Sri Lanka Customs has been instructed to conduct auctions via the online system starting from July this year. State Minister of Finance Ranjith Siyambalapitiya stated that instructions have been issued to the Director General of Customs to implement online auctions from 25 July. He explained that online auctioning had faced challenges in implementation due to practical difficulties, but now the Customs Department has taken responsibility for conducting all Sri Lanka Customs auctions online. Siyambalapitiya emphasised that this new system will enable the Government to generate proper revenue and provide citizens with transparent access to goods, including gold, at competitive prices.

Sri Lanka Customs to conduct online auctions starting July

Following continuous demands raised by the upcountry plantation workers regarding the increase of their daily wage up to Rs. 1,700, the Ministry of Labour is to issue a gazette authorising the Commissioner General (CG) of the Labour Department to make a suitable decision regarding the matter, The Daily Morning learnt.When contacted, the Acting Secretary to the Ministry Lal Samarasekara told The Daily Morning yesterday (25) that the Ministry is very sensitive to the matter and taking measures to reach a consensus between the stakeholders to make a final decision. He also noted that the Ministry is to issue a gazette notification authorising the Department to make a suitable decision regarding the matter. He also said that most probably, the relevant gazette would be issued on 25 or 26 April. Accordingly, the CG of Labour will be given the power to take a decision, and it will later be implemented through the Ministry, he said.Several attempts were made to contact the CG of Labour H.K.K.A. Jayasundara, and the Planters' Association of Ceylon proved futile.Meanwhile, estate workers in the upcountry staged a token strike and several protests on Monday (22) with several demands, including an increase in the daily wage. The protestors blamed the plantation companies for disregarding the hardships faced by the estate workers and not implementing President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s instructions to increase the wages up to Rs. 1,700 per day. However, certain estate workers' unions alleged that the strike and protests organised by the Ceylon Workers’ Congress, demanding a minimum daily wage of Rs. 1,700, were unsuccessful due to a lack of collective organisation.

Plantation workers’ daily wage hike: Labour Dept. to be authorised to decide 

&nbsp;<ul><li>GMOA queries criteria of ‘other specified qualifications’, to seek clarification from Prez Secy.&nbsp;</li></ul>The medical fraternity has requested that the recruitment of local students for the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) medical degree programme at the General John Kotelawala Defence University (KDU) on the basis of payment be done only on the students' General Certificate of Education Advanced Level (A/L) Examination results together with the relevant Z score.It was recently reported that the Cabinet of Ministers had granted approval for the admission of local students for the said degree programme at the KDU starting this year. The Government announced that the admissions would be carried out on payment basis, and based on the ‘Z’ score at the A/L Examination, and ‘other specified qualifications’. The medical fraternity has since raised concerns over the ‘other specified qualifications’ which are slated to be considered when admitting students for the MBBS degree programme.Speaking to the media, Government Medical Officers' Association (GMOA) Executive Committee Member, Dr. Hansamal Weerasuriya said that it is the A/L results and the Z score that should be the basis for students to be admitted to medical education institutes. “What are the other qualifications? Who decided them? And who are targeted to be admitted based on such other qualifications? The Government should clarify this to the country.” He also said that they would write to the President's Secretary Saman Ekanayake, seeking a clarification on the matter.A member of the Association of Medical Specialists, when contacted, said that a comprehensive feasibility study should be conducted before launching paid medical degree programmes. “Previously, there were several attempts to offer paid medical degrees. Each of those attempts failed due to various reasons. The closest example is the South Asian Institute of Technology and Medicine. When such programmes fail, the students become helpless. Therefore, such programmes should be initiated only after a proper study, and by ensuring the quality of medical education.”The KDU was declared a University by the General John Kotelawala State Defence Training Institute (Amendment) Act, No. 27 of 1988. The Faculty of Medicine of the University was established in 2011 to train cadet officers as medical professionals and award MBBS degrees as per the service requirements of the armed services.&nbsp;

KDU’s MBBS: ‘Admit paying students only with A/L & Z-score’

