<ul><li>We are ready for Committee debate – Kabir Hashim</li><li>We will take a decision soon says MP Herath, questions why SJB delayed their response</li></ul> The Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) yesterday (19) issued a fresh set of dates for debate between a committee of experts and another debate between the leaders of its party and the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP)-led National People’s Power (NPP).This, barely a day before the NPP-set deadline – of today (20) for the debate to be held. The tug-of-war regarding the proposed ‘debate’ has resulted in many disagreements and posturing and finger pointing between the two opposition parties, both vying to replace the SLPP-UNP led Government at the upcoming polls.&nbsp;&nbsp;In a letter to the NPP’s Executive Committee Member, former Parliamentarian (MP), Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa, SJB Head of Operations, MP Nalin Bandara proposed the dates 27, 28, 29, 30, and 31 May&nbsp; for the debate between the economic councils of the two parties, while proposing the dates 3,4,5,6, and 7 June for the leaders' debate.&nbsp;When contacted by The Daily Morning yesterday (19), SJB Opposition MP Kabir Hashim, who is also a member of the party’s economic council, said that his team is always ready for the debate. Therefore, he said there is no hesitation within the party regarding the two debates.The NPP, which proposed 20 May as the final date for the debate, is yet to decide on the newly proposed dates by the SJB, said its MP, Vijitha Herath. Speaking to The Daily Morning, Herath noted that the NPP will take a decision regarding the dates after having a discussion in the days to come. “After giving them a dozen days, we asked them to set up a date before 20 May. But they did not. They had more than enough time to decide. Now, they have sent a few days again, proposing that the economic council debate be held first. We will be taking a decision soon, and it will decide the future of this debate,” he said.However, speaking to the media last week, Dr. Jayatissa said that the NPP will not take part in the debate if the SJB refuses to hold the debate before 20 May, claiming that they are continuously disregarding the dates proposed by the NPP.Last month (22 April), the NPP officially informed the SJB that they are prepared to hold the proposed debate between the leaders of the two parties — SJB and Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa and JVP and NPP Leader and Opposition Parliamentarian Anura Kumara Dissanayake — on one of the following days: 7 May, 9 May, 13 May, or 14 May. In a letter sent by Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa to SJB General Secretary, Opposition MP Ranjith Madduma Bandara, the NPP said that certain misunderstandings and speculations might be raised among the public regarding the debate if setting out a date is further delayed. The letter further said that a venue, a television channel, and the duration of the debate can be decided after setting out a specific date.&nbsp;However, following the SJB’s refusal to accept the given dates, the NPP declared 20 May as the final date for the debate.

SJB /NPP debate saga: SJB issues fresh dates, seeks comm. debate first

&nbsp;Civil activists yesterday (19) questioned why the law enforcement agencies have failed to act on recent court verdicts over non-citizens holding office in the Legislature.Civil activist Oshala Herath speaking to The Daily Morning opined that it is regrettable that the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has failed to arrest former State Minister Diana Gamage despite the fact that she has violated the Citizenship Act No. 18 of 1948.It was Herath who filed the case before the Supreme Court (SC) which resulted in Gamage losing her Parliamentary seat over her United Kingdom citizenship.Herath pointed out that nearly two weeks have passed since the SC ruling that Gamage is disqualified to hold office as a Parliamentarian over her UK citizenship, but the CID has not yet arrested her. "If this ruling was against an ordinary citizen, they would have been arrested the very next day, but the CID is reluctant to take action against Gamage. If I didn't go to court and obtain a foreign travel ban on her, she would have fled the country by now. The CID at least didn't bother to prevent her from fleeing the country."Police Spokesperson and Deputy Inspector General of Police Nihal Thalduwa wasn't available for comment.On 8 May, the SC declared that Gamage is ineligible to hold a Parliamentary seat. The three-judge bench headed by Justice Janak de Silva reached this decision following the conclusion of an appeal challenging the dismissal of a petition against her Parliamentary membership by the Court of Appeal (CA). Herath had filed the relevant appeal two weeks after his initial petition regarding Gamage's Parliamentary seat and citizenship, was dismissed by the CA.

