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The telephone calls from Singapore appeared urgent. Unable to reach Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera, this was why Udith Lokubandara MP, who serves as Personal Assistant to former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, left hurried messages at his office to call back.
Not sure what the issue was, Minister Samaraweera telephoned. Mr. Lokubandara, a UPFA (Mahinda faction) MP for Badulla District, handed over the telephone to the former President Rajapaksa, who was undergoing a medical check-up at a hospital in Singapore.

Rajapaksa asked whether Foreign Minister Samaraweera could contact the Singapore government and arrange for personal protection for him. The request had been prompted by the alleged murder of Kim Jong-nam by North Korean agents at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport on February 13. The deceased is half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. It has now been confirmed, the Malaysian government said, that the VX nerve agent, a highly potent chemical, was injected to Kim’s face by a woman.

Since the incident, both Kuala Lumpur and Pyongyang are locked in a pitched diplomatic row. Pyongyang has accused the Malaysian government of engaging in a “sinister purpose” in collaboration with South Korea. Kuala Lumpur believes North Korean agents infiltrated the country to carry out the attack. Not wanting to take chances, Mr. Samaraweera telephoned his friend and one time Foreign Minister, Kasivisvanathan Shanmugam. He is now the Home Minister of Singapore.

A day later, Mr. Samaraweera received a response from Home Minister Shanmugam. He said their intelligence and security authorities had carried out an extensive security assessment. There was no threat to Mr. Rajapaksa and hence personal security was not required, he said. The matter ended there. Mr Rajapaksa and his entourage have since returned to
Sri Lanka.

Singapore’s professionalism in matters of security is quite different from Sri Lanka where personal security continues to be assigned on political assessments rather than on the basis of security concerns. The practice was in force in large measure during the previous administration under President Rajapaksa and continues.

Top bureaucrat in hot water
A top bureaucrat, who has become dysfunctional in the recent weeks due to personal reasons, is in hot water.
In a high level investigation, Police have unearthed what detectives say is “overwhelming” evidence of his involvement in financial irregularities over some ‘watery’ deals. This was when he was serving in a different position

The question now is whether approval will come from the higher levels of the Government to proceed with the matter in a court of law.
The move has already intensified a head hunt for a successor for the current position he holds. A leading counsel in the Attorney General’s Department is being strongly tipped to fill his post.

Is this why he wanted FCID closed down?
Some weeks ago, a Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) minister said publicly that the Financial Crimes Investigation Divison (FCID) should be closed down.

Now comes the reason behind the outburst. FCID detectives are probing what they call a fraudulent oil procurement deal.
A detective said they had plans to interview the minister with regard to this “highly suspicious” deal.

You decide, best or not

Given above, without comment, is what appears in the Facebook page of the Inspector General of Police. Serving now is Pujith Jayasundera whose photograph appears with the post.

Private companies may run expressways
With a debt-servicing crisis looming large, many are the measures leaders in the Maithripala Sirisena-Ranil Wickremesinghe government are examining to soften it.One such move, under consideration, is the creation of a privately managed entity to operate the country’s two expressways, the one from Kottawa to Galle and the other from Colombo to Katunayake.

Though owned by the Government, such a project, one politician claims, would enable the entity to raise foreign loans. Such loans, he argues, will not fall within the definition of a government debt. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has said that the Government should not raise any more loans in the wake of the ongoing crisis over repayments.

At present, the two main highways come within the purview of the Road Development Authority (RDA).
Badly cash strapped, the Government is also examining whether there should be an upward revision of toll on the two highways. This is in view of the poor yield of only a fifth of the anticipated revenue.

 
Minister laments robbers have caught Govt.
President Maithripala Sirisena on Friday night chaired a meeting of a group of ministers to discuss a number of issues.
They included issues related to regular protests being carried out in Colombo and the resultant inconvenience to the people.
Media Minister Gayantha Karunatilleke was to remark to President Sirisena; “Sir, minissu kiyanne mey rajaya aavey horu allanna. Namuth, dan horu aanduwa allagena ney,” (people say this government came to office to catch robbers but the robbers have caught the government”).

Project Sirisena: Mangala’s house secret command centre
President Maithripala Sirisena was in the Panadura suburb of Gorakana to open a museum in an old temple.
He was accompanied by Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe, the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) organiser for Panadura.
The temple is a stone’s throw away from the private residence of Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera. It overlooks the picturesque Bolgoda Lake.

Samaraweera invited President Sirisena for tea. There was an exchange of pleasantries with Mr. Sirisena remarking that the house was beautiful and well located. Mr. Samaraweera offered to give the key if Sirisena ever wanted to visit and relax by the swimming pool. Ekata nidhahase enna oney or you should come only when you have free time, he replied.

Then Mr. Samaraweera’s Co-ordinating Secretary Thusitha Halloluwa was to bare a secret. “Mehe thamai api rahase hamuwuney ey davaswala” or it is here that we met secretly those days, he revealed.Mr. Sirisena asked for what purpose. There was laughter all-round when Mr. Halloluwa revealed that it was during the campaign to make Mr. Sirisena the President.

FCID generates hundreds of  millions in revenue
The Financial Crimes Investigation Division (FCID), which completes two years today, is perhaps the only unit in the Police Department to generate revenue other than conduct investigations.

As a result of its probe, what was then claimed to be an 18 acre property in Malwana allegedly belonging to former Minister Basil Rajapaksa is to be sold by public auction on March 29. The price for sale would be more than Rs. 208 million, the value placed by the Government Valuer. Public announcements about the auction have been made through media advertisements.

Earlier, the FCID deposited with the Consolidated Fund Rs. 163 million allegedly belonging to the Carlton Sports Channel. The money was deposited in the Consolidated Fund.