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Harming animals: No action against both Minister father & son

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The Director General of Wildlife Conservation and the Head of Legal Department has failed to give a proper answer when the environmentalists had asked whether an investigation is being conducted over the death of a deer which was hit by the vehicle of Minister Mahinda Amaraweera at Udawalawe National Park a few months ago.

A group of environmentalists including Nayanaka Ranwella and Senior Advisor of the Centre For Environmental Justice Hemantha Vithanage met with Director General of Wildlife Conservation Chandana Sooriyabandara Yesterday (26) and held a discussion regarding the investigations being carried out in relation to the incident where animals in Yala National Park were harassed by a group of people arrived in jeeps.

Both the Director General and the Head of Legal Department have failed to give a proper answer about the progress of the investigation.

They have informed the environmentalists that an investigation is being conducted by the Southern Wildlife Zone over the incident. 

However, the environmentalists said the Wildlife Conservation Department cannot be expected to carry out a proper investigation on the Yala incident, since they have not been able to conduct a proper investigation into the Udawalawe incident.

The environmentalists also said that the Director General that the Wildlife Conservation Department’s actions seemed passive regarding the Yala incident.

When the environmentalists had asked the Director General if the son of Wildlife and Forest Resources Conservation Minister Mahinda Amaraweera was involved in the Yala incident, he had said it has not been determined yet.

Following the discussion, Environmentalist Ranwella said,”They told us that they are still investigating the Yala incident. When asked if Minister Mahinda Amaraweera’s son was involved in this incident, they said that they are investigating that too. They neither denied nor accepted the fact that there was a minister’s son involved.

“There should be a more formal investigation into this incident. It is clear that this group has behaved recklessly and violated the laws within Yala National Park. If the investigations are not conducted properly, we have to make a more formal objection in a scientific manner.

Also, a deer which was hit by the vehicle of Minister Amaraweera has died. We are disappointed to note the death of animals by the vehicle driven by the drivers of the Minister of Wildlife. Action in this regard is still in unsatisfactory,” Ranwella said.

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Weather Alert: Showers to ease in Southwest, strong winds forecast in North

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Prevailing showery condition in the southwestern part of the island is expected to reduced gradually from today (01st)

Showers or thundershowers will occur at times in Western, Sabaragamuwa, Central and North-western provinces and in Galle and Matara districts.

Showers or thundershowers may occur at a few places in Uva province and in Ampara and Batticaloa districts during the afternoon or night.

Fairly strong winds of about (30-40) kmph can be expected at times over Western slopes of the central hills and in Northern, North-central and North-western provinces and in Hambantota and Trincomalee districts.

The general public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimize damages caused by temporary localized strong winds and lightning during thundershowers.

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Aluthgamage and Fernando assigned printing work in prison

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Former Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage and former Sathosa Chairman Nalin Fernando, sentenced this week to jail for 20 and 25 years, respectively, have been assigned duties in the printing section at the Welikada prison, sources said.

Both of them are being held together away from the main section of the prison’s ‘chapel’ section, where prisoners serving life sentences and those convicted of murder and rape are held. The prison’s printing section prints its own documentation.

Prison sources said that in placing them in relevant wards to serve their jail term, the authorities had taken into consideration the security of the two convicts, as they might have had political enemies.

Mr Aluthgamage was handed a 20-year term of rigorous imprisonment, while Mr Fernando was given a 25-year term of rigorous imprisonment by a High Court trial-at-bar after being found guilty of causing a Rs 53 million loss to the state.

They were accused of importing carrom boards and checkers boards through Sathosa during the 2015 presidential elections and distributing them to clubs.

Their lawyers said yesterday they were awaiting the certified copy of the judgement to prepare the appeal papers. The appeal will be considered by the Supreme Court.

(sundaytimes.lk)
(This story, originally published by sundaytimes.lk has not been edited by SLM staff)

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COVID subvariants spreading in Asia detected in Sri Lanka

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The Medical Research Institute of Sri Lanka has confirmed that the COVID-19 variant currently spreading in the Asian region has also been identified in the country.

Dr. Jude Jayamaha, a specialist in viral diseases at the Medical Research Institute, stated that patients infected with the Omicron subvariants LF.7 and XFG are being reported locally.

Dr. Jayamaha explained that this finding was confirmed through research conducted on biological samples collected from several hospitals across the island.

However, he emphasized that there is no need for undue fear regarding these COVID-19 variants.

Health authorities have also stressed the importance of vulnerable groups—such as pregnant mothers, the elderly, and those with chronic illnesses—following health guidelines, including wearing face masks and avoiding crowded places.

Dr. Jayamaha reiterated that new COVID-19 variants emerge periodically, and health authorities are continuously monitoring the situation, so the public should remain calm.

(newswire.lk)

(This story, originally published by newswire.lk has not been edited by SLM staff)

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