Daily NEWS Srilanka

A woman who is said to be a 'punchi amma' (mother's younger sister) bt relationship having been convicted of the crime of through a period of time engaged in abusing her relative son aged 15 years for one year was sentenced to 21 years rigorous imprisonment by Anuradhapura Special Courts

This jail term was imposed on a 48 year old married woman living in Valagambahuwa area, Maradankadawala, Kekirawa. She had 10 years before this when she was aged 38 years during the period July 2007 and June 2008 had saying that she would look after her sister's son of 15 years in the evening hours in Anuradhapura had after saying various deceptive talks to the boy had stimulated parts of the body and had lured him into misdeeds, it was confirmed at investigations. She had suggested to the boy "Let's play"  and had gone to the extent of gratifying her sexual desires in the most degrading manner. This 'punchi amma' had got round him to keep all these as a secret and the cat has come out of the bag when this boy had visited the hospital in the company of his parents to take treatment for a sickly condition of his.

Former Consultant Judicial Medical Officer of Anuradhapura Teaching Hospital Dr. Ajit Jayasena inclusive of 7 others have forwarded reports to courts of the pressure inflicted on the child by giving evidence as the plaintiff party. The defendant connected to the incident was taken into custody by Kekirawa Police and after being produced before court was remanded for sometime and until the court verdict was given she under bail imposed on her by court.

She was found guilty on 3 indictments in the presence of Anuradhapura Special High Court that beyond doubt this relative son was subjected to sexual abuse and Judge Mahesh Weeraman imposed a jail sentence of 21 years with 7 years for each indictment and fines as well. When the defendant was given the verdict, her kith and kin had remained outside the courtroom and had made an uproar, it is reported. An occasion where a woman has been imposed a jail term of 21 years of rigorous imprisonment for a case of abuse on a male child who is a minor has not occured before this at any time in the annals of Sri Lanka's history.

Because of the delay caused by trying to save a flock of hair entangled in friend's schoolbag, a 17 year old schoolgirl had been pulled by the hair forcibly and had been dropped at the bus halt by the conductor and this

The girl who faced this incident was studying in a school in Piliyandala. She had finished school last afternoon (30) and when she was to come home and awaiting the Piliyandala - Bandaragama 162 bus in the company of her friends when this unfortunate incident took place. When she was just about to alight from the bus and was approaching the footboard, at that point her hair had got entangled in the bag of one of her friends and was unable to instantly disentangle it. When the bus had then almost started to move, she had asked to pause proceeding and to 'wait a while' in the process of trying to release the grip on the bag, at which moment the conductor had come to that spot and said "if you go to do that, we'll be delayed" and had pulled the entangled part of her hair from the bag forcibly and had dropped her from the bus there.

As a result of this action she had got startled and even those who saw this scene were shocked. Subsequently, the schoolgirl who got down from the bus had told this to her parents who in turn informed the police about this incident. The conductor responsible for this action was apprehended within the space of a few hours, Bandaragama Police say.

The schoolgirl concerned was admitted to Bandaragama District Hospital. A hospital source remarked that a considerable flock of hair of the girl's head had come off by this sudden action of the conductor. It was revealed that this conductor taken into custody was a 43 year old married person and was a father having children. 

The mother in Ariyalai area in Jaffna who committed suicide with her children by mixing poison with ice cream to be consumed had written some letters before committing suicide. In one of those letters, a description about those who are responsible for their deaths was

Full details of the incident, from here

The piece of news where well-known actor Somasiri Alakolanga entered into monkhood was an incident which happened to be a much talked about matter last week. News that he who entered into the clergy under the name Harispaththuwe Somananda Thera had turned back the media without divulging his personal matters also was

"Actually after realising worldly spirituality I decided to enter priesthood. From a long time ago I was bent on spirituality ... was hoping to become a monk from a long time ago. Really it was not with the intention of participating in almsgiving etcetera. I shaved my head to meditate and to develop the mind. I didn't enter monkhood because it's difficult to live or for being depressed. I finished my responsibilities to everybody in the family and it was with their permission that I became a monk. I shaved my head not just to wait loke a monk ... to continue with meditation.

