel led by the SLFP General Secretary, State Minister Dayasiri Jayasekara will comprise, Environment Minister Mahinda Amaraweera, State Minister Duminda Dissanayaka, Parliamentarian Shan Wijayalal Silva and senior advisor of the SLFP, Prof. Rohana Lakshman Piyadasa.

Even though the Teachers’ and Principals’ Trade Union Alliance has temporarily withdrawn from trade union action, trade unions yesterday (25) staged islandwide protests from 2:00 p.m. after school hours. Ceylon Teachers Union (CTU) General Secretary Joseph Stalin said they will stage protests, awareness campaigns, etc., on 25, 26 and 27 October at 300 different locations islandwide.

Meanwhile, protesters who attempted to get into the North Western Province Governor’s Office and meet Governor Raja Collure were turned away. “We want to show our objections regarding the conduct of the Governor. But we were turned away and barriers were erected to prevent us from entering. But we will continue our protests to show the Government that we haven’t abandoned our fight without fair solutions for our demands. We urge the Government to provide solutions for our demands before finalising the Budget 2022,” added Stalin.

Stalin said they have decided to refrain from all other duties other than teaching. “We will only work during weekdays from 7.30 am to 1.30 pm and we will refrain from working on weekends and other holidays like we used to. All teachers and principals will stay away from paperwork that we are supposed to submit to the Zonal Offices. We will not commence any extracurricular activities such as field visits other than teaching, even activities that have been suggested by the health authorities,” added Stalin.

Speaking to Ceylon Today, Stalin said that even principals have agreed to use only their professional land line telephone connections during working hours claiming that they were only doing this for the sake of the children who were away from schools for several months. Meanwhile, the road from Colombo Fort to the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo was blocked to traffic due to the protest march that was organised by the TeachersPrincipals’ Trade Unions Alliance who demanded solutions for their salary anomalies. The protestors marched from near the Fort Railway Station towards the Presidential Secretariat and were marching back along the same route.