The Cabinet has approved a proposal permitting the government to take over the Neville Fernando Hospital attached to the South Asia Institute of Technology and Management (SAITM), Highways and Higher Education Minister Lakshman Kiriella said today.

However, he said the government had decided to allow SAITM to function as a non-state medical college despite demands by student unions of state universities and the Government Medical Officers Association (GMOA) to nationalize it.

Minister Kiriella told Daily Mirror today that Dr. Neville Fernando was prepared to handover the hospital to be administered by the government and had not sought any compensation for doing so.

“The hospital property is valued at Rs.3.5 billion. Yet, Dr. Fernando is ready to hand it over without compensation. It will be administered by a board of management and its ownership broad-based,” he said adding that the government would abide by the Court of Appeal ruling and as such SAITM would be allowed to function as a private medical college.

Minister Kiriella and Health Minister Rajitha Senaratne submitted the Cabinet memorandum. (Kelum Bandara)

A 35-year-old Sri Lankan man was arrested at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) last night while he was attempting to smuggle more than two kilograms of gold jewelry into the country, BIA Deputy Customs Director Parakrama Basnayake.

He said the suspect was arrested around 11.35p.m at the Green after he arrived at BIA from Bangkok Channel.  The gold jewelry was found hidden inside his luggage.

“The gold jewelry was found with Pearls and diamonds embedded in them. He was a businessman from Bandaragama area,” he said.

Mr. Basnayake said this suspect was previously arrested for similar offence. (Chaturanga Pradeep)

Mahela Jayawardene is still short of experience to take over as head coach of Sri Lanka national team after the exit of Graham Ford, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) President Thilanga Sumathipala said.

“Mahela is still short of experience as a senior coach, he may be good as a T20 batting or a fielding coach,” Sumathipala told the local radio station.

He said the Mumbai Indians’ coach and former Sri Lankan captain has also some of his playing day contemporaries in the current national side.

Jayewardene, who retired in 2014 after a glittering international career, is regarded as one of the best cricketing brains.

His and his close mate Kumar Sangakkara’s retirements at the same time hurt Sri Lanka badly. The Lankan side have lost consistently since the two seniors retired. The team has plummeted in all ICC rankings since then.

Graham Ford, who was the coach only for one year, decided to quit this week reportedly due to differences of opinion with Sumathipala’s management.

Sri Lanka has had some nine interim and permanent coaches since 2011.

SLC sources said they were mulling approaching Chandika Hathurusinghe, the current Bangladeshi coach to take over. But his contract with the Bangladeshis will only end in 2019.

The former New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming, his team mate Scott Styris and Tom Moody, who was previously the head coach, are the names being floated around as likely successor to Ford. (island-cricket)

A plane chartered by the Australian Department of Immigration and Border Protection has left the Australian territory early yesterday with about 20 people — some of them guards and interpreters — onboard, The Australian reported..

The Sri Lankan nationals were led up the steps of the plane with a guard on each side.

The return of Sri Lankans from Christmas Island to Colombo overnight on a government charter jet has fuelled speculation that Australian Border Force has inter­cepted a suspected asylum vessel in the past week.

Christmas Island residents yesterday linked the deportations to an unusual spectacle last Thursday when two of the navy’s rigid inflatable vessels were seen towing a small boat close to the horizon.

The last known intercept of an asylum vessel on its way to Australia was in March.

The March monthly update on the department’s website stated: “During this period, Australian authorities worked with the government of Sri Lanka to return 25 people who were detected and intercepted attempting to reach Australia ­illegally by boat, in accordance with Australia’s protection obligations.’’

A spokesman for Immigration Minister Peter Dutton yesterday declined to confirm any new intercept.

The Sri Lankan government has been willing for some years to swiftly take back failed asylum-seekers stopped en route to Australia.

During the sustained wave of boats between 2008 and 2013, Christmas Island sometimes held more than 6000 immigration detainees.

It now operates one detention centre with fewer than 1000 men, but many of them are not asylum-seekers. Instead, the centre has become a place to hold mostly men who are citizens of other countries and have committed crimes while ­living in Australia. Once their jail term ends, they are transferred to immigration ­detention to await deportation.

