SUNDAY 15 NOVEMBER 2020 LATEST EDITION VOL: 09/52 PRICE : RS 70.00 Inside Story Is Contracting COVID-19 a Crime? The Sri Lanka Medical Association (SLMA) conducted a Seminar on Thursday (12) focusing on ‘COVID-19, Dealing with life stressors’, at a time when the number of COVID-19 cases reported from the second wave topped... A4 Govt cautions stranded Lankans Majority of COVID-19 deaths Repatriation Only NCD patients BY DILANTHI JAYAMANNE The total COVID-19 related national death toll reached Through 53 with five more deaths being recorded. The five most recent deaths include four males and a female. Director of the Health Promotion Bureau, Dr. Palitha Karunapema said a majority of those who had succumbed Govt Institutions to COVID-19, during the second wave, were those who were patients whose chronic disease condition had been The Government on Friday announced the demand payments, fees or any form of financial heightened by the viral infection. resumption of repatriating Sri Lankans stranded charges to facilitate entry permission to Sri Lanka overseas from Monday (16). or any third country. Story Continued on PAGE 2 However, the Foreign Ministry urged all The Ministry announced that no individual or prospective Sri Lankan travellers, both inbound entity is authorised by the Government to facilitate and outbound, to be cautious of individuals who the entry to or exit from Sri Lanka other than... Sajith sacks Diana Story Continued on PAGE 2 Opposition and Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) Leader, Sajith Premadasa, has decided to immediately No proper law Chamal proposes Decision on expel SJB MP Diana Gamage who voted in favour of the 20th Amendment, from Delimitation burials after the SJB. to deal with Premadasa had been given the Committee Tech Committee power to take a decision in this public health regard during the SJB Executive State Minister of Committee meeting held on Internal Security, Home report 12 November. emergency Affairs and Disaster Minister of Health Accordingly, Management, Chamal Pavithra Premadasa has decided – Sumanthiran Rajapaksa, proposed to Wanniarachchi, on 13 to expel Gamage from the the Cabinet of Ministers to November said the final Party. BY GAGANI WEERAKOON AND set up a Delimitation decision on burying the METHMALIE DISSANAYAKE Committee that could remains of those who Story Continued on PAGE 2 establish new Divisional die due to COVID-19 Tamil National Secretariats and gazette related complications, Alliance existing Divisional will be reached after Parliamentarian, M.A. Secretariats, and for establishment and receiving the report of Sumanthiran, on 13 reconstruction of Grama Niladhari (GN) the technical November claimed in Divisions. committee comprising health experts. Parliament, there is no The proposed Members to the Committee The committee was appointed on 11 proper law to deal with include the Secretary to the Ministry of Local November. the public health Government (LG) or one of its In a special statement, Wanniarachchi emergency that has representatives, the Registrar General or... said the Cabinet of Ministers did not... arisen following the COVID-19 outbreak Story Continued on PAGE 2 Story Continued on PAGE 2 and that certain existing laws are outdated. Participating in the Adjournment Flouting COVID-19 orders Debate on the COVID-19 situation, Sumanthiran said: “We do not have a law to deal with public health emergencies. Bus permits will be cancelled We have outdated laws like the Quarantine and Prevention of Diseases BY KEERTHI MENDIS week time period to comply with Ordinance, among others. those instructions. Sources at the Ministry of Amunugama further said if the Story Continued on PAGE 2 Transport said if buses were to drivers and conductors do not use transport passengers in violation gloves and facemasks, strict legal of the orders that have been steps will be taken by the Police Since AG has documents issued by the Ministry, to curb the and action will be taken against COVID-19 pandemic, steps will be all Sri Lanka Transport Board and taken to cancel their permits. private buses which are engaged Probe on State Minister of Transport in transportation against the Dilum Amunugama said bus health guidelines issued by the Bathiudeens owners have been given a one- Ministry. won’t be Story Continued on PAGE 2 Easter Sunday PCoI hampered No Parliament Hizbullah BY KEERTHI MENDIS sittings for submitted forged A CID source said since the documents jailed MPs documents regarding the BY BUDDHIKA SAMARAWEERA investigation on MP Rishad Bathiudeen except to vote Former Governor of the Eastern and his brother, in BY GAGANI WEERAKOON AND Province, M.L.A M. Hizbullah has connection with the METHMALIE DISSANAYAKE submitted forged documents, in order to 21 April 2019 Easter obtain a 25-acre land for the construction Sunday terror attacks, have been The Parliamentary Business Committee, of the Batticaloa Campus, which is forwarded to the Attorney General, no decided not to allow MPs who are imprisoned believed to be the largest Shariah difficulty will occur concerning future at the Welikada Prison Complex, including