Even at the time I was engaged in acting I was involved in meditation activities. I realised that more than lay life it is easier to meditate in priestly life. I don't know whether there was a samsara calling to become a monk. At the beginning it was to a forest hermitage that I went for meditation. I know a certain monk living in America thirty years ago and it was he who directed me to this vihara. This is a very conducive location for meditation purposes ... a location with a good environment for meditation. So I became a monk here.

Other than members of my family, nobody else knew about i becoming a monk. From about 30 or 40 years I don't eat any meat and neither do I drink alcohol. I get up at 3 early morning. After that I engage in meditation. At 5.30 I engage in Buddha worship. With my knowledge I impart English knowledge to monks at the temple. I do an English class for children in the village, as a matter of service. In the evening I engage in Buddha worship. It's mostly sermons and meditation activities that I am involved in. What I have now achieved is a hope which was there for a long period of time. I have attended meditation classes. It was artistes such as Ediriweera Sarathchandra and Henry Jayasena who were my mentors when I was involved in the Arts. I got that fortunate opportunity from my youth. Actually I worked with distinguished people. I am not an artiste who hastened my journey in the Arts field as such. I engaged in acting in a way that it did not clash with my employment.

It was in the year 1965 that I stepped on to public stage-plays during Peradeniya University period. It was in the drama 'Elova gihin melova aawa' of Ediriweerea Sarathchandra that I acted in. From 65 onwards upto 2015 I have engaged myself in acting. Though I acted as a pastime ... I didn't  just act. It's an insult for this field".

Galle: Lalith Chaminda and S.K. Kaluaarachchi (Divaina)

An incident where after a husband had drunk poison and died on the problem faced in not being able to settle his debtors and subsequently his wife who was left desolate in not being able to avoid them had given poison mixed with ice cream

The deceased are K. Sunethra (28) and her 3 children, Chrishai (4) the daughter and 2 sons Sajith (2) and Saravana (1) living in Mambalan Junction, Arialei, Jaffna. The husband of the wife concerned had been in service as a goldsmith in Jaffna in sales outlets selling gold items and not being able to settle the loans he had taken had 2 months before this had consumed a type of poisonous liquid used to prepare gold items and had so died, police say.

After the death of the said husband the debtors had come in search of the lady concerned and not being able to bear this pressure she has had made use of the poisonous liquid used in the preparation of gold articles and mixed it with ice cream and had then fed the 3 children and she herself had partaken of it. The police had found a bowl containing ice cream with poison given to eat, police say. The police also said that after consuming the ice cream with poison, the woman and her 3 children were found dead lying on a mat. When Jaffna Police inspected the house, 2 letters written to Mr. Manickavasagar Sailaveralian, High Court Judge and her relatives were found in that house. What was mentioned in the communication to the High Court Judge was that her husband had loaned some money to a certain person and that because it was not returned and that her husband too had taken loans and had been unable to settle it and that under these circumstances not being able to bear up all this he had taken poison and died.

Her letter further states that the children were constantly looking for their father and she could not bear this pain any further, for which reason she has resorted to taking this action. The Jaffna Police stated further that 2 names were cited as being responsible for the deaths. After inquiry into sudden deaths was conducted on bodies of this mother and the 3 children, the bodies were expected to be taken to Jaffna Hospital. Further inquiries in connection with the incident is underway by Jaffna Police. 

Mr. Senaka Titus, a skilled actor and also a newspaper editor passed away last night (26) at a hospital in Singapore.Senaka Titus happens to be a brother of distinguished artiste Jackson Anthony.

Senaka plays the role of the chief of an underground clique in the teledrama "Koombiyo" which has

Senaka Titus has displayed his skills as an editor of Multipacks and Epa Publications' children's newspapers and in addition edited Kekulu newspaper. He was someone who displayed his abilities on stage, teles and as a cinema actor. He also excelled in the field of advertising media. Friends who associate him would never forget how he entertained them by his interesting and humorous stories which made them burst into laughter. Not only that, however much he was in a hurry while going somewhere he would not forget to inquire about how the person was getting along.

Some years ago he was bitten by a viper and though critical he was able to recover. What he said after that was that since he did not die even after having been bitten by a viper, he would go on to live to a ripe old age. Whatever it is, he had to bid goodbye from the theatre of life.