Former President and incumbent Opposition Parliamentarian Maithripala Sirisena has sent a Letter of Demand (LoD) to Minister Mahinda Amaraweera, demanding compensation of Rs. 1 million, for allegedly making statements in a way that creates an opinion in the society that the former is a person involved in corruption and fraud.The Colombo District Court recently prevented Sirisena from functioning as the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) Chairperson, after which the Party divided into two factions led by Sirisena and former President and incumbent SLFP Patron Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga. The members of the said factions have been making critical remarks about each other over the past few weeks.Speaking to The Daily Morning yesterday (25), attorney Jayamuditha Jayasooriya said that she had, on the instructions of Sirisena, sent a LoD to Amaraweera for allegedly making defamatory remarks about Sirisena. The remarks in question refer to a statement made by the Minister to the effect: “ Sirisena is auctioning the Party now. He recently met with a leading businessman who is slated to contest the upcoming Presidential Election. What was his (Sirisena) request at that time? It was Rs. 100 million. He admitted that there was such a meeting when we met him.”&nbsp;In the LoD, Jayasooriya had further claimed that Amaraweera had made such remarks, knowing that there was no truth to what he alleged. “That statement has directly and indirectly defamed my client, who was a former President, and is currently serving as a MP for the Polonnaruwa District. He has had to suffer severe emotional distress due to the statement which was aired on media and social media platforms. It has also created an opinion in the society that he is engaged in corruption and fraud. The loss that he (Sirisena) has incurred due to that statement is estimated to be Rs. 100 million, and you (Amaraweera) are informed to settle it within 14 days starting from yesterday." When contacted by The Daily Morning, Amaraweera said that he had, as of yesterday evening, not received the LoD. “I will not be paying any money. I will instead deal with it before the Court.”

‘Defamation’: Sirisena sends Rs. 1 m LoD to Amaraweera

<ul><li>Claims he never said that CoI recommendations couldn’t be implemented&nbsp;</li><li>Denies CID cops transfer &amp; lone cop’s imprisonment to sabotage Easter probes</li><li>Lays blame on failure to prevent attacks on CID&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</li></ul>Former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa yesterday (25) refuted the allegations recently levelled at him by the Archbishop of Colombo, Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith concerning the 2019 Easter Sunday terror attacks.In a statement, Rajapaksa addressed four such allegations made by the Cardinal at an event held to mark the fifth anniversary of the carnage that claimed the lives of more than 250 people and which left hundreds of others wounded.Responding to the first allegation, Rajapaksa said: “I didn’t speak to the Cardinal over the phone after the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (CoI) report was submitted to me and tell him that the recommendations of the said CoI couldn’t be implemented because that would entail the arrest of people and even the banning of organisations allied with me.”With respect to the second allegation, Rajapaksa emphasised that “there was no delay” in handing over a copy of the first volume of the CoI report to the Cardinal . “The report of the CoI was handed over to me on 1 February 2021. Having studied it myself and referred it to the Attorney General, it was handed over to the Speaker of Parliament on 23 February 2021, and by 1 March 2021, copies had been given to the Chief Prelates of the three Sects, the Cardinal, and the Catholic Bishops.”He also clarified that he did not ask the relevant six-member Cabinet of Ministers Subcommittee to selectively implement only a few of the recommendations made by various Committees and Commissions appointed to inquire into the Easter Sunday attacks.Rajapaksa further denied having transferred the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) officers probing the Easter Sunday attacks and imprisoning one such senior officer in order to sabotage the investigation.Criticising Cardinal Ranjith for continuing to “relentlessly attack and criticise” him over the Easter Sunday suicide bombings, Rajapaksa said that the failure to prevent the attacks was a failure of the CID under its then Director.

