There has been much talk about the impending return of former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to Sri Lanka this month from Bangkok in Thailand, where he is currently residing. The hotel reservation for Rajapaksa in Bangkok has been made only till Wednesday (24), a highly-placed source said, adding that there was no information on whether the booking would be extended. The source also noted that it was highly likely that Rajapaksa would return to Sri Lanka this week. However, it was learnt yesterday (20) that Rajapaksa was contemplating extending his stay in Thailand until 2 September and would return to Sri Lanka afterwards. The Sri Lankan Government has maintained that Rajapaksa will be offered all facilities that a former president is entitled to, including security. Rajapaksa and his wife Ioma arrived in Thailand at the Don Mueang Airport on a chartered flight from Singapore on 11 August after his short-stay visa in Singapore expired. While there were many reports on where Rajapaksa stayed while in Singapore, it is learnt that he had stayed at the Singapore apartment of former actress Anarkali Akarsha’s former father-in-law, who is a doctor. Authorities in Thailand granted a 90-day visa for the Rajapaksas on humanitarian grounds and had also asked Rajapaksa not to leave the hotel for security reasons. Meanwhile, senior members of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) led by Basil Rajapaksa on Thursday (18) requested President Ranil Wickremesinghe to facilitate the former President’s return to Sri Lanka. The SLPP seniors who met the President have in turn guaranteed the party’s support for Wickremesinghe in Parliament.       SECOND LEAD SLPP clash over early polls A group of Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) MPs have called on Justice Minister Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe to include the clause in the 19th Amendment to the Constitution on the dissolution of Parliament in the proposed 22nd Amendment as well. According to the 19th Amendment, Parliament can be dissolved only after the lapse of four-and-a-half years following its constitution. However, this time duration has been minimised to two-and-a-half years in the 20th Amendment. It is learnt that many SLPP MPs have urged President Ranil Wickremesinghe not to hold early General Elections and pointed out that the House could be dissolved early next year according to the existing laws. It is in such a backdrop that some SLPP MPs have called on the Justice Minister to include the 19th Amendment clause on Parliament dissolution in the 22nd Amendment. However, it is also learnt that the Justice Minister had turned down the request, leaving a group of SLPP MPs quite disgruntled.   THIRD LEAD The missing lion  Following the takeover of the Presidential Secretariat and President’s House by protesters on 9 July following mass protests, concerns have been raised over the absence of several historical artefacts. The President last week reportedly requested his Secretary to inquire into the whereabouts of an antique lion, which had been designed by Geoffrey Bawa, along with 300-year-old portraits of former Dutch and British Governors of Sri Lanka that were at the Presidential Secretariat. Concerns were voiced that these items may have disappeared and attempts would be made to shift the blame onto the Aragalaya. It does warrant mention that protesters who stormed the Presidential Secretariat were prevented from entering the second floor of the Presidential Secretariat.     BOX The diplomatic antic  An antic by a senior envoy at Sri Lanka’s mission in the US was recently uncovered by the President’s Office, preventing a possible awkward moment between President Ranil Wickremesinghe and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. The official at the Sri Lankan mission had informed Wickremesinghe that Blinken had requested a few minutes for a telephone conversation. It is learnt that the official had then informed the Secretary of State’s Office that the Sri Lankan President had wanted a few moments for a telephone call. However, the US Embassy in Colombo had contacted the President’s Office and asked if the President wanted to speak to Blinken. The officials at the Secretariat had asked Wickremesinghe if he had requested a meeting with Blinken. A surprised Wickremesinghe had responded saying no. It was then revealed that the Sri Lankan official in the US had told Wickremesinghe and Blinken that each had wanted to speak to the other.   CAPTION STORY  Pic: Tilvin’s harvest Head Reaping the harvest    The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) launched several community farms to cultivate vegetables following warnings of a possible food crisis in the country during the latter part of this year. The picture shows JVP General Secretary Tilvin Silva at work at one of the farms   ‘Kaputa’ to become National Animal? With talk of the need to change Sri Lanka’s National Animal – the giant squirrel – Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) independent MP Dilan Perera has proposed that the ‘kaputa’ (crow) should be made the new National Animal of the country. Perera told a news conference that changing the National Animal should not be the priority of the Government at a time the country was facing an unprecedented economic crisis affecting all the citizens. The SLPP MP through his comments took a swipe at Agriculture Minister Mahinda Amaraweera, who recently claimed that the giant squirrel should be removed from being the National Animal due to the losses it causes to farmers and the agriculture sector. According to Perera, Amaraweera could look at naming the crow as the National Animal since the country is being controlled by a ‘kaputa’ (crow). The name ‘kaputa’ was used by the people, especially during the people’s protest campaign, on former Minister Basil Rajapaksa following a statement made by him during a media interview that went viral on social media. Meanwhile, Minister Amaraweera has appointed a committee to decide the fate of the giant squirrel. He has noted that the giant squirrel has to be added to the list of animals responsible for crop losses and that it could not be done until it remained the National Animal.    Promoting e-communications President’s Secretary Saman Ekanayake has called on the public sector to use e-communication methods instead of the traditional paper communications due to the ongoing economic crisis. The President’s Secretary had communicated this to the ministry secretaries in a circular to be adopted in ministries as well as departments and boards under them. The State sector has been asked to drastically minimise the use of paper. The circular had also called on the State sector to minimise the use of fuel and other facilities like telephones, etc. and to also prevent taking new buildings for offices on rent. The State sector is to also seek Treasury approval prior to extending the terms of vehicles that are leased for State institutions.   Pic/caption: President Ranil Wickremesinghe ‘Cut costs or pay,’ says RW President Ranil Wickremesinghe has cracked the whip on the State sector, calling on all ministry secretaries and institution heads to adhere to the circular issued by the Treasury Secretary on 26 April 2022. The President has reiterated that the State sector should adhere to the said circular or there would be dire consequences to the country amidst the ongoing crisis. Wickremesinghe has further noted that in the event a ministry or a State entity acts over and above the directives of the circular and fails to cut costs, the respective head of the relevant State institution will be held personally responsible for the additional costs.   