2436 HIV infected persons in country

Health and Indigenous Medicine Minister Rajitha Senaratne yesterday told Parliament that there were now about 2,436 HIV infected persons in Sri Lanka.

He was responding to a query raised by Matara District UNP MP Buddhika Patirana.

Thirty one AIDS related deaths had been reported during 2015 and from 2011 to 2015 there had been146 reported deaths, the Minister said.

The Health Minister said so far a total of 324 deaths from AIDS related had been reported in Sri Lanka.

Hirunika, eight others bail in abduction case

Colombo district UNF Parliamentarian Hirunika Premachandra and eight others were yesterday granted bail by the Colombo High Court for their alleged involvement in the abduction of a youth using a Defender belonging to MP Hirunika  Premachandra on December 21, 2015. High Court Judge Padmini N.Ranawaka Gunatilleka ordered that each accused be released on a cash bail of Rs.50,000 with two sureties of Rs.500,000. 

The High Court Judge further issued an order preventing all accused from leaving the country and they were ordered to surrender their passports to the Court custody.

While ordering to release the suspects on bail, the High Court Judge observed that the Court would consider imposing a lenient sentence against the accused, if they are willing to plead guilty to the charges at the outset.

The High Court Judge further observed that bail could be canceled and accused would be remanded until the conclusion of the trial, if they were found interfering with the witnesses in the case at anytime.

Meanwhile, the officers attached to the High Court police post was ordered to obtain the fingerprints marks of all accused.

Subsequently, the indictments were served on the accused and case was fixed for trial on January 10 and 11.Apart from the abduction charges, the nine accused have been charged on 29 counts by the Attorney General including threatening, assaulting and intimidating the victim Amila Priyankara after being abducted in Dematagoda.

The accused who were indicted are; Hirunika Premachandra, Kelum Niranjana, Kasun Malinda, Ruwan Pushpakumara, Mohammed Rizwan, Pasindu Sanjeewa, P.S.Abeysiriwardena and Jeganadacal. The eight other accused were the security officers and supporters of MP Hirunika Premachandra. The complainant Amila Priyankara alleged that he was abducted and assaulted by a group of people who came in a black Defender to Dematagoda on December 21, 2015. Senior State Counsel Janaka Bandara appeared for the Attorney General. Senior Defence Counsel Anura Seneviratne appeared for the accused.

Iraj's New Music Video About Lesbian Lovers

Controversial music video producer Iraj Weeraratne has released a new spicy video.

The video contains few lewd shots including two lesbians in action. Titled as "Giniyam Rae", the song is performed by Shermaine Willis featuring Iraj and Kaizer.  It has already exceeded 155,000 views in YouTube.  According to Shermaine’s Facebook page the original song was created two years back.

Rapper Kaizer made headlines for using inappropriate language at a concert recently.

The video is making a sizzling buff in the cyberspace since yesterday. Most are highly critical of the provocative shots of the video.

Some are predicting that Iraj is to be get his hands on porn movie industry.  Some shared the view that Iraj will have a better career in the field.

It was impossible to avoid accident: Kulasekara

Giving evidence at the inquest held into the death of a motorcyclist at Kirillawala, who was struck by a car driven by the Sri Lankan cricket team's fast bowler Nuwan Kulasekara, Mr. Kulasekara said that he was driving home from Gampaha in his car,when he saw something emerge from the middle island of the road and strike his vehicle.

He said he had attempted to turn to the left and then applied his brakes. He added that there was much traffic on this stretch of road and, therefore, he was driving at the relatively low speed of 50 km per hour.

The inquest was held at the Ragama Hospital yesterday into the death of 28 year old Dinesh Aravinda Nissanka a resident of Maimbula, Nittambuwa -- a bachelor and an air conditioner technician. The Kadawatha Police had informed the inquirer into sudden deaths that on the day of the incident the deceased had been riding a motor cycle and proceeding from Colombo in the direction of Kandy. He had lost control of the motor cycle due to his speeding and, after striking the middle island of the road, had been thrown off and struck a motor car travelling on the Colombo -- Kandy Road and been killed.

Nuwan Kulasekara giving further evidence stated that immediately afterwards he had stopped his vehicle on the left side of the road. He had seen in his side mirror that a large crowd was collecting. He had hastened to the scene and seen the victim lying in a pool of blood and observed injuries on his head. As he feared a mob attack he had kept the car at the spot and waited near a shop awaiting the arrival of the police. He had later gone to the Kadawatha Police Station with the police officers and given a statement.

At the request of the police he had presented himself for the inquiry. He said the victim appeared so suddenly that he could not avoid hitting him.

Mr. Kulasekara also said that as a civic conscious person he felt duty bound to assist the family of the deceased and he would honour his obligations.

The post mortem was conducted by the JMO of the Ragama Hospital, Dr U.L.M. S Perera, who said death was due to the deceased sustaining severe injuries on his head when he struck a moving vehicle.(Devapriya Chandrasiri)

Salary hike for Independent Commissions

A motion was presented in Parliament yesterday to increase the remuneration of officials and members of independent commissions including the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe presented the motion in Parliament in his capacity as Minister of National Policies and Economic Affairs.