Easter Sunday attacks: Gota refutes Cardinal’s allegations 

Minister of Power and Energy Kanchana Wijesekera, who tabled the proposed Electricity Sector Reforms Bill to the Parliament yesterday (25), agreed to grant an opportunity for Parliamentarians within the course of next week, to discuss it on the Parliamentary Opposition's request.Following the tabling of the Bill in the Parliament, Samagi Jana Balawegaya MP and Chief Opposition Whip, attorney Lakshman Kiriella said that there had not been a proper discussion with MPs regarding the Bill.&nbsp;“I remember that you (Wijesekera) called us (MPs) for a meeting about two years ago, and I also attended that meeting. However, there has been no discussion with the MPs since then. It is better if the Government can have a proper discussion with the MPs and explain what they are going to do with this Bill.”In response to him, Wijesekera said that the Ministry had invited both Government and Opposition MPs to discuss the Bill even in December of last year (2023). Although several MPs had attended it and made recommendations, he claimed that Kiriella had informed that he would not be able to attend it.&nbsp;“If someone does not attend when we invite them for meetings and then say that the Bill was not discussed, it is not fair. They have the opportunity to challenge this Bill before the Supreme Court if necessary. We can then discuss the committee stage amendments at the Ministerial Consultative Committee.”Opposition MP Wimal Weerawansa also said that MPs should be provided with an opportunity to discuss the Bill in addition to during the Parliamentary debate on the same. “This Bill was amended due to various reasons. What we talk about is not the discussions on the previous versions of the Bill. It is this version of the Bill that you (Wijesekera) and the other relevant authorities are satisfied with. Discussing this during the Parliamentary debate and consultative committees is something different. In addition to that, MPs should be given an opportunity to discuss this Bill.”In view of the requests made by the Opposition, Wijesekera agreed to provide MPs with the opportunity to discuss the Bill during the course of next week. “We are ready to discuss this next week in a way that all MPs can attend to.”The Electricity Sector Reforms Bill, which seeks to provide for the establishment of the National Electricity Advisory Council, was published in the Government Gazette on 17 April. It also seeks to provide legislative measures applicable to the incorporation of corporate entities, in which all activities connected to the generation, transmission, distribution, trade, supply and procurement of electricity are vested. The Bill further provides for the repealing of the Ceylon Electricity Board Act, No.17 of 1969 and the Sri Lanka Electricity Act, No. 20 of 2009.&nbsp;

Electricity Sector Reforms Bill: Govt. grants Oppo. request for discussion  

<ul><li>NPP to move ahead with econ. comm./councils debate if Premadasa-AKD debate falls through</li></ul>The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP)-led National People's Power (NPP) of the Parliamentary Opposition has invited the main Parliamentary Opposition, the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), to suggest three or four dates leading up to 20 May for the highly-anticipated debate between their Leader, Parliamentarian Anura Kumara Dissanayake, and the SJB and Opposition Leader, Sajith Premadasa.In a formal communication to the SJB, the NPP proposed four dates – 7 May, 9 May, 13 May, or 14 May – for the debate, but the SJB declined, arguing that they had not been consulted by the NPP before those dates were decided.Responding to media inquiries about the latest developments with regard to the debate, NPP Executive Committee Member Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa said that they have decided to allow the SJB to suggest three or four dates leading up to 20 May for the debate.He said: “Since we all are busy with the May Day, let's not have this debate until 1 May, but, the SJB can propose three or four days up to 20 May and let us know. Dissanayake will definitely participate in the debate on one of those days. Once the SJB finalises the dates from their end, we can discuss the location and duration of the debate.”He also mentioned that if the SJB is not prepared to propose dates, further discussions and letter exchanges regarding the debate would be pointless. “If Premadasa cannot attend the debate on the dates that we initially suggested, this is their chance to propose alternative dates,” he explained.&nbsp;“If they won’t do it, we will have to conclude that Premadasa is not ready for the debate. So, we urge the SJB to stop issuing statements here and there and propose dates. If they don’t respond, we will then move forward with the debate between the economic committees of the Parties,” he said.SJB MP Nalin Bandara Jayamaha, who has been appointed by the SJB to coordinate with the NPP regarding the debate, was not available for comment. He earlier said that the SJB would propose a face to face meeting within the course of this week, ideally in the Parliament, to decide on a date for the debate. He also said that Premadasa would not join the debate on the dates proposed by the NPP due to his (Premadasa) prior commitments.

