Minister of Construction and Engineering Services Rajitha Senaratne of Sri Lanka

Referring to the visit of Louise Arbour, the UN Human Rights High Commissioner who arrived in the island Tuesday morning on a four-day visit, Senaratne said the representatives of the international community were welcome to visit Sri Lanka and gather information.

commission's Malalasekera Mawatha offices by Mr.

the commission to investigate them.

Addressing the media at the Information Department, Senaratne said more than ten thousand Sri Lankans including engineers, carpenters, plumbers, welders and laborers will obtain employment in Qatar soon after the project is implemented.

com): United National Party Parliamentarian Rajitha Senaratne came down hard on the party leadership and insisted it should be revamped soon.

Senaratne has been vehement critic of Ranil Wickremesinghe leadership.

Dismissing reports that some UNPers would cross over to the government, Senaratne said they are determined to revamp the UNP into a formidable party.

Senaratne said his party categorically opposed the abrogation of the CFA signed with the LTTE.

Rajitha Senaratne is a crucial politician who took the centre stage of politics from time to time.

including himself to exit the party and join the Government.

to understand the pulse of the people, he is not worthy of leadership.

nobody could expel him from the party.

consideration of the greater good of the Nation.

earned only from smuggling arms and drugs.

Kumaratunga has to say about this.

Senaratne said Ministers Ravi Karunanayake, G.

Construction minister Rajitha Senaratne said a team from the Birla group had put off plans to visit Jaffna to inspect the site of the plant.

Construction and Engineering Services Minister Rajitha Senaratne said yesterday MP Wijedasa Rajapakshe could not morally remain as the Chairman of the Committee On Public Enterprises (COPE) as he has been fined for violating the Inland Revenue Act.

Senaratne said Rajapakshe`s name was among the 66 names cited in the report.

Senaratne said Gnanakone claimed the SLFP M-group and the UNP was firmly behind his plan to topple the Government and they needed 20 MPs from the Government side.

Addressing the media at Seth Sevana, Senaratne said the treacherous programme conducted by Wickremesinghe led 18 UNP Parliamentarians including himself to exit the party and join the Government.

Senaratne said when a leader fails to understand the pulse of the people, he is not worthy of leadership.

Senaratne said normally loans are obtained not to spend on war or to reduce the prices of essential commodities or for subsidies but to expedite development.

Senaratne said he was still a Working Committee member of the UNP and nobody could expel him from the party.

Senaratne said that India had no connection with the government’s decision to implement the 13th Amendment in its entirety.

stance and go ahead with planned action against the President.

for which he would have to answer to the Sinhala Nation eventually.

Sinhala nation should ask for a pardon from the Tamils.

The attention of the Government has been drawn towards the utilization of sea sand in place of river sand for the construction industry, Construction and Engineering Services Minister Rajitha Senaratne said last week.

Currently the construction industry is reeling from an acute shortage of sand due to the ban on river sand mining and Minister Senaratne said that Government and private sector constructors must be urged to use sea sand in place of river sand for construction work.

Minister Senaratne said that apart from sand, the rising price of cement was also hurting the industry.

Addressing the media at Hotel Renuka, Minister Senaratne said only 40 per cent out of the entire local cement demand is produced in Sri Lanka.

Minister Senaratne said to cater to the country's sand demand, the recently opened Deukosha state metal quarry is also supplying artificial sand extracted from rock stone.

Minister Senaratne said the highest commissions can be earned only from smuggling arms and drugs.

Peiris, Milinda Moragoda and Rajitha Senaratne joined the Government.

by Don Asoka Wijewardena Amidst claims President Mahinda Rajapaksas government is seeking a fresh Norwegian role in Sri Lanka, Construction and Engineering Services Minister Rajitha Senaratne has told former Norwegian peace envoy to Sri Lanka Eric Solheim that Sri Lankan State wouldnt trust Norwegian facilitation in the peace process.

In a brief interview with The Island on his return from Norway Senaratne said the vast majority of the people had felt the Norwegian government had given oxygen to the LTTE during the CFA, thereby strengthening its capacity to achieve its objectives through military means.

During his meeting with Solheim, Senaratne said the people believed that the Norwegian government had been partial to the LTTE.

were advocating the continuance of the war in Sri Lanka.

and seems quite contented with making baseless generalisations.

minister (See box for contents of denial.

misdeeds during his tenure as lands minister.

given President Kumaratunga and her son certain state lands.

Government News Portal of Sri Lanka.

Minister Rajitha Senaratne said Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam agent Charles Gnanakone had reportedly said 20 million US.

He had told government Members of Parliament that UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe and Mangala Samaraweera are already planning it and former President Chandrika Kumaratunga would later join it,” Senaratne said in Colombo.

Senaratne said Gnanakone had been personally known to the two parliamentarians before and they informed the party leader Karu Jayasuriya after receiving the phone calls offering bribes.

Senaratne said Gnanakone reportedly told the members of Parliament the strategic political move has been already planned by UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe and his ally Mangala Samaraweera, the leader of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (Mahajana Wing.

Senaratne said the demeaning behavior of the UNP members of parliament in the House, raising jeers and catcalls, constantly thumping on their desks and making other noises, during Jayasuriya’s submissions clearly indicated their guilt and the determination to defend Gnanakone.

Quoting Samaraweera ally Sripathi Sooriyaarachchi from a statement he made on September 28, 2005, at a press conference, Senaratne said UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe had met Charles Gnanakone before the presidential elections in 1999.

At a news conference today, Minister Rajitha Senaratne said each of the 20 MPs, were assured 110 million rupees, if they left the government.

Minister Senaratne said when this statement was made in parliament yesterday, it was the UNP, which was worried and not any other party.