SUNDAY 29 NOVEMBER 2020 LATEST EDITION VOL: 10/02 PRICE : RS 70.00 In Sports Under Lockdown, Scarcity Grips a Colombo Housing Project “We appreciate the President, Police and Tri-Forces for the lockdown and we understand how difficult the situation is, but we want the Government to understand that we are poor people and we are just demanding clean food.” A4 Tracking down overseas India’s NSA Doval LTTE fund raisers INTERPOL in Colombo Assistance Sought – Weerasekara BY SULOCHANA RAMIAH MOHAN India’s National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval and the BY W.K. PRASAD MANJU INTERPOL and Governments in those countries Maldives Defence Minister Mariya Didi were in Colombo to to take action against them. The Intelligence attend the Fourth National Level Trilateral Maritime Security Minister of Public Security, Rear Admiral Forces and the CID have also started to collect Meeting on 27 and 28 November. (Retired) Sarath Weerasekara said, on 27 information on such persons and their associates At the meeting, Doval was also expected to have high level November, assistance of the INTERPOL, the CID who live in Sri Lanka. This information would be bilateral engagements with Sri Lanka’s leadership. and Intelligence Forces will be sought to track highly useful for future action. The two-day meeting focused on maritime security down and take action against those who collect The former United National Front-led cooperation in the Indian Ocean region, the Maldives and Sri funds for the LTTE overseas. Government had not taken any action regarding Lanka. “There are many persons who collected funds these persons and as a result, their network has for the LTTE in foreign countries. Since that is grown. But we will investigate and take action Story Continued on PAGE 2 illegal, we hope to seek assistance from the against them,” he assured. Alleged destruction of forests Shani transferred CEJ sends letters of demand BY RISIDRA MENDIS EIA/AGR/01/2020 dated 15 October to IDH 2020 has provided guidelines to the DG Former Director of the Criminal Investigations The Centre for Environmental Justice of the Mahaweli Authority for the Department (CID), SSP Shani Abeysekera, who (CEJ) has sent letters of demand to the proposed project without adhering to tested positive for COVID-19 recently, has been Director General (DG) of the Central the provisions of the National transferred from the Welikanda Hospital to the Environmental Authority (CEA), the Environmental Act (NEA),” Executive National Institute of Infectious Disease Hospital Mahaweli Authority, the Ministry of Director of the CEJ, Hemantha (IDH) in Angoda on 27 November. Environment and others, over the Withanage claimed. alleged destruction of forests in He further claimed, around 5,828 Story Continued on PAGE 2 Pollebadda, Maha Oya, for the proposed acres (2,359 hectares) are to be Agriculture and Livestock Development cultivated with maize under this project Project at Pollebadda-Rambakan Oya. and the land area is to be divided into “We have learnt that the DG of the parts of around 500 hectares and in Three Ministries CEA under the Reference Number 08/ turn handed over to a few persons. directed to stop Story Continued on PAGE 2 pollution of Kelani River BY GAGANI WEERAKOON AND METHMALIE DISSANAYAKE Priest arrested The Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) on over Maaveerar 26 November, directed three Ministries to work together and set up a mechanism to prevent water commemoration pollution in the Kelani River. The Ministry of Environment, the Ministry of Water BY T. PRATHEEPAN (JAFFNA Supply and the Ministry of Public Services, CORRESPONDENT) AND K. Provincial Councils and Local Government were SARAVANAN (BATTICALOA ORRESPONDENT ordered to set up a collaborative mechanism. C ) Story Continued on PAGE 2 LTTE symbol Jaffna Police have arrested a Catholic Priest, while he was preparing to pay projected on homage to LTTE cadres who died in the war. Prof Dissanayake The Priest, known as Father UK House Bhaskaran, was arrested at 5:50 p.m. appointed SLMC Chair on 27 November, in front of the Jaffna of Parliament Diocese. Police said he was arrested as BY DILANTHI JAYAMANNE A laser image depicting the flower he was preparing to pay homage to the gloriosa superba (niyangala in dead combatants and that he was taken Dean of the Colombo Medical Faculty, Professor Sinhalese and karthigaipoo in Tamil) to the Jaffna Police Station. Vajira Dissanayake was appointed by Health was projected on the UK House of In Batticaloa, in the Eastern Province, Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi as the new Parliament on Thursday, 26 four persons were arrested under the Chairman of the Sri Lanka Medical Council (SLMC). November, along with the words,... Prevention of Terrorism Act for posting... Story Continued on PAGE 2 Story Continued on PAGE 2 Story Continued on PAGE 2 A2 SUNDAY 29 NOVEMBER 2020 NEWS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Priest arrested over... ...photos of the slain LTTE Chenkallady, Chiththandi and