Text and Pix by Dinasena Rathugamage
A cache of arms and ammunition hidden by the LTTE during the war at Airiviyal Nagar area in Kilinochchi has surfaced following heavy rains on Monday.
Residents of the area found the weapons jutting out of the earth and informed the Kilinochchi police, who with the assistance of the STF excavated the location near the buildings of Department of Animal Science of the Faculty of Agriculture of the University of Jaffna and found the weapons stash.
There were five T 56 assault rifles, a magazine and 40 bullets.
Police said that the matter would be reported to the Kilinochchi Magistrate’s Court and permission wouold be sought to destroy the recovered items.
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa yesterday suspended the arrival of passengers from the United Kingdom with immediate effect due to a new virulent strain of COVID-19 currently spreading across the UK.
The President’s Office said the decision had been taken at the daily meeting of the COVID-19 Prevention Committee at the Presidential Secretariat following a review of the new strain of the virus and its spread.
Passengers arriving here from the UK on Tuesday will be accommodated at hotels after conducting PCR tests and for 14 days under the supervision of the health officials. They will be further subjected to 14 more days of home quarantine.
By Saman Indrajith
The JVP yesterday alleged that the government had chosen to muscle Facebook and social media instead of controlling the prices of essential food items.
JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake, addressing the media at the party headquarters in Pelawatte said: “The government should be controlling the prices of essential goods in the market. But it has allowed traders to fleece consumers and is busy devising ways and means of throttling social media.
“The government has total control over almost all media. In that context, social media is the only means left to the people to know the truth. A large number of Lankan civil society members, citizens and activists are using social media and people access them because they have lost faith in the mainstream media owing to government control. For example, the issue of Justice Minister Ali Sabry shifting his office to a new premise at a cost of Rs 17 million has been raised by social media. It is thanks to social me
By Shamindra Ferdinando
The Pharmacology Section of the Ayurvedic Department had approved the untested, homemade herbal brew widely called ‘Dhammika peniya’ though it was yet to receive clearance from ‘Ethical Committee’ of the Ayrvedic Department without being subjected to a proper scientific study, co-cabinet spokesperson Dr. Ramesh Pathirana said yesterday (22)
Dr. Pathirana emphasised that ‘Dhammika Peniya’ could be subjected to what he called placebo control randomized double-blind clinical trial once the ‘Ethical Committee’ cleared it.
The Minister said so when a journalist raised the issue at yesterday’s post-cabinet media briefing via zoom. The journalist asked whether the government, Kali Amma or Dhammika would be responsible in case those who take the syrup developed complications.