On a directive by the Right to Information Commission last Thursday (July 25th 2024), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs released all information relating to the food and accommodation costs of President Ranil Wickremesinghe during travels to London, Singapore, Japan (Tokyo), Cuba (Havana), America (New York), Germany (Berlin) and China (Beijing) in 2023.
The RTI Commission order came following an RTI request filed by a journalist based in the Northern Province, K Dileep Amuthan who appealed to the Commission following refusal by the Ministry to release the information saying that the ‘information was not within the purview’ of the Ministry.
Earlier a similar RTI request had been filed by Amuthan to the Presidential Secretariat but the Secretariat had rejected the request stating that the food and accommodation costs for overseas travel is not given by the Presidential Secretariat which can only release the expenses incurred for the air tickets which was released. It was claimed by the Secretariat that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was in charge of expenses for the President’s food and accommodation during overseas travel which the Ministry denied.
Upon an inquiry held by the RTI Commission where both Public Authorities were told that one or the either must be required to release the information as similar information had been released in the case of overseas travel of former Presidents Mahinda Rajapaksa, Maitripala Sirisena and Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs released the information relating to multiple overseas travels of President Wickremesinghe and a chosen few, oftentimes in the same month
The released documentation which the Colombo Telegraph has seen, show that the expenses for food and accommodation that the President and his entourage incurred respectively were as follows; (London – May 2023, LKR 2, 547.988.70/LKR 11.194.527.83, June 2023 – LKR 3.416.911.74/LKR 16.936.530.34; Singapore-May 2023, LKR 75.729.62/LKR 6.899.002.14, August 2023 – LKR 258,.469.10/LKR 1.543.434.29; Japan – May 2023, LKR 593.471.70/4.490.263.11; Cuba – September 2023, LKR 386.471.13/LKR 3.309.786.45; US (September 2023, LKR 3.119.913.81/LKR 57.028.581.44; Germany – September 2023, LKR 2.051.113.84/LKR 7.829.821.77 and China – October 2023 (food costs only- LKR 38.153.40).
Consulting officials at the Ministry who preferred to remain anonymous, Colombo Telegraph was told that these were the minimum expenses for the Presidential travel with other expenses being borne under miscellaneous items in the State budget while in some cases, as in the instance of China, the host country took on food and accommodation costs.
Meanwhile local media carried reports of Minister of Sports Harin Fernando, responding to NPP Presidential candidate Anura Kumara Dissanayake saying in Japan recently that he would release details of the costs of his foreign travels if President Ranil Wickremesinghe and Ministers Harin Fernando and Manusha Nanayakkara released theirs, that no state funds had been spent for his overseas travel.
NPP candidate Dissanayake is yet to release the funds spent and the source of funds for his travel overseas.
Sinhala_Man / July 30, 2024
Thank you, Mr K Dileep Amuthan,😺
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Great job! It will take some time to digest this.
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However, I have a problem; 😺 this is what the “released documentation” says,
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“Germany – September 2023, LKR 2.051.113.84/LKR 7.829.821.77”.
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The big problem is that the guy who published that seems to be angry with the simple punctuation mark, the comma. Also, why indicate two amounts separated by an oblique sign?
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LKR 2.051.113.84 ought to appear as: 2,051,113.84 in my humble opinion. The 84, being cents.
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The amounts mentioned seem so huge that we could easily have conducted the Local Government Elections on 9/03/2023 using those funds.
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Let Mr Bean understand that some Village Schoolmasters are following these revelations, and are experimenting with emojis.😺
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Panini Edirisinhe –
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old codger / July 30, 2024
SM,
“The amounts mentioned seem so huge that we could easily have conducted the Local Government Elections on 9/03/2023 using those funds.”
No, not on 9/03/2023.
Maybe in 9/03/1960
Grow up, Sinhala Man.
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Ajith / July 30, 2024
OC ,
Can you please total it to nearest billion to validate your statement.Its also better to add the cost of other expenses as well as the expenses of other ministers including visits of foreign minister etc. we all know the allocated expenses for President election is 19 billions SLR
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Ajith / July 30, 2024
Sorry for the accidental reply before finishing. President election allocation was 10 billion SLR. in 2024.
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Ruchira / July 30, 2024
….and the purpose of their participation; the results achieved. Have they submitted a trip report giving the details of their visit, purpose, activities, engaged in, and the outcomes? Aren’t they required to? If not how are they going to measure their comparative performance?
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Ruchira / July 30, 2024
Any photographs along with the reports, of their activities during these visits that we could see? The public who funds these trips.
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Ruchira / July 30, 2024
Did they have tinder dates, wuth or without raping any women and go night clubbing at the expense of tax payers money?
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old codger / July 30, 2024
Ajith,
All those figures are in millions.
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Sinhala_Man / July 30, 2024
This comment was removed by a moderator because it didn’t abide by our Comment policy. The key to maintaining the website as an inviting space is to focus on intelligent discussion of topics.