The motion seeks to revise salaries and allowances of all officials of independent commissions,...

...chief among them being the Director General of the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption, A. A. P. Dilrukshi Dias Wickremesinghe.

The motion reads: "And whereas the approval of the Cabinet of Minister has been granted to pay with effect from 12.02.2015 the following salary and allowances as personal to her, A. A. P. Dilrukshi Dias Wickremesinghe, as the Director General of the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption, which is a post vulnerable to risks to life-

A monthly salary and all allowances accruing to the post of Additional Solicitor General (other than telephone allowance, fuel allowance and house-rent allowance) and;

Allowances paid to Ministry Secretaries including an allowance, telephone allowance and fuel allowance should also accrue to the post of the Director General of the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption and a house-rent allowance paid to officials for whom official quarters are not allocated. With regard to other officials of independent commissions, the motion read;

"And whereas the approval of the Cabinet of Ministers has been granted to pay the following emoluments and allowances to chairmen and members of the nine independent commissions as stipulated in the schedule of Article 41(b) of the Constitution, and as amended by the 19th Amendment to the Constitution – and to treat the date on which the relevant commissions commenced functioning as the effective date from which such payments accrue–

A monthly allowance of Rs 100,000, a monthly telephone allowance of Rs 10,000 and an official vehicle which may be used for personal use along with a quota of 225 litres of fuel or a fuel allowance on par with the prevailing price in the market, to Chairmen other than an Ex. Officio Chairmen. Payment of monthly allowance equal to 50% of the monthly allowance of a Chairman of an independent commission, to an Ex. Officio Chairman appointed to any independent commission, in addition to salary and other allowances related to their substantive posts.

In the case of non Ex- Officio Members of all other commissions except the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption, a monthly allowance of Rs 75,000, a monthly allowance of Rs 8,000 and a transport allowance of Rs 25,000 up to a limit of 350 km or a transport allowance of Rs 50,000 for distance of over and above 350km depending on the distance from their residences to the office of the Commission to be made. An attendance allowance of Rs 10,000 per meeting to be made to Ex- Officio Members of an independent commission as per the provisions laid down in Public Enterprise Circular No. 2/2015 of 17.06.2015;

In the case of the Chairman of the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption and Members thereof who have been equally vested with powers in keeping with the provisions laid down in Section (8) of the "Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption Act, No. 19 of 1994," payment of a monthly allowance of Rs 95,000, a monthly telephone allowance of Rs 8,000 and an official vehicle which may also be used for personal use along with a quota of 170 litres of fuel or a fuel allowance on par with the prevalent fuel price in the market.

Wasim Thajudeen murder: Missing body parts taken to SAITM

The police investigation into the murder of Wasim Thajudeen has found that the missing body parts of the former Rugby player had been taken to the private medical college in Malabe. 

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) informed this to the Colombo Additional Magistrate Nishantha Peiris when the case was taken up for hearing this morning. 

According to statements reordered from the officials of the Judicial Medical Officer’s office, the body parts were moved in 15 parcels in a vehicle on the instructions of former Colombo Chief JMO and Vice Chancellor of the South Asian Institute of Technology and Medicine (SAITM) Prof. Ananda Samarasekara, the CID officials noted. 

An anticipatory bail application filed by Samarasekara over the case was also rejected by the Court earlier. Declaring that he has absolutely no connection to the incident and maintained that he had not committed any offence. 

Therefore Samarasekara requested the court to issue an order directing the police to release him on an anticipatory bail, if arrested over the alleged charges. On September 05, the AG apprised the Court that a case will be filed against Samarasekera under the terms of the Public Property Act in connection with the murder of Thajudeen.

President, CBK Arrive At UNP 70th Anniversary Rally

President Maithripala Sirisena and former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga arrived at the 70th anniversary rally of the UNP a short while ago.

They climbed on the stage at the Campbell Park in Borella with UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe and other leaders of the party.

Sirisena is the leader of the SLFP which was the main rival party to the UNP until the formation of a consensus government in 2015. Sirisena also took part in the last year's UNP anniversary.

Probe on EX-IGP Balasuriya

The Presidential Commission of Inquiry to Investigate and Inquire into Serious Acts of Fraud, Corruption and Abuse of Power, State Resources and Privileges (PRECIFAC) has begun an investigation against former IGP Mahinda Balasuriya for abuse of power in providing police security to eight members of People’s Freedom Front (PFF). 

He had recommended to provide security on an order given by Wimal Weerawans to NFF media spokesman Mohamed Muzammil, Anjan Umma, Weerakumara Dissanayake, Nimal Premawansa, Padma Udaya Shantha, Deepal Gunasekera, Jayantha Samaraweera and Samansiri. 

The Commission has called for reports to ascertain reasons for providing them with police security. (Indika Ramanayaka)