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Revelations in open court by the head of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) about how a high ranking official in the Attorney General’s Department had interfered in a probe led by his men into the abductions of 11 Tamil youth in 2008, allegedly by Sri Lanka Navy personnel, sent shock-waves through the legal community this week.
 
In open court last Tuesday (31), CID Director SSP Shani Abeysekera alleged that the lawyer now appearing for the navy suspects arrested in connection with the case, also appeared to represent the suspects instead of the CID or the aggrieved parties even when he served as a senior official at the AG’s Department.
 
The CID Director’s intervention in court was related to an application made by President’s Counsel Shavindra Fernando and another Counsel for the suspects, Asith Siriwardane, to have their names removed from the CID B report of the investigation. The counsel told court that they had prejudiced by the inclusion of their names in the B report. The former Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Shavindra Fernando PC, who has since retired from the Attorney General’s Department, currently serves as Defence Counsel for several navy suspects in the same abduction case, now under magisterial inquiry at the Fort Magistrate’s Court.
 
CID Director SSP Shani Abeysekera provided a detailed description of facts stated in the CID B report presented in court, which claims that Shavindra Fernando PC who was then serving as a Deputy Solicitor General of the Attorney General’s Department, had attempted to impede the CID investigation into the abductions. The B report also noted that this alleged interference had been communicated to then Senior State Counsel Haripriya Jayasundera who was directing the CID investigation, and then Solicitor General Suhada Gamlath.
 
SSP Abeysekera also submitted to court a letter addressed to then IGP N.K. Illangakoon from former Solicitor General (SG) Suhada Gamlath, dated September 22, 2015. In his letter, SG Gamlath informs the IGP that CID investigators had been told to remove references to Shavindra Fernando, Haripriya Jayasundera and Suhada Gamlath in the B report filed by IP Nishantha Silva. “I have advised I.P. Nishantha Silva and DIG (CID) to have the said references in the B report deleted, however no such steps have been taken to date. You are hereby advised, to instruct your officers to meet me and get instructions as what steps need be taken to delete the references stated above. You may also advise them that the failure to carry out the said instructions would entail appropriate legal consequences,” the former Solicitor General’s letter states. The letter was copied to DIG CID and IP Silva.

The explosive revelations in the Fort Magistrate’s Court last Monday went largely unnoticed, but made ripples in the legal fraternity because the incident marked the first time that a senior official of the AG’s Department has been named in a police B report for having attempted to interfere with an investigation. The B reports were filed by CID OIC Nishantha Silva and Ranjith Munasinghe who are the main investigating officials in the case.

SSP Shani Abeysekera told court last Monday (30), that Fernando PC, while serving as Additional Solicitor General at the AG’s Department, had instructed the OIC of the CID and himself, to avoid questioning certain suspects in the abduction case. The CID Director told court that when Habeas Corpus petitions were filed by the relatives of the abducted boys in 2013, Fernando PC instructed him to get his investigators IP Nishantha Silva and Ranjith Munasinghe admitted in hospital or give them other inquiries in order to cause delays. Since then DSG Fernando was supervising the probe at the time, the CID had no choice but to follow his directives, the CID Director told court.
 
The CID Director also referred to a meeting at the Defence Ministry at which Fernando PC had been present but said he was not in a position to reveal details of that meeting to court.

Fernando PC, was present in the courtroom at the time rejected the allegation as totally false and that his name had been included in the B report with malicious intent. He said he had worked for the Attorney General’s Department for 30 years, and had been representing the AG in the Habeaus Corpus cases, since AG was cited as a respondent.
 
SSP Abeysekera also reported to Court that another lawyer for the navy suspects, Asith Siriwardane, had brought his client Navy Captain Jagath Ranasinghe to his office at the CID headquarters, and told him how Ranasinghe was a war hero, and should not be listed as a suspect in the case. Abeysekera, told court that while he acknowledged the navy officer’s contributions in battle, he had turned down the request. Counsel Siriwardane had used an old acquaintance with him from a previous case he was investigating, to secure the meeting, SSP Abeysekera explained.

Responding to the allegation, Attorney at Law Asith Siriwardane said that he had not made such a request from the CID Director and added that he had only visited SSP Abeysekera with his client in the capacity of his lawyer to convey the things his client had wanted to share with the CID director.
 
He added that the CID Director had no way of proving they met, but still acknowledged that a meeting had taken place.
 
