SUNDAY 6 DECEMBER 2020 LATEST EDITION VOL: 10/03 PRICE : RS 70.00 Extradition request on Mahendran still pending BY METHMALIE DISSANAYAKE Attorney General (AG) Dappula de Livera has informed the Justice Ministry Secretary the extradition request on Arjuna Mahendran is still pending and a note of clarification has been submitted to Singapore’s AG regarding the matter, Coordination Officer of the AG, State Counsel Nishara Jayarante on Friday (4) said. Story Continued on PAGE 2 AG’s Dept reveals at COPA session Bandula takes top Rs 6.13B Loss bureaucracy to task at Customs ‘Bureaucratic oligarchy has Failure to clear products imported by made ministers mere beggars’ BY GAGANI WEERAKOON AND two palm oil companies flagged METHMALIE DISSANAYALE BY GAGANI WEERAKOON AND the Treasury and the Ministry of Customs has also failed to take A Senior Government Minister METHMALIE DISSANAYAKE Finance S.R. Attygalle has actions against the officials who accused country’s top bureaucrats already taken measures to were involved in this act of fraud. of acting in arbitrary manner that The Auditor General’s investigate and recover the Considering several other has reduced the Cabinet of Department has revealed that a losses incurred. However, COPA issues such as opposing the Ministers to mere rubber stamps loss of Rs 6,130 million had directed the Customs to take installation of a fingerprint and beggars and has incurred, between 2013-2016, immediate action on the matter machine to mark attendance, caused a series of due to negligence on the part of as well. weaknesses in internal embarrassments to Sri Lanka Customs officials Moreover, the Customs has governance, issues pertaining to President Gotabaya failing to clear specific products failed to implement an adequate the recruitment of an Attorney- Rajapaksa and Prime imported by two leading palm oil internal control system at-Law and a Chief Internal Minister Mahinda companies under the regarding the process of imports Auditor for the Legal Rajapaksa. Harmonised System (HS) Code. and exports. As a result of this, Department, the COPA decided This was revealed during the six containers of perfume had to summon Customs officials Story Continued on PAGE 2 Committee on Public Accounts been released under the Western again and in the interim they (COPA) meeting held on 3 medication category and that were ordered to prepare a December. had caused a loss of Rs 40.7 sustainable solution for those COPA heard that Secretary to million to the Government. The issues within two months. Amaradeva’s ashes Health Ministry informs HRCSL Speaker and Sajith still at funeral parlour Cremating exchange words Sirisena’s promise not kept COVID-19 dead BY GAGANI WEERAKOON AND will continue METHMALIE DISSANAYAKE BY TISSA KORATHOTA Speaker of Parliament Mahinda Yapa BY DILANTHI JAYAMANNE Abeywardena and Opposition Leader The ashes of musician Pundit W.D. Amaradeva Sajith Premadasa exchanged words on 4 have been kept in a funeral parlour for more than The Health Ministry will continue to December in Parliament when the four years as the construction of the ‘Amaradeva cremate COVID-19 infected bodies as Speaker told Premadasa that a phrase in Aesthetic and Research Centre’, which was promised recommended by the Technical the latter’s speech would be expunged to be built after his funeral by former President Committee, appointed to look into the from the Hansard. Maithripala Sirisena and the former Prime Minister cremation and burial of COVID-19 During Premadasa’s speech made at Ranil Wickremesinghe, came to an abrupt halt in late bodies, Health Ministry sources said. the Parliamentary Sittings on... 2019. Constructing the ‘Amaradeva Aesthetic and Story Continued on PAGE 2 Story Continued on PAGE 2 Research Centre’ was a promise made by Sirisena at Amaradeva’s funeral. In August 2018, Sirisena presented the Amaradeva Aesthetic and Research... Spitting at PHIs 21,000 tablets at Mahara Prison dispensary Story Continued on PAGE 2 COVID-19 CID awaiting ASP Perera tells Easter Attacks PCoI positive man Dayasiri intervened to experts’ report remanded BY THAMEENAH RAZEEK release six suspects BY THAMEENAH RAZEEK The CID is awaiting an experts’ report on Police bail The suspect who spat at a Public on the pills that were allegedly consumed Health Inspector (PHI) in Atulugama by the Prison inmates during the Mahara BY BUDDHIKA was remanded until 17 December Prison unrest on 29 November, Police SAMARAWEERA after being produced in the Panadura Spokesman, DIG Ajith Rohana said on 4 Magistrate’s Court. December. State Minister Dayasiri The suspect who obstructed the He earlier claimed that some of the Jayasekara intervened in duties of the PHIs was arrested on 4 21,000 tablets used to treat mental releasing six suspects, who were December by the Bandaragama Police illnesses at the Prison dispensary had arrested in connection with the and produced before Court via video been consumed by some prisoners. unrest in