Student Who Hacked Website placed under probation

The 17-year-old schoolboy, who is facing charges in connection with alleged securing an unauthorised access into the President’s official website was yesterday ordered to be placed under the supervision of the probation officers for three-year period by Colombo Chief Magistrate. Chief Magistrate Gihan Pilapitiya made this order taking into consideration a request made by the Department of Probation and Child Care Services.

Accordingly, the 17-year-old schoolboy would be supervised by probation officers for three-year period with the consent of the parents.

Meanwhile, the Chief Magistrate ordered the CID to obtain an analytical report from Colombo University pertaining to the production items recovered from the suspects’ possession.

The schoolboy and other suspect Dulan Amarasinghe, 27, are currently out on bail.

The CID had alleged that the schoolboy residing in Kadugannawa area had intruded into the President’s official website www.president.gov.lk on August 25 after altering its original data.

A group calling itself the “Sri Lankan Youth” posted a statement in Sinhalese on the web page. The concerned statement says; “We are extremely displeased about the decision to hold GCE A/L in April since the Sinhala/Hindu New Year falls in between the exam dates.

Therefore, reconsider that decision. Furthermore, take care of the security of Sri Lankan websites. Or else, we will have to face a cyber war. If you cannot control the situation hold a Presidential Election. Stop the Prime Minister’s irresponsible work. Look more into the problems of the university students”.

Counsel informed Court that their clients did not have any criminal intention to commit this offence. They informed Court their clients just wanted to tell the fact that the President’s website was with weak security. They further submitted to Court that some parties are attempting to gain political advantages using this incident.

The CID alleged that the suspects had committed an offence which comes under section 3,4,5 and 6 of the Computer Crimes Act.

The CID said investigations have revealed about 37 websites were hacked by the suspects. “The President’s official website had been hacked using two IP address from Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Police are investigating regarding a Bangladesh national who had connived with the two Sri Lankan suspects in hacking the President’s website,” the CID said.

Defense Counsel Susantha Dodawatta appeared on behalf of the schoolboy.

Duminda to be transferred to Sri J’pura Hospital?

The Department of Prisons has reportedly decided to transfer former Parliamentarian Duminda Silva to the Sri Jayawardenapura Hospital for treatment on the recommendation of the Prisons Medical Officers. 

The Prisons Medical officers have reportedly recommended that he be transferred to the Sri Jayawardenapura hospital after having been diagnosed with nausea, prolonged headache, dimensia. They have reportedly mentioned in Duminda Silva’s bed head ticket that he was suffering from nausea, prolonged headache and dimensia.

He has been referred to the Consultant at the Sri Jayawardenapura hospital from whom Silva had been receiving treatments earlier.

Prisons Department sources said that former Parliamentarian Duminda Silva was sent to a hospital in Singapore on the recommendation of this consultant.

Prisons Department sources said that a District Judge has visited Duminda Silva in prison recently and his transfer to the Jayawardenapura hospital got expedited after her visit.

The former Parliamentarian and one time Foreign Ministry Monitoring MP is among five suspects who were convicted of conspiring the murder of former Parliamentarian Bharatha Lakshman Premachandra and sentenced to death. Prisons Commissioner General Nishan Danasingha when contacted by the Daily News said that they will have to transfer Duminda Silva to the Sri Jayawardenapura General Hospital for treatment on the recommendations of prison medical officers.

Silva was admitted to Welikada Prisons hospital two days after he was sentenced to death after, prisons doctors confirmed that he was suffering from fever.

Bus strike against hike in traffic fines

The Lanka Private Bus Owners’ Association (LPBOA) Chairman Gemunu Wijeratne today warned that they would launch a countrywide strike by private bus operators if the government failed to remove the minimum penalty of Rs.2,500 for traffic offences as proposed in the 2017 Budget. 

“We met Finance Minister Ravi Karunayake on about four occasions to discuss our proposals, but he never told us about increasing the minimum penalty discussions regarding our proposals, but he didn’t mention about increasing the minimum penalty on traffic offenses,” he said. 