MP Citizenship issue: Activists question delay in Police action

&nbsp;&nbsp;The Electricity Consumers' Association (ECA) alleges that several members of the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) are no longer qualified to hold their positions as per the PUCSL Act, No. 35 of 2002.ECA General Secretary Sanjeewa Dhammika told The Daily Morning that he is planning to write to Power and Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekara in this regard, seeking some sort of a solution.“As per Section 7(iv) of the PUCSL Act, if members have not attended the Commission’s meetings for three consecutive months, they become disqualified to hold positions as member (of the Commission). PUCSL Chairman Prof. Manjula Fernando, Deputy Chairman and attorney Chathurika Wijesinghe, Member Douglas Nanayakkara, Member Sellampola Gedara Senaratne, and Member Ranjith Kaluthanthrige have not attended meetings for more than three months, thereby becoming disqualified to hold their positions. They have not attended meetings from 15 February to 23 May, 2023.” Dhammika argued.Dhammika added that from November 2023 to date, these members have not legally approved the proposals submitted to the PUCSL concerning the power sector and the PUCSL’s functions, expressing concerns that this situation may adversely affect the country’s power sector and eventually electricity consumers.Noting that the Minister has been vested with the powers to terminate their membership as per Act, the ECA General Secretary said that he is planning to inform the Minister of this in writing.The Daily Morning’s attempts to contact the PUCSL yesterday (19) to inquire about its stance with regard to Dhammika’s claims proved futile.Section 7 of the Act relates to the ‘procedure for the removal of members from office’, which, under Section 7(iv), identifies a member “having refused or failed to discharge his or her functions for a period of three months or more as a ground for removal.”&nbsp;However, the Minister cannot remove a member of the Commission from office unless the Minister has sent a notice to the member that it is proposed to remove such member from office on any one or more grounds identified in the Act.

Utility regulator: Some members of PUCSL no longer fit to hold office, claims ECA

During his ongoing visit to Indonesia, President Ranil Wickremesinghe met with renowned American entrepreneur Elon Musk yesterday (19). According to the Presidential Media Division (PMD) Wickremesinghe and Musk discussed the implementation of the Starlink internet service in Sri Lanka, during the meeting, where it had been emphasised that the application process to connect Sri Lankan with the global Starlink network should be expedited.The meeting took place during Wickremesinghe’s visit to Indonesia where he is scheduled to attend the World Water Forum 2024 held in Bali, Indonesia. He left for Indonesia on Saturday (18), at the invitation of Indonesian President Joko Widodo. As Wickremesinghe arrived in Indonesia, he was welcomed by high-ranking officials of the Indonesian government including that country’s power and fossil fuel minister Arifin Tasrif as well as Sri Lankan diplomats in Indonesia.The forum, themed ‘Water for Shared Prosperity,’ is scheduled to be held in Indonesia from 18-20 May. Wickremesinghe is scheduled to deliver a special speech on 20 May.

Internet via Satellite: President and Musk discuss ‘Starlink’

<ul><li>Separate inquiries from Police and Prisons Dept. underway</li></ul> With a Police investigation underway regarding a complaint accusing a jailor at Galle Prison of plotting to have a female inmate assassinate a fellow warden, the Prisons Department has taken steps to transfer the said jailor from Galle to Welikada until the probe concludes, The Daily Morning learns.Speaking to The Daily Morning yesterday (19), Commissioner General of Prisons Thushara Upuldeniya said that the Prisons Department has initiated an internal probe into the incident and has taken measures to transfer the jailor who is allegedly involved with the matter to Welikada Prison to ensure the safety of the other party and the impartiality of the inquiry. He also noted that the cause of the incident could be a personal rift between the two parties, but also said that it is yet too early to make comments on the matter.Upuldeniya also said that a separate complaint has been lodged with the Police Department regarding the incident, and accordingly, further investigations are being carried out in parallel with the Prison Department's internal probe. The Commissioner General also noted that this particular incident has had no impact on the internal functions or the safety of the other staff members of Galle Prison.&nbsp;It was reported that a team of police officers visited the Galle prison last week to record statements from several individuals, including the accused jailor and the targeted warden. Accordingly, the Police have gathered statements, including from the accused jailor and targeted warden. The inmate, who has served time for multiple offences, has been allegedly contracted to hit the warden.

