It is reported that retired Major General Daya Ratnayake, the Chairman of the Sri Lanka Ports Authority, has been removed.
Instead, Nihal Keppetipola has been appointed as the Chairman. Nihal Keppetipola is said to have been the Managing Director of the Ports Authority during the 2013-2014 period when Mr Mahinda Rajapaaksa was the President. He is said to be a close associate of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa.
The President had appointed the heads of the Public Sector Corporations and the Boards. It was said that all those appointed were veterans who had a knowledge of the subject and were selected in a scientific manner.
Mr Daya Ratnayake, a retired Army Commander, was known to be close to President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa. According to Ports Trade Union sources, there had been disagreement between Ports Minister Rohitha Abeygunawardena and Daya Ratnayake, and the President has intervened to resolve the issue on several occasions.
It is said that there had been a dispute between these parties regarding the control of the fire of the Express Pearl, which caught fire near the Colombo harbour recently. The government is currently facing serious criticism from many quarters over the incident, and political observers suspect that the retired Army Commander has been made the scapegoat for the incident.
