Colombo Telegraph learns that film-maker cum good governance activist Dharmasiri Bandaranayake has been included in the Sri Lankan delegation attending the annual sessions of the United National General Assembly (UNGA) in New York without any specified role to play in the proceedings.
Bandaranayake, a vocal supporter of Maithripala Sirisena’s presidential campaign is not a state employee, a presidential advisor or a journalist.
Colombo Telegraph reliably learns that Bandaranayake’s expenses during this trip will be met with public funds. This is a practice the previous regime was famous for and one which came in for harsh criticism from civil society activists such as Bandaranayake.
The President’s Media Detector Dharmasri Bandara Ekanayake has told Colombo Telegraph that full details of the delegation including names and relevant costs will be revealed as soon as the information is accessed, probably on Tuesday.
A civil society activist who prefers to remain anonymous said that Bandaranayake neither had the ability nor the credentials to warrant inclusion in the delegation.
“President Sirisena probably wanted to give him a treat by way of showing gratitude for services rendered during his political campaign; he’s probably having a good time but you might be spoiling his chances of having a better time,” the activist chided Colombo Telegraph.
Sam Fernando / September 27, 2016
This is like searching hairs in the suppe. Actually, DB did a great job revealing all the high crimes and high profile abuses being carried out by Athigaru -he did it fearlessly. His and others voices raised synegetstically worked to chase the bugger away.
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Native Vedda / September 27, 2016
The governance business as usual as before.
Now that it’s been confirmed we can go back to our mundane activities and hope that nothing would change.
At least there is some continuity and stability in the government.
We don’t like revolutions happening overnight.
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Lion / September 27, 2016
These activists are all crooks running after $$$$. They always pretend to be honest but actually what they want is to have a good time with poor taxpayers money. When Mahinda failed to do that they looked for another and got Maithree!! That’s it; that’s all!!!
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Amarasiri / September 27, 2016
“A civil society activist who prefers to remain anonymous said that Bandaranayake neither had the ability nor the credentials to warrant inclusion in the delegation.”
Is was Daham Sirisena’s slot.
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jim softy / September 27, 2016
Probasbly he will produce movie clips about horapalanaya.
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BBS Rep / September 27, 2016
Difficult to separate the grain from the chaff.
Unuth horu munuth horu. There is nothing between the MARA horu and the Yahapalanaya horu. Only talk to fool the public.
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Shamil / September 27, 2016
All want to take selfies in foreign countries. When money comes in nobody will remember others’ difficulties. Poor humanity.
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Shri / September 27, 2016
Mr President
you should inquire how Fairway Holdings ( silent partner being Finance Minister) took 15 persons two from the UDA, one from the WMA western province and the rest from the evaluation team of the UDA to Germany, Denmark and Sweden on the pretext of seeing WTE plants.
Is this a bribe to get a inferior plant to Sri Lanka.
The evaluation team are Professors from the Universities of Sri Lanka. Where are the ethics & morals of the so called academics
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Ruvan / September 28, 2016
A friend of mine living in England visited Canada recently, and told me this joke based on a true story. When the Brexit referendum was being held in Britain My3 and Ranil sent two separate teams to convince the Sri Lankan expatriates in favor of David Cameron’s position (to remain within the European Union).
These Sri Lankan politicos did nothing but had fun and did shopping with tax payers money. Some of them did not know what Brexit was and asked our friends there of what the heck Brexit was? One of the expatriates had said that it was the British equivalent to ‘shit’! Not knowing what ‘shit’ was he has asked: what’s the difference between Brexit and shit? The expatriate has said what Britishers are in today, is Brex-shit’ and what Sri Lankans in …. under Yahapalanaya is real ‘shit’.
He said no wonder many Sri Lankan expatriates voted against Cameron’s position because they wanted to teach a double lesson not only to Cameron but to Ranil+My3 duo as well.
