TRC on law breaking spree to please Rajapaksa
By Asanga Welikala and Nirmala Kannangara
In a blatant display of despotism, President Mahinda Rajapaksa instructed the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (TRC) to order mobile phone operators in the country to send a New Year Greeting on January 1st to a massive 13.5 million phone users free of charge on his behalf.
TRC, a public institution established and governed by law, run with public tax revenue had absolutely no power to issue instructions to mobile companies to promote an election candidate.
In fact, Sections 4 and 5 of the Sri Lanka Telecommunications Act No. 25 of 1991 as amended by Sections 7 and 8 of the Sri Lanka Telecommunications (Amendment) Act No. 27 of 1996 does not empower the TRC to issue instructions to companies to promote candidates.
Therefore the TRC’s behaviour is not only against its own parent legislation and other elections laws, but also repugnant to every principle of good government and democracy under the rule of law.
The transmission of a New Year Message from the President of Sri Lanka to mobile phone subscribers was carried out by mobile operators based on instructions received from the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka. In line with prior practice with respect to the transmission of messages as instructed by the TRC, the companies will not be levying any charge from the TRC from the transmission of this message. As a result, owing to the TRC directive, the Treasury has lost approximately Rs. 22.5 million in taxes.
“Normally, when a SMS is sent, the service provider earns one rupee and a further Rs. 1.67 in taxes is earned by the government from a single SMS,” sources at a key mobile phone company said.
“The taxes include the Mobile Service Levy (MSL) of 11.72%, Nation Building Tax (NBT) of 3% and an Environmental Conversation Tax (ECT) of 2% which amounts to 16.72% tax per a SMS message. MSL and NBT taxes are paid to the Treasury while the ECT goes to the Central Environmental Authority,” the sources claimed.
Most operators reacted in anger on the order which was a financial loss to them, but added that they had no option because it was a directive from the ‘top.’
This is not the last of the TRC’s misdemeanors, on Friday; MTV filed a writ application against the TRC in the Court of Appeal challenging an impugned order to shut down its transmission station of Shakthi TV in the Jaffna peninsula
On 1st January this year, its staff at the Jaffna station realised that the Shakthi TV signal on UHF channel 25 was being jammed by another signal being transmitted on the same frequency. Upon inquiry, MTV learnt that the ITN-owned Vasantham channel was broadcasting its test transmission on same frequency as had been allocated by the TRC to MTV / Shakthi.
All attempts to contact Director General TRC Priyantha Kariyapperuma by The Sunday Leader for a comment failed.
Lalith Gamalath
Ado Fredrica Janse, Umba general ta puka dunnada
JANUARY 26 VENI DA RAJAPAKSE KARI BALLUNTA THARU PENAI.
JAYAWEWA APE WEERA GENERAL SARATH FONSEKA.
RAJAPAKKALA PAWUL BALAYA VINASA KERAMU
26 veni da tharu nemai bada eliya yai. MAHINDA – GOTHA – BASIL – CHAMPA – NAMAL PAWUL BALAYA AHOSI VEI
Tamil National Alliance leader R.Sampanthan had signed two secret agreements with NDF Presidential candidate Sarath Fonseka and UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe. But the JVP, the second largest political party in the Fonseka camp were not aware of it, TNA Member of Parliament M.K.Sivajilingam who is also a candidate contesting the Presidential poll told the Daily News yesterday.
The brokers between Fonseka and Sampanthan were WPF Parliamentarian Mano Ganeshan and SLMC leader Rauf Hakim.
As members of the TNA we could not accept any agreement made with the Fonseka camp that was not accepted by the JVP the second largest party backing his candidature nor were we told what the agreements they had reached with Sampanthan. Only photo copies of some document was shown to the TNA members and Sampanthan is keeping the originals. We are not mad to accept as authentic the copies that were shown.
He said he was not aware whether Fonseka would break up the north and east into two or three.
We could have reached a settlement the problem as far back as 1987 but we had not done it. The promise of abolishing the executive presidency by Sarath Fonseka is also not a realistic one.
Therefore I am contesting the presidential poll and I will obtain a large number of votes from the north and east and will be placed third.
Some TNA Parliamentarians asked whether there was a written agreement between Samapanthan and Fonseka refused to comment. When asked whether the TNA was split into two or more factions they said these Parliamentarians were not aware.
TNA leader Sampanthan with some other TNA Parliamentarians is currently on a visit to India.