JVP invites SJB to suggest 4 dates pre-20 May

<ul><li>Oppo. divided over critique of SIS</li><li>Gammanpila wants PSC on sensitive intel</li><li>AKD says allegations against SIS cannot be treated lightly, SJB &amp; TNA echo similar sentiments&nbsp;</li></ul>The Supreme Lanka Coalition (SLC) of the Parliamentary Opposition, urged the Opposition Parliamentarians to refrain from criticising the State Intelligence Service (SIS) during the debate on the Easter Sunday attacks, while the other Parliamentary Opposition Parties, including the main Parliamentary Opposition, the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP)-led National People’s Power (NPP), and the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), questioned their (SIS) actions regarding the attacks.Speaking in the Parliament yesterday (25) during the debate on the Easter Sunday attacks, SLC member and MP, attorney Udaya Gammanpila, said that MPs should not criticise the officers of the SIS and the other armed forces by alleging that they have had links with the extremists who launched the said attacks. He said that such allegations could badly affect the country’s national security and the reputation earned by those individuals and that therefore, if anyone has adequate evidence, he or she must lodge a complaint with the relevant authorities without making statements in public.&nbsp;MP Gammanpila also noted that a Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) should be appointed to look into such issues that are sensitive to the country’s intelligence-related information, following the examples provided by powerful countries such as the United States. He noted that Sri Lanka has a history of endangering the security of its intelligence officers, and that such instances have caused a national security threat each time.Meanwhile, SJB MP and Chief Opposition Whip, attorney Lakshman Kiriella, alleged that the SIS allowed the attacks to be launched even when several foreign intelligence services, including India’s Research and Analysis Wing, had informed them about the attacks in advance. He claimed that the former Chief of the SIS, incumbent Senior Deputy Inspector General of Police Nilantha Jayawardena had reportedly received the information on the day when the attacks took place, but that all the information on his phone had been erased.&nbsp;He claimed that the SJB was not blaming the entire SIS, but a certain group of officers who have had links with the terrorists, as evidenced by how they acted in the controversial murders of journalist Lasantha Wickrematunge and rugger player Wasim Thajudeen. He further stated that a future SJB Government would not hand over the investigations completely to any international body, but would carry out a special investigation with domestic resources with the help of the international community.In addition, NPP Leader and MP, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, stated that the allegations levelled against certain SIS officers cannot be taken simply as they appear to be, since such matters directly deal with the integrity of the State. Questioning as to whether there was a link between the terrorists and the parties who were supposed to prevent the attacks, Dissanayake said that a proper investigation must be launched to look into the particular matter but said that the incumbent Government does not have a moral right or mandate to do so. Responding to certain allegations regarding the former JVP national list candidate, Mohamed Ibrahim, whose two sons were among the group of suicide bombers, he claimed that he was given the opportunity as he was a reputed entrepreneur in the Muslim community.&nbsp;“He was on the national list for the 2015 General Election. But, he was given the ‘Deshakeerthi' award by former President Mahinda Rajapaksa and received certain awards from then Ministers like Prof. G.L. Peiris and Sujeewa Senasinghe. He was detained for about two years at the Criminal Investigations Department, but not a single case has been filed against him even to date,” he added.Meanwhile, TNA MP, Shanakiyan Rasamanickam said that the operations of the particular terrorist groups and their links with SIS officers went beyond 2005. He claimed that an SIS officer named ‘Kaleel‘ who was also accused of the murder of former MP Joseph Pararajasingham, had maintained links with such terrorists continuously for many years. He further claimed that most of these SIS officers have been members of the controversial ‘Tripoli platoon’, a military intelligence division that was allegedly led by then-Secretary to the Defence Ministry, former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

Easter Sunday attacks debate: BY Sahan Tennekoon 

Former tuition teacher and current YouTuber Upul Shantha Sannasgala, who was arrested by the Kandana Police in connection with an alleged fraud, has been released on bail.He is suspected of defrauding an individual of Rs. 1 million.Sannasgala has since been released on bail on the orders of the Welisara Magistrate’s Court.&nbsp;

Sri Lanka Customs to conduct online auctions starting July

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