Colombo Traffic Court yesterday issued a warrant for the arrest of Osada Yapa Abeywardena, the son of State Minister Lakshman Yapa Abeywardana for not appearing in court.
This is over a case involving a road accident near Nelum Pokuna theatre on December 19, 2016.
When the case came up before Additional Magistrate Chandana Kalansuriya, Osada Yapa Abeywardena was not present in courts and a warrant was issued for his arrest.
Further magisterial inquiry was fixed for October 3.
The Cinnamon Gardens police alleged that the jeep driven by Osada Yapa Abeywardena had met with an accident near Nelum Pokuna theatre causing severe injuries to a motorcycle rider living in Colombo 10. He was later on released on bail.
Meanwhile, the Court was informed that the suspect Osada Yapa Abeywardena had already paid Rs.125,000 as compensation to the victim Mohammed Riyas, a resident of Colombo 10. The Cinnamon Gardens police had alleged that the suspect could be charged for several traffic offences including reckless driving, failing to avoid getting into a traffic accident and driving a vehicle without a valid license. Police informed court that they were intending to take legal action against the victim as well for his reckless driving.
CLOSE SHAVE FOR MOTHER, DAUGHTER AS ELEPHANT FALLS ON CAR
A teacher named W.S. Wickramasinghe of Vimukthi Mawatha, Anuradhapura and her three-year-old daughter miraculously escaped with minor injuries when an elephant crossing the road fell on the car she was driving as it struck the elephant unexpectedly near the Moragoda reserve on the Padeniya-Anuradhapura road around 5.30 am yesterday. The teacher attached to the Galnewa MMV who is seven months pregnant and her daughter were admitted to the Thalawa hospital, the Thalawa Police said.
Tourism Development and Christian Affairs Minister John Amaratunga regretted last Thursday’s incident where he was compelled to ask journalists to leave his residence.
He said the new found press freedom is being abused by a section of the media to bring the government into disrepute.
He said some journalists have no respect for the truth nor the basic decency to report on facts, the Minister’s media secretary and former Western Provincial Minister Lawrence Madiwela said in a statement clarifying the circumstances that led the minister to respond to the journalists at the time.
Madiwela said a meeting was held at his residence at Kandana to discuss waste disposal at Muthurajawela premises and its impact on the environment with the residents in the area.
“No journalist was invited to cover this meeting and it was open only for members of the organization protecting the Muthurajawela wetlands”, Madiwela in his statement said.
He said that Minister Amaratunga was compelled to ask the journalists to leave his residence as they were posing the same issue repeatedly with a hidden agenda in mind.
Train service to collect relief goods to function tomorrow
A train collecting relief goods for people affected by landslides and floods will function tomorrow under the theme ‘’Puravesi Athwela' humanitarian train’.
The train will leave the Kankesanturai Station at 6.30 a.m.
There on the train will stop at Jaffna, Kilinochchi, Vavuniya, Madawachchiya, Anuradhapura, Maho, Ganewatta, Kurunegala, Polgahawela, Alawwa, Ambepussa, Meerigama, Veyangoda, Gampaha, Ganemulla, Ragama, Hunupitiya, Kelaniya, Dematagoda, Maradana, Colombo Fort, Mount Laviniya, Moratuwa and Panadura stations.
Relief goods which will be collected are:
Kitchen utensils, cleaning equipment, dry rations, clothes for school children and adults, bed sheets, pillow covers, towels, women's sanitary products, mosquito nets, Dettol, Harpic and soap, medical drugs, school stationery, toys and books for libraries.
Donators are expected to hand over their goods to the closest railway station.
This project is organised by the President’s Secretariat Office and the Railway Department.
As the diplomatic crisis in Qatar continues, Sri Lankan authorities assure that all dealings between Sri Lanka and Qatar will proceed as normal. On Monday Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, UAE and Egypt to cut off diplomatic ties with Qatar, accusing its fellow Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member of undermining security in the region by siding with Iran and claiming that it supported the Islamic Brotherhood and ‘Iranian-backed terrorist groups’. Amidst chaos in the Gulf, confusion reigned at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) yesterday as false reports surfaced that banks at the BIA had stopped exchanging Qatari Riyals. When Daily News contacted representatives from the BIA branches of Bank of Ceylon, People’s Bank, and Commercial Bank, they confirmed that the banks were still exchanging Riyals. The BIA Duty Manager claimed that the Central Bank (CB) had informed banks not to accept Riyals, but the CB released a statement categorically denying that it had informed banks not to exchange Riyals.
A representative from the airport’s Sampath Bank branch refused to give any information on the matter over the phone.
Some private money changers, however, have not been buying Riyals for the past three days.
Sri Lankan Airlines in the meantime assured that they would continue to operate its flights to Doha, Qatar as per schedule despite the diplomatic tensions in the Middle East.
Sri Lankan Airlines said they were closely monitoring the situation in the region and added that the regional tension has not affected them. Sri Lankan Airline flights to Doha which operate on a daily basis will function as usual.