Counsel Siriwardane also implied in court that CID officials were currently wielding immense power and were not looking into any of their complaints,but added that this could change. To which SSP Abeysekera responded that they were carrying out their duties in full knowledge of what the consequences would be, in the event power changed hands.
 
Responding to the proceedings, Magistrate Jayaratne noted that according to Section 120/2 of the Criminal Procedure Code, only details relevant to the case should be included in a police B report presented to court. However both Senior State Counsel Janaka Bandara and Counsel for the Petitioners Achala Seneviratne informed court that investigators have the right to include all details that might affect a case in their B report.
 
Section 120 of the Criminal Procedure Code states investigators must periodically report to court about the progress of an investigation and that progress includes any obstacle, obstruction they face in the investigation, the Senior State Counsel argued. If there was such influence exerted, the CID had every right to inform court, SSC Bandara added, arguing that the court had no jurisdiction to order removal or expunging of details included in a B Report.
The Magistrate agreed with this argument and the application to have their names removed from the B report by Fernando PC and Counsel Siriwardane proved unsuccessful.
 
The B report was originally filed by Nishantha Silva, who was by then promoted to OIC, on February 19, 2015 while the attempts to influence the investigation occurred in 2012-2013, Sunday Observer learns.
 
Investigations into the abductions of 11 youth began on June 10, 2009. The first five boys linked to the navy abduction case were taken from Dehiwala on September 17, 2008, but as time went on, other victims were also found and linked to the same navy abduction squad.

Ten suspects from the Sri Lanka Navy including former Navy Spokesman Commodore D.K.P. Dassanayake have been arrested in connection with the abduction of the 11 youth in 2008-2009. The Fort Magistrate has issued a red notice for the arrest of Chandana Prasad Hettiarachchi alias Navy Sampath, after the CID informed court earlier this year that they suspected former Commander of the Navy Admiral Ravi Wijegunewardane had helped Navy Sampath to flee Sri Lanka.
 
Senior officials at the Attorney General’s Department speaking confidentially told that the CID investigators had been subjected to vicious personal attacks in the course of this controversial case, including in the media, alleging that they have been bought or influenced. The investigation spanned several years and was very complex and CID had done a painstaking job of collecting facts to build the case, despite the resistance and non-cooperation the agency had faced, the official noted. 
 
Source : Sunday Observer

The ‘Jana Bala Sena’ anti-government protest and the public rally organized by the Joint Opposition is scheduled to take place today (02).

 The protest will commence from the Lipton Roundabout at 2.00 p.m. today and the rally is scheduled to be conducted at 3.00 p.m. at the Viharamahadevi Open Air Theatre.

The protest and the public rally are organized under the theme, “Let’s dispel the incompetent, traitorous government that destroys and betrays the country.”

Minister of Finance and Media Mangala Samaraweera said he was not aware of any proposal to increase the salaries of Parliamentarians and Ministers and he is against such a step.
 
Responding to journalists at a media briefing held at the Finance Ministry yesterday, Minister Samaraweera said he is against increasing any one's salary at this time.
 
"Not only for politicians, I am against raising salaries of any person at this time. This is not a time to give pay raises, I do not know about a salary increase for the ministers. We did not discuss such a proposal at the cabinet meeting," he said.
 
He said that such increases in salaries need the Treasury's approval and he would not approve the measure to go ahead with a pay raise for Parliamentarians and Ministers.

Source : Colombo Page

Sri Lanka is set to call for fresh bids from expert international petroleum companies for petroleum exploration, development and production activities in the Kaveri Basin in Mannar.
 
The Cabinet of Ministers has accordingly approved the proposal presented by Minister of Petroleum Resources Arjuna Ranatunga to call for bids from international Petroleum Companies to explore, develop and produce petroleum in Mannar. 
 
A natural gas field was found for the first time off the coast of Sri Lanka in the Mannar Basin after the previous government signed an agreement with Cairn India Limited, in 2008 to explore for oil and gas off the country’s north-western coast. Cairn later pulled out after oil prices took a plunge the world over.

International animal rights group PETA is urging tourists visiting Sri Lanka to refuse to ride elephants, avoid visiting any attraction that offers or endorses elephant rides, and also to steer clear of festivals in which elephants are paraded.
 
The UK website of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) published an article on Thursday titled ‘Sri Lanka’s Shameful Elephant Abuse’ condemned the used of elephants for tourist rides and other similar activities while urging tourists visiting the island nation to boycott them.
 
It said that Sri Lanka is a fast-growing holiday hotspot, thanks to its stunning beaches, surf spots, and national parks, but for the country’s captive elephants, this rapid increase in tourism means only more suffering.
 
