Police ordered not to retaliate against protestors – Public Security Minister
Public Security Minister Rear Admiral Dr. Sarath Weerasekara said that certain individuals engage in gratifying themselves by bringing up names of popular female figures.
“This is a disease and they definitely need psychiatric treatment. I have not taken any clothes for this particular actress; neither has anyone connected to me done such thing. These people are trying to repeat the same lies in an attempt to spread false allegations against me,” the Minister said.
The Minister was responding to allegations by Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) MP Nalin Bandara.
The Minister challenged MP Nalin Bandara to prove that he had taken any clothes for this actress and if he does, he (Minister Weerasekara) would resign from his post.
The Minister said that a Police Officer had lost two fingers during a protest but the Opposition had not raised concern regarding this issue or uttered a single word about it.
He said that the Police had been advised not to lay a finger on any of the protestors even though they attacked Police personnel. He said that the President had issued orders not to retaliate even if the protestors attack Police personnel or provoke them in any manner.
Minister Weerasekara said that he had not granted special privileges to anyone to violate travel restrictions and challenged the Opposition to prove these allegations without repeating these lies to tarnish his reputation.
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Compensation settled for lands acquired for Central Expressway – Minister Johnston
Attractive compensation was granted to the landowners whose lands have been acquired to construct the Central Expressway, Highways Minister Johnston Fernando yesterday said.
He was responding to Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) MP Shantha Bandara during the Round of Questions for Oral Answers.
The Minister said that Rs. 35, 992 million has been granted for the lands acquired from the Alawwa Divisional Secretariat and six plots acquired for the Project have to be compensated.
He said further that a sum of Rs 1204.2 million has been granted to lands acquired from the Narammala Divisional Secretariat and compensation still has to be paid for 13 plots acquired for the project.
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Oral Questions Session in House will end at 11.00 am – Speaker
Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena yesterday informed Parliament that the Oral Questions Session will end at 11.00 am hereafter in accordance with a decision made at the Committee on Parliamentary Business yesterday.
Therefore, Parliamentarians should ask questions directly without unnecessary explanation, the Speaker said. The Speaker said that the Ministers should make sure to respond concisely.
Speaker Abeywardena said that steps will be taken to table the answers to the remaining questions after 11.00 am and if time is required to answer them, those questions will be included in the agenda at a future date.
The Speaker also informed the House that from August 6, the Party Leaders will be given five minutes to ask questions under Standing Order 27 (2) of Parliament and the relevant Minister will be given five minutes to answer them.
The Speaker called on the Parliamentarians to assist in making the Oral Questions Round more effective.
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Prosperity still to be brought even one year after gaining power – SJB MP Harin
The Government could not bring in the prosperity they pledged even one year after their election, Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) Parliamentarian Harin Fernando yesterday said in Parliament.
He said that the country is in a sorry plight now instead of gaining prosperity. He said that the country has no national plan for anything and even education has no national plan. The children are deprived of education for two years, the MP said.
He was participating in the Second Reading Debate on the Regulations under the Immigrants and Emigrants Act, which was adjourned on July 8. The regulations made by the Defence Minister under Section 52, read with Section 23 of the Immigrants and Emigrants Act, (Chapter 351) for rescinding the Immigrants and Emigrants Regulations published in the Gazette Extraordinary No. 2126/13 of June 3, 2019.
MP Harin Fernando said that it was unjust to humiliate Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa for not taking Chinese Sinopharm vaccine and taking the Pfizer vaccine this week. He said that many MPs are suffering from COVID 19 now.
The MP also said that the Government could not arrest the Central Bank thieves and Easter Sunday attackers. They also could not attract foreign investors, implement ‘One Law and One Country’ Policy, rectify the salary anomalies of Teachers and Principals and reduce the fuel prices, the MP said.
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UNP has only one seat in Parliament due to previous regime’s flaws – SLPP MP Weerasumana
The flaws of the former Good Governance Government members led by the United National Party (UNP) resulted in reducing UNP representation in Parliament to one seat that of Ranil Wickremesinghe, Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) Parliamentarian Weerasumana Weerasinghe yesterday said.
The MP said that MP Harin Fernando did not speak a word on Immigration and Emigration, which is the debate today, and his speech should be expunged from the Hansard. He added that his utterances reflect that he is the first to leave Opposition Leader and join the Ranil Wickremesinghe faction. He said that Harin who sent the failed Google balloon was a pioneer contributor in the previous government’s failure and defeat.
MP Weerasumana was participating in the Second Reading Debate on the Regulations under the Immigrants and Emigrants Act, which was adjourned on July 8, 2021. The regulations made by the Defence Minister under Section 52, read with Section 23 of the Immigrants and Emigrants Act, (Chapter 351) for rescinding the Immigrants and Emigrants Regulations published in the Gazette Extraordinary No. 2126/13 of June 03, 2019.
MP Weerassumana said that the topic debated was timely since the Immigrants and Emigrants Act had not been amended since 1956 though much development has been made with the passage of time and the economic-socio development as well. He added that these amendments had a direct influence on two of the four of the country’s revenue avenues.
He said that the amendments deals with introducing a one Visa charge rather than maintaining different charges to different countries. Therefore, it would have an impact on the tourists and investors’ arrivals. On the other hand, it would have an impact on the income through the Sri Lankans who employed overseas, the MP said.