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Dr. Gnana Sankaralingam / July 30, 2024
What happened. This is not the first time your comment was removed. Does this not show that you have gone insane. You said that I am insane, but none of my comments have been removed.
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Paul / August 1, 2024
Removal of a comment linked to Insanity – new discovery by Sri Lankan doctor
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nimal fernando / July 30, 2024
“Ranil’s Travel Expenses Released By Directive Of RTI Commission; Will Anura Do The Same?”
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There is a simple difference here ……… Ranil is using state funds …….. Anura is using private funds.
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AKD’s is not a burden on the taxed to the gills poor hard-working people. …….. Ranil’s is.
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Ranil and his buddies have always misused state-funds with gusto, as if it’s a birth-right. ……… With the exception of a rare lapse here and there, JVP for a long time has shown proper restrain.
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Ranil should be ashamed. Anura should be proud.
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Ranil and shame are mutually exclusive.
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chiv / July 30, 2024
You’re right Nimal. Some thing fishy. What is the need for AKD to declare, travel expenses , when it’s not state funds. To be honest, every government in power abused state resources, government agencies, officials and media for election campaigning. The EC shold monitor and stop such exploitation.
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Ajith / July 30, 2024
There may be a valid reason for publishing his figures because there may be a vast difference between two. The real question is whether the expenditure is worth for the benefit to the people?
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Dr. Gnana Sankaralingam / July 30, 2024
It does not matter whether AKD is going to disclose the amount of money spent. Fact is that the money is owned by private donors and not his or his party. There is nothing called free lunch and AKD has to repay it. Obviously he or his party will not be able to repay. Which means that the donors will be allowed to plunder government coffers by commissions or fraudulent deals. Corruption is going to continue.
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Ruchira / July 30, 2024
How do you measure if its worth or not? Who decides?
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Lasantha Pethiyagoda / July 30, 2024
These statistics could also be cooked up easily to show a much smaller amount than actually spent. Ajith Nivaard Cabraal did the same with Central Bank data in the official accounts. Also, many expenses are hidden under other dubious titles. These criminals have for far too long made fools of the voters and enjoyed poor people’s money while the poor died of malnutrition-triggered disease and lack of access to good health facilities. Anura Kumara Dissanayake is hugely popular in much of the diaspora of Sri Lankans and they contribute heavily to the NPP coffers, as they wish to see at least their future progeny enjoy the bounty of that resplendent isle again.
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Douglas / July 30, 2024
AKD said in Japan that he will state the expenses of his world trips once he returns to Sri Lanka. He didn’t stop at that. He even challenged Ranil W and Harin Fernando to declare their expenses.
I agree that the expenses of Ranil W and Harin Fernando must be declared it as both of them have incurred State Funds. But in the case of AKD, he had not drawn his expenses from the State Dunds. So there is no obligation to submit such a statement.
Yet, AKD, since he said this to an audience in Japan which is also a public statement, he MUST do it as “Promised”.
Now AKD must WALK THE TALK. So DO IT. If not, I question your CREDIBILITY.
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Nisal Fonseka / July 30, 2024
WHO is the author of this article?? NAME
Second, why should AKD release his travel data. He did not use any Government funds?
He did promise he will release, after someone alleged he spent 600 Mn. Thats a voluntary move- NOT a legal requirement or anything under right to information
Third, the RW data released, who are the other travellers for his trips paid by Govt??
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Nathan / July 30, 2024
Author, – COLOMBO TELEGRAPH.
Colombo Telegraph is a Body.
Are you asking for their names?
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Ruchira / July 30, 2024
Does it have a head?
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Ruchira / July 30, 2024
Or are you trying to convince us that a headless body wrote an article and published it in an online magazine? Must be the biggest wonder of the world noh?
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Ruchira / July 30, 2024
I mean I’ve heard of immaculate conceptions, rising from the dead, walking on water, and all sorts of nonesense but never a headless body that could write essays….. are you sure it’s not a chicken?
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Douglas / July 31, 2024
Nisal Fonseka: I agree that AKD need not release his travel expenses as he was not given any finance from the State.
However, the issue arose because of his (AKD) promise given to the public through his speech at the meeting held in Japan. Why did he do that?
He got unnecessarily provoked ( I consider it to be a well-planned trap) by a Minister, who said: “How did AKD get such large sums of money to roam around the world”? In un-no-certain terms, AKD said: “I will give all details of my expenses once returned to the country”.
That is why I said: “So do it as promised”. That is what I expect from a Leader. If you can’t do it, then don’t say it. Simple as that.
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whywhy / July 31, 2024
Is the figure bigger than the Bond ? Helping Hambantota ? People like Ranil
do not care about others’ money . Released or hidden . Why try to match
AKD travel expense with Ranil’s ?
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