SUNDAY 30 AUGUST 2020 LATEST EDITION VOL: 09/41 PRICE : RS 70.00 Inside Story ‘Buy If You Want or Just Leave’ “What is the point if you can’t even spend a couple of extra rupees for your pleasure? These are the prices we have here. Buy if you want or just leave, for god’s sake!” A10-11 20A in Parliament 3 September BY W.K. PRASAD MANJU A senior Government politician said, the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna will table the 20th Amendment to the Constitution, aimed at repealing the 19th Amendment, on 3 September and also asserted that a group of MPs from the Opposition were also willing to support the ruling alliance’s decision. He observed that the proposed 20th Amendment to the Constitution will also entail a clause to the effect of granting powers back to the President to effect appointments and changes to top ranking Western Intelligence Agency gave Government posts. information on NTJ leader Story Continued on PAGE 2 PCoI hearings on Easter Sunday Attacks Zaharan Was Hiding Sirisena instructs Attorney not to grill SDIG Jayawardena in Foreign Country BY BUDDHIKA SAMARAWEERA Former President Maithripala Sirisena – SDIG Jayawardena has instructed Attorney-at-Law Pulasthi Rupasinghe, who is representing him at the Presidential Commission of Inquiry BY BUDDHIKA SAMARAWEERA hiding in a foreign country, said former SIS (PCoI) probing the bombings on 21 April Director, SDIG Nilantha Jayawardena. 2019 Easter Sunday, not to cross- The SIS in February 2019 received intelligence This was revealed when Attorney Major I.P.D. examine former Director of State information from a prominent Western intelligence Prageeth appearing for a former senior official of Intelligence Service (SIS), Senior DIG agency that NTJ Leader, Zaharan Hashim, was the Directorate of Military Intelligence (DMI)... Nilantha Jayawardena, who is... Story Continued on PAGE 2 Story Continued on PAGE 2 Attending Parliament Staffer miscalculates meal price Prisons Dept ordered to Speaker to present food facilitate Jayasekara cost to Parliament BY GAGANI WEERAKOON had not been brought to BY GAGANI WEERAKOON AND cost and then AND METHMALIE Parliament. METHMALIE DISSANAYAKE dividing it by DISSANAYAKE Sri Lanka Podujana 225, which was Peramuna Colombo District With mounting debates on how the officer Speaker Mahinda Yapa MP Premanath C. Dolawatte parliamentarians enjoying arrived at the Abeywardena on 28 August raising a point of order, extravagance at public expense, Rs 3,000 figure. ordered the Prisons brought to the attention of Speaker Mahinda Yapa He made these Department to facilitate the Speaker that preventing Abeywardena told Parliament on observations in Ratnapura District MP-elect Jayasekera from attending Friday (28), that he would present response to MPs Premalal Jayasekara to Parliament amounted to a detailed bill to the House on the displeasure over attend Parliament. depriving the people of cost of food in Parliament in the a statement by a The Department had Jayasekera’s electorate their near future. staffer that earlier been ordered to allow representation in Parliament. He said the cost of a meal for an Rs 3,000 was Jayasekara to attend “Jayasekera had polled MP was around Rs. 296. spent on a meal per MP. Parliament. over 140,000 preferential Speaker Abeywardena said a SLPP National List MP Gevindu However, Jayasekara, who votes at the last General Parliament staffer overrated the Kumarathunga said the is currently on death row, Election. cost by calculating the entire food statement by a staffer during... Story Continued on PAGE 2 Story Continued on PAGE 2 O/L exam Islandwide blackout White van Media briefing from 18 to 28 Disciplinary Rajitha, Rumi probe against indicted January 2021 BY HANSI NANAYAKKARA A/L exam from 12 Superintendent Colombo High Court Judge Gihan Kulatunga on 28 August served October to 6 November begins indictments on Samagi Jana BY THAMEENAH RAZEEK Balawegaya Parliamentarian Dr. BY THAMEENAH RAZEEK Rajitha Senaratne and former The GCE Ordinary Level (O/L) Chairman of the State Pharmaceutical Examination 2020, which was previously The Ministry of Power has commenced Corporation Mohamed Rumi, over the scheduled to be held in December 2020, disciplinary inquiries against the Electrical controversial Media briefing pertaining has been postponed due to the COVID-19 Superintendent, who is alleged to have made to alleged white van abductions held in pandemic situation, and will be held from the error and precipitated the 17 August the lead-up to last year’s Presidential 18 to 28 January 2021. islandwide power breakdown. Poll. It was previously decided to conduct the Addressing the Media on 28 August, at the The indictments, filed by Attorney Grade Five Scholarship Examination on Department of Government Information, General, Dappula de Livera on 31 July, 11 October 2020, while the GCE Advanced Director (Development) at the Ministry, were served on the two defendants. The Level Examination will be held from 12 Sulakshana Jayawardena noted that the defendants were enlarged on two October to 6 November 2020. preliminary