ON THE 26 TH THE SRI LANKANS WILL VOTE FOR SARATH FONSEKA AND BRING AN END TO THE CORRUPT RAJAPAKSE GOVT. TO AN END.
Yes, I totally agree with you. Now it is high time to end MR family and let Fonseka family to run the country. Then his son in-law Danuna, 2 daughters and General,s dearest female soldiers may do the right things
What a rotten curse we have in this Stupid and iditiotic Mahinda Horapakse.
What low and stupid levels can thos desperate fellow go to.
Bye bye Horapakase and his Hora Pakshaya(Tramslated…The rogue -Pakse and his Rogue and corrupt political party)
ඈ බං, ජෙනරලයා අපේ රනිල් මහත්තයාට දෙයිද?
The curse of a rotten rajapakse strikes again..What a curse…sooner we get rid of this rogue and his family and goons from Srilankan politics, the better for all of us.
Bloody ruthless and shameless breed and a disgrace to Sri Lankans..They will be remembered as the Rogue Rajapakses.
ගෝනවල සුනිල්
ගෝඨයි මහින්දයි මාව දැක්කුවෙ නැත්නම්, මම තාමත් දනුන බෑනත් එක්ක ලස්සනට යුද්දෙ කරනවා!!!!!
මෙයාඃ-
ස්ත්රී දූෂකයෙක්! Dhanawathie at Diyathalawa camp 1975!!!!
හොරෙක්!! Hidorp!!!!
බොරු කාරයෙක්!!! Sunday Leader Story , Gota ordered..!!!!!
ජාති ද්රෝහියෙක්!!!! Sanbandan TNA agrrementt to re-merge N with E!!
ලැජ්ජා නැතිකම ජෙනරාල්කමටත් වඩා ලොකුයි!!!!!!!
ගෝනවල සුනිල්
ගෝඨයි මහින්දයි මාව දැක්කුවෙ නැත්නම්, මම තාමත් දනුන බෑනත් එක්ක ලස්සනට යුද්දෙ කරනවා!!!!!
SF-
ස්ත්රී දූෂකයෙක්! Dhanawathie at Diyathalawa camp 1975!!!!
හොරෙක්!! Hidorp!!!!
බොරු කාරයෙක්!!! Sunday Leader Story , Gota ordered..!!!!!
ජාති ද්රෝහියෙක්!!!! Sanbandan TNA agreement to re-merge N with E!!
ලැජ්ජා නැතිකම ජෙනරාල්කමටත් වඩා ලොකුයි!!!!!!!
Balu Booru pakse should not be even allowed to ocmtest the presidential elections until he can be honest and answer all the alleagations and accusations///He has NOT tried to even defend himself and the more he tries to promote himself, he becomes more transparent to be a fool and a corrupt rogue.
His immediate family and others around him are the biggest crooks..male or female,,,
This para-pakse must be stopped and removed by the people of Sri Lanka once and for all..the more we allow him to be in power, the more he will rob, cheat, kill and make Sri Lanka a mere worthless and empty country.
Jan 26th. will be the beginning of the end for the Horapakses who have been the ‘Moosala’ breed for all of us the poor and suffering Sri Lankans.
Why on earth erudite local masses would not bring to forward the abominable crime of misuse of public fund; placing election advertisements in foreign paper web editions of London Times, Washington post, wall street journal Asia edition and indeed in U TUBE ?
No one knows in what else Rajapakse campaign use space for election campaign- Probably in “Hell’s Times” ?
Will ever this despicable crime of misusing government coffers would reprimanded in banana republic ?
Probably not, as Rajapakse spends his ancestral inheritance !!
At the eve of new year I received the same SMS from sanwedi raja. I thought “sanvedi nayakaya 3.50 wiyadam karala mata sms kotala ewwa kiyala” wena korana wedakuth nane. Also mama hithuwa “me sanwedi nayakaya kohomada mage number eka dana gatthe kiyalath” APOI…
Mamath hemihita SMS reply ekak kotala yawwa ban sanvediyata habai ketuwe “F… Off” kiyalai.
eeeee yaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh
Ane man wage moda rajek…..
If TRC turned down (and they dare not!) Maharaja’s request….then the commission itself will be thrust into the limbo of forgotten things!!!
You spineless scoundrels of TRC, what you deserve is pot of your own fecal matter for supper, enjoy it.