Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s media unit accused the Yahapalanaya leaders of wanting to enjoy themselves the luxury VIP kit that Rajapaksa was to receive as “a complimentary gift” from Airbus Industries, and hence were coming up with all sorts of lies such as they cannot reverse the order made for the VIP kit.
SriLankan Airlines under the Rajapaksas placed orders for 12 air craft with Airbus Industrie consisting of six A 330 and six A 350 in a major re fleeting exercise, one of which was to be fitted in a tailor made fashion for former President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s use. The A330 was to be fitted like the Air Force 1 used by the President of USA costing millions of dollars. The fitting necessitates gear to be fitted permanently to the front end of the aircraft which would add at least one tonne in weight even when other interior fittings are taken off when in use for commercial transport. The added weight would inflate the cost per flown mile in addition to lesser yields for the troubled airline.
In a statement issued by Rajapaksa’s media unit in response to Parliamentarian Ranjan Ramanayake’s statement where he claimed that the former president had ordered a luxury cubicle worth four million US Dollars to be fixed onto aircraft used by Rajapaksa, and because of the agreement that has been signed, President Sirisena was unable to reverse the order.
“During the last presidential election campaign, President Rajapaksa was falsely accused of having ordered a private plane for himself. Now they say fairly truthfully, that this was only a kit to convert a part of an ordinary airliner into a luxury cubicle. These are VIP conversion kits which can be installed after removing several seats in commercial airliners and are supplied free as a complimentary accessory when new commercial passenger planes are ordered. Airbus Industries mentions a value for this conversion kit only to give the customer an idea of the value of the complimentary kit. The customer can’t ask for the money instead of the complimentary accessory,” the statement said.
The statement also said that it was not correct to say that the government cannot reverse the order for this VIP kit. “Any customer can turn down the offer of a complimentary accessory if he does not need it. It seems to be that the present leaders now wish to avail themselves of the comfort of this VIP kit for their foreign travels and are trying to make excuses for accepting it by saying that the agreement prevented them from turning it down,” the statement added.
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anonymous / February 26, 2016
Rubbish! Cancel all orders and sell the stupid white elephant to Emirates or Etihad along with the 800 odd ‘Pilawoos Waiters’. Offer MR and his clan a ‘Bakki Karaththeyak’ with wings.
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Spring Koha / February 26, 2016
Aaaaaaaa…….a ‘Bakki Karaththeyak’ with wings……?
You shurely mean a’dandumonara’ with a Sinha-Le sticker.
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S.Modaya / February 27, 2016
Boycott Sri Lankan Airlines until it is de-politicized and handed over to Emirates again!
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Dinuk / February 28, 2016
Nothing comes free from Airbus Industrie! Mahinda Jarapassa is claiming that it was a freebee to get a special presidential cubicle.
The 10 plains were overpriced and unnecessary!
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Leelagemalli / February 26, 2016
Is that not that Maharaja prevaricated.. that it was a gift by Chinese govt for a deal being made with them ? I really dont think current leaders would ever go for this. THease are just gossips only.
CT, dont you have any other good articles to bring on to this valuable platform ?
There are lot more awaiting in terms of Maharaja et al -how they let bred all babaric crime doers. Hamanbanto was no better to colombo underworld- did not wee notice this at the time UNP misson was on a fact finding event – Ajith Perera was verbally and physcially attacked by a group of thugs from the appearence akin to Maharaja.
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Rajash / February 27, 2016
Leelagemalli “CT, dont you have any other good articles to bring on to this valuable platform ? “
Unfortunately CT is now becoming a comedy platform.
They have a few contributors of all size and colour and religion. Whom they invite over and over again to write some rubbish.
So have fun
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Leel / February 27, 2016
MR is another man who climb the KITHUL TREE. That guy is ( former as well as latter) is uneducated and indisciplined and were not fit to their respective jobs.
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Amarasiri / February 28, 2016
anonymous
Ahhhh.
That is the New Presidential Dandu Monera Yanthraya, Huge Peacock Flying Machine.
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Ben Hurling / February 26, 2016
Sir,
A complimentary luxury kit from Airbus? Is that meant for impoverished Sri Lankan tax-payers? Who happen to be the real customers of these planes.
Smells like corruption from Airbus to “leaders” of rotten 3rd world countries such as ours.
Isn’t that criminal in the European Union? Where Airbus is based. Bribing people for deals.