When a group of policemen were on the pursuit of a lorry loaded with 18 heads of cattle in Chulankulam area along Anuradhapura - Puttalam A-4 main road, the lorry had kept on moving and had struck a cab and a motor bike too. Thus two young women who were on the motor bike breathed their last yesterday

The two young females who died from this accident which occured at about 8 in the morning happened to be two sisters of the same family and both of them were graduates. One of them died on the spot while the other died in hospital. The two sisters were Jayani Swetha Jayakody (32) and Samadhi Navodya Jayakody (29) living in Nochchiyagama, Galadivulwewa. Jayani was employed as an accounts clerk while Samadhi served as a teacher and both were unmarried. They met with this tragedy when they were on their way to Anuradhapura town for some requirement when they met with this accident.

A crowd of people in the area who who after seeing this catastrophe had become aggressive for negligent driving of the lorry which was fleeing in fear of the police for having committed something beyond the law and had assaulted the driver of the lorry and had even gone to the extent of setting fire to the vehicle which had by then toppled, it was reported. The police had intervened and brought the situation under control. At the moment the lorry toppled, the cattle inside it had scampered here and there. From the accident the lorry has faced severe damage.

The police vehicle which was pursuing the lorry had without taking action to take the casualties of the accident to hospital had turned back towards Anuradhapura, about which those around had scorned. What was revealed at initial investigations was that 18 heads of cattle were being transported from Trincomalee to Welisara to be slaughtered for consumption armed with a licence for that purpose. However why they sped without stopping ignoring police orders is a problem which needs explanation. An inquiry on the 2 police officers on the manner in which they had gone into action at the time the accident took place is to be carried out.

In order to solve the problem which has cropped up regarding the medical faculty of SAITM, a President's Committee has been appointed by the President Maithripala Sirisena and a press release embodying their solutions was released yesterday (29).

Decisions arrived at according to that press release is as follows: Though SAITM would in future

1. Abolishing SAITM (hereafter SAITM means its Faculty of Medicine): This shall be done in a manner legally acceptable to the current shareholders, lending institutions and the new entity interested in taking over all operations and management of SAITM on a not-for-profit basis, thus ending the ownership and management structure of SAITM. The profit oriented entity owned and managed by Dr. Neville Fernando and family would thereby cease to exist.

2. By an agreement reached by the above parties, the assets, liabilities, staff and students of SAITM shall be transferred to a non-state, not-for-profit making (that will utilise any excess income over expenditure of the organisation for development or research for scholarships, without distributing among shareholders) degree awarding entity that will comply with the Minimum Standards on Medical Education (to be legislated).

3. The Government has consulted several already established non-state, not-for-profit entities with the objective of establishing the proposed not-for-profit entity for this purpose. Detailed discussions in this regard with interested parties shall start very soon.

4. The new entity shall recognise all students currently enrolled at SAITM, who possess the required entry qualifications. Opportunity will be afforded to these students to continue medical education in the proposed institution.

5. Issues in respect of former students who have completed their degree course at SAITM should be addressed on the advice of the Sri Lanka Medical Council, based on the determination of the Supreme Court case filed on the same. Arrangements shall be made for the said students who have completed the degree at SAITM to undergo clinical training at recommended government hospitals.

6. Admission of medical students to SAITM has been suspended by the letter issued by the Secretary of the Ministry of Higher Education on September 15th 2017. This suspension will continue. Accordingly, all new admissions shall be made to the new entity (as described in 2 above), when only complying with the Minimum Standards on Medical Education and Training (to be legislated). The Government shall co-operate on all endeavours to make available, through financial institutions, subsidized student loan schemes to eligible students from low-income families to meet the cost of tuition and fees.

7. Current shareholders of SAITM shall not participate in the ownership or management of the new entity. The co-operation of Dr. Neville Fernando and family is extremely important in this regard.

8. The Ministry of Health shall gazette and place before parliament the agreed minimum standards for medical education and training based on the draft submitted by the Sri Lanka Medical Council (SLMC), upon conclusion of discussions with the SLMC, the Hon. Attorney General and other relevant stakeholders. This task must be mandatorily completed within one month from today.

The chronology of implementing the mentioned solutions shall be, as follows:

i. Ministry of Health to gazette the agreed minimum standards for Medical Education and Training and place before parliament,

ii. SAITM, the selected party and lending institutions to reach agreement on the transfer of assets, liabilities, staff students of SAITM to the proposed not-for-profit entity.

iii. Establish the new entity, under the supervision of the Ministry of Higher Education and the University Grants Commission.

iv. Abolishing SAITM: transfer assets, liabilities, staff and students of SAITM to the new entity.

v. Establishment of new not-for-profit education degree awarding institute.

