News

Specialist Dr. Shafi Sihabdeen has been acquitted from all charges by the Kurunegala Magistrate’s Court, Ada Derana reporter said.

The case against Dr. Shafi, who had been accused of allegedly amassing assets through suspicious means, performing illegal sterilization surgeries and having links to terrorist activities, was taken up for hearing today (06).

The Kurunegala Magistrate ordered the case to be dismissed, after the Attorney General’s Department informed court today that there was not enough evidence to proceed with the case, and ordered the acquittal of defendant Dr. Shafi from all related charges.

Furthermore, the court also lifted the overseas travel ban which was imposed on Dr. Shafi Sihabdeen, according to Ada Derana reporter.

In the year 2019, Dr. Shafi was arrested for allegedly amassing assets via suspicious means.

Accusations were also made against him by various parties claiming he had performed illegal sterilization surgeries on women who were treated by him during their caesarean deliveries.

He was later detained under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA).

In this backdrop, a large number of complaints were lodged at Kurunegala Teaching Hospital and Dambulla General Hospital by mothers who claimed to have been treated by Dr. Shafi and experienced complications in conceiving.

(adaderana.lk)

Former state Minister Lohan Ratwatte who was admitted to the Prison Hospital for treatment has been transferred to the Colombo General Hospital, the spokesman of the Department of Prisons said.

The prisons spokesman said that he was transferred to Colombo General Hospital due to a sudden illness last night (02).

Ratwatte, who was arrested and remanded on charges of using a luxury car illegally imported from abroad and assembled in Sri Lanka, was transferred to the prison hospital on Saturday under the permission granted by the Nugegoda Acting Magistrate.

Ratwatte was arrested by Mirihana Police on October 31 in Katugastota, Kandy over an incident of discovering an unregistered car at his wife’s house in the Mirihana area of Nugegoda.

The car without registered number plates was found on October 26, 2024, according to police.

Police had found the luxury car in question during an inspection carried out based on information received by the police headquarters that there is a luxury car without number plates in a three-storied house in the Embuldeniya area in Mirihana, belonging to Shashi Prabha Ratwatte, the wife of former State Minister Lohan Ratwatte.

During the investigation, both Ratwatte and his wife had explained to the police that his mother-in-law resides in the said house. They had claimed that the car had been brought there three weeks ago by Ratwatte’s private secretary, who was recently found dead with gunshot injuries in the Katugastota area of Kandy.

Former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga has questioned the recent decision of the Public Security Ministry to decrease the number of personnel provided for her personal security as a former Head of State.

In a letter addressed to the Secretary to the Ministry, former President Kumaratunga said it has come to her attention that her security detail of 50 has been reduced to 30 as per the new decision.

She further said that a letter by the Police Officer in charge of her area of residence has cited the highest level of threat to her among the former heads of state and that her security detail requires a minimum of 50 personnel.

Among the former Presidents, Mahinda Rajapaksa has been provided with a security detail of 243 consisting of Police and Army personnel, Maithripala Sirisena has been granted 109 Police officers, and Gotabaya Rajapaksa a security detail of 200 consisting of Police and Army personnel, she pointed out.

Against such arrangements, she questioned why a decision had been taken to only reduce her security detail, despite severe threats to her, further raising doubts about whether there exists a plan to assassinate her, similar to her husband in 1988.

The general public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimize damages caused by lightning during thundershowers as the atmospheric conditions are favorable further for afternoon thundershowers in most parts of the island.

Showers or thundershowers will occur in the most parts of the island during the evening or night. Showers or thundershowers may occur over the coastal areas of Western, Southern North-western and Northern provinces during the morning too.

Heavy showers above 100 mm are likely at some places in Central, Sabaragamuwa, Uva and North-central provinces.

The general public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimize damages caused by temporary localized strong winds and lightning during thundershowers

The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) General Secretary Tilvin Silva has strongly criticised former President Ranil Wickremesinghe, accusing him of deceiving the public and undermining democratic principles.

Silva’s remarks came as tensions rise ahead of the upcoming General Election.

“Ranil Wickremesinghe, who was defeated, is once again trying to mislead the people by lying. He has asked us to learn about the constitution from him, but he has no right to talk about the constitution and democracy,” Silva charged. He pointed to Wickremesinghe’s history, claiming, “Ranil Wickremesinghe, who sabotaged constitutional elections, destroyed democracy, and even ignored court orders, one can learn about dictatorship from him, not about democracy and the constitution.”

Silva criticised Wickremesinghe for allegedly exploiting public resources, adding, “Since 1977, Ranil Wickremesinghe has lived on public money. Even after being defeated in politics, he is still asking to live on public money. The people have made a decision regarding Ranil Wickremesinghe; now we remind him to accept defeat and live with the loss.”