Alleged hit on Galle warden: Prisons Dept. transfers jailor; inquiries continues

<ul><li>PM and EC held meeting recently following Prez direction on cancelling nominations</li></ul> The Election Commission (EC) stated that during the recent discussion with Prime Minister and Minister of Local Government (LG) Dinesh Gunawardena, there was no discussion regarding preparation to cancel the nominations called for the postponed LG elections.President and Minister of National Policies Ranil Wickremesinghe recently instructed Gunawardena to look into the possibility of invalidating the nominations accepted for the LG elections.Following the said direction, a meeting has been held between Gunawardena and EC including its Chairperson R.M.A.L. Ratnayake. When asked as to whether they were informed of any preparation to cancel the nominations, Ratnayake told The Daily Morning that there was no such discussion. "The Premier discussed various matters related to elections with us, but he did not mention anything about invalidating nominations."In response to a query regarding their view on a potential invalidation of nominations, he said that the EC could not express anything about such as they were there to hold elections, and not to postpone. "All the legal provisions related to the EC mention about holding elections, and not postponing them. So, we cannot tell anything about it."Cabinet Spokesperson Minister, Dr. Bandula Gunawardena recently said that Wickremesinghe had called on the Premier to seek legal advice from the Attorney General (AG) with regard to the nullifying of LG nominations. He had also advised Gunawardena to discuss the same with other political parties.The LG elections, which was scheduled to be held in March, and then in April, 2023, was indefinitely postponed due to the EC not receiving the necessary financial allocations from the Ministry of Finance, Economic Stabilisation and National Policies.

Postponed LG elections: Cancelation of nomination not discussed: EC

<ul><li>rainy weather expected to last till next week</li><li>NBRO puts Ella, Badulla and Seethawaka DSD’s on Amber Alert for landslides</li><li>Coastal fishing and naval activity warned of risk</li></ul> Due to pre-monsoonal conditions over the country and surrounding sea areas, prevailing showery and windy conditions are expected to enhance further during the next few days, the Meteorology Department said yesterday (19).When contacted by The Daily Morning yesterday (19), Duty Meteorologist Nimal Bandara said that the ‘Red’ alert warning of heavy rains issued for certain areas such as Western, Sabaragamuwa, and North Western provinces and for Galle, Matara, Kandy, Nuwara-Eliya, and Mannar districts would be extended until today (20). He also said that this weather condition is expected to prevail until 25–26 May.According to the Department of Meteorology, very heavy showers above 150 mm are likely at some places in Western and North-western provinces, while heavy showers above 100 mm are likely at some places in Sabaragamuwa province and in Galle, Matara, Kandy, Nuwara-Eliya, and Mannar districts.Meanwhile, the National Building and Research Organisation (NBRO) issued early landslide warnings for several localities in four districts on Saturday, May 18, to be in effect until 4 p.m. today (20) but they had forecasted that the warnings would be extended if this rainy condition prevailed further.Accordingly, a Level 2 (Amber) alert was issued for the Ella Divisional Secretariat Division (DSD) and surrounding areas in Badulla District and Seethawaka DSD in Colombo District while Level 1 (Yellow) alerts have been issued for the Hali Ela, Badulla, Haputale, and Haldummulla DSDs in the same. Level 1 alert has been issued for Ganga Ihala Korale, Pasbage Korale, Udapalatha, Udunuwara, and Yatinuwara DSDs in Kandy District; Bulathkohupitiya, Deraniyagala, Ruwanwella, Kegalle, Dehiowita, Warakapola, Ytiyanthota, Mawanella, and Galigamuwa DSDs in Kegalle District; andImbulpe, Balangoda, Elapatha, Kalawana, Kiriella, Eheliyagoda, Ayagama, Ratnapura, and Kuruwita DSDs in Ratnapura District.&nbsp;Later, Yesterday evening, the NBRO also issued Level 1 alert for Agalawatta, Bulathsinhala, Palindanuwara and Walallawita DSDs in Kalutara District,Attanagalla DSD in Gampaha District and Elpitiya DSD and surrounding areas in Galle District.In addition, the small fishing boats along the coasts of Mannar to Colombo via Galle, Hambantota to Potuvil, and Ampara are advised not to venture out to sea from noon today until further notice. The advisory was issued by the Director of the Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources due to the prevailing inclement weather conditions.However, Ella-Wellawaya and Ella-Passara roads, which had been completely closed due to the prevailing weather conditions, were reopened for public use yesterday.