Two more university students were arrested last night in connection with the forcible entry to Health Ministry in Maradana and damaging public property during the protest against South Asian Institute of Technology and Medicine (SAITM) last week.

Police said, a 24-year-old Dinesh Maduranga, a student of University of the Visual and Performing Arts was arrested in Siyambalanduwa while a 22-year-old Dimuthu Lakshan, a member of Inter University Students Federation (IUSF) was arrested in Katana.

They are residents of Dombagahawela and Katana.

Police said the students would be produced before the Siyambalanduwa and Maligakanda courts on charges of forcible entry, damaging public property, engaging in anti-government activities and taking part in illegal campaign.  

An elevated road dubbed as sky way would be constructed to connect Sethsiripaya 1, Sethsiripaya 2 and Isurupaya in Battaramulla, which house many Government Ministries and Departments, Megapolis and Western Province Development Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka said.

Construction work on three more buildings would also begin before the end of the year in lands belonging to the Urban Development Authority and the Samurdhi Scheme to provide office accommodation to Government Sector, he said.

“These buildings will be constructed for the Ministries and Departments, which are currently housed in buildings belonging to the private sector paying large amounts of money as rent,” he said.

He said a reasonable rent would be charged as rent for these buildings from the Government institutions. (Dayaseeli Liyanage)

SriLankan Airlines, the national carrier of the country, ranked 81st among the Top 100 airlines of the world in 2017.

The Top 100 airlines of this year were selected by the Skytrax based on the votes of airline customers around the world and the list was announced at the World Airline Awards held at Paris Air Show on June 20.

The awards, described as “the Oscars of the aviation industry”, are most popular quality accolades for the world airline industry, and a global benchmark of airline excellence, Skytrax said.  

However, SriLankan Airlines ranked 67th among the Top 100 airlines in 2016 and this year it had dropped to the 81st place of the list.

Qatar Airways topped the list as the Best Airline of this year. Singapore Airlines ranked at the second place followed by ANA All Nippon Airways, Emirates and Cathay Pacific respectively.

The Skytrax said the survey covered more than 320 airlines, but it only publishes the Top 100 Airlines.   

At least 100 people were killed when a lorry transporting oil burst into flames in the Pakistani city of Bahawalpur, International media reported.

They say dozens of people were badly burned as they tried to collect fuel leaking from the vehicle. Those injured are being treated in hospital.

Firefighters are now at the scene tackling the blaze.

Unconfirmed reports suggest the tanker had overturned because of speeding, and later caught fire.

Eyewitnesses say some people were smoking at the scene of the accident, which could have started the fire, Pakistan’s Geo TV reports.

There are fears that the death toll could rise further.

Pakistan’s media published pictures from the scene, showing a number of charred vehicles.(BBC)

Pivithuru Hela Urumaya (PHU) General Secretary and MP Udaya Gammanpila acted as a spy for Mahinda Rajapaksa when he was a member of the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), JHU National Organiser Nishantha Sri Warnasinghe said yesterday.

Addressing a news conference held at the party head office, he said MP Gammanpila had continued to leak details of JHU meetings and decisions to former president Mahinda Rajapaksa, Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Basil Rajapaksa.

“We knew Gammanpila was a mole when he was in the JHU. On several occasions, minutes of our meetings were found reported to the Rajapaksas as it was. Gammanpila clearly attempted to destroy the party,” Mr. Warnasinghe said.

However, he said Mr. Gammanpila in the meantime continuously tried to change the minds of the JHU members against the then president Rajapaksa and to get the party out from the United National Freedom Alliance (UPFA) Government.

“When he was a minister of the western provincial council, Gammanpila organised a two day seminar for JHU members in Kalutara and talked against the government. He wanted us to contest against the then government to which our General Secretary Patali Champika Ranawaka didn’t agree. However, most of our members eventually gave in to Gammanpila’s ideas,” Mr. Warnasinghe said.

He said Gammanpila spearheaded the JHU’s defection from the Rajapaksa government and then back down and joined the government all by himself leaving the JHU. “Gammanpila was generously awarded for his actions to please the then government,” he said. (Lahiru Pothmulla)