“Elephants used for tourist rides – which are widely advertised across the country – are typically kept tightly chained and isolated from other elephants. Forced up and down the same busy roads day after day, they’re often worked to exhaustion in the sweltering heat – as soon as one group of tourists gets off, the next one gets on.”
 
“Humans sit atop elephants in a howdah, a type of metal seat, which is strapped to the animals’ delicate backs. Elephants have sharp, bony protrusions that extend upwards from their spine, so the combined weight of the howdah, the tourists, and the mahout (handler) can cause them permanent, agonising spinal damage,” the article said.
 
PETA said that these elephants live in constant fear of the mahout, who controls them using a bullhook– a spear-like instrument with a sharp hook that’s commonly used to strike and injure them.
 
Elephant “attractions” that chain the animals, use bullhooks, and offer elephant rides often describe themselves as “sanctuaries” or “orphanages” in order to dupe tourists into believing that they’re ethical, the animal rights group charged.
 
It said that until tourists stop paying to ride them, elephants will continue to face exploitation and abuse.“If you’re visiting Sri Lanka, please refuse to ride elephants, avoid visiting any attraction that offers or endorses elephant rides, and steer clear of festivals in which elephants are paraded. This includes the Pinnawala Elephant “Orphanage”, Dehiwala Zoo, and Kandy Esala Perahera festival,” it said.

Party leaders are said to have agreed to hold the provincial council elections during the month of January. According to reports, the decision was taken at a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe. 

Minister Mano Ganesan following the meeting revealed that all party leaders other than of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) agreed to hold the election according to the former electoral method. However, the leaders of the Joint Opposition had not attended the meeting while JO parliamentary group leader, Dinesh Gunawardena says they have expressed their stance regarding the elections in writing and therefore did not attend.

The recently resigned President of the Sri Lanka Medical Council Prof. Colvin Gunaratne says strikes by Doctors are illegal and therefore he is vehemently against it. 

Resigning he claimed the reason was the failure to amend th 80 year old Sri Lanka Medical Council Act and therefore there is no political or personal reason for his resignation. 

He also mentioned that the Sri Lanka Medical Council has legal provisions to protect patients under the Medical Ordinance however currently only Doctors enjoy its protection and benefits. Prof. Colvin Gunaratne made these comments at a press briefing held yesterday to explain the reasons for his resignation.

Transparency International Sri Lanka (TISL) has brought to the attention of the Minister of Sports Faiszer Mustapha, a potential incident of abuse of power. According to TISL a complaint had been received regarding the selections process for the tennis squad for the Asian Games 2018. However, they say media reports published on July 30, 2018 announcing the selection of the squad appear to confirm that no preventative action has been taken in this matter.  

“Key among the many questions regarding the selection process is the inclusion in the final squad, of a player who did not participate in the trials” the communique read. 

TISL says In a letter dated June 15, 2018 after the trials were conducted, the Sri Lanka Tennis Association (SLTA), had informed the competent authorities of the selections made by SLTA's Selection Committee. The selection committee had itself confirmed in writing that the player in question "did not show up for her matches and is deemed to have given a walkover". Despite this, media reporting has confirmed that the individual in question has been selected to the squad, at the expense of an individual who had been selected through the trials. “This raises several questions regarding the integrity of the selection process” TISL says.  

Speaking on the matter, TISL Executive Director Asoka Obeyesekere said "It is crucial for the development of sports in the country that the integrity of sport and the spirit of sportsmanship are upheld. We call on the relevant authorities once again, to ensure fair play in the selection process and to be mindful of the damaging effects to budding sportspersons caused by such alleged interference". 

Therefore TISL has now called on the authorities concerned to take into consideration the fact that this matter involves juveniles and to, therefore, treat the case with the appropriate sensitivity.

“Thurunu Diriya” loan scheme, implemented by the Bank of Ceylon (BOC) with the assistance of the Policy Development Office (PDO) of the Prime Minister’s Office, has granted loans worth around 21 million for 47 potential young entrepreneurs up to date. This was revealed by the progress report of this loan scheme issued by the Bank of Ceylon recently.
 
Young entrepreneurs, who are engaging in small and medium businesses, not only in fields such as textile, beauty-culture, technology and mechanics, but also in various field such as photography, have qualified to receive loans under the above scheme. 

Small Enterprises Development Divisions have already prepared about 330 Business Plans for the loan applicants. Out of all the provinces, the highest number of applications have been received by Sabaragamuwa, Southern and Northern provinces.
 
