Whilst addressing the media after the Cabinet Press Briefing earlier today Government Spokesman and Minister Rajitha Senaratne confirmed that CEO Suren Ratwatte will no longer be serving the airline after the 25th of January 2018.
Dias and Ratwatte
The Spokesman also criticized the national carrier‘s outgoing Chairman Ajith Dias by saying that his entry was one big mistake.
Minister Senaratne provided these answers when a journalist posed the question as confusion still mounted if the existing Chairman Dias and his Board of Directors had officially resigned.
“It is the new interim Committee that is converging for a meeting on the 25th of January 2018. Even the current CEO Suren Ratwatte will also be out,” Minister Senaratne said.
“Will they ask the Chairman to leave on that day?” asked a Journalist, to which Minister Senaratne then said “What’s there to ask him to go? The biggest mistake is that Chairman Dias came in the first place”.
At a earlier Cabinet Press Briefing held on the 20th of December Minister Senaratne also stated that the loss making Chairman Dias and CEO Ratwatte must be removed.
Colin / January 11, 2018
Canines may bark but the plane driver moves on
It may be easy to dispense with Chairman – a political appointee but CEO is another employee, he should be treated like any other employee with fairness, natural justice and due process even though he hasn’t endeared himself to many. Politicians must remember we the people can fire them, but they the politicians can do jack excreta
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Don Stanley / January 13, 2018
Buck Stops with Ranil Wickramasinghe’s whose plan was to asset strip Sri Lankan Airlines and then sell it to the dodgy Texas Pacific Group (TPG) Hedge Fund at the end of 3 years.
Like the Central Bank Bond Scam, Sri Lankan Airlines was identified by Ranil and his Foreign Economic Hit men as an institution for looting the Sri Lankan people – in an apparently “legal” way! Thus Ranil appointed his cronies to key posts and set up a network to loot Sri Lankan Airlines. Only TPG got into hot water in Aussie and had to pull out of the Sri Lankan deal!
Ranil Wickramasinge should be impeached soon or more nation assets wold be stripped and sold – such as the Galle Fort Govt. properties, Hyatt and Hilton Buildings to pay of the Debt counted by fake international accountants.. Ranil has a limitless greed for power for which he thinks he needs money.
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Emil van der Poorten / January 13, 2018
Colin:
I wish you were right! However, the reality is that the politicians ultimately call the shots and any considerations of justice, “natural” or otherwise go by the board!
As the Sri Lankan airlines fiasco suggests, there is serious concern that this country is beyond redemption.
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douglas / January 12, 2018
There are so MANY MISTAKES done by this Government. One among most NOTEWORTHY is the appointment of this man as a Minister and WORST for him to be the “Spokesman” for announcing the Cabinet decisions. A “Mistake” can be corrected; but “Lunacy” is Irredeemable.
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Jo / January 12, 2018
Concrete, precise and reliable statements are probably unknown to politicians. Is the board still in or out? And some politicians obviously never learn from their mistakes. Choosing a man like Thilan Wijesinghe (if this information is right) who is stained with the accusation of corruption and bribery, as the new chairman, was not the very best signal to the airline employees and creditors, the country, or possible investors. An expert with a clean white slate would have been a wiser choice for a new start.
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K.Pillai / January 12, 2018
Jo ~ “……….An expert with a clean white slate would have………….”
An ‘expert’ will be difficult to find, ‘expert with a clean white slate’ is non-existent (??)
A friend of mine is an avid collector of hen’s teeth. Find us a ‘person with a clean slate’ and collect 1000 hen teeth – white and clean too!
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Ruvan / January 12, 2018
Thilan Wijesinghe was cleared of all charges. Check your facts before discrediting otherd
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Jo / January 12, 2018
Ruvan, please check your reading. I did not say T.W. was found guilty. I said he is stained with an accusation. The stain remains even though he may have been cleared of all charges. What the airline needs now is a leadership beyond all doubts. A chairman, that can gain the trust of all stakeholders.
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Percy / January 13, 2018
an unproven accusation does not stain and should not be assumed as giving even the slightest discreditation to the person concerned. A finding of a commission of inquiry is quite the opposite!
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Janice / January 16, 2018
Not available in SRI LANKA ?????
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Kab / January 12, 2018
This news is not true.
The old Board is still there and will meet the PM on the 25th January.
The CEO will not be removed.
Thilan Wijesinghe has been requested by the PM to take on the job of the interim Chairman but he has refused.
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Native Sudda / January 12, 2018
The outgoing Chairman Suren Ratwatte and his purported replacement Thilan Wijesinghe, are they Royalists by any chance? I am making a wild guess. Can someone please enlighten !!
If in particular Thilan is a Royalist, our PM has not learnt a lesson and is as thick-skinned as a croc. Do we need such an imbecile to lead and rule this country?.
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Jon / January 12, 2018
This comment was removed by a moderator because it didn’t abide by our Comment policy.For more detail see our Comment policy https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/comments-policy-2/
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Max / January 12, 2018
Kick out all the senior managers at Sri Lankan.
They are the guys who kiss ass of the big shots and keep misleading all.
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Raj. / January 12, 2018
Max – there are exception but you are spot on.
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luxman / January 16, 2018
Agre 100%
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thondamannay / January 12, 2018
The parrot said………………………
Same old Customers………………
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Sunil / January 12, 2018
Thilan is an old anandian. Let Sri Lankan bring a British with exemplary record in aviation to lead the airline, like how Emirates started
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Sandeep / January 13, 2018
You have such an experienced and talented person who can bring this airline in profit with two to three years. Mr Wasantha Kumarasiri who headed Air Niugini. In his tenure he not only brought the airline in profile, also he expanded the fleet three times.
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Upasiri Samaraweera / January 13, 2018
Is he a Royalist!!
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Percy / January 13, 2018
Old Anandian? Heaven forbid! Yes bring in a BRITISH the White skin is very appealing to some natives!, He He !
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K.Pillai / January 12, 2018
Is this news fake?
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Ruvan / January 12, 2018
Jo, if one is cleared of charges….then it is struck of the record. The charges against Thilan were politically motivated. Once he was cleared of the charges…he could have sought damages…but chose not too.
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Ruvan p / January 13, 2018
Correct Remove most of senior Managers as they are the culprits.
Specially procurement management ,tender evaluation department and the inflight.
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Fritz / January 13, 2018
Its time for us to think seriously think whether we really need a national airline ?
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James Banda / January 13, 2018
Ruvan P, Not only procurement management,tender evaluation and inflight, the list is longer than one could see. Top on the list should be the audit division, finance and add on the senior team at catering arm as well. Majority of staff are over paid and productivity wise add very little value. Need to bring down the head count to half at both the airline and the catering arm.
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Johnson aiya / January 13, 2018
Please close the airline down and stop this draining of scarce resources of Sri-Lanka.
Sell the Landing rights and catering which are the only 2 things of value and move on.
Enough is Enough.
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K.Soysa / January 13, 2018
Once again, I will say what I said so many times before but will use a different way to say it. stop funding, stop underwriting this company and see what happens. Or just shut-up and let it and the other corporations take us all down.
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Jim softy / January 14, 2018
Once the Commission on Sri lankan air lines submit their report, that exposes Ranil Wickrmasinghe’s leadership. The title says, appointment of the Chairman was a total mistake. this happened from the economic Expert of the UNP, the party leader. this is a good example, that politicians should not appoint at all managements. Because management starts becoming incompetent, thieves, and mismanagement and every possible destructive thing.
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