Former Navy Chief of Staff, Rear Admiral Sarath Weerasekera, said that the National People’s Power (NPP) government owed the public an explanation regarding Indian media reports of the cancellation of joint naval exercise involving SLN and PNS (Pakistan Navy Ship) Aslat off Trincomalee.

Weerasekera, who also served as the Public Security Minister during Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s presidency, asked whether the recently signed MoU on defence cooperation with India paved the way for New Delhi to interfere in bilateral relations between Sri Lanka and Pakistan.

Acknowledging that the MoU on defence cooperation hadn’t been signed at the time Sri Lanka cancelled planned naval exercise off Trincomalee, the former parliamentarian said that the issue at hand should be examined also taking into consideration the one year ban imposed on foreign research vessels on 01 January, 2024, bythe then President Ranil Wickremesinghe.

Weerasekera contested Colombo district at the last parliamentary polls on the SLPP ticket but couldn’t retain his seat.

That was meant to bar Chinese research vessels from visiting Sri Lanka, ex-MP Weerasekera said, urging the government to explain its stand on the ban imposed by Wickremesinghe. Referring to government statements that dealt with foreign research vessels late last year, the former Minister said that the government couldn’t keep silent on this issue.

We would like to know the status quo with regard to foreign research vessels, Weerasekera said.

Responding to The Island queries, the former lawmaker, who once served as Chairman of the Sectoral Oversight Committee (SOC) on National Security, said that the government was yet to table the MoU on defence cooperation with India in Parliament. In fact, none of the MoUs that had been signed with India on 05 April were presented to Parliament yet and the Opposition should pressure the government to reveal the contents, the former Colombo district MP said.

Pointing out that the government had done away with the SOC on national security when the Parliament, in consultation with the UNDP, restructured the SOC system, thereby accommodated the vital subject under SOC on Governance, Justice and Civil Protection, Weerasekera emphasised that the Opposition should vigorously take up this issue.

Dr. Najith Indika heads the SOC on Governance, Justice and Civil Protection. Former Minister Weerasekera said that Pakistan was one of the few countries, along with China and Russia, that always backed Sri Lanka at the Geneva-based United Nations Human Rights Council over the years.

Weerasekera said that the Sri Lanka-India defence cooperation MoU was yet to be taken up at the SOC level.

Weerasekera alleged that India was taking advantage of the situation as it tightened its grip on the government. The former Minister said that the government seemed to have meekly succumbed to Indian pressure and caused irreparable damage to long standing ties with Pakistan. Sri Lanka couldn’t, under any circumstances, forget the unprecedented support provided by Pakistan throughout the war against the LTTE, Weerasekera said.

Among the armaments that had been provided by Pakistan were multi-barrel rocket launchers that were deployed in the northern and eastern theatres during Eelam War IV, especially in the aftermath of the LTTE laying siege to the Jaffna peninsula after the fall of the vital Elephant Pass and was threatening to storm the last bastion in the North.

The former Minister said that Sri Lanka paid a huge price to bring the war, initiated by India, to an end.

Meanwhile, top SJB spokesman Mujibur Rahman said that the NPP should be ashamed to ask MPs to seek MoUs signed with India through the Right to Information (RTI) Act. Parliamentarian Rahman said that he was quite surprised and disappointed by the position taken by Health Minister and Cabinet spokesman, Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa, that those who wanted the MoU on defence cooperation should do so through the RTI Act. “This is nothing but a joke. The Cabinet spokesman’s current stand is contrary to what the JVP has been saying over the years.”

By Shamindra Ferdinando

On the sixth anniversary of the Easter Sunday carnage, Archbishop of Colombo, Rt. Rev. Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith urged President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to keep the promise he made at Katuwapitiya, Negombo, on 06 October, 2024, soon after the presidential election, to expose those behind the attacks.

Nearly 280 people perished in the Easter Sunday attacks, while nearly 500 were wounded.