“Thurunu Diriya” BOC loan scheme grants loans without a guarantor and collateral or with lenient guarantor conditions, for small scale entrepreneurs who possess a degree or a recognized vocational training certificate.This loan scheme is implementing by Small Enterprises Development Divisions and District and Divisional Secretariats island-wide, under the supervision of the Policy Development Office of the Prime Minister’s Office.

Immigration New Zealand staff are manually checking nearly 900 applications from Sri Lankan students which used a finance company now at the centre of a student visa scam,  Immigration Minister Iain Lees-Galloway says.

Immigration New Zealand (INZ) is investigating the fraud involving Sri Lankan student applications.

INZ officials advised Lees-Galloway in March that fraudulent behaviour had been found in 88 pending applications, and 83 were declined, with a finance company at the centre of the fraud.


Immigration Minister Iain Lees-Galloway says a finance company is at the centre of visa fraud. Photo / NZ Herald

"Immigration NZ are going to manually review the 895 applications that came from Sri Lankan students through the Mumbai office in 2017. They're going to see which of those involved this particular finance company," Lees-Galloway. 

Those that had would be flagged and if the visa-holder sought to have their visa extended, their case would be more closely scrutinised.
INZ had looked back at earlier applications but Lees-Galloway said the information confirming they had sufficient finances to support their application came from the finance company, which meant going back to the fraudulent finance company for the information.

"It's a pointless exercise and what INZ has done instead is to refuse applications that involve that finance company. They are blacklisted, they can no longer be involved in applications for visas, and to identify how many people are currently in New Zealand on visas that involved an application through that company."

National's immigration spokesman Michael Woodhouse said there could be thousands of applications approved where fraudulent documentation was supplied.

"Surely it is in the public interest to know how widespread the fraud is. Our immigration system relies in part on the honesty of the applicants, but also on targeting and eliminating fraud when it occurs," he said.

Lees-Galloway said he would have a better idea of how widespread the problem was when INZ had completed its review.


Source: New Zealand Herald

German authorities have arrested a Sri Lankan man suspected of involvement in killing captured government soldiers as a member of the Tamil Tigers rebel group a decade ago, The Associated Press reported.

Federal prosecutors said a judge ordered Thursday the 36-year-old, identified only as Sivatheeban B. because of German privacy rules, detained pending a potential indictment. He was arrested Wednesday in the Duesseldorf area, suspected of committing war crimes and membership in a foreign terrorist organization.

Prosecutors say he belonged to the Tamil Tigers from 2006-2009. They allege that, in 2008, he tied up 16 soldiers and guarded them as they were driven to a site where they were shot.

Sri Lanka's civil war ended in 2009 when government forces defeated the rebels, who fought to create a separate state for ethnic minority Tamils.

Source : Sunday Times

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif who is in Sri Lanka on an official visit, met with President Maithripala Sirisena on Tuesday after arriving in Colombo.

During the meeting, Maithripala Sirisena referred to the old history of bilateral and friendly relations between Iran and Sri Lanka and revived the memory of his ‘beneficial and constructive’ visit to Iran earlier in May where he met with Iranian senior officials on expanding bilateral cooperation, especially in areas of energy.

“There is no barrier obstructing the expansion and deepening of bilateral relations between Iran and Sri Lanka,” he asserted after voicing his country’s willingness for further bolstering and developing of bilateral cooperation and alignment at international communities.

Iranian top diplomat, for his part, delivered ‘the warmest greetings of President Rouhani’ to Sri Lankan president and re-voiced Iran’s resolute will for expanding friendly and intimate relations.

The Iranian diplomatic chief described the areas of cooperation between the two countries as diverse and broad and called for expansion of interactions in areas of energy, agriculture, as well as technical and engineering services.

The both sides continued their dialogue exchanging views on the latest most important regional and international developments.

Maithripala Sirisena visited Iran on May 13, 2018 where he signed a host of MoUs and agreements on economic and cultural cooperation with Iran. Also at a joint presser on the same day, the two presidents called for the establishment of a direct flight between Tehran and Colombo to boost tourism.

President Maithripala Sirisena and President Rouhani had already met on the sidelines of Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) summit in Bangkok in October 2016.

Also on January 15, 2017, Sri Lanka’s Minister of Science, Technology and Research Susil Premajayantha met with Iranian Foreign minister Zarif while he was visiting Tehran at the invitation of Iran’s Vice-President for Science and Technology Sorena Sattari.