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Bitter truth of Dakshitha & Rajapaksa’s ‘bitter gourd’ cancer meds

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The Opposition is planning to raise a question in Parliament about two institutions that have obtained licenses from the Department of Ayurveda for the production of a medicine and a dietary supplement claiming to be for cancer by showing the same research results, Sri Lanka Mirror learns.

They are a capsule by the name ‘α-Elostera’ marketed by Ceylon Green Ayurveda Company as a solution for cancer and made from bitter gourd seeds and a food supplement released to the market as ‘LivingMo 600’ by Prime Health Herbal Products.

However, both the medicine and the food supplement have been made by using the research conducted by a team including Prof. Jayantha Rajapaksa and Professor Anura Jayasuriya of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the Peradeniya University where they have purportedly discovered anticancer activity of bitter gourd seeds.

When Professor Jayantha Rajapaksa is producing the capsule as a food supplement, one Dakshitha Thilanga Sumathipala, a businessman who has no relation to the research, has obtained a license to manufacture the capsule as a medicine.

Experts in the Ayurvedic field said that giving approval by the Ayurveda Formulary Committee for both these endeavors is ludicrous.

Meanwhile, Ceylon Green Ayurveda has blatantly violated several terms set by the Department of Ayurveda when manufacturing the capsule.

The sign board of the ‘Ceylon Green Cancer Wellness Center’ operated by the company located near the Apeksha Hospital to sell this capsule, has not mentioned that it is an Ayurvedic medicine shop.

Accordingly, they have deliberately misled the patients.

An Ayurvedic dispensary must have personnel registered with the Ayurvedic Department and only they can prescribe medicine.

However, the clip below shows how those who contact the company’s phone number can get medicines prescribed by one of its salespersons.

Dakshitha’s Ceylon Green Ayurveda has published advertisements to promote the capsule on the internet without the permission of the Ministry of Health.

Meanwhile, the Ayurveda Formulary Committee has given permission for the capsule and the food supplement when there has been no mention in traditional books on indigenous medicine that bitter gourd has anticancer qualities.

If Professor Rajapaksa intends to use the research results for a product with commercial purposes, he must obtain the permission from the University of Peradeniya which facilitated the research.

Doing so would enable the university to receive an economic advantage but it was revealed during our investigation that there has been no such advantage.

Although Professor Rajapaksa said that the capsule was subjected to a clinical trial post-production, the Ministry of Health and the National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA) told us that they do not have any evidence of such a clinical trial.

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4 suspected ISIS terrorists arrested in Ahmedabad, believed to be Sri Lankans

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Four suspected ISIS terrorists have been arrested from the Ahmedabad airport, days after the airport received a bomb threat. The terrorists are believed to be citizens of Sri Lanka.
The Gujarat Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) made the arrests when they were allegedly waiting at the airport for their handler. The handler was supposed to give them task, sources said. The police have also recovered encrypted chats from their phones.

According to the sources, agents in Pakistan had promised them some weapons that they were likely to use in an attack but the suspected terrorists were caught before that.

The men allegedly reached Ahmedabad from Sri Lanka via Chennai. They were arrested before they could reach their target location.
On May 12, the Ahmedabad airport received a bomb threat email which turned out to be a hoax after security personnel searched the airport complex, but nothing suspicious was found. The threat email was sent by an unidentified person on the official email ID of the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in the afternoon, following which the security personnel at the airport scanned the entire airport, said Commissioner of Police, GS Malik.

Post a comment In August last year, the ATS arrested three persons from Rajkot for their alleged links to Al Qaeda. They were prima facie working for a Bangladeshi handler to radicalise and recruit people for the banned terrorist organisation.

(NDTV)

(Except for the headline, this story, originally published by NDTV has not been edited by SLM staff)

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Businessman who assaulted Iranian ambassador, further remanded

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The businessman who was arrested and remanded over the alleged assault on Iranian Ambassador Dr. Alireza Delkhosh at the Colombo City Center (CCC) car park, has been further remanded till May 22.

He was produced before the Fort Magistrate’s Court today (May 20).

The suspect, Buwaneka Mahasen Basnayake, a resident of Ward Place, Colombo 07 was arrested on Saturday.

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SLCFA unveils book on SL – China friendship

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The Sri Lanka-China Friendship Association (SLCFA) recently launched the book “Sri Lanka Cheena Mithudama” (Sri Lanka China Friendship) at a ceremonious event held recently at the Auditorium of the National Library and Documentation Services Board of Sri Lanka. 

The launch event was graced by prominent dignitaries, including the former Speaker – Karu Jayasuriya, who was the keynote speaker, and Chinese ambassador in Colombo – Mr. Qi Zhenhong, who was the guest of honour.

Mr. Ananda Goonatilleke, Attorney-at-Law and President of the Sri Lanka-China Friendship Association, chaired the event, reflecting on the enduring relationship between Sri Lanka and China. The SLCFA, originally founded as the “Ceylon-China Friendship Union” on September 21, 1950, by the Ceylon Communist Party, stands as a pioneer in fostering people-to-people diplomatic ties between the two nations. 

The first president of the union was Madam Kusuma Gunawardena, mother of the current Prime Minister – Dinesh Gunawardena.

In his welcome address, Mr. Goonatilleke introduced the book’s rich content, which encompasses a wide range of topics including historical ties, Buddhist connections, diplomatic relations, literature, economic and cultural cooperation, Chinese cuisine, China’s role and support in the war that defeated the LTTE, media, philatelic interests, photography, and more. He expressed gratitude to the authors who contributed invaluable articles and acknowledged the continuous support from the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Sri Lanka.

Hon. Karu Jayasuriya, in his keynote address, highlighted the significance of the Rice and Rubber Pact, emphasizing its role in solidifying the profound friendship between Sri Lanka and China. He commended the SLCFA for its seven-decade-long dedication to nurturing people-to-people relationships between the two countries.

The highlight of the event was the formal presentation of the first copies of “Sri Lanka Cheena Mithudama” by Mr. Goonatilleke to Karu Jayasuriya and the Chinese ambassador – Qi Zhenhong. The event also saw the presence of notable figures such as Dr. G. Weerasinghe, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Sri Lanka; Mr. Aruna Goonatilleke, SLCFA Executive Vice President; Vice Presidents Mr. Thilak Botheju, Mr. Daya Lankapura and Mr. Premadara Dissanayake; SLCFA office bearers and various civil society activists and members of the public.

All attendees were presented with a complimentary copy of “Sri Lanka Cheena Mithudama,” marking the occasion as a memorable celebration of the enduring friendship between Sri Lanka and China.

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