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Nimal / September 28, 2016
I am told a film-maker cum good governance activist has been promised the top post at the ITN and he is waiting for that to happen. When some other activists asked him to participate in a press conference criticising Arjuna Mahendran’s bond scam this film maker has said “Malli, I am waiting for the the ITN job, and I shouldn’t be criticising the government at this point, no?” There are other ‘filmkaer and cum good governance activist’ s who got jobs sooner and now they are appearing on pro-government “civil society” plaforms. There is another activist artist who also got the job he has been eyeing since he became a political artist. So, we have to sympathise with these people who wanted to defeat Rajapaksa regime to get a job in retirement or otherwise.
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Hela / September 28, 2016
Well……Central Provincial Council took the cue and sent a whole bunch of councillors to Russia on a tax payer funded junket. Though MY3 and Ranil asking for an explanation is just a public gimmick.
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ATAKA NATAKA / September 28, 2016
In the Photo is Gamini Dissanayaka ex brother of Miss Srilanka Kumari Dissanayaka who are the others????
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Lima / September 28, 2016
Leave DB. He at least supported MS. Look at the other guys in the picture. They worked overtime to defeat MS and why did MS include them in the delegation? Bizzare
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Saman Adikari / September 28, 2016
The so-called movement for Justice that member led by Dhamarasi Banadarake by misusing Tax payers money has been to UNO of 2016 General Assembly session by accompany with MS of the President Team.
What a nonsense that poor tax money misused to represtantive of UNO ?
Whom they represtantive or who’s voice they raise?
Is that Millions of Rural Poor’s voices and their views?
Is that “good governances”?
All Banadarekes are lairs, as similar as Jayawaradeana’s and Senanaykers ? They all play fool with People of Sri Lankan!
Dhamasari Banadakare is one of them.
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Raj / September 28, 2016
Politics in SL is a gravy train, not only for the politicians but for their cronies as well. Therefore, who ever is in power, there will be ar*e licking yobs & even professionals queuing up for the rewards of their ‘loyalty’ & the politicians are happy to dish out because it’s at the expense of the public.
Donald Trump has appeals to a lot of US citizens because he claims to be not a politician but a concerned citizen trying to reform the country from the ‘wheeling & dealing’ of politicians. However, his suitability as President is at question when he stupidly remarked that he has not paid a cent of US tax because he was ‘smart’ during the recent debate with Hillary Clinton, implies that he is also an opportunist exploiting the system. So my conclusion is that people come to politics have their own selfish reasons & as long as that’s the case, there will be hangers on waiting for ‘scraps’ from the table but in the case of SL, it’s more than scraps.
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Surath / September 29, 2016
Glad that President took with him only Dharmasiri Bandaranayake and not a plane load like his predecessor ! Surath
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shankar / September 29, 2016
chee,don’t pick your nose in public.you can even eat your snuff in private but don’t give us visual pollution please.
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Justicia / September 29, 2016
Ruvan
Very fine creative writing. You should get the Pulizer Prize for Fiction. You probably tried for Breaking News in Journalism, but this definitely belongs to fiction. Hurry up, the entry deadline is October 1.
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Saman Adikari / September 29, 2016
In case of Dhamarasiri Bandarake who has been charge that appear before the FCID? By misusing State fund by D.Banadarake ?
Is that D. Banadarake Or MS of President ?
The issue has not yet been settle by FCID ,the real power behind MS or UNP-Ranil w…?
Power of State is holding by whom? Is that dual power base ?
Or power of state in Sri Lankan is run by the foreign and local dual role!
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Shyamon Jayasinghe / October 6, 2016
This opposition to Dharamsiri Bandaranaike (DB) is ridiculous. DB has been an outstanding artist in contemporary Sinhala stage and cinema. I have known him personally to be a most creative individual with an outstanding output. DB is a also a scholar and a forthright fighter against restrictions of freedom, authoritarianism and injustice. All his artistic works point to these themes. He never compromised himself with the corrupt regime we had, to enrich himself. He preferred to remain poor rather than resort to that. He is excellent material as part of the delegation to the UN. Why not?
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