Elderly Dutch woman sexually abused

Police are on the hunt for a suspect who allegedly sexually abused a 61-year-old Dutch woman at the Kalametiya beach in Hungama. Police said the woman is holidaying in Sri Lanka. 

She has been directed to the Hambantota hospital for a medical examination. Police launched a search operation to nab the suspect.

Ban on lunch sheets, Regiform lunch boxes

The Central Environmental Authority (CEA) is contemplating on banning lunch sheets, regiform lunch boxes and PET (polyethylene terephthalate) small bottles of water and other drinks next year, CEA Director General K H. Muthukudarachchi said.

Speaking to the Media yesterday, Muthukudarachchi said a Committee of Experts appointed as of a Cabinet paper submitted by President Maithripala Sirisena has come up with these recommendations.

He said the Committee has also proposed to increase the ban on polythene less than 20 microns up to 40 microns.

Muthukudarachchi said the recommendations have been forwarded to the President, adding that those would be implemented next year with the ideas and proposals of the President.

The Expert Committee was appointed in September to prepare a national policy and an action plan on the use of polythene, plastic and bio-degradable plastic. However, the Director General said a grace period of about six to seven months would be facilitated for the public and manufacturers to adjust themselves to the new regulations before they come into effect.

He said CEA conducted about 1,000 raids this year and proceeded legal action against 500 offenders who produced, stored or sold polythene less than 20 microns violating the law. This law was implemented from February this year following a grace period.

“The import of polythene less than 20 microns has been completely stopped and we are conducting raids on manufacturers and sellers who violate this law. The Consumer Affairs Authority is supporting us in this endeavour,” he said.

Emission monitoring under CEA scrutiny

The emission levels of the country’s power plants and large scale industries with furnaces and boilers will come under thorough scrutiny of the Central Environmental Authority (CEA) from next year. CEA Director General K.H. Muthukudaarachchi speaking to the Daily News yesterday said the Gazette spelling out the emission control regulations would be issued by the middle of next year.

He said emission monitoring would begin soon after the gazette.

Muthukudarachchi said once the gazette received the consent of the Legal Draftsman’s Department and the Attorney General, it would be signed by the President and implemented with immediate effect.

He said the CEA has procured equipment spending Rs. 30 million to its lab to monitor emission levels.

He added nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, hydro carbon and suspended particulate matter (SPM) would be checked as of the new regulations.

“We will first check on the emission levels of the power plants, steel industries and other large scale industries with furnaces and boilers. We have about 200 such plants and factories in the country. Then we will gradually apply those regulations to other factories also.

The factories with emissions will be required to install emission control systems. Legal actions will be taken if emission levels exceed the stipulated parameters,” Muthukudarachchi said.

He said an ‘Online Water Quality Monitoring Station’ would be installed in Kelani River next year with the funding of Rs. 50 million from the Coca Cola Company.

“Then we can detect any variation of the water quality via an online system,” he said.

Chile earthquake triggers tsunami warning

An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.7 off the coast of Chile has prompted a tsunami warning.

The quake struck about 225km (140 miles) south-west of Puerto Montt in southern Chile at 14:22 GMT, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said.

Its depth was about 15km (10 miles). There are no details yet of damage.Chile's national emergency office has issued an alert and ordered the evacuation of coastal areas of Los Lagos region.

"As a measure of precaution, we order the evacuation of coastal areas of Biobio, Araucania, Los Rios, Aysen," the alert said.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said hazardous waves of up to 3m (9ft 10in) above tide level were possible on coasts located up to 1,000km from the quake's epicentre.

Residents of Quellon, a town near the epicentre, were among those heading to safe areas, according to local media.

"I've lived for 10 years in the south and never felt something like that," a resident who was leaving his house said.
BBC

World's Tallest Christmas Tree in Colombo

Sri Lanka unveiled a towering Christmas tree on Saturday, claiming to have surpassed the world record for an artificial Christmas tree despite constructions delays and a shorter-than-planned finished product.

The 238-foot tree, built in capital Colombo, is 18 meters taller than the current record holder, organizers said. The tree’s steel-and-wire frame is covered with a plastic net decorated with more than 1 million natural pine cones painted red, gold, green and silver, 600,000 LED bulbs and topped by a 20-foot shining star.

The tree cost $80,000. The Catholic Church criticized the tree as a “waste of money” and suggested that the funds better be spent on helping the poor.