Amidst these pointed critiques, Silva highlighted the importance of resisting the resurgence of what he described as misleading propaganda from political opponents.

“It is difficult for those who were in old politics, who were defeated by the people in the Presidential election, to bear that defeat. Therefore, they have started repeatedly slandering and spreading false propaganda against the compass,” Silva said.

Silva asserted that the JVP aims to bring genuine change and urged the public to support their bid for a stronger Parliamentary presence.

“A strong Parliamentary power is needed to implement the series of policies that we presented to the country. We request the people to give that strong and stable power from the Parliament,” he said.

Accusations of falsehoods and divisive tactics were also levelled at other political entities.

“They still did not apologise for lying to society before the Presidential election. Those defeated groups ran ugly propaganda inciting racism and bigotry. Political criticism is not a problem, but such false propaganda that confused religions and races continued on the platforms of both the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) and Ranil Wickremesinghe,” Silva emphasised.

Silva underscored the peaceful nature of the recent Presidential election, highlighting, “Although six weeks have passed since the end of the Presidential election, we have set a record as an election in the history of our country where no post-election violence occurred. Our policy is not to hurt others, but to win the hearts of others,” he said. “Misleading the public is a social crime,” Silva added.

The JVP General Secretary also expressed concern over misinformation being spread among northern communities, stating,

“These campaigns are also carried among the people of the north. Many facts have been revealed regarding the false propaganda carried using distorted videos. It is requested to defeat such groups that lie to the people and to win the victory of the National People’s Power, which can build national unity and the country.”

Silva called on Sri Lankans to reject what he termed as baseless accusations and divisive rhetoric. “Some of our comrades’ comments are being cut and edited, and distorted ideas are repeatedly being shared. All they know is lying. All the people are requested not to believe the false slanders that the Opposition imposes on people on the basis of racism and religious beliefs. The National People’s Power works for the purpose of creating a Sri Lankan nation without racial or religious differences,” he declared.

Silva expressed optimism about the public’s response to the JVP’s platform and noted their progress. “A background has been prepared for the general election where the people can vote without fear or doubt, without using state power or public resources. A cabinet consisting of three people, including the President, is now ruling the country. Meanwhile, we have confirmed the realistic feeling that the country is moving on a new path by providing the reliefs that can be given to the people. That is why many people who did not vote for us in the last Presidential election are lining up to vote for us this time,” Silva stated.

In closing, Silva appealed for national unity against misinformation campaigns. “Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims, and Christians are all requested to unite and defeat those who spread such false propaganda. More lies will be told in the next few days. Rejecting those false slanders, the NPP is requesting to be given a strong Parliamentary majority,” he said.

(ft.lk)

Former State Minister Lohan Ratwatte, who was arrested and remanded for using a illegally imported luxury has been transferred to the prison hospital.

Ratwatte was arrested by the Mirihana Police on the 31st in Katugastota, Kandy.

He was then brought before the Acting Magistrate of Nugegoda from the Mirihana Police Station that night, where he was ordered to be remanded until November 7.

However, the Acting Magistrate of Nugegoda granted permission for Ratwatte to be transferred to the prison hospital for medical treatment.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has decided to recall Ambassadors and High Commissioners from 15 countries.

As detailed in a letter in this regard has been issued by the Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

This decision affects officials in positions that are not part of the Sri Lanka Foreign Service.

Notable individuals among those recalled include:

Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York and former Chief Justice Mohan Peiris.

British High Commissioner and former Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama.

Indian High Commissioner, Former Ambassador Kshenuka Senewiratne.

Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to Australia and former Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Chitranganee Wagiswara.

Ambassador to Japan Rodney Perera.

Former Air Force Chief, Sumangala Dias as Malaysian High Commissioner.

Ambassador of Nepal, Former Air Force Commander, Sudarshana Pathirana.

Former Navy Commander, Nishantha Ulugethenna Cuban Ambassador.

Former Navy Commander Ravindra Wijegunaratne, as High Commissioner of Pakistan.

Uday Indraratne as Ambassador of The United Arab Emirates.

High Commissioner of Kenya V. Kananathan.

Brother of the former President Mahinda Rajapaksa's wife, High Commissioner of Seychelles Srimal Wickramasinghe.

Iranian Ambassador Mohammad Shahid.

The Ministry has said that based on the advice of the subject minister Vijitha Herath, suitable candidates from the Foreign Service will be appointed to these positions in the future.

(newsfirst.lk)

Dr. Hans Wijayasuriya has been appointed as the Chief Advisor to the President on Digital Economy, said the President's Media Division on Friday (1).

