Why did President Mahinda Rajapaksa ask Sri Lanka Freedom Party secretary to take action against the MPs who had not voted for casino act?

As the Sinhala daily The Divaina reported Sri Lanka's ruling Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) general secretary Maithripala Sirisena is reportedly taking action to order some SLFP MPs to show cause for not voting for the Strategic Development Project Act which was recently passed in the parliament.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa has instructed the SLFP general secretary to take this action, as the newspapers say. The instruction has been given at the government parliamentary group meeting which is attended by non-SLFP MPs too.

Around 50 MPs of ruling United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) did not vote for the act while ruling coalition Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) Minister Champika Ranawaka and MP Athuraliye Rathana Thero voted against the bill.

Minister Wimal Weerawansa who represents the National Freedom Front abstained voting and openly criticized the government for attempting to open big casinos.

These three MPs were not present in the government parliamentary group meeting held on May 05. They are openly criticizing the government over the casino issue and hinting the need for a change also. The MPs appear to be hiding from the President of whom they know too well.

MP Namal Rajapaksa, the son of the President was engaged in a tour in South Korea with a group of youth parliamentarians as the voting took place in the parliament. Media reported earlier that the President was not to take action against the MPs who did not vote due to his son's absence.

Sri Lanka public service nurses' strike likely to drag on

The strike of the nurses of Sri Lanka's hospitals is likely to drag on to the next week also, the developments in the health sector indicate.

The Government Nursing Officers' Association Chairman Saman Rathnapriya said today that the nurses would continue the strike until the authorities grant a solution to their demand. They demand the government to provide midwifery training to all student nurses as part of their preliminary training. Midwifery training was given to nurses earlier as a post basic training.

Saman Rathnapriya said that the Government Medical Officers' Association (GMOA) must be responsible for the inconvenience caused to the public due to this strike. GMOA has rejected providing midwifery education to the student nurses and the nursing trade unions protest the move of the GMOA.

Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Public Service United Nurses' Union (PSUNU) Muruttettuwe Ananda Thero said that his union would strike only two days.

However, sources say that many of the hospital branches of the PSUNU are likely to decide to continue the strike.

Hospital services have been severely disrupted in Sri Lanka due to the strike of the nurses.

Sri Lanka major opposition UNP protests at Hambanthota

UNP MP Eran Wickramarathna at empty airport of Mattala

Sri Lanka's major opposition United National Part (UNP) held a protest demonstration today in Hambanthota against the police inaction before the attack at the UNP MPs at Mattala airport and Hambanthota harbor.

A group of UNP MPs and Provincial Councilors went to Hambanthota today from Colombo and began their protest before Hambanthota police station. A large number of local government members and activists also participated in the protest.

They demanded to arrest the culprits including the Mayor of the Hambanthota Municipal Council who was seen wielding a pistol.

The protestors handed over a petition to the police and marched to the Hambanthota town.

The protest was led by UNP leadership council chairman Karu Jayasuriya. Hambanthota district MP Sajith Premadasa also addressed the people.

Sri Lankan eye surgeons reject the lenses supplied by the government for cataract surgeries at public hospitals

Sri Lanka Ministry of Health sources say that the low income group patients suffer at the government hospitals since the doctors discourage the patients to use the medical equipment and services provided free of charge to the patients free of charge.

This practice is common in many of the government hospitals. The doctors often direct the patients to obtain laboratory reports from private laboratories claiming that the reports provided by the government hospital labs cannot be trusted.

However, the cause for the low quality of the medical equipment and services supplied by the government hospitals can be identified as the commissions related to purchasing and  drawbacks in management. The same employees work in both government and private labs in most cases. They work full time in public hospitals and part time in private hospitals. The services they deliver at private hospitals are considered better even though the laboratory conditions have no very wide differences.

Privatization has penetrated the public service in a way the public health services are underrated by the public employees themselves who are in connivance with the private sector.

In one of the latest reports, state owned The Dinamina Sinhala daily reported that some government hospital eye surgeons reject to use the lenses provided by the hospital free of charge in cataract surgeries. They reportedly insist the patients to buy a lens produced by a certain company. The newspaper said that the government service eye surgeons were earning a fat commission of 51% from the lens which is sold at Rs. 20,000 whilst its actual value is Rs. 8000.

However, the patients say that they cannot reject the quality issues of the doctors raise about the lenses supplied by the public hospitals. After all it is their eye, they say, which they do not want to risk to test the quality of the state acquisitions.

It is default that the people suspect the products and services supplied by the public sector due to corruption in tender processes through which politicians and officials earn exorbitant commissions. 

Lupita Nyong'o - beauty re-defined in black

Lupita Nyong'o was born in Mexico. Her parents were Kenyan. She was raised in Kenya and educated in the USA. Lupita's film debut was playing "Patsey" in acclaimed director, Steve McQueen's 12 Years a Slave (2013) for which she won Oscar Awards.

The pitch black beauty speaks of dreaming to have a fairer skin years before the world acclaimed her. It is very inspiring.

A Sri Lankan entrepreneur dreaming to build a network of theaters

A Sri Lankan entrepreneur said that the plans are underway to establish 60 mini theaters in 30 towns in Sri Lanka to enhance the cinema industry of the country.

The entrepreneur is Dr. Arosha Fernando, a Sri Lankan professional who has given up his career in Australia to engage in the cinema industry in his home country.

He said to Rasanduna supplement of the state owned Sunday newspaper The Silumina that the President has focused to his proposal.

He said that the theaters in Sri Lanka has problems. 

Dr. Arosha Fernando has already produced seven Sinhala movies and at present he is discussing with renowned cinematographer Prasanna Vithanage to produce a new a film. He says his ambition is to produce at least two movies annually.

He says he faced lot of difficulties when distributing his initial productions.

Big companies have large circuits of theaters and sometimes well marketed movies are also removed to pave way for the screening of their productions. They often continue showing of their movies in these halls despite while other producers find it difficult to get halls to show their movies.

Links to 85,000 newsreels of British British Pathé

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