If we had professional journalists in this country, they would have gone after this stinking deal like a pack of hungry wolves. They would have exposed everything to the people.
Instead we have Rajapassa and Yahapalanya playing a propaganda ball game with dumb citizens of Sri Lanka.
Cheers!
PS: Meanwhile our citizens are very happy to travel on horrible public transport with sweaty, stinking & over-crowded interiors.
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Analyst / February 26, 2016
” Delusion of Grandeur”
This is what the MR and his coolies suffered with. This mega luxury aircraft kit was given as a complementary gift to Rajapassa cronies as another play thing.
Ok it was only complementary as it says, then why and how?? I am puzzled . What so extra ordinarily this megalomaniac has done to the company to receive some luxury??
I smell a rat here.
Has he been comparing himself and his family to the AMERICAN PRESIDENT?? To its wealth and power.??
Definitely this man was suffering from the above condition. Delusion of Grandeur is a false belief that one possesses superior qualities such as the greatest ,genius, fame or wealth.
It is the symptom of SCHIZOPHRENIA / PSYCHOSIS./ BIPOLAR DISORDERS AS WELL AS DEMENTIA OR ALZHEIMERS.
IT CAN ALSO BE FOUND IN AN INDIVIDUAL BELIEVES IN RECEIVING MESSAGES FROM GOD. ( In this case from King Dutugemunu. ? ).
In a language Popularly known as “Megalomaniac.”
HOPE YAHAPALANAYA DOES NOT SUFFER WITH THIS DISASTROUS CONDITION. (. DISEASE)
We will be doomed forever if the case!!!
GET RID OF THE DAMN THING YAHAPALANAYA ASAP.
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Sylvia Haik / February 26, 2016
Rajapakse’s delusions of grandeur as befitting a cardboard king. This must be one occasion when he opted for material instead of cash kickback. He had pilfered so much cash he probably did not need anymore.
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Analyst / February 26, 2016
@ Sylvia Haik
” I said I smell a rat”. This man does not do anything for nothing.
When he ordered 12 Aircrafts for our country from our tax payers money he knew there will be a FREEBIE INSTEAD OF CASH FREEBIE WHICH WAS NOT ON OFFER, SO HE HAD TO OPT FOR THE LUXURY KIT.
BECAUSE HE ORDERED THE NUMBER OF AIR BUSES HE HIT THE JUMBO FREEBIE.
WE ALL KNOW HOW HIS BRAIN WORKS ALL FOR HIM AND HIS FAMILIES COMFORT HE CARED.
HIS son is in prison because of his greed and upbringing. He should suffer with that guilt for the rest of his life.
If I were him I will come clean, give away all the stolen wealth from our country which rightly belongs to the people of Srilanka and live with a piece of mind.
Piece of mind for this man I wonder how he can achieve that.
At least return all the wealth he amassed fraudulently and ask GOD TO FORGIVE HIM AND HIS FAMILY.
THERE IS GOD ABOVE YOU MARAPASSA , YOU CANNOT ESCAPE FROM YOUR BAD DEEDS.
TIME TO GIVE UP YOU STUPID MAN.
For how long and how far can you run??
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Analyst / February 26, 2016
Correction! Peace not Piece
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Analyst / February 26, 2016
THIS PSYCHO OF OUR PAST IS STILL GLOATING OVER TRIVIALS, Doesn’t he know it’s up to Yahapalanaya now??
Just mind your own business son .o ..b..
We have heard enough of your Jealousies and sarcasms as an uneducated thug from the jungle of Medamulana.
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Adrian / February 26, 2016
None of the present ruler want to trim their powers. RW is guilty of enjoying too much power. All are same, and same tune after elections, only one lot become the other. If EU & USA allowed such unethical business, then they too are guilty of entertaining crime in the name of business.
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Leelagehusband / February 26, 2016
RW does nothing wrong so far. I am not an Unper but right at the moment.. we dont have any other good leaders that woudl give everything to restore law and order…. – sofar he has been so smart.
Who else would not come to lanka today ? NW president or PM paid a visit. And US state secretary louds that the way the country move seems to be fine. Only Swaziland and Belarus have not made any statements about the current situation as had been familiar with them before.
To this date, he maintains to oversee if anything would go wrong.
He has to behave stronger actually – had anyone been posted to that job Maharaja et al would have been kept in jail long ago.
RW and MY3 are no devious as MR et al. MR has done all the worst than the good – but stupid folks have not pulsed it yet.