It is expected to immediately appoint a committee of high level officials to co-ordinate the implementation of the above measures. This entire process shall be mandatorily completed by December 31st 2017.

As a result of inclement weather associated with lightning and heavy showers last evening (29) all over the island, a number of instances of lightning striking were reported.

3 individuals who were engaged in drying paddy at the helicopter arena in front of former President

A British national officer during a tour made in Sri Lanka had faced an incident last 24th which has created an uproar in the social media these days.

This person called Adam Kelvin who is serving a certain human relief project had been on a tour in Ratnapura area recently and
had secured Vallapatta said to be parts of sweet-smelling wood, and later had travelled to other locations and had finally returned to the hotel he was lodging in Colombo in a taxi passing a spot in Wellampitiya. When thus travelling in a somewhat dark by-lane towards evening a person in another vehicle had stopped his vehicle and had approached him and said that he was suspicious that the Britisher was taking cocaine with him and that they were from the CID and had stopped him saying that they need to inspect the vehicle.

On that occasion though the driver of the vehicle had stopped the vehicle and the foreigner had demanded to peruse the identity card to allow any inspection, the referred to person had refused to comply. After repeating his request on and on saying that permission cannot be given without the identity card, he had beat a retreat when a similar person had after that stopped the vehicle and had said that he wants the baggage checked since he is from the police.

On this occasion too though the foreigner has asked for the identity card, when this person who called himself from the CID too appeared not able to be in possession of it and he also had avoided the situation. This person has then got into the vehicle and had instructed the driver that the vehicle be taken to  Wellampitiya Police. However the foreigner had refused to do so. He says that since there is nothing illegal in his possession such an action  not be taken. In that instance this second person too gets down from the vehicle and has fled.

After this incident, the foreigner goes to his hotel when it is police officers with uniforms who arrive at the hotel saying that he is to be taken into custody. They get down to inspecting his luggage and had pointed out to him that there are over 3 kilos of Vallapatta and thus he was arrested. The Britisher who explains everything as to how he bought those exclaims that he was not aware that those were illegal in Sri Lanka. Whatever it is, the police arrests him and takes him away.

This human relief officer who had been displaying all this phenomena in its entirety to his comrades over a video clip had requested that the British High Commission be made aware of this and in turn the attention of that office has been drawn towards the incident concerned as to what was happening.

The police has gone to the hotel where the foreigner was residing to nab him on a tip off received by some person; but not because it was not possible to arrest him by the CID and that the police was later on his track as a result, it was afterwards revealed. As such, the Britisher was about to be preyed upon by a group of racketeers and as their plan had not worked out; it appears that the police had nabbed him. As everything was taped across Facebook Live, it looks that the racketeers had altered their strategies.

Who these CID police officers who said that this Britisher was taking cocaine with him and had got hold of him while on his way when the CID in fact was not connected to this incident, is a mystery. What the police media spokesman said was that an investigation would be conducted on this matter. News First has made a search in this connection and on inspecting the house linked to the number of the vehicle in which the individuals who said that they were from the CID had come, it was found that this vehicle belonged to a certain solitary individual only. This individual says that on certain occasions this vehicle is taken away by his friends.

The driver of the vehicle in which the British national was travelling at the moment of this incident speaking some sentence or two in Tamil creates a suspicion that under his instructions this particular band of looters may have taken on the guise of the CID. The video related to the incident, from below

A medical student has been accused for having fled after abandoning cruelly, a baby 12 days old conceived from her womb,near a medical hall during night hours.

A few days before this Anuradhapura Police have received a telephone call that a new-born baby has been left behind, wrapped in a white piece of cloth near the door of a medical

The police who tracked the owner of the house who had given it on rent were able to secure the telephone number of the mother who conceived this baby only after that. Though that number was contacted, as the line was disconnected, a survey report was obtained and when the true information was extracted after visiting the location where the suspect-mother was staying, she had admitted that she had after 12 days of conceiving the baby  left the baby like this and that she is a medical student. After being taken to Gintech Institute at Borella and subsequently a DNA report too was taken; which confirmed that the baby was hers.