Mr. Wijeratne said the Budget provides little or no support for the bus services in the country. “The government has reduced the prices of vehicles with an engine capacity of less than 1000cc to encourage vehicle importers and sellers. But there is no benefit to bus services,” he said. (Chaturanga Pradeep)

Vehicle prices affected by 2017 Budget

Sri Lanka’s vehicle importers today announced the duty changes on vehicles as per the Budget proposals presented by the government for the fiscal year of 2017.

The price of vehicles with an Engine Capacity below 1000cc will likely see increase by around Rs. 200,000 while vehicles with Engine Capacity 1800CC to 2000cc could increase by around Rs.900,000.

Electric Cars duty have been Reduced by 11.5%.

Three-wheel Duty has been Increased Rs.250.00 Per CC (duty Increased - Rs. 50,000.00).

No Duty Changes for Hybrid Vehicles up to 1800CC.

HS Codes have been changed for Petrol, Petrol Hybrid, Diesel and Diesel Hybrid Vehicles 1600CC to 1800CC and 1800CC to 2000CC.

Engine Capacity 1800CC to 2000CC Increased to Rs.500.00 Per CC

Examples: BMW X5 duty Increased - Rs.900,000.00
Nissan X-Trail duty Increased - Rs. 995,000.00
Mitsubishi Outlander duty Increased - Rs. 995,000.00

Engine Capacity up to 1000CC Increased Rs. 250.00 Per CC.

Examples: For 800cc Vehicles Rs.200,000.00

Double cabs Percentage 143.8% or Rs. 5,000,000.00 Per Unit.

For Electric Cars duty have been Reduced 11.5% (Duty Reduced From Rs. 500,000.00 to 650,000.00)

For Petrol Buddy Trucks Per Unit Rs. 1,000,000.00 (Duty Increased from Rs.300,000.00 to 450,000.00)

For Passenger vehicles Per Unit Rs. 4,500,000.00 (Duty Increased from Rs.300,000.00 to 600,000.00)

For Diesel Van Per Unit Rs. 4,500,000.00 (Duty Reduced From Rs. 900,000.00 to 1,450,000.00)

For petrol Vans Per CC Rs.1750.00 or 97.75% (Reduced From Rs. 600,000.00 to 900,000.00)

The Year of G V W Exceeding 5 Tons Trucks Amendment 5 to 10 years

For Freezer Unit Rate Rs. 1,500,000.00 (5 To 10 years)

For Dump Trucks Unit Rate Rs. 2,500,000.00 (5 To 10 years)

Hs Code Percentage 2017 Budget by deranapics on Scribd

Donald Trump had acted in a Sri Lankan film

America’s President-elect Donald Trump had acted in a film co-produced by the veteran Sri Lankan film-maker Chandran Rutnam along with Bo Derek.

The 1989 film Ghosts Can’t Do It was directed by John Derek. "John Derek wrote a scene especially for Donald Trump to play himself in a cameo role. We shot the scene in the board room of the Trump Tower. It was a one-day shoot and a delightful experience,” Chandran said.

“But the negative got scratched and we had to do it again. Trump happily agreed," Chandran recalled.

In Ghosts Can’t Do It, Scott and Kate are happily married despite their 30-year age gap. After Scott suffers a heart attack and is unable to make love, he commits suicide and becomes a ghost whom only Kate can see and speak with. To make it possible for Scott to return embodied, they conjure up a plan to have a young man drown so that Scott can take his body.

Bo Derek appeared as Katie Scott, Antony Quinn as Scott, Julie Newmar as Angel, Leo Damien as Fausto, and Donald Trump as himself. Sri Lanka's versatile actor, Henry Jayasena, also appeared in the film. The film was shot in Galle in South Sri Lanka, Thoddu in the Maldives, and the states of Wyoming and New York in the US.

Despite the star-studded cast, Ghosts Can’t Do It bombed at the box office and got negative reviews. It won the Stinkers Bad Movie Award and  Bo Derek the Worst Actress prize. Donald Trump was declared the Worst Supporting Actor at the Golden Raspberry Awards.

Chandran has sent a congratulatory message to Trump on winning the US presidential election and invited him to Sri Lanka. (New Indian Express)

SLFP opposes Mihin Lanka closure

The SLFP yesterday said it was opposed to the decision to close down Sri Lanka’s budget airline Mihin Lanka or merge it with the national carrier SriLankan as Mihin Lanka had become a profitable venture.