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Burt / February 27, 2016
Why not enjoy it: if your not going to pay anything extra for getting it and your not going to gain anything by refusing it.
The time for declining and negotiating a better price had passed no sooner the agreement was inked.
The manufacturer might say its free but there is no free “hoppers” anywhere unless your a fool. MS was an exception in that he got the “Hoppers” and a winning deal. :)
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lion / February 27, 2016
Look at what this shameless rouge is uttering.He doesn’t deny that he has not ordered the 4 million dollar kit instead, he is telling us how American president and sultan of Brunei travels.Once a contract is signed you cant cancel it as you wish.This is how this this man obsessed with pride and assumed that he is the king of the country used the money of poor people who are struggling to earn a living. At least now our people who believes that this man is as their savior must realize that he is a A grade rouge who should be behind bars for crime committed against the country.
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Saro / February 27, 2016
Rajapaksas did not do anything without commission attached to it. Any donation made to the leader must belong to the people of the country. Rajapakse modelled his family like that of Arab dictators whose sons become the succeeding dynasty. But people could not be fooled forever. Slowly Rajapakse’s foreign bank details and hoard of many properties will come to light.
Rajapakse sons also got involved in alleged money laundering, murder and commissions.
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Rohan / February 27, 2016
//a major re fleeting exercise, one of which was to be fitted in a tailor made fashion for former President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s use. The A330 was to be fitted like the Air Force 1 used by the President of USA costing millions of dollars. //
Of course, of course! This was given FREE to Rajapakse, because he was like a Nelson Mandella or Martin Luther King! MIllions of dollars for free? That too, to be used by Mahinda Rajapakse?
Rajapakse Propaganda Team still thinks that the people are stupid to buy their stories. I am sure they are worried about the potential release of the interiors, so they jumped first.
Maithri went to Germany and Austria by commercial airlines, right?
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Bensen Berner / February 27, 2016
Does Rajapaksa think that luxury in any form is an exclusive preserve of himself and hia family alone? Bensen
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dcn / February 27, 2016
President Maithree nor P.M. Ranil W never misuse their position to enjoy unrealistic luxuries as done by MR regime. In practice, Presidential swearing ceremony costed only around Rs.6500/- and President Maithree travels in a normal flight as a passenger in other flights unlike earlier when the whole Airlanka aircraft was used by previous rulers. Now to estcape from the annoyed public they are trying to mislead them. a standard practice by the previous regime.
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f=ma / February 27, 2016
LOL Airbus is giving a complimentary 330 to MR for purchasing 12 planes?
did u think the aviation industry is a buy 12 get one free industry?
LOL.. then Emirates which buys 100 aircrafts at a time must be getting like 10 as complimentary LOL
stop posting lies. Post something that is believable lol
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Lanka Watch / February 28, 2016
As long as My3 remains the President and Ranil remains the PM, they will always travel business class on Sri Lankan or other airlines and
the rest, including FM Mangala Samaraweera, who travels very often on
Govt. business, will follow suit and we will never ever hear again that
Sri Lankan flights were diverted to pick up or drop VVIPs, deviating from the route,pick up wives and pets, off the route and operate special flights to carry Govt. ministers & entourage or delay a scheduled flight for above purpose. This is due to a bitter lesson learnt with Emirates airlines.
We were on the road to recovery while with Emirates airlines but an
incident like above created by the former Govt., angered the Emirates
management and they ended the management contract with immediate effect
and no takers after that incident and the airline has run into colossal
loss.
The above article must be a myth to confuse people that ‘Yahapalanaya’
Govt.also wants to misuse their positions to enjoy luxuries at
people’s expense. In my opinion, the airline should be down sized and operate as a regional airline, operating into profitable routes in India, Middle & Far East. with narrow bodied aircraft,until such time we get a firm footing.
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Rohan Polwatte / February 29, 2016
NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO!
Yahapanalaya is LYING!
All luxurious items cums with the purchase.
You stupid moron! You needed an AIR FORCE 1 to route your stupid ass with your family all over the world at the expense of Sri Lankan innocent poor tax payers money.
You did not give a damn about increasing fuel, electricity, gas, food prices as long as you and your stupid greedy family and cloase associates enjoy the luxurious living at the expense of the poor.
Inspite of spending bllions of our money and making every sri lankan in debted in your stupid unfruitful projects, just to mark your stupid name, kept on building palaces, letting your famiily and close associated rob in billions.
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