A jeep that was brought down to the country duty-free was impounded by the Police.

The vehicle is said to be owned by former deputy minister – Nishantha Muthuhettigama.

Police say that the vehicle, an Isuzu Bighorn, lacked registration documents. Reports say that he had illegally brought it down on a duty-free basis while he was functioning as the deputy minister of Ports.

Despite being a new model, it had borne an older number and this had triggered doubts. Investigators have now found that the number originally belongs to another vehicle.

The vehicle was stopped for inspection in Galle and was impounded by the officers of the anti-corruption unit in Walana.

It was also revealed that the vehicle was being driven by a police constable attached to the Galle police at the time of the raid. He is said to have worked in the MSD previously.

Upon being questioned, the constable had revealed that the vehicle was owned by Nishantha Muthuhettigama.

Police are also investigating how a policeman is working as a driver while being in the police service.

(Source : Adaderana)

The government will appoint a committee to seek how best to integrate the Tamils of Hill Country Origin further into the Sri Lankan Society, said President Ranil Wickremesinghe.

He said further that although some of the Tamils of Hill Country Origin had integrated successfully into the Sri Lankan society, some have failed and measures would be taken to assist them to do so.

President Ranil Wickremesinghe made these observations addressing at the occasion of accepting a consignment of medicines donated by the Pondicherry Union Territory and people of India on the request of Ceylon Worker’s Congress (CWC) at the Presidential Secretariat this morning (30).

The consignment of medicines was officially handed over to the President by Secretary General of the Ceylon Worker’s Congress (CWC) and Parliamentarian Jeewan Thondaman in memory of the late Mr. Saumyamoorthi Thondaman who passed away 23 years ago on October 30th. The consignment of medicines was subsequently handed over to Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella.

The President said that he would attend to ensure the development of schools in the plantation sector while the Ministry of Health would take over the hospitals in the plantation sector. He assured development in both these areas very soon.

Now the government is also encouraging building of houses and issuing lands to the people of Tamil origin in the Hill Country because they must have their own lands and a place to live in just like other groups in the hill country, the President added.

He said further, steps would be taken to review the plantation economy that could be affected by people leaving the plantation areas after being educated.  As people are being educated, more and more are leaving the plantation sector.  The government has to find jobs for them as well as for other Sinhalese and Muslims who leave their areas to settle elsewhere. So, the government has to look at the future of the groups that would continue to live in the plantation sector and on how to improve the plantation economy as they cannot be allowed to live in a subsistence level.

He said further that these issues would be gradually resolved in the coming years as the government resolves the whole ethnic problem in Sri Lanka.

He assured that the government would take further measures to ensure that Tamil people of Hill Country Origin would have the same facilities as other people in the country as realized and worked on under late President J R Jayawardena’s tenure.

He also requested all leaders of the Hill Country Tamils to join in this endeavor to ensure that all benefits of Sri Lankan citizenship is enjoyed by the people in the Hill Country of Tamil Origin.

The President also appreciated the service rendered by late Thondaman and said he was one of the most outstanding leaders of the 20th century in Sri Lanka as through nonviolence he achieved citizenship for all the people of Indian Origin who stayed back after the Srima-Shasthri Pact. The President said that he got citizenship for some people who should have gone under Srima-Shastri Pact but decided to stay back in Sri Lanka.

Secretary to the President Saman Ekanayake, a representative from the Indian High Commission, several members of CWC including Senthil Thondaman were present at the occasion.

Another group of MPs from the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) are said to be preparing to break away from the party and re-organize themselves as a separate group.

According to political sources, several ministers and state ministers are at the centre of this initiative.

It is said that a group of SLPP MPs without positions have expressed their assent to join them.

It is said that this group has come together with the intention of forming an alliance with the UNP as a separate group at the next election, rather than joining the UNP directly.

At the present, two breakaway factions from the SLPP, led by Anura Priyadarshana Yapa and Dallas Alahapperuma are functioning as separate groups.

Risk of Budget vote being defeated?

Meanwhile, Anuradhapura District MP – Prof. Channa Jayasumana also said that there is a serious risk of the government being toppled if the Budget vote is defeated on December 08th.

Speaking at a media briefing yesterday (29), he said that it is highly possible that the MPs who were absent at the 21A vote, might do the same at the Budget vote. This would create a situation forcing the government to dissolve, he added.

These MPs are currently occupied in ensuring governor positions for their family members and friends, he further said.

Noting that the government currently commands a majority of only 08 – 12 MPs, he pointed out that the Budget vote will definitely be defeated if several MPs in their ranks refrain from voting.

In the meantime, if the Budget proposes relief to only certain sectors while completely forgetting sectors who got the worst hit economy-wise, such as farmers as well as state and private sector employees, we will not back it, he has further said.