the Kuliyapitiya area call on the same day. Accordingly, the CID intends to send in May 2019, on Police bail. He was arrested as per health samples of the tablets allegedly consumed This was revealed when... guidelines after the suspect was ... by inmates to be tested in a bid to ... Story Continued on PAGE 2 Story Continued on PAGE 2 Story Continued on PAGE 2 A2 SUNDAY 6 DECEMBER 2020 NEWS Criminals, terrorist networks Swiss Ambassador meets continue to target Indian Ocean Justice Minister BY SULOCHANA RAMIAH MOHAN – Tharaka Balasuriya Colombo, he said that the rise try to grapple with the most control of its maritime The growing number of drug of violent non-State actors is effective intervention boundaries against naval seizures by various naval closely connected with the strategies to combat the terror units of the LTTE, illegal forces in the Indian Ocean growth in the drugs trade in ensuing social ills of the drugs arms shipments, and piracy. indicates that criminal and the Indian Ocean. on their societies. Sri Lanka He noted that due to the terrorist networks continue to He also underlined that the with the help of the United strategic development of Sri target the Indian Ocean as a drugs trade can no longer be Nations Office on Drugs and Lanka’s naval force, we were trafficking network to isolated as an individual Crime has stepped up our able to meet these challenges transport their products to threat, since evidence obligations and despite incurring a significant Europe and North America, suggests that the profits responsibilities in curtailing cost financially as well as a State Minister of Regional generated from such networks these activities.” significant loss of human Cooperation Tharaka have been used to fund terror He highlighted the ongoing lives. “What these experiences Balasuriya noted. networks from Afghanistan to fight against maritime crime also inform us that Speaking via call at a Somalia. and recalled Sri Lanka’s cooperation among States to The Switzerland Ambassador to Sri Lanka Dominic Furgler called conference on promoting Sri “The effects caused by the decades-long struggle against develop the Naval capacity in on the Minister of Justice, M.U.M. Ali Sabry at the Justice Ministry Lanka’s interest in the drug trade on particularly the violent separatist struggle areas such as information premises on Friday (4). The duo exchanged views pertaining to the maritime domain and economically-vulnerable of the LTTE, during which Sri judicial sphere while Minister Sabry explained several reforms that sharing need to be increased he intends to introduce to the legal sector. The Minister also strengthening regional communities will place Lanka continuously had to to ensure the collective stressed measures he would be initiating to reduce congestion cooperation with the additional financial burdens navigate the perilous security of the Indian Ocean within the prisons sector as well as measures that would be taken European Union held in on developing States, as they challenge of maintaining the region”. to further strengthen the courts system Communist Party calls for holistic approach in tackling COVID-19 The Communist Party of Sri Lanka errant officers if any are responsible stated that it is imperative that the Urges probe of Mahara Prison riot for the deaths of inmates at said State Ministry of Primary Health State Ministry to draw up a with foreign Governments that have that occurred at the Mahara Prison Prison last month. Services, Pandemics and COVID-19 programme which could bring about tested vaccines to combat the spread premises and to ensure that there is The Party also requested the Prevention formulates a mechanism community participation with the aim of COVID-19 with the intention of no repetition of such incidents in the Minister of Health to probe the crisis to provide knowledge to people freely of bringing about a behavioural making such vaccines available to Sri future. within the Sri Lanka Medical Council on the means of protecting change among the masses affected by Lankans at reasonable prices. They have urged the Government to over the recent removal of its themselves from the debilitating the disease. Meanwhile, the Party has also introduce urgent reforms to the Membership Board and to sort out illness. Lastly, the Party has urged the urged the Government to launch an prisons sector following an the issue forthwith without leaving The Party has also proposed to the State Ministry to hold discussions independent probe into the unrest independent probe and to punish room for criticism in the future. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 power. Some of them were Bandula takes top... imprisoned. And then there Amaradeva’s ashes still... are these officials. They have Minister of Trade Dr. should be discussed in this posts in every Government no ... Centre Bill to Parliament. planned to comprise a National Front-led Bandula Gunawardena, House thoroughly.