Addressing the media at the SLFP headquarters, flanked by party spokesman Dilan Perera, former pilot officer cum Deputy Minister of Tourism and Christian Affairs Arundika Fernando said that if the subject minister Kabir Hashim did not like the name of the budget airline he could change it without closing down the venture.

He said that at the beginning the Mihin Lanka was an unprofitable state owned company and incurred a losses but it became a profitable venture eventually.

Fernando said that according to the world aeronautical standards 150 were employed for one aircraft, but Mihin Lanka operated four aircraft with a total of 300 employees and that was an achievement.

He said shutting down the country’s only budget airline would severely affect the Buddhist pilgrims visiting Bodh Gaya and they would have to pay more to fly there on other airlines

Fernando said Sri Lanka could simply attract regional tourists with Mihin Lanka, but that opportunity too would be missed if it was shut down.

"At present, Sri Lanka’s domestic civil aviation is handled by Sri Lanka Air Force, but it could attract foreign tourists with a budget airline like Mihin Lanka to operate domestic flights in addition to their international operations," the deputy minister said.

Rs 200k Insurance for students

The Government plans to introduce an insurance scheme for all schooling children between the ages of 5 and 19. Each child is to be given an insurance policy of Rs 200,000 which would cover both in and outpatient services, subject to a maximum of Rs 100,000 for hospitalization and Rs 10,000 for outpatient services. 

4.5 million Students would receive this insurance policy for which the Government has allocated Rs 2,700 million.

Minister of Finance, Ravi Karunanayake, noted that although the 2017 allocations for the Education sector were less than that of the year 2016, the allotted monies were still 70 percent more than what was allocated in 2014.

"Due to the undisciplined fiscal management of the previous government, we allocated in 2016, almost three times that of the allocations made in 2014. However, the Ministry of Education has been able to utilize only around Rs 38,850 million at the end of the 3rd quarter of 2016. We took careful stock of the situation and therefore allocated almost Rs 90,000 million for 2017. While I admit that allocation for 2017 is less than that of 2016, it is nevertheless 70 per cent more than that of 2014. I will also be proposing the provision of an additional allocation of Rs 17,480 million to further strengthen the development in the education sector"

To strengthen the implementation of the 13 years of mandatory schooling policy, the Government has allocated a further Rs 5,000 million for infrastructure development, which includes the provision of laboratory equipment and furniture for schools.

A sum of Rs 2,000 million has been allotted to ensure that 1,000 schools in the country will be equipped with basic facilities such as Water, Electricity and Sanitation facilities. The government plans to provide free Tabs for almost 175,000 students who enter the Advanced Level (AL) classes and around 28,000 A/L teachers from 2017and has allocated Rs 5,000 million for this project. Minister Karunanayake invited telecom service providers to support this initiative by providing Wi-Fi connections.

Rs 5,000 million will also be allotted to strengthen IT facilities in 3,500 schools, by allowing them to rent a maximum of 50 computers each.

Concerning Higher Education, a 10-storey building is to be constructed at the Ruhuna University Medical Faculty at Karapitiya enabling the intake to the Ruhuna Medical faculty to increase from 160 to 300 students. Rs 500 million has been allocated for this purpose.

The government also intends to initiate a loan scheme upto a maximum of Rs 800,000 per student for the entire course of studies, for students who do receive admission to State universities. The loan, which will be provided as an interest free loan to 15,000 students based on their 'Z' score to follow courses in selected subjects to cater to the market demand in UGC approved non-State degree awarding entities. Rs 300 million has been allocated for this purpose.

The government also plans to provide 5 year multiple entry visas from 2017, to international students who wish to study in Sri Lanka. Such endeavours will also promote educational tourism.

Budget does not make any sense : Mahinda

This Budget does not make any sense. There are proposals and requests from various sectors. They have levied taxes even on the cooperative movement. 

Beyond that, there is nothing more to talk. There is no relief measure to the public and when the Budget proposals are implemented the public will feel it. We will vote against the Budget.