SUNDAY 27 SEPTEMBER 2020 LATEST EDITION VOL: 09/45 PRICE : RS 70.00 Inside Story READ CEYLON TODAY A House Collapsed AND a Home Destroyed One selfish individual WIN cut corners to have a LUXURY HOTEL ‘mansion’ built on a rock, and a family of STAYS! three paid for this greed with their lives. DETAILS INSIDE A6-7 All Set for Ranil, Maithri PCoI Show 20th Amendment Bill Clause on BY W.K. PRASAD MANJU Former President Maithripala Sirisena and former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe are planning to make Parliament special revelations before the Presidential Commission of Inquiry, probing last year’s 21 April Easter Sunday terror attacks, when they testify next month. Sirisena is scheduled to give evidence on 5 October, dissolution to while Wickremesinghe is slated to do the same 24 hours later. To date, in most of the testimonies given before be amended the Commission by various top officers of the previous regime, serious allegations had been BY W.K. PRASAD MANJU levelled against both Sirisena and Wickremesinghe. One of the clauses in the proposed 20th Amendment to In the meantime, Sirisena, during a the Constitution, which seeks to grant power to the recent discussion held with several Sri President to dissolve Parliament after a lapse of 12 Lanka Freedom Party activists had months of it being in session, is to be amended to grant reportedly stressed, he would reveal the power to the President to undertake that task after a more details regarding the Easter period of two-and-a-half years (30 months). Sunday carnage when he gives A Cabinet Minister stated that this decision had been evidence next month. taken by the Government following the convening of its Wickremesinghe had also Parliamentary Group meeting under the aegis of President discussed his being summoned by Gotabaya Rajapaksa. the Commission to give testimony next month, during a UNP meeting Story Continued on PAGE 2 at the Sirikotha, last week. Story Continued on PAGE 2 Special Five-Judge Bench to Committee on High hear petitions against 20A Posts approves BY KAMAL WEERARATNA for consideration on 29 September. A total of 18 petitions Chief Justice (CJ) Jayantha have been filed against the 20th eight new envoys Jayasuriya has appointed a Amendment thus far. Six more The Parliament’s Committee on High Posts yesterday (25), special Bench consisting of five petitions were filed on 25 approved the appointment of eight new envoys including Sri Supreme Court Justices to September before the Supreme Lanka’s new Permanent Representative to the UN and envoys consider the 18 Special Court, challenging the proposed to the US, China, India and Japan. Determination Petitions filed 20th Amendment. The Committee meeting was chaired by Speaker Mahinda against the 20th Amendment to One of the petitions filed on 25 Yapa Abeywardena. Secretary General of Parliament the Constitution Bill tabled in September was by the Young Dhammika Dassanayake also participated in the meeting. Parliament by the Government. Lawyers Association. In addition C.A. Chandraprema was approved as Permanent The Bench, besides CJ another petition was filed by a Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations in Geneva, Jayasuriya also consists of four group of UNP candidates who had Switzerland, while S. Amarasekara was approved for the post other Justices, namely Buwaneka contested the recent of High Commissioner of Sri Lanka to South Africa Aluwihare, Priyantha Parliamentary Election including Admiral (Retd) K.K.V.P. Harischandra de Silva was approved Jayawardhane, Vijith K. Dr. Ajantha Perera, Oshala as Ambassador of Sri Lanka to Afghanistan. Malalgoda and Sisira de Abew. Herath, Jeran Jegadeesan and Dr. Vishramal Sanjiv Gunasekara was approved as the The petitions will be taken up Chandima Wijegunawardana. Ambassador of Sri Lanka to Japan. Story Continued on PAGE 2 Story Continued on PAGE 2 Soliciting bribe, not appearing for case for 7 years Russian crew’s SC debars hotel stay lawyer till 2027 BY KAMAL WEERARATNA under probe BY DILANTHI JAYAMANNE The Supreme Court on 25 September decided to remove legal powers vested A probe will be initiated as to how the with an Attorney-at-Law who had been Russian crew which had arrived at the Mattala convicted of soliciting a bribe of Rs MT New Diamond Airport on 13 September had stayed at a hotel 300,000 for not appearing in a legal case which had not been identified as a quarantine and then continuing to ignore appearing centre by the Task Force of the National for the case, for a period of seven years. SL loses Operation Centre for the Prevention of the A three-Judge Bench of the Supreme COVID-19 Outbreak, Chief of the Epidemiology Court comprising Justices Vijith K. chance to claim Unit, Dr. Sudath Samaraweera said. Malalgoda, S. Thurairaja