Adverse weather: Met. Dept. issues ‘Red Alert’ for the West

<ul><li>800 to be appointed in coming weeks</li></ul> More than 1,500 graduates are slated to be recruited as teachers for schools within the Sabaragamuwa Province over the course of this year (2024), it is learnt.This, following an urgent need to fill vacancies in the sector which was highlighted by a recent report that indicated that there were a staggering 4,600 teacher vacancies across 1,080 schools in the Province.In response to inquiries about the issue, Sabaragamuwa Province Governor Navin Dissanayake, conveyed to The Daily Morning that examinations pertinent to the recruitment of 800 teachers for schools in the Province have already been conducted. He said that the selected candidates will be appointed as teachers in the coming weeks.He also noted that approximately 800 teachers currently serving in schools spanning Ratnapura and Kegalle Districts are anticipated to retire by year-end. Consequently, he said that plans are underway to recruit an additional 800 teachers to the Provincial Teaching Service in the ensuing months.As a solution to the shortage of teachers that exists in all parts of the country, the teachers' trade unions such as the Ceylon Teachers' Union (CTU) have proposed the recruitment of the graduates who have been recruited as Development Officers, as teachers. Despite several requests made, the TUs charged that the Government is ignoring the matter, alleging it (Government) is exploiting the labour of Development Officers by paying them a low salary.

Teacher shortage: 1500 graduates to be recruited in Sabaragamuwa

<ul><li>Cops claim no formal complaint filed by victim</li><li> MP Ranaweera acknowledges assault, denies threatening victims</li></ul> Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) Police Station has wrapped up its investigations into the incident where State Minister of Small and Medium Enterprises Development Prasanna Ranaweera allegedly assaulted a Porter at the airport premises, due to the absence of a proper complaint by the party who got assaulted.Following a video being circulated on social media in which the State Minister is assaulting and threatening a porter with several security officers at the airport last week (14), the BIA Police Station recorded a statement from the State Minister last week regarding the incident, even though a formal complaint has not been lodged by the porter who got assaulted.When contacted by The Daily Morning yesterday (19), a senior police officer spoke on behalf of the Officer-in-Charge (OIC) of the BIA Police, Malcom Pate, and stated that even though the Police tried to record a statement from the assaulted porter, those attempts were futile. The police officer also noted that the statement given by the State Minister was recorded by the Police, and there was no proper complaint lodged by the porter. According to the police officer, the investigation has been wound up in the absence of a proper complaint by the alleged victim.However, several media outlets reported that the airport employee in question, who is a resident of Kurunegala, had visited the airport police station to lodge a complaint regarding the incident. However, due to the absence of the OIC at that time, the police officers present informed the porter to return the next morning. But the assaulted porter has reportedly not visited the police station after that, it is learnt.Meanwhile, speaking to the media after giving a statement to the Police, Ranaweera admitted that he assaulted the porter but never threatened him not to lodge a complaint to the Police. He said, “I got angry at that time. I called him and pulled him to the side. I slapped him; that’s true. I did not force him not to come to the Police or to work. He should come to work,” Ranaweera told the media.This is not the first time MP Ranaweera has been linked to an assault, his conduct during the November 2018 chaos in the Parliament when members loyal to the then disputed Prime Minister (appointed) Mahinda Rajapaksa threw books, furniture and chilli paste at rivals in a bid to block a second no-confidence motion against him, and block the speaker Karu Jayasuriya from acting, is a matter of public record.&nbsp;The State Minister Ranaweera and Airport and Aviation Services Limited Chairperson were unavailable to comment.

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