Author: TELO Admin

Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs Namal Rajapaksa said that Basil Rajapaksa has no illness that warranted medical treatment.

“He didn’t have any illness that warranted treatment. Even when I met him yesterday and at the time of his departure, there was no illness as such,” Namal Rajapaksa told reporters yesterday (13).

Basil Rajapaksa, the Chair of the Presidential Task Force for Economic Revival and Poverty Eradication had left for the U.S. on Wednesday morning (12) for medical treatment.

When a journalist inquired about Basil Rajapaksa’s abrupt departure, especially at a time when the SLPP National Organiser and the President’s Special Envoy has been assigned the primary responsibility of coordinating the government’s fight against the pandemic, Minister Namal Rajapaksa said that Basil had left for the U.S. for personal reasons, adding that he will return to Sri Lanka within three weeks.

However, Minister Chamal Rajapaksa had intimated to the media that Basil Rajapaksa had left for the U.S. to receive treatment.

SLPP General Secretary Sagara Kariyawasam MP told the media for the first time that Basil Rajapaksa had left for the U.S. to receive treatment.

Another 1,174 COVID-19 cases have been detected today in the country, raising the number of confirmed infections to 135,776.

Accordingly, 2,249 coronavirus cases have been detected in Sri Lanka today.

The Epidemiology Unit of the Ministry of Health said 26,106 persons are currently receiving treatment for coronavirus at several facilities across the country.

Earlier today, 1,145 persons who recovered from COVID-19 were discharged from hospitals, raising the number of recoveries in the country to 108,802.

1,473 suspected COVID-19 cases are also under medical observation at present.

The Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) has strongly condemned the recent killing of two suspects in police custody, namely Melon Mabula alias ‘Uru Juwa’ and Tharaka PereraWijesekera alias ‘Kosgoda Tharaka’ which has occurred on two consecutive days.

Issuing a statement, the BASL urges the President and the Government to take serious note of these incidents and to take action to prevent such occurrences.

The BASL also requests the authorities to conduct an independent and impartial investigation into these incidents.

This statement had been issued under the signatures of BASL President Saliya Pieris PC and its Secretary Rajiv Amarasuriya.

These deaths have all the hallmarks of extra-judicial killings and we call upon the State to ensure the safety and security of persons in their custody, the statement said.

The Executive Committee of the BASL expresses its grave and serious concern and condemns the failure of the Police including the IGP to protect persons in their custody, the BASL said.

It is an imperative requirement of criminal justice that persons accused of serious crimes including murder are tried by a Court of law and punished for their crimes and that the networks that aided and abetted such activities are prosecuted and dismantled. This requirement is defeated by the failure of police officers to control the unarmed suspect purportedly accompanied by them without the use of lethal force. It is incomprehensible how on several occasions the Police have been unable to protect unarmed suspects in their custody, the BASL statement further said.

A Tamil war memorial erected in Mullivaikkal to remember the victims of the final stages of the conflict, has been found destroyed.

The Sri Lankan army vandalised the Mullivaikkal memorial monument located in Mullivaikkal East earlier today, just hours after the security forces blocked Tamils from erecting a memorial stone at the site where tens of thousands were massacred 12 years ago.

A complaint has been lodged at the Mullaitivu police station today regarding the demolition of the Mullivaikkal memorial.

Members of the Mullivaikkal Memorial Public Building, clergy,TELO Leader Selvam Adikalanath MP,TNPF Selvarasa Gajendran MP, lawyers of the Tamil National People’s Front and the Kariduraipatru Pradeshiya Sabha chairperson TELO Vijinthan have lodged a complaint at the Mullaitivu police station.

After cordoning off the area and under the cover of darkness, soldiers caused damage to the structure that commemorates the Tamil Genocide Day.

Troops began cordoning off the area late yesterday evening, just hours after locals had begun preparations to mark Tamil Genocide Day on May 18th.

Journalists who attempted to access the area at approximately 10.30pm last night were prevented from entering by armed Sri Lanka troops. All four roads leading to the area had been blocked by soldiers, who refused to allow anyone through.

When they finally were allowed access in the early hours of the morning, the constructed site lay in ruins.

A memorial monument, which depicts a pair of outstretched hands, had been broken off and tossed into the nearby sand. In recent years the monument was the site of annual memorials, with survivors of the massacres lighting flames of remembrance on it.

Tamils also arrived to find that a memorial stone that had been specially constructed and engraved for the12th anniversary had disappeared entirely.

“The military must have used heavy machinery to move it somewhere, maybe one of their camps,” said a local journalist. Military boot prints were strewn across the sand, amidst the scattered debris of the memorial.

This morning however, the military refused to take responsibility for the destruction, telling reporters that they had nothing to do with vandalism or the disappearance of the memorial stone. “Look at how they are lying,” added the journalist.

The destruction comes just days before the 12th anniversary of the massacres will be marked on May 18th, and amidst a ramping up of military intimidation and surveillance across the Tamil homeland.

It was decided today (13) at the Committee on Parliamentary Business chaired by the Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena to hold next week’s Parliament sittings on May 18th, 19th and 20th.

The Secretary General of Parliament Mr. Dhammika Dasanayake stated that it was decided to convene Parliament adhering by the Health Guidelines pertaining to COVID-19.

Furthermore, the Secretary General stated that the Colombo Port City Economic Commission Bill is scheduled to be taken up for debate on the 19th and 20th of May. Accordingly, the Bill will be taken up for debate on the 19th from 10.00 a.m. to 5.30 p.m. and will continue from 10.00 a.m. to 4.30 p.m. on the 20th.

Regulations under the Finance Act, No.11 of 2004, Order under the Finance Act, No. 35 of 2018, Order under the Finance Act, No. 11 of 2006, Order under the Ports and Airports Development Levy Act, Eight Orders under the Special Comodity Levy Act, Two Orders under the Strategic Development Projects Act and a Regulation under the Foreign Exchange Act have been scheduled to be taken up for debate on May 18th.

Questions for Oral Answers will be held from 10.00 a.m. to 11.00 a.m. on the same day said Dhammika Dasanayake.

Furthermore, Questions at the Adjournment Time will be from 4.30 p.m. to 4.50 p.m. and the Motion at the Adjournment Time will be taken up from 4.50 p.m. to 5.30 p.m. the Secretary General said.

Questions for Oral Answers scheduled for the 19th and 20th are deferred to another day as decided by the Committee on Parliamentary Business the Secretary General stated further.

Leader of the House and Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena, Chief Government Whip and Minister of Highways Johnston Fernando, Leader of the Opposition Sajith Premadasa, Chief Opposition Whip Lakshman Kiriella, Cabinet Ministers Chamal Rajapaksa, Nimal Siripala de Silva and Prof. GL Peiris, Mahinda Amaraweera, Vasudeva Nanayakkara and M.U. M. Ali Sabry, MPs Dilan Perera, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, Gayantha Karunatilake, Rauff Hakeem, Mano Ganeshan, Ranjith Madduma Bandara and M.A Sumanthiran were present at the meeting.