Country’s valuable lands are all now under the Rajapakse family

(Lanka-e-News 09.May.2010 11.30pm) Anura Kumara Dissanayake M P addressing a media briefing on the 9th at the JVP Headquarters at Pelawatte , Bataramulla said, at the recent distribution of Ministries when the new Cabinet was appointed , the important Institutions like the lands reforms Commission, Telecommunication regulatory Commission, Attorney General and legal Draftsman’s Dept , Urban development Ministry, Land rehabilitation and development Corporation, Coast conservation Dept., Petroleum resources development Secretariat, Oil resources development Institution, Finance Ministry, Security Division ,Highways , Ports and Aviation services are all distributed among the President’s family members . It is crystal clear from this that the Cabinet appointments have been made not with the objective of developing the country. The President before the elections promised to prune down the Cabinet to 35 to 37 Ministers , but now , already it has gone up to 42. Though the assurance given was that only those who were capable will be appointed as Ministers and Deputy Ministers , what has truly taken place is only just changing the names of the Ministries. The Gazette notification of the Ministries and their functions was delayed this time. According to that gazette notification the President has taken into his fold , Finance, Defense, Ports and aviation services, planning and Highways . There are 78 Institutions under the President now!

The lands reform Commission Committee was traditionally under the Lands Ministry . A large amount of the lands of this country under the State are under the purview of the lands reform Commission Committee. All those are now under the President. The Telecommunication regulatory Commission which ought to be under the Posts and telecommunication Ministry are also now under the President. This is a place where there is colossal monetary flow. The Attorney General’s Dept. and the legal draftsman’s Dept. which were under the Ministry of Justice have been brought under the control of the President.

Likewise , the important Urban development Authority as well as the lands rehabilitation and development Corporation under the Urban development Ministry have been brought within the ambit of the Defense Ministry. These types of things have never occurred anywhere in the world. These Ministries and Institutions have been distributed not based on any method .. They have been done to suit and please the President’s Family and relatives. The most valuable lands of this country belong to the Urban development Authority. By gazette notification these have been transferred to the Urban development Authority .This is a ploy to appropriate the most valuable common lands to himself , Anura Kumara asserted. Traditionally , coast conservation Dept. came under the Fisheries Ministry. But , now this has been brought under the purview of the Ministry of Ports and aviation services. All the coastal lands belong to the Coast conservation Dept.. Hence, a large strip of coastal land in the North and the East too is now under the President. These lands are the most valuable lands . Another important Institution is the Crude oil resources development Secretariat and Oil resources development Institution which was under the Petroleum Ministry . The President has divested it of the Ministry of petroleum and vested it under the President. It is evident from all these actions of the President , all important Ministries and Institutions of this country had been by careful calculation and manipulation brought under him , his family and relatives, not for the country’s development , but for the development of his family, Anura Kumara Dissanayake pointed out

Deputy Minister Muralidharan makes request on behalf of wife of former LTTE leader Tamilselvan

Deputy Minister of re settlement, Vinayaga moorthy Muralidharan had made a request to the Govt. on behalf of the wife of former political wing leader Tamilselvan who died in an air attack by the SL Air Force . He had asked the Govt. to grant permission to her who is expecting political asylum in India to go there.

At the moment Tamilselvan’s wife is in the custody of the security Forces.

If party wants me to resign from leadership, I am prepared to do so –Ranil says in India

(Lanka-e-News 11.May.2010 9.00PM) UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe who is on a private tour of India, is to make a special statement as to whether he will continue to be the UNP leader or not, immediately after he returns to SL. Wickremesinghe’s private Secretary, Sudath Chandrasekera had conveyed this message passed to him by Wickremesinghe over the phone from India. When Lanka e news inquired about this from Chandrasekera, he stated that Wickremesinghe did everything possible for the progress of the party and make it victorious. After the defeat at the Presidential and General elections, he wanted to step down from the leadership, but it is the party members who requested him not to do so., and urged him to continue as the leader. He added , that Wickremesinghe had told him over the phone that he has no necessity to forcefully remain as leader , and if it is the wish of the party that he should resign, he has no desire to continue in that position.

It is reported that Mr. Wickremesinghe before he left for India has met the members of the Committee headed by Joseph Michael Perera to reorganize the party and told , if necessary he is prepared to resign from the leadership. The Re organization Committee was appointed by the UNP Executive Committee.