He said that some countries, which have nothing for tourism, are attracting tourists due to their easy Visa procedures. He added that these amendments are required because nearly three million people are involved directly or indirectly in the Tourism Industry, which brought in Rs. 4,380 million in 2018.
He said that it dropped to Rs 3,606 million due to the Easter Sunday attacks and with the COVID 19 pandemic, it dropped further to Rs. 682 million in 2020. He added that the income from the Sri Lankans employed overseas was Rs 3,300 million in 2009 and was doubled at the end of the former Mahinda Rajapaksa Government.
The MP said that the income remained the same during the Good Governance Government and in 2020. But the country cannot expect it to be the same in future, and we have to facilitate them to avoid the jeopardy. He added that there are 1,600 trained youth to be sent to Korea and all should support them to achieve their goal.
He also said that due to the impact of the COVID 19 pandemic on the economy, restrictions have been lifted to cushion the economy. However, the Opposition is misusing the time to lead the people to protests to bankrupt the country. It should not be the role of a responsible Opposition, the MP said.
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Report on corrupt BFE Officers, Licensed Agents within two weeks – Minister Nimal Siripala
A request was made to the President under the Chairmanship of the late Kamal Ratwatte to look into the frauds and corruption by the Officers and Licensed Agents of the Bureau of Foreign Employment (BFE), and the report of the Committee will be handed it over to the President within two weeks, Labour Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva said.
He said that due to non-collection of dues from agencies and recruitment of officers for the Labour Sector on political affiliation, issues had arisen. He said that Rs. 912 million had been spent annually to maintain Foreign Missions. He added that despite such expenditure, no notable benefits had been derived from it.
He was responding to Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) MP Chaminda Wijesiri.
Minister de Silva said that several steps had been taken to manage the financial crisis affecting the FEB including the curtailing unwanted expenses, suspending new recruitments to the management until further notice, limiting the number of staff to ensure the Foreign Mission Services are functional without disruption and bringing back all additional staff. He said that in 2019, the FEB expenditure was Rs. 3,169 million, but due to the measures that were taken to curtail expenditure, the amount had been reduced to Rs. 2,411 million by 2020 thereby saving Rs. 758 million.
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They verbally abuse not only female MPs, but all women – NPP MP Dr. Harini
National People’s Power (NPP) MP Dr. Harini Amarasuriya raised in Parliament yesterday the issue that female MPs were abused in Parliament by their male counterparts.
“A few days ago my fellow MP Rohini Wijeratne brought up an important issue regarding the disrespectful language being used in Parliament at female Parliamentarians. I was also in the House at that time. However, now everyone is only talking about the MPs’ complaint and not the incident that led to it,” NPP MP Dr. Harini Amarasuriya said.
Dr. Amarasuriya said that this was not the first time that women had been ridiculed or disrespected in Parliament. “They are not just insulting and disrespecting the female MPs, but also all the women in this country. This is a grave situation, and I too agree with MP Rohini because if we as women are not respected within this House, what sort of a message are we sending to the public? Therefore, as female MPs, we have made a collective decision not to tolerate such disrespectful behaviour in the future,” the MP said urging the Speaker to look into the matter. The MP said that the KDU Bill is the same one that had been brought in 2018. She said that the Government has brought the same Bill, and now they are claiming to be amending it. “But, this Bill is not one that can be rectified with amendments. While its main structure is on militarisation, without addressing that issue, simply bringing it under the University Grant Commission (UGC) will not resolve the primary issue,” MP Dr. Amarasuriya said.
The MP added that the country’s whole education sector is in turmoil. She added that there is a huge crisis. “The principals’ crisis is one side and another is the protests against the KDU Bill. The whole student community, lecturers and everyone have joined the protests. Even the Judicial Medical Officers (JMO) who regulate the unions and the Institution of Engineers Sri Lanka (IESL) has protested against it,” she added.
Therefore, she said that unless the previous objections are taken into account and rectified, why the Government decided to bring this up at this time amidst the COVID pandemic is a big question. Therefore, the MP said that it is clear that the Government has no firm policy on education or proper knowledge.
The MP also said that the demands of the protesting teachers and principals are very reasonable and the Government must give them a firm solution instead of trying to forcefully restrict them.
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Opposition Leader got COVID jab to go among protestors – State Minister Indika
Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa took the COVID 19 vaccine recently to go among the protesters, Rural Housing and Construction and Building Material Industries State Minister Indika Anurudda yesterday said.
He added that the Opposition urged the Teachers to stage protests disregarding even COVID 19 to jeopardize the Government’s programme to control the pandemic to uplift the economy. He added that the Opposition Leader, who queries of the COVID Control Programme then, now schemes to spread the same.
The State Minister was participating in the Second Reading Debate on the Regulations under the Immigrants and Emigrants Act, which was adjourned on July 8, 2021. The regulations made by the Defence Minister under Section 52, read with Section 23 of the Immigrants and Emigrants Act, (Chapter 351) for rescinding the Immigrants and Emigrants Regulations published in the Gazette Extraordinary No. 2126/13 of June 3, 2019.
He added that the Opposition does not have a moral right to talk about the economy of the country as it was devastated during the former Good Governance Government. He added that the previous government did nothing to develop the Tourism Industry but paved the way for its destruction.
He said that during the former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, the number of the hotel rooms increased from 10,000 to around 25,000. He added that was the far sightedness of the then Government. He added that during that tenure, from Colombo to Jaffna was opened for tourists by defeating terrorism.
by Daily News Sri Lanka
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