News

4 stowaways on foreign ship, remanded (Update)

Published

2 months ago

April 11, 2023

editor

The four individuals who had illegally boarded a Panama flagged cargo ship anchored at the Colombo harbour to flee the country have been remanded.

The group was remanded until April 18th by the Acting Galle Magistrate, Premarathne Thiranagama.

(Previous news: 11th April, 2023 at 10:55 am)

Four nabbed while trying to flee country by sneaking into foreign ship!

Four men who illegally entered a foreign ship anchored at the Colombo Port were arrested after being detected by the ship’s employees.

They were handed over to the immigration officials at the Galle Port yesterday (10).

The four had sneaked into the US-owned MVCMACGM Panama which had arrived at the Colombo Port on March 24, and the ship had left Sri Lanka on March 25 to Europe.

However, when the four stowaways were detected, the Captain of the ship had informed his parent company about them. Accordingly, they were handed over to the MV Jackson Bay ship belonging to the same company which was coming towards Sri Lanka on March 28.

The four youths were identified as residents of Jaffna Velanai, Thondamanaru, Pudukuduirippu and Araly North belonging to the ages of 21, 22 and 35.

Immigration officials said the suspects will be handed over to the Port Police to be produced in the court after completing their investigations.

News

CMC’s receivable income exceeds Rs.6,200mn in 2022!

Published

14 mins ago

June 9, 2023

editor

The receivable income of the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) for the year 2022 was Rs.6,280.50 million, it was revealed during the Committee on Public Accounts (COPA) meeting.

This was revealed when the COPA met in Parliament on June 06 under the chairmanship of State Minister Lasantha Alagiyawanna to examine the Auditor General’s reports and current performance of the Colombo Municipal Council for the years 2020/2021.

The CMC’s total receivable income of the year 2021 is Rs.5,835.6 million, Rs.5,386.4 million in 2022 and Rs.4,481.5 million in 2019. It was found that these arrears are in the form of assessment tax, rent and other taxes.

Accordingly, the officials who were present pointed out that they are making arrangements to acquire the properties where the taxes are in arrears.

They said that there are issues related to the identification of the owners of certain properties, and that there is also a shortage of CMC officials available to look into these matters.

The COPA member MPs pointed out that assessment numbers have been given for unauthorized constructions as well.

Accordingly, the committee recommended that a programme should be prepared with specific dates to recover the arrears and a full report should be submitted to the COPA by July 06, 2023.

It was also revealed that the private companies contracted to collect parking fees have continued to default on the monthly rent due to the CMC and the amount of arrears to be collected from 38 companies as at December 31, 2021, was Rs. 265 million.

BIZ

Parliament SOC recommends not to privatise SLT

Published

25 mins ago

June 9, 2023

editor

The Sectoral Oversight Committee (SOC) on National Security has said that it does not recommend the privatisation of Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT).

This was stated in a report issued by the SOC on National Security headed by MP Sarath Weerasekera.

The report said that matters sensitive to national security can be exposed through the privatisation of SLT.

News

Fonseka resigns from SOC on National Security

Published

26 mins ago

June 9, 2023

editor

Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka has resigned from the Sectoral Oversight Committee (SOC) on National Security, Deputy Speaker Ajith Rajapakshe announced in Parliament today (09).

He said MP Rauff Hakeem has been appointed to the vacant position instead.