and Preethi Dr. Samaraweera said, the Russian crew had Padman Surasena perused the case. stayed at a hotel in Polhena, Matara, and had The Bench also ordered the convicted US$ 750M been scheduled to fly to China on 24 Attorney-at-Law to return the amount... BY LEON BERENGER September. Story Continued on PAGE 2 Story Continued on PAGE 2 Story Continued on PAGE 2 A2 SUNDAY 27 SEPTEMBER 2020 NEWS New Diamond blaze Customs to repatriate 21 UK waste containers caused air, sea pollution BY SULOCHANA RAMIAH MOHAN be repatriating 21 soon, he added. When queried as to who was Director General of the Sri Lanka responsible for the UK waste, he BY LEON BERENGER Customs, Retired Major General G.V. said, under the existing system, – MEPA report Ravipriya said they will soon be before cargo reaches Sri Lanka, the The Maritime Environmental repatriating 21 waste containers that latter has to issue approval, and the Protection Authority (MEPA) that area the ship was crippled and a metric tonnes of crude oil from the had arrived from the UK last year. matter is pending before Court. He carried out a study on the fallout of more detailed report will be Port of Mina Al Ahmadi in Kuwait to The decision was made on 22 added Maersk Shipping that brought the MT New Diamond fire has completed within this period, adding the Indian Port of Paradip when the September, according to him. the waste, will repatriate it to the UK. confirmed in a report handed over to that only following this could we fire broke out in the vessel’s engine He also said a total of 263 waste He also said the CICT officials are the authorities earlier this week that reach compensation payments in room on 3 September, some nautical containers came to Sri Lanka, of demanding heavy demurrage for air and sea pollution had taken financial terms. miles off the country’s East Coast. which 130 (in 40 foot containers) had those containers that are at their place, a senior most official said on The team of experts deployed for The fire is believed to have been cleared by the Hayleys Group terminal. “I called the CICT and 25 September. the research is currently divided in sparked-off following the explosion of and unloaded in the Katunayake Maersk to tell them that this is a “We are in the early stages of opinion on several issues and it will a boiler and initial investigations Export Processing Zone. After the national issue and to therefore be collecting more data on the adverse take a few days before a consensus have not ruled out negligence on the Court order, they have reloaded that lenient over it. They said, they will impact that was caused to the could be reached, Dr. Kumara part of the crew. waste into 330 containers (20 foot discuss the matter and that very environment before the damages added. The CID has already recorded a containers). soon, the 21 containers will be sent could be assessed in monetary Maritime officials on 25 September statement from the vessel’s Greek He also emphasised that the back.” terms. We hope to complete the said that oil deposits discovered near Captain who is due to appear in remaining containers are at the Ravipriya also stated, though they estimated damages in the following the stricken ship was perhaps Court shortly. Chinese-run Colombo International are unable to trace the UK exporter, report that will be ready by next flushed out from the engine room The vessel has been towed away Container Terminals (CICT) and at Sasikumar Muthuraman based in week,” MEPA General Manager, Dr. after rescue vessels poured tons of further into the deep seas and is the South Asia Gateway Terminals the UK and the importer Sasikumar Terny. P. Kumara said. water onto the ship to douse the fire. currently some 70 nautical miles (SAGT) of the Colombo Port. There who is in Sri Lanka are siblings. He added that more and more The Panama-flagged MT New away from the country’s maritime are 133 containers inside the “Investigations are ongoing in this samples are being collected from the Diamond was transporting 270,000 borders. Colombo Harbour, of which we will regard,” he said. Athurugiriya Army safe house raid Case against fmr Kandy ASP further hearing on 25 Sept BY HANSI NANAYAKKARA raiding a safe house maintained in Court. Further hearing of the The Attorney General has officers and seizing its weapons by Army intelligence officers along trial was fixed to the said date and indicted the accused Patabendige and committing offences Colombo High Court Judge with the arrests of Intelligence Judge Patabendige also ordered a at the Colombo High Court on pertaining to the revelation of Adithya Patabendige on 25 officers and the seizure of former Director of the Army charges of unlawfully raiding a State secrets, imperiling national September deferred further firearms, to 17 December.