In the meantime, the former Shani transferred to... Leader Veluppillai Morakattanchenai areas. A Northern Province Chief Prabhakaran and newly, appointed Development Minister and Tamil Makkal Abeysekera had been General to make Abeysekera’s family congratulating him on his Officer in a Divisional Thesiya Kootani MP C.V. sent to the Gallella arrangements to transfer informing the Commission birthday on Facebook. The Secretariat in the East was Wigneswaran paid homage to Treatment Centre for Abeysekera to the that they have no four persons were from also arrested. Police said that the LTTE dead at his residence prisoners after he tested Welikanda Hospital. information regarding the Eravur. One of the arrested they have identified 90 by lighting oil lamps. He said positive for the virus at the Opposition Leader Sajith status on his health (he was a retired civil servant, and persons who greeted the late that those who fought for the Mahara Prison. He had Premadasa on 27 November has multiple health issues) they were remanded on 26 LTTE Leader on Facebook, liberation of the Tamil people been reportedly transferred requested in Parliament or whereabouts. Given the November. The Police first adding that steps have been will live forever in the hearts of to the Welikanda Hospital that Abeysekera be concerns already conveyed identified the four from the taken to arrest them. the people. following a minor heart transferred to the IDH. regarding security issues condition. The and the threats to his life, Abeysekera was arrested HRCSL we ask you to take for allegedly fabricating made the immediate steps to take evidence in businessman request strong preventive measures Mohammed Siyam’s following to protect his life and LTTE symbol projected... murder case in 2013 in thereby secure Abeysekera, which ex-Deputy Inspector and to urgently ensure the ...‘We remember the heroes no less, then it begs the their violent terrorist General of Police Vaas best possible treatment at who fought for freedom from question whether the British activities, to project slogans Gunawardena and his son the nearest hospital Sri Lankan State genocide’, Government allows the on the symbol of British Ravindu Gunawardena treating persons infected as part of an event organised display of the images of other democracy, tantamount to were sentenced to death in by COVID-19, stated the by the LTTE front terrorist leaders, such as ISIS desecration of not only the 2015. letter signed by the organisations in the UK, to Leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi House of Parliament, but the On 25 and 26 November, Commissioner in charge of commemorate the dead LTTE or Al-Qaeda Leader Osama very idea of democracy and the Human Rights Investigations and cadres. bin Laden? pluralism. Commission of Sri Lanka Inquiries, Ramani However, it would be Effigies of the vanquished The LTTE front (HRCSL) requested the Muttettuwegama urged. interesting to know whether terrorist leader, Velupillai organisations are allowed to Prisons Commissioner (MD) approval had been granted to Prabhakaran, and the flags of function freely in the U.K. the organisers, by relevant his now defunct terrorist and if the attitude of the U.K. authorities, to display this outfit had also been erected authorities towards them is image onto a UK Government in the UK including Wembley. lackadaisical, there will be building, given that The LTTE is singlehandedly serious consequences not permission of a number of responsible for developing only for Sri Lanka, which authorities is required to the now-famous suicide bore the brunt of LTTE’s display any image on a jacket, which they used to terrorism for three decades Three Ministries directed... building in the UK. wipe-out the political but also for the U.K., as these What is even more leadership of Sri Lanka, and outfits are already resolved to During the sitting, the the need to prevent pollution pollution issue. interesting is, if such a Prime Minister of India. radicalise the British Tamil COPE stated, the Kelani of the Kelani River as it is Chairman Dr. Charitha approval had not been They are also responsible youth and promote violent River, a major River in the directly linked to a number of Herath and Members, State granted, whether the British for the deaths of thousands extremism. History shows country and one which issues affecting the country, Ministers Susil law enforcement authorities of innocent civilians, for the that those who have supplies water to Colombo, especially the supply of Premajayantha and Ajith have initiated action against recruitment of children as mollycoddled terrorists and has been severely polluted drinking water, tourism and Nivard Cabraal, and those who are responsible for young as seven years as their fronts have always due to unauthorised urban development. Parliamentarians Eran this act. If indeed permission combatants, forcibly using learnt a bitter lesson. constructions and unlicensed The COPE met on 26 Wickramaratne, Jagath had been granted to display civilians as human shields.