Etihad Airways and Emirates however suspended all flights to and from Qatar yesterday, as UAE airspace and territorial waters are closed off for Qatari vessels and aircraft. Foreign media also reported that Qatar Airways had in turn suspended all flights to Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain and Egypt until further notice.
Sources indicate that Sri Lankan Airlines could benefit from the termination of flights from the United Arab Emirates to Qatar, as customers flying between Sri Lanka and the two countries might take their business to the airline. Foreign Employment Minister Thalatha Athukorale reassured that Sri Lankans in Qatar will not have any issues due to the diplomatic tensions in the Middle East.
“It is an issue between the regional countries. The decision has not caused any problem for Sri Lankans living there”, she said.
Minister Athukorale said there were no problems so far in the diplomatic circle as well.
She requested migrant workers to inform the embassy there if they had any plans to return to Sri Lanka. “We will take initiatives to bring them back to the country, if there are any issues”, she said.At present 140,000 Sri Lankans live and work in Qatar apart from another 1.5 million foreign nationals working there.
“All countries have responsibility over their citizens working in Qatar. Therefore, the government will take appropriate measures when needed”, she said. “If you need to know any information please contact the Sri Lankan Embassy in Qatar without believing in fake news”, she said.
Measures to protect historic Payagala Caves from landslides
Multidisciplinary evaluation report has been sought on the historical Pahiyangala cave to decide on steps needed to protect it from landslide threat, Education Minister Akila Viraj Kariyawasam said.
The minister made this observation in reply to a question by JVP MP Dr Nalinda Jayatissa in Parliament today. The MP asked what immediate measures the Ministry has taken to conserve the site in the face of recent landslide threat.
Kariyawasam, observing that the Ministry’s special attention has been drawn to this matter, said that he inspected the site along with the Heads of Archaeological Department and Central Cultural Fund.
He said the Buddhist monks in the site have been asked to evacuate, adding that arrangements would be made to provide them with alternative place to stay.
He said once the report is submitted, the ministry would decide the future measures, adding that foreign expertise would be sought if necessary.
A female demonstrator attached to the Peradeniya University’s Science Facility died after being knocked down by the Colombo-Badulla Podimenike express train while she was walking across the Peradeniya Railway bridge (Kalu Palama) around 9 a.m on June 3. She was identified as Tharindi Wijesiriwardena of Kalagama, Pannipitiya.
Peradeniya police said investigations revealed that after graduating from the Peradeniya university she had received a posting as a computer instructor. She had been awarded the degree at the university convocation held on May 25. She had been boarded in a house at Peradeniya. Investigations are continuing directed by OIC of the Peradeniya Police Chief Inspector Kamal Ariyawasna
44-year-old man arrested for sexually abusing 11-year-old girl
Gamgamuwa Police arrested a 44-year-old married person who has sexually abused a school girl of eleven years.
The suspect was a close friend of the victim’s father who frequently visited that house. While the parents were away, the suspect had accompanied the girl into the hut on a tree and had abused the girl on several occasions.
The girl had confessed this incident to her class teacher and thereafter Galgamuwa police had arrested the suspect.
The suspect was produced before Galgamuwa Magistrate L.T.Warusavithana and was ordered to be kept in remand custody until June 09.
Thousands of dead fish washed ashore at Wattuwakal in the Nandikadal lagoon yesterday. Fishermen say the high temperature in the lagoon is believed to have caused the deaths of the fish. Picture by Killinochchi Group Correspondent
Hundreds of Army personnel deployed to flood hit areas have now focused on disaster relief supplies and restoring the worst-affected areas by opening public roads. Picture shows Army personnel helping a group of displaced people reach a welfare camp.
The government has decided to increase the reinsurance cover for natural disasters to Rs 15 billion this year.
The Cabinet yesterday granted approval to increase the sum allocated to insure all citizens for loss of life and property during times of natural disasters such as Tsunami, floods, landslides, and incidents of lightning.
This is an increase of Rs 5 billion from last year’s cover where the Rs 10 billion insurance cover was split into Rs 8.5 billion for property damage and Rs 1.5 billion for compensation to victims.
This year Rs 12.5 billion will be allocated to property damage and the rest to cover loss of lives.
National Policies and Economic Affairs acting minister Niroshan Perera said he submitted the above proposal to Cabinet under the directive of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday.
Under this scheme, in the event of a natural disaster, Rs 100,000 will be paid in insurance claims in the event of a death while a maximum of Rs 2.5 million is paid for property damage.
The acting minister further explained that the government was the only government to provide free disaster insurance cover to all people.
“At present the government has already paid Rs 125 million in compensation to flood victims in addition to the Rs 150 million in emergency payments”, Perera said.
In 2016, the very scheme gave Rs 2.95 billion to pay 53,000 claims and in the next 2-3 weeks a further Rs 1 billion will be paid to around 7,000 late claims from the 2016 floods.
In 2015, the government took a national insurance cover for all citizens from the National Insurance Trust Fund (NITF) to help them during times of natural disasters. As a result, Cabinet this year already approved Rs 500 million as premium payments to the NITF.
Minister Perera noted that this year too the government will take action to ensure that those who have been affected are given the necessary compensation to get back on their feet again.