UDA takes over Aragalaya site The protest site at Galle Face that was occupied by the Aragalaya movement since April until recently has been taken over by the Urban Development Authority (UDA). The site therefore cannot be used for public events without the permission of the UDA.  Accordingly, the protest site near the Presidential Secretariat declared by former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa will now cease to exist. UDA Director General Prasad Ranaweera had stated that the site cannot be used for protests in the future. He had added that there are no immediate plans to lease out the plot of land to any other party or carry out an investment project.   Aragalaya transfers? Several transfers and removal from duties that had taken place in the past few months have been prompted due to their fear of carrying out duties amidst the Aragalaya protest campaign, it is learnt. An official at the Civil Aviation Authority who had failed to secure a flight for former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to leave the country has been transferred, according to recent media reports. Another senior official in the Immigration and Emigration Department has been transferred for failing to stamp the former President’s passport for his overseas travel, while an official at Sri Lanka Railways has been transferred for succumbing to the pressures of protesters to change the train schedules, the report has further stated. These and several other similar transfers of senior public officials have been carried out with the intention of ensuring that public officials will carry out their work with confidence without being intimidated.   Office at Shangri-La flouts regulations At a time when the Government is engaged in cost cutting measures, former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa had authorised the renting of an office space at the One Galle Face Tower at a staggering monthly cost of over Rs. 1.8 million to house the Ministry of Technology. A report by the Auditor General’s Department has stated that the agreement to take on rent the office space from the Shangri-La Group on the 11th floor of the One Galle Face Tower had not followed the standard Government procurement procedures.  The office space had been taken on rent in July 2021 without following the competitive bidding process outlined in the State procurement process. The office at One Galle Face had been procured on a directive by the former President to set up the office of the Technology Ministry within a 1 km radius of the Presidential Secretariat. Due to the Presidential directive, the rental agreement had been finalised within a short time span.  The report by the Auditor General’s Department had further noted that while the Ministry was paying a monthly rental of Rs. 1,878,000 for the 7,512 square feet of office space in line with the rental agreement, more than 30% of the office space had been underutilised for over a year.   Pic/caption: Minister Harin Fernando Focus on Harin’s seat The National List slot of the main Opposition Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) occupied by Minister Harin Fernando has come under scrutiny, with moves to release former MP Ranjan Ramanayake from jail on a presidential pardon. While President Ranil Wickremesinghe had directed the Justice Ministry to initiate the process to grant a presidential pardon to Ramanayake, he (Ramanayake) had also signed the documents seeking a presidential pardon recently to expedite the process. It is likely that Ramanayake will be released from prison in the next few days. However, with moves to grant a presidential pardon to Ramanayake, SJB MPs have started to talk about Fernando’s parliamentary seat since he (Fernando) had earlier stated that he would resign from the House and give his seat to Ramanayake to return to Parliament once he was granted a presidential pardon. Several SJB MPs have raised this issue on several occasions, questioning Fernando if he was prepared to resign from his parliamentary seat and pave the way for Ramanayake to return to Parliament. Fernando however has refrained from responding to these questions. Ramanayake, who was a parliamentarian representing the SJB, lost his parliamentary seat after being charged with contempt of court and sentenced to serve a jail term.   The diamond ring: Lost and found The daughter of a senior Cabinet Minister from the Gampaha District had recently lost her diamond wedding ring worth Rs. 2.5 million in Yala during a holiday. A massive Police hunt was launched to find the ring and thief and it was found last week in the possession of a mason who was working at an adjacent construction site. The Minister’s daughter had been in the outdoor shower in her room and left the ring on the wall adjoining the shower. However, she had hurriedly rushed out of the shower when someone had shouted that a snake had entered the hotel premises and when she had returned to take the ring, it was not where she had left it. The Police had identified the thief after going through CCTV footage and had then recovered the ring and detained the thief. The Police had also told the media that the complaint about the lost ring had been made by a businessman and not by any person with political influence.   Pic/caption: Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva Bribery probe on Nimal The Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) has decided to initiate an investigation into the alleged bribery and corruption involving Japan’s Taisei Corporation that is engaged in the construction of a new terminal at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA). The said allegations resulted in Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva temporarily moving out of his Ports and Aviation portfolio, pending an investigation by a committee appointed by former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. However, de Silva was re-appointed to the portfolio by President Ranil Wickremesinghe after the probe committee had stated that he (de Silva) had not been involved in bribery or corruption. Nevertheless, the CIABOC is to now carry out a separate probe on the allegations following a complaint lodged by the Voice Against Corruption (VAC) organisation. It is learnt that the CIABOC probe will also see the investigators recording statements from the Japanese company Taisei as well as the Japanese Embassy in Colombo. Former President Rajapaksa had appointed the probe committee following a verbal complaint made by a senior Japanese official to the then President.   Pic/caption: SJB MP Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka SF’s hard stance Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) MP Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka has met with Pathum Kerner, who was at the forefront of the Galle Face Aragalaya movement. During the discussion, which has been released on social media, Kerner has noted that the youth of the country required more experience on carrying out mass-scale agitation campaigns. Fonseka and Kerner are also seen discussing the future of the Aragalaya movement and the next course of action of the people’s power protest campaign. Meanwhile, Fonseka has recently stated that he will take stern action against any form of corruption or malpractice if he is in power. He has further noted that he will not hesitate to even arrest his Party Leader if he was found guilty of corruption or any other wrongdoing.