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Discolored water being tested

 

The Central Environmental Authority (CEA) and the police are conducting investigations to find the source and the composition of discolored water flowing into the Kelaniya River from a canal in the Pitiwila area after residents in the area complained to the Water Board.

When contacted officials at the Ambathale Water Treatment Plant told Daily Mirror online that the water fed to the plant from the Kelaniya River was not affected or contaminated from this incident, but as it was illegal to contaminate water sources.

Water board officials added that water at the Ambathale Water Treatment Plant was not contaminated in any way and that internal tests were always being conducted to keep a high degree of water quality.

Moreover investigations were being carried out to determine the composition of the reportedly black color water that was flowing to the river. Several water samples were already being tested by Central Environmental Authority.

 

CID probes more ATM scams

The Criminal Investigations Department (CID) is investigating several ATM scams that have been reported across the island, after a number of  private banks lodged complaints

Millions of rupees have been withdrawn from ATMs after obtaining customer information using advanced electronic devices fixed on the ATM machines.

A Romanian couple was arrested in February for withdrawing Rs.14 million from private banks and also three men were arrested in April for withdrawing nearly Rs.12 million from ATM machines belonging to three private banks.

The Managers of the card centers of Commercial Bank, Hatton National Bank and Nations Trust Bank lodged separate complaints with the CID after detecting these frauds taking place at ATM machines and also at filling stations in Ja-Ela, Peliyagoda, Ratmalana and Colombo, which led to the arrest of three men in April.

The Commercial Bank incurred a loss of Rs.105,600, the Hatton National Bank (HNB) incurred a loss of Rs.3 million and the Nations Trust Bank (NTB) incurred a loss of Rs.8.79 million due to these scams.

The CID also arrested a suspect from Kalawanchikudi with six forge credit cards, a USB cable and a ‘sceamer’ machine in his possession.

The CID is further investigating into the frauds committed by the suspects and they are now being further questioned under detention orders. Police have found that the suspects are linked to an international racket that is widespread.

School drop-outs

An estimated 200,000 school-going children drop-out of school annually in the country, Commissioner of Probation and Childcare Services, Sarath Abeygunawardena said

Abeygunawardena said that most drop-outs quit school at the ages between 10 years and 14 years. He said however that dropping out of school sometimes starts as early as the age of five. Due to the lack of education some parents believe that a school education up to grade five is more than adequate for their children, he said.

He added that the issue was most common in single parent homes where families are run solely by women, families in which mothers are employed in the Middle East or due to poverty. “There are a number of social and economic issues that lead to this problem,” Abeygunawardena said. “If we can control the number of school drop-outs we can control child labor, child trafficking and other types of abuse that children are subject to,” he said.

The Probation and Childcare Services Department along with the Ministry of Child Development and Women’s Affairs will organize an awareness program for children who drop out of school today in the Palindha Divisional Secretariat in Kalutara. Abeygunawardena said that the department began an awareness and development program in 2009 to address the problem. “Since then the number of drop-outs in the area have declined from an estimated 500 to about 200,” he said.

Similar programs have been held in other areas in the Kalutara, Kurunegala and Moneragala district, he said. “We hope to implement such programs in other areas of the country to reduce the number of drop-outs island wide,” he said.

 He said a multi-disciplinary approach was necessary to address the issue by including parents, teachers, principals, childcare authorities, the police and other stakeholders.

Accountability is up to SL-France

France yesterday said that it is up to the Sri Lankan authorities to investigate into the alleged war crimes claims in Sri Lanka, the Inner City press reported.

“Investigation is up to the Sri Lankan authorities, as something they should do to ‘improve the reconciliation process’,” said the Permanent Representative of France Gérard Araud, who took over the UN Security Council presidency for May.

He was responding to a question that what France thinks should be done about the UN Panel of Experts report.