Currently, the record is held by a Chinese firm that put up a 180-foot tree-like tower of lights and synthetic foliage, ornaments and lamps in the city of Guangzhou last year.

Organizers said they wanted the tree to help promote ethnic and religious harmony in the Buddhist-majority South Asian island nation.

The Guinness World Records is yet to confirm if this is the tallest artificial Christmas tree. Currently, the record is held by a Chinese firm that put up a 55-meter (180-foot) tree-like tower of lights and synthetic foliage, ornaments and lamps in the city of Guangzhou last year.

One person dead following shooting in Weyangoda

An individual has died following a shooting that took place near the Weyangoda Train Station.

Police say that 4 passengers were travelling in the vehicle that was targeted.Another individual sustained injuries in the shooting that occurred at 11 last night and was admitted to the Wathupitivala Hospital.

The passengers who were being shot at were a group travelling from Nittambuwa to the Weyangoda Economic Centre.

Police say that no information has yet come to light with regard to the suspects responible for the shooting.

The Police added that a special investigation is currently underway to nab the suspects.

Woman Dies at Nevil Fernando Hospital

A married woman who was admitted to Neville Fernando Hospital at Malabe died while the surgery was being carried out say reports.

Relatives of the victim complain that the death was due to negligence of the doctors at the hospital. The Medical Students’ Action Committee in a press conference had stated that the death of the woman was due to the negligence of the hospital.

Neville Fernando Hospital at Malabe is used as the teaching hospital for students of SAITM institute that offers illegal medical degree certificates while the Medical Council of Sri Lanka has confirmed that it is a teaching hospital that doesn’t conform to recognized standards.

There have been several deaths due to negligence of the doctors in the hospital.

IGP shuts doors to Media

IGP Pujith Jayasundera has ordered the Police Department to suspend the release of any information via email to the media, with effect from 22 December.

The Police Media Spokesman's office which was set up at the Police Department had hitherto supplied information through e-mail to private media outlets ranging from taking suspects into custody, traffic accidents, transfers of police officers, traffic congestion, murders etc , all of which were in the public interest.

However, following an order by the IGP such information to media outlets has been suspended with effect from 22 of this month.

Even though the police media spokesman's office had not provided such information to private media outlets on 22 and 23 December, they had done so to State media outlets.

There was a widespread public outcry recently following the wide publicity given to a telephone conversation between the IGP and an unidentified top politician, at an event in Ratnapura. Efforts to contact IGP Jayasundera on his mobile phone for comment proved futile.

All five suspects in Nadaraja Raviraj murder acquitted

Five accused including three Navy intelligence officers who were accused over the murder of former TNA Jaffna district MP Nadaraja Raviraj were yesterday night acquitted and released after they were found not guilty by the Colombo High Court.

The verdict delivered by High Court Judge Manilal Waidyatilleke yesterday night as per the unanimous decision reached by the jury, comes following one month long trial.

The jury’s decision was that the accused cannot be convicted based solely on the fact that they were identified several witnesses in the case. The High Court allowed to proceed with the Raviraj murder trial in absentia of the three accused Palana Sami Suresh alias Sami, Sivakanthan Vivekanandan alias Charan, and Fabian Royston Tusen, who were evading Court since the initiation of investigations.

The indictments were filed against six accused Palana Sami Suresh alias Sami, Prasad Chandana Kumara alias Sampath, Gamini Seneviratne, Pradeep Chaminda alias Vajira, Sivakanthan Vivekanandan alias Charan, and Fabian Royston Tusen on five counts, including committing the murder of former MP Nadaraja Raviraj and his security officer Lokuwella Murage Laksman under the provisions of the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) and Penal Code.

Three accused who were not present before Court, had been identified as ex-LTTE cadres affiliated to the Karuna faction. Wijeya Wickrema Manamperige Sanjaya Preethi Viraj was made State witness for the Raviraj murder trial.

Raviraj was shot dead near his residence at Manning Town in Narahenpita during the period between November 9, 2006 and November 10, 2006 when he was driving his vehicle along Martha Road. The CID recovered the three wheeler and the weapon alleged to have been used in the killing of the former Parliamentarian.

Senior Deputy Solicitor General Rohantha Abeysooriya with Senior State Counsel Suharshi Herath appeared for the Attorney General. Senior Counsel Anuja Premaratne with Rasika Balasuriya, Yuran Liyanage appeared for the accused, while Counsel K.V. Thavarasa appeared for the aggrieved party. Counsel Darshana Ranmuthuge appeared for the State Witness.