Addressing a gathering at the main memorial service held yesterday morning at St. Anthony’s Church in Kochchikade, one of the churches targeted by the Easter Sunday suicide bombers, the Cardinal requested the President to submit the full report, pertaining to the Easter Sunday terror attacks, to the Parliament and make it public, set up an independent prosecutor’s office to oversee investigations and prosecutions, expose all those involved and prosecute them, regardless of their rank or position, fully implementation of the recommendations of the report submitted by the Presidential Commission appointed to investigate the attacks, probe alleged ties between the Directorate of Military Intelligence and alleged terrorist leader Zahran Hashim, and also examine the claims made in the UK’s Channel 4 programme, including statements from key witness Asad Maulana, introduce new laws to dismantle the lawlessness and para-political structures that enabled the conspiracy behind the attacks and foster a new political culture where those in power serve the people, rather than ruling over them.

The Cardinal alleged that elements of the previous political leadership were continuing efforts to suppress the truth even today.

The Cardinal claimed that a ‘para-state’ is operating within the country, controlled by various government entities, influenced by politically defeated forces.

Cardinal Ranjith reaffirmed his hope that those responsible for the attacks should be brought to justice without delay.

The Cardinal found fault with the former Attorney General, Dappula de Livera, PC, for failing to act in spite of alleging that the Easter Sunday carnage was a grand conspiracy while accusing the powers that be of undermining public accountability.

Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith expressed concern that the prevailing legal framework and the inertia of certain officials have created serious obstacles to progress.

Cardinal Ranjith emphasised that the Easter Sunday terror attacks remain a painful and unresolved tragedy. He stressed that if the existing laws are insufficient to ensure justice, it is the government’s duty to change them — boldly and decisively.

The Cardinal urged President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to take firm action to eradicate all forms of anti-democratic and politically motivated activity, and to honour the promise he made in Katuwapitiya, Negombo, on 06 October, 2024 — to ensure that the blood of the innocent would not be forgotten, and to uncover the full truth behind the attacks.

“It is our sincere hope, President, that you will not allow this national tragedy to be buried by time,’ Cardinal Ranjith said. ‘Justice must prevail, and all those involved must be held accountable.”

Catholics across the globe are mourning the passing of Pope Francis at the age of 88. Widely regarded as the “Pope of the People,” Francis broke with tradition and breathed new life into the papacy with his humility and compassion.

From the moment of his election, Pope Francis made it clear that his pontificate would be defined not by opulence but by service. Eschewing the grandeur of the Apostolic Palace, he chose to live in a modest room at the Vatican guesthouse. The formal papal garments gave way to a simple white cassock and well-worn black shoes, symbolic of a man who walked with the poor.

The first non-European to lead the Catholic Church, Pope Francis was an outsider heading into the 2013 conclave. He championed the rights of the poor and at times called on world leaders to show compassion to immigrants.

He defied protocol with his actions, washing the feet of prisoners on Maundy Thursday, building shelters for the homeless around the Vatican, and launching meal programmes for the hungry. He ruffled feathers in powerful corners of the Church — particularly in the United States — when he opened the door to blessings for same-sex couples, famously declaring, “Who am I to judge?”

A staunch environmentalist, he issued a landmark encyclical calling to care for nature.

He took the name Francis in honour of St. Francis of Assisi — a priest known for his devotion to the poor and his love for nature.

Even in his travels, he left a trail of humility. During his 2015 visit to Sri Lanka, he celebrated mass in both Colombo and Mannar, drawing immense crowds and touching countless lives. One such story comes from Captain Druvi Perera, pilot of the SriLankan Airlines flight that carried the Pope back from Colombo.

“When the Pope was asked if he’d like a drink,” Captain Perera told this paper, “he asked the stewardess for a recommendation. When she said pomegranate juice was good for his health, he simply smiled and said, ‘I’ll have that then.’”

At the end of the flight, the Pope visited the cockpit to thank the crew and gently reminded them, “Don’t forget to pray for me.”

Pope Francis’ funeral is expected to take place later this week. The College of Cardinals will soon assemble in Rome to elect his successor. All Cardinals, under the age of 80, are eligible to vote in the conclave. Representing Sri Lanka will be Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, who also participated in the 2013 conclave that elected Francis.

by Rex Clementine