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Ranil denies claims of using state funds for London visit

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The Office of the former President Ranil Wickremesinghe has issued a statement today (March 18) denying the claims that the former President and his wife Prof. Maithree Wickramasinghe travelled to London for a private visit in 2023 using state funds.

The statement notes that Wickremesinghe visited London three times in 2023 : The first visit was on May 9, 2023, to attend the coronation of King Charles III. The second visit was for the 40th anniversary session of the International Democratic Union (IDU), while he was attending the Paris Summit.

Ranil Wickremesinghe, who also attended the G77 Summit in Havana, visited New York to attend the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) before traveling to London for his third visit.

The ceremony to confer the title of Professor on Mrs. Maithree Wickramasinghe by the University of Wolverhampton in the United Kingdom took place during this time and Ranil Wickremesinghe was invited to the ceremony and attended it while returning from New York, the statement said.

During these visits, Ranil Wickremesinghe also met with numerous heads of state. As the wife of the then President, Professor Maithree Wickramasinghe participated in meetings and workshops organized at the international level, according to the statement.

Furthermore, the statement clarified that although it was initially planned for Ranil Wickremesinghe to leave the city of London in the evening after arriving from New York, his return to Sri Lanka was delayed until the next day due to several meetings scheduled for that evening.

The former President’s Office stated that it is misleading to claim that a substantial amount of government funds was spent on a visit to London by former President Ranil Wickremesinghe and officials. This also demonstrates that the current government lacks an understanding of diplomatic trips, it further said. 

As the President, Ranil Wickremesinghe did not make any private visit to London at government expense in 2023 while all statements made regarding this matter are false, the statement concluded.

The statement has been issued by the Office of the former President Ranil Wickremesinghe in response to a statement made by the Leader of the House, Minister Bimal Ratnayake in Parliament last week.

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Pakistan police arrest 149 including 2 Lankans in ‘scam call centre’ raid

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Pakistan police have arrested 149 people in a raid on a scam call centre, the country’s National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) said on Thursday.

The agency told the BBC it acted after a tip-off about the network, which was operating in the city of Faisalabad.

It said the centre was involved in Ponzi schemes and tricked people into handing over vast sums of money in the name of fake investments.

Those arrested included 78 Pakistanis, 48 Chinese nationals, eight Nigerians, four Filipinos, two Sri Lankans, six Bangladeshis, two Myanmar nationals and one Zimbabwean national.
Eighteen of the 149 were women, the agency added.

A copy of a police report said victims of the alleged scam would initially receive a small return on their first investments, before being persuaded to hand over larger sums of money.

“The charged individuals ran WhatsApp groups where they lured ordinary people by assigning small investment tasks like subscribing to different TikTok and YouTube channels,” the agency said.

“Later, they shifted them to Telegram links for further online tasks requiring larger investments.”

Pakistani citizen Muhammad Sajid told BBC Urdu that he was added to a Telegram channel with tens of thousands of members and was impressed by the company’s work. He said he gave them more than 3.138 million rupees ($36,600) in various instalments.

The raid, which took place on Tuesday, saw authorities seize hundreds of computers, servers, cryptocurrency exchanges and foreign SIM cards from the site.

On Wednesday, 149 suspects appeared in court, 87 of whom were handed over to the NCCIA on a five-day physical remand.

A further 62 suspects have been transferred to the district jail on judicial remand until 23 July.

The agency said the raid was at the residence of Malik Tehseen Awan, the former head of Faisalabad’s power grid, who has not been arrested.

(BBC News)

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Milk tea price upped by Rs. 10

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The All Island Canteen and Restaurant Owners’ Association has announced a Rs. 10 increase in the price of a cup of milk tea.

Association President Harshana Rukshan stated that the decision was made in response to the recent rise in the price of imported milk powder.

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US to pledge medical aid, media support to SL

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A meeting between the Minister of Health and Mass Media – Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa and US Ambassador to Sri Lanka – Julie J. Chung was held yesterday (July 10) at the Ministry of Health premises.

During the discussion, the US Ambassador agreed to facilitate a portion of essential medicines and surgical equipment to Sri Lanka from American donors.

The 02 sides also held extensive talks on the current status and future development of the country’s free healthcare system, the media industry.

Efforts to combat Dengue and Chikungunya through public awareness campaigns were also taken up.

Minister Jayatissa noted that special programs have already been launched to avoid periodic medicine shortages in state hospitals and that structured inter-governmental discussions are underway to secure essential supplies.

The Minister recalled the past assistance provided by the US government to develop Sri Lanka’s healthcare services.

He further said that work has begun to formulate a new national media policy with inputs from all stakeholders and that steps are being taken to establish an accredited training institution for journalists.

Implementing a training program for Sri Lankan journalists was also discussed.

The US Ambassador has reiterated the United States’ commitment to continue providing financial, technological, knowledge-based, and material support to strengthen the island’s health and mass media sectors.

Officials from the US Embassy and the Ministry of Health were also present at the meeting.

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