Animal welfare organizations have protested against sending Sri Lankan animals to other countries either for meat or scientific research purposes.
They said this in response to a discussion held yesterday (11) regarding the sending of Sri Lankan Toque macaques (known as ‘Rilau’ in Sinhala), to China.
Environmentalist Dr. Jagath Gunawardena said that Sri Lankan animals can be sent to foreign countries only for conservation programmes or animal exchange programmes.
Environmentalists also said that a proper survey must be conducted before sending Sri Lankan Toque macaques to China.
Discussion held with Minister of Agriculture
Minister of Agriculture Mahinda Amaraweera has proposed to send 100,000 Toque macaques to China as a method to minimise the crop damage caused by these animals and to control their population.
The Ministry of Agriculture said that the minister has taken this decision following a request made by China to provide these animals to China.
A delegation from China met with the minister yesterday (11) to discuss the matter.
The ministry said that the Chinese authorities have made this request to display these Toque macaques in their zoos.
A group of officials from the Ministry of Agriculture, the National Zoological Gardens Department and the Wildlife Department also joined the discussion held between the Chinese delegation and the Minister of Agriculture.
Under the first phase, it has been discussed to send 100,000,000 Toque macaques to China.
Committee to be appointed
It is planned to appoint a committee consisting of officials from the Ministry of Agriculture, Department of Agriculture, Department of Zoological Gardens, Department of Wildlife Conservation and the Attorney General’s Department to prepare the required legal proceedings in this regard.
It has also been decided to immediately prepare the Cabinet paper needed to set up this committee which will be appointed to study the legal background to send Toque macaques to a foreign country.
According to a study conducted by the Hector Kobbekaduwa Agrarian Research and Training Institute in 2022, it has been revealed that in the first six months of the year from January to June, 93 million coconuts have been destroyed by monkeys, Toque macaques and giant squirrels.
The farmers alleged that although various solutions have been proposed in the past regarding the alternative measures that can be taken to avoid the crop damage caused by animals, none of them have been implemented in a positive manner.
At present, the population of Toque macaques in Sri Lanka is close to 3 million, and the Ministry of Agriculture said that all the efforts made by the government to reduce this population have failed.
Meanwhile, a group of farmers have requested the Minister of Agriculture to give them firearms to kill the animals that damage crops.
A man who was imprisoned for 14 days after his mobile phone rang inside the Embilipitiya Magistrate’s Court has died while in custody under controversial circumstances, prompting allegations from his family and triggering investigations by prison authorities.
The individual, who had reportedly arrived at the court premises to post bail in a case filed over traffic violations, was detained for allegedly violating the decorum of the courtroom when his phone rang during proceedings.
Prison authorities claim he died of a sudden illness while in custody. However, his relatives have accused prison officials of assaulting him, alleging that the post-mortem examination had revealed that the deceased suffered brain damage from a blow to the head with a blunt object and internal bleeding caused by an injury to the left side of his chest.
Prisons Media Spokesperson Gamini B. Dissanayake said that a full internal investigation is underway into the incident, in addition to a police inquiry.
(adaderana.lk)
(Except for the headline, this story, originally published by adaderana.lk has not been edited by SLM staff)
President Anura Kumara Disanayake, who is currently on a state visit to Vietnam, extended an open invitation to Vietnam’s leading conglomerate, Vingroup, to explore investment opportunities in Sri Lanka’s real estate and tourism sectors.
While congratulating the Vingroup for their achievements and for building a diversified global brand, President Disanayake invited Vingroup to consider investing in Sri Lanka’s real estate and tourism sectors. He further emphasized that Sri Lanka is pleased to facilitate the creation of a smooth and enabling environment for their investments.
The President made these remarks during a business engagement with Vingroup at their Headquarters in Hanoi, yesterday evening (May 04) where he met with Vice Chairman and the CEO of the Vingroup Nguyen Viet Quang and the delegation.
President Disanayake emphasized Sri Lanka’s strategic geographic position, progressive infrastructure development and the government’s commitment to fostering a conducive environment for foreign investors, particularly in high-potential sectors such as tourism and real estate.
Vingroup Joint Stock Company (Vingroup JSC), formerly known as Technocom Corporation, was founded in 1993 in Ukraine. Today, Vingroup is one of Vietnam’s largest and most respected private enterprises, operating as a multi-sector corporation with a focus on three core pillars: industrials & Technology, Real Estate & Services and Social Enterprises.
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism, Vijitha Herath also participated in the discussions.
A complaint was filed with the CID last night (May 04), requesting an urgent investigation into a claim made by former Director of the National Lotteries Board – Thusitha Halloluwa.
Halloluwa had alleged that President Anura Dissanayake had made a large financial investment in Greece.
The relevant complaint was submitted at midnight yesterday by the Attorney-at-Law Akalanka Ukwatte, with President’s Counsel Upul Kumarapperuma.
