Minister of Primary Industries, Daya Gamage says he is against the 'good governance' government which is destroying Buddha statues.He said this in a media conference at Ampara.
He further stated that he will resign from minister post if this continues. Minister said that even other religious leaders have agreed to give proper place to Buddhism.
The good governance would not be harmed because of keeping Buddha statues.
In a tragic incident, two Kannada actors, Uday and Anil, are feared drowned in the waters of Thippagondahalli reservoir on the outskirt of the city on Monday afternoon, while filming the climax of a movie.
Duniya Viji, the lead actor of the movie Maasti Gudi, too made the jump but narrowly escaped as he was wearing a life jacket.
According to the police, the crew did not have permission to shoot inside the reservoir. The Taverekere police along with the fire and emergency service personnel rushed to the spot and efforts are on to trace the bodies.
Ironically, Uday who was also acting as villain in the movie, spoke to the media minutes before the incident, stating that he was flying in the helicopter for the first time. The duo were not wearing any life jacket nor there was any security measure.
While the production unit had taken permission for the film shooting at the reservoir, Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) said the unit had violated the approval by going into the water.
"They had asked for permission to shoot on the banks of the reservoir and the gardens. Our officials also had been posted to oversee. After an hour, they said they were done with their shooting and the officials returned to their chambers. During this time, the unit has illegally performed a stunt over the reservoir waters," said a BWSSB official.
A BWSSB official at T.G. Halli said they had rushed back to the filming site on being informed of the incident. "There was no safety at all. The engine of the boat they had brought there, did not even switch on," he said.
The Court of Appeals today ordered the Colombo High Court to release former MP Tiran Alles, who is in remand custody over the RADA case, on bail.
On November 2, he and two others were remanded till November 10 over the RADA case where they are accused of misappropriation of Rs. 200 million of Tsunami funds.High Court Judge Kusala Sarojini Weerawardena ordered them to be remanded since the charges fall under the Public Properties Act.
The words 'Adam's Peak' have been spray painted over in black on the signage leading to Samanalakanda.
Samanalakanda is known for the 'Shri Pada', i.e., 'sacred footprint'- a rock formation near the summit, which in Buddhist tradition is held to be the footprint of the Buddha, in Hindu tradition that of Shiva and in Islamic and Christian tradition that of Adam.
The customs duty on Toyota Premio, Allion and Honda Vezel has increased between Rs.220,000 to Rs.400,000 fromt November 1, Vehicle Importers Association of Sri Lanka Chariman Dinesh Senanayake said yesterday.
“The base value of the customs duty has been increased according to the vehicle valuation,” Mr. Senanayake said. Accordingly, the new customs vehicle duty on a Toyota Premio will be Rs. 384,027, while Rs. 362,570 will have to be paid on a Toyota Allion and Rs. 220,222 on a Honda Vezel.
However, customs media spokesman Dharmasena Kahandawa said vehicle valuations had not been increased by the customs but the vehicle manufactures had increased their prices for 2017 models for additional facilities. The latest prices of the increased vehicles had been published on their own company websites and the valuation price of Sri Lanka customs had been increased according to the new company prices, he said.
This was not a sudden decision but taken according to gazette notifications issued by the government earlier, he said. (Chaturanga Pradeep - Daily Mirror)
A 21-year-old Palaniyandi Paramasivam complained to Maskeliya Police that his sister, a 40-year-old mother of three, Palanayandi Katbagawalli, a resident of Strathspy tea estate, Ledbruke, Maskeliya, has mysteriously died in Riyad, Saudi Arabia.
Katbagawalli has a son, 9 and two daughters, 12 and 13. She had left for employment in Saudi Arabia as a housemaid in October 2015. Katbagawalli was the breadwinner of the family.
The children's father is said to have left them a year and a half ago. The three children who live under the guardianship of their grandmother, attend Gawarawila Demala Maha Vidyalaya, Maskelya.
The brother of the victim has said in his complain to the police that his sister spoke with him for the last time on October 26. The victim had told her brother that she is moving to a new place of work where the house maids are treated inhumanely.
"I saw my sister's photo and information on her death on Face Book on November 1. It was then that I got to know that my sister had passed away. I called the private agency that sent my sister for work. However, they did not give me a clear answer. Face Book offered a telephone number to which I later spoke. The phone number belonged to a Sri Lankan house maid who worked in the same neighborhood where my sister used to work. She told me that the house-owners where my sister worked, had beaten her and carried her to some camp.
The informant told me that the house-owners had not fed my sister for two days and that they have injected a drug to kill her. Apparently, they have killed her on October 3. Nobody has informed us by letter or in any other form that my sister is dead. I have a strong suspicions about her death. I hope the government will look into this and take steps to bring my sister's body back to Sri Lanka," Palaniyandi Paramasivam said.
The police used tear gas and water cannon against disabled tri-forces and police personnel in Colombo on Monday, in an attempt to block them from marching to the Presidential Secretariat Office.
The differently abled War Heroes were protesting demanding pension benefits for disabled veterans who have not completed 12 years of service.
They have as well as launched a fast unto death in front of the Fort Railway Station over the issue. Hundreds of abled tri-forces and police personnel are engaged in the protest since last week.
Earlier, three former soldiers in the fasting protest were also admitted to the Colombo National hospital on 3 November. However, as at present, President Maithripala Sirisena has instructed the relevant officials to take steps to provide pension benefits to the differently abled War Heroes who volunteered to retire prematurely due to medical reasons.
The Wildlife Department found the largest crocodile in Welegoda, Matara this morning. The croc believed to weigh close to a ton and 17 feet long was found stuck in a canal leading off the Nilawala River.
The crocodile had attempted to enter the canal in search of food as the water levels in the river had risen.
The giant reptile was released back into the river by Wild life officials at Mirissa and Kalawetiya.