disciplinary inquiries may... personal bails of Rs 500,000 each... Story Continued on PAGE 2 Story Continued on PAGE 2 Story Continued on PAGE 2 A2 SUNDAY 30 AUGUST 2020 NEWS Ranawaka’s hit-and-run case Karu’s office claims UNP Five A/L membership paid students caught Further hearing put using heroin Five Advanced Level students were caught while using heroin off for 17 September inside a school in Killinochchi, Police said. BY HANSI incident, were present in indicted the three accused According to Police, the NANAYAKKARA Court while being out on on 16 counts and on students had used the drug in the bail. charges of causing grievous belief they could score high marks Colombo High Court At the outset, Judge injuries to two youth, the at the Examination. Judge Gihan Kulatunga on Kulatunga inspected compilation of false Investigations have revealed 28 August fixed further whether the second and evidence, fleeing after that an unidentified person from hearing of the hit-and-run third accused in the case causing a traffic accident, Trincomalee had given the case involving Samagi Jana Kumara and Asmadala, had failing to report a traffic students 80 milligrams of heroin Balawegaya Parliamentarian fulfilled the bail conditions accident to the Police, for Rs 5,000 and had assured Patali Champika Ranawaka imposed on them. conspiring to conceal and them that they would be able to and two others, on charges Deputy Solicitor General destroy evidence related to Former Speaker, Karu Jayasuriya’s office said a new answer questions at the of maiming the youth Dileepa Peiris and State the case, the submission of membership card for 2020, had not been printed by the UNP. examination with ease. Sandeep Sampath in Counsel Yasindu a false report to the The card printed for 2019 with the official logo of the Party Earlier, the same students had Rajagiriya four years ago, to Seneviratna represented the Colombo Chief Magistrate’s which the General Secretary accepted as being valid for this scored high marks at the GCE 17 September. prosecution. Anuja Court to protect one of the year as well. Ordinary Level Examination. The three accused, Premaratna (PC) and accused from being Issuing a Media release, they stated their attention had been The students were later Ranawaka, Dilum Thusitha Attorneys-at-Law Ajith punished over the offence, drawn to recent claims made that Jayasuriya had not obtained produced before the Kilinochchi Kumara who had acted as Pathirana, Geeth falsely claiming that the UNP membership. These claims had been made by those very Magistrate and released on the driver of the vehicle Jayasingha, Gunarathna vehicle was driven by the people who were responsible for the political demise of the UNP. Rs 100,000 personal bail each. involved in the hit-and-run Wanninayaka, Rajitha second accused, among The Media unit also released copies of the UNP membership Following the detection, a incident and ASP Sudath Kodithuwakku and Inoka others, concerning the hit- card to the Media, bearing number 0459 (issued following a meeting was called by the Zonal Asmadala who was the OIC Hettiarachchi represented and-run incident that had payment of Rs 20) and the UNP membership card bearing No. Education office with the parents of the Welikada Police the three accused. taken place in Rajagiriya on 749047 (issued following a payment of Rs 1,000) issued officially and other connected persons. Station at the time of the The Attorney General has 29 February 2016. by the UNP. (LB) CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 20A in... He remarked that this power, the draft of the 20th Amendment is which was previously vested with set to be submitted to the Cabinet the President, had been of Ministers on 2 September. Zaharan was... transferred to the Constitutional Meanwhile, the Government ...cross-examined SDIG according to the minutes of the said out its investigations into Zaharan, Council (CC) through the 19th politician opined that already a Jayawardena on 28 August at the intelligence review meeting, the former SDIG Jayawardena said, it was not a Amendment and noted that the sizeable number of Opposition Presidential Commission of Inquiry senior official of the DMI, for whom barrier. aim of the new Amendment is to MPs were conducting talks with (PCoI) probing the bombings on 21 Prageeth was appearing, in a report However, Prageeth pointed out that revert to the former position. the ruling alliance on their April 2019 Easter Sunday. had mentioned that Zaharan may there was a considerable gap between The politician also pointed out intention to back the mooted 20th He was questioned regarding the have fled to India in March 2019. the DMI and the SIS with regard to that through the 20th Amendment, Amendment. He mentioned that minutes shared at the weekly Responding to a question as to sharing information pertaining to the Government will also look to these Opposition MPs had Intelligence review meeting held on 19 whether that report shared by the DMI Islamist extremism and Zaharan’s increase the composition of the consented to back all progressive March 2019.