University in South Asia. investigations, despite the transfer of the the Magazine Prison, to attend Parliament This was revealed when two officials of officers who were conducting the probes. sittings due to the COVID-19 outbreak. the Department of Social Services and... Story Continued on PAGE 2 Story Continued on PAGE 2 Story Continued on PAGE 2 A2 SUNDAY 15 NOVEMBER 2020 NEWS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Hizbullah... Sajith sacks... ...the Mahaweli Authority of Sri Lanka Sources said, as the power to take a decision regarding the other testified before the Presidential seven MPs who voted in favour of the 20th Amendment has been Commission of Inquiry into the 21 April given to the Leaders of the Parties they represent, they should inform 2019 Easter Sunday bombings, on 13 the SJB Executive Committee in that regard. November. Director of Lands at the Mahaweli Authority, Asanka Udayakumara said Hizbullah had applied for the land through a social services organisation called the Hira Foundation, Bus permits... which is founded by Hizbullah. Attention has been drawn in disinfectants to the buses by the However, a Social Service officer of the this regard as the passengers Road Passenger Transport Social Services Department, Dhammika have informed the authorities Authority is not a practical Wasalabandara who previously testified regarding the difficulties they method and that the bus owners before the Commission, said Hizbullah have faced due to the use of face should buy them themselves. had used a false certificate stating that masks and gloves, the use of He further said special groups the Hira Foundation was registered with disinfectants and transporting will be deployed from next week the Department. Udayakumara also said passengers more than the at the District level to raid the that on 15 March 2012, Hizbullah had number of seats. buses which violate the requested the then subject Minister He emphasised that providing guidelines issued by the Nimal Siripala de Silva to obtain land for face masks, gloves and Ministry. the construction of a higher education centre in the Eastern Province with the assistance from Saudi Arabia. The request was written on a letterhead of the Minister of Child Development and Decision on... Women’s Affairs, he said. In the letter, ...take any decision on the burial of COVID-19 dead during the last Hizbullah made a request for a 25-acre Cabinet meetings. Repatriation only.. plot of land. “Several parties have requested us to allow them to bury the remains of COVID-19 dead. But, we have not taken any decision ...the Government institutions contactsrilanka.mfa.gov.lk/. regarding the matter yet. When that request was informed to the concerned. Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Cabinet, they instructed me to take a decision after receiving the There were several accusations that Dinesh Gunawardena said the report of the technical experts committee,” she noted. private entities were involved in the Government has repatriated around Probe on... repatriation and quarantine of Sri 40,000 stranded Sri Lankans since Only three senior officers have been Lankan who wanted to return to Sri the outbreak of the COVID-19 appointed instead of the 19 CID officers Lanka during the pandemic period, pandemic. This includes 17,861 who have been transferred. were subjected to corruption and migrant workers stranded in the However, another CID source said No proper... malpractice. Middle East. among those officers there were Officers- Laws are insufficient to deal recommendations. In that The repatriation process which was In addition, there are over 9,800 in-Charge (OIC) of eight units of the CID. with the current crisis. I will letter, they have very clearly temporarily suspended due to the registered with the Foreign Ministry There were also four female Police officers. tell you one example of the stated, what is being imposed rising numbers of case loads, will be web portal to be repatriated. The The source added that these four female issue concerning this in the country and calling it resumed in the coming weeks with majority of them are from the Middle officers had worked hard on the quarantine curfew. curfew is not lawful. It needs priority offered to the most vulnerable East, Latin America, South Korea, investigations regarding the allegations “On 3 May, I wrote to the to be regularised. and deserving cases. Japan and Southern Europe. against Rishad Badiudeen and his brother. Human Rights Commission “Now many days have Those who reside overseas may Minister Gunawardena also said He emphasised that transferring such expressing the view that passed but no action has been contact the nearest Sri Lanka negotiations are underway with skilled officers is problematic. lockdowns and curfews are taken to address the issue. It Embassy, High Commission or countries such as Jordan and Qatar, He further said that though new officers necessary during times like is clear that there is no proper Consulate General for information or to find alternative employments for are appointed, they will take some time to this.