Axiata Group Berhad announced that Dr Hans Wijayasuriya, CEO of Telecommunications Business and Group Executive Director was invited by the Government of Sri Lanka to lead the country’s digital economy agenda in the capacity of Chief Advisor to the President on Digital Economy and other related leadership roles.

It added that Dr Wijayasuriya has accepted the invitation from the Government of Sri Lanka and has communicated his decision to step down from his role at Axiata Group with effect from 15 January 2025.

Dr Hans was appointed as Group Executive Director and CEO of Telecommunications Business of Axiata on 24 March 2023 after serving as Joint Acting GCEO since June 2022.

He has functioned in the capacity of CEO of Telecommunications Business since January 2020.

In this role, he was responsible for Axiata’s Digital Telecommunications Operating Companies across ASEAN and South Asia, and also leads the Group’s Enterprise and Wholesale Businesses.

In 2016, Dr Hans was appointed as Corporate Executive Vice President & Regional Chief Executive Officer, South Asia Operations of Axiata. Up to the end of 2016, Dr Hans also served as the Group CEO of Dialog Axiata PLC (Dialog), Sri Lanka.

He joined Dialog’s founding management team in 1994 and took on the role of CEO in 1997. From 2012 till 2014, Dr Hans was also the founding CEO of Axiata Digital Services Sdn Bhd.

Dr Hans also serves as the Chairman of the Board Risk and Compliance Committee of Ncell Axiata Limited.

He is a product of S. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia, Sri Lanka, and attended the University of Cambridge in 1989 where he obtained a Degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering.

He is also the Former Chairman of GSM Asia-Pacific – the Regional interest group of the GSM Association, and has been included in the GSM 100 Role of Honour for his contribution to the Asia-Pacific Telecommunication industry.

The fundamental rights petition challenging the date of the 2024 general election has been dismissed.

The fundamental rights petition was taken up today before a 3 member Judge bench of the Supreme Court. 

The petition has been filed by Secretary to the Api Sri Lanka National Organization and civil activist, H.M. Priyantha Herath. 

The fundamental rights petition challenging the decision to hold the 2024 general election on the 14th of November was filed in the Supreme Court on the 21st of October, requesting a ruling that this decision is unconstitutional.

The petition argues that the calling of nominations and the announcement of the date for the 2024 general election, violates the provisions of the Elections Act of Sri Lanka.

The Palaly - Achchuveli main road was reopened after 20 years, following the directives of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.

The Palaly-Achchuveli main road had been closed for over three decades due to the prolonged conflict in the region.

Despite the war ending more than 15 years ago, the road had remained inaccessible to the public until now.

The reopening of this road has been a long-standing demand of the people in the Northern Province.

During a meeting on October 22nd, Northern Province Governor Nagalingam Vethanayagam also requested President Dissanayake to address this issue.

In response, President Dissanayake instructed the security forces to assess the current security situation and take the necessary steps to reopen the road.

With the intervention of the Ministry of Defense and the Defense Secretary, the road was officially reopened today

The Ministry of Defence states that the reports claiming the removal of security provided by the Tri-Forces and the Civil Defence Force at religious places in the country are untrue.

This was communicated by the media spokesman of the Ministry of Defence during a special press conference held this afternoon (03).

Speaking during the press conference, the media spokesman of Sri Lanka Army Major General Rasika Kumara stated that the government has not reached any decision to reduce the number of security personnel deployed at the religious places as of yet.

Furthermore, he assured that removing of tri-forces personnel from religious places is carried out only if it is confirmed that the number of security personnel required for a concerned location is less than the deployed amount, during security analysis conducted on a regular basis by the Army Headquarters.

ada.derana.lk

A key campaign slogan of the NPP at the general election is cleansing parliament, followed by a call to fill parliament with its candidates.

For some, it could be welcome and amusing, but those who are rational can surmise the hidden meaning behind it is filled with terror and barbarism, says Keshal Jayasinghe, who contests for Colombo from ‘gas cylinder’.

In a statement, he says its ulterior motive is clear for some, while especially those who fall in line with the NPP thinking cannot do so, and even if they do, it is inconsequential for them.

For the benefit of the country’s majority, it demands an explanation, says Jayasinghe.

Parliament, the peak of democracy, is more in peril today than never before, he says, adding the NPP’s call for a cleansing of parliament creates the serious doubt if it is going to be the end of parliamentary democracy.

In the name of democracy, everybody believes that parliament should have representations by both the ruling and opposing sides.

No one valuing democracy will allow a group with a history of having attacked parliament with bombs to gain it under its grasp, adds Jayasinghe.

The danger and fearful consequences of a law-making parliament filled with an inexperienced lot should be given serious thought, he adds.

He urges all to act in understanding of the costs of such a perilous situation.