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Ex-CID Director Shani answers PCoI questions from hospital bed

Published

6 years ago

2021/01/26

Sahan Weerasooriya

… says police grilled wrong suspect over killing of two cops at Vavunativu

By Rathindra Kuruwita

Former Director of the CID Shani Abeysekera yesterday told the PCoI investigating the Easter Sunday bombings that they had realised that the Islamic terrorists were responsible for the killing of two policemen in Vavunativu only after the Easter Sunday attacks.

Abeysekera, who is currently receiving treatment at Ward 42 of the National Hospital, Colombo, testified via Skype. He had earlier contracted COVID-19.

When Abeysekera began testifying, Attorney-at-Law, Upul Kumarapperuma, appearing for the witness told the Commission that it was doubtful whether his client had adequate time to refer to documents necessary to answer the questions. He also pointed out that Abeysekera was not currently in active service.

Abeysekera told the PCoI that he had received the relevant documents only at around 12 noon yesterday. Therefore, he said, he did not have enough time to study them.

Kumarapperuma then requested the Commission to obtain Abeysekera’s evidence laster. However, the Commissioners stated the term of the PCoI ended on 31 January and it was therefore impossible to postpone the evidence to another date. The commissioners informed Abeysekera to answer questions to the best of his ability and to refer to the documents when necessary.

The commission first asked the witness about the investigations he had carried out. The incidents included the suicide bomb attack on the then President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga in 1999, the murder of Yvonne Jonsson at the Royal Park apartment complex in 2005, the murder of ten people in Udathalawinna, and the murder of six people in a car at Delkanda Junction, the murder of Bharatha Lakshman Premachandra, the incident where 27 inmates were killed at Welikada Prison, the shooting of three persons at Rathupaswala and the abduction of Journalist Prageeth Ekneligoda.

Abeysekera said that he had been appointed as the Director of the CID in 2017.

When Commissioners asked him about the murder of two Police officers in the Vavunathivu area on 30 November, 2018, Abeysekara said that the CID had taken over the investigation on the instructions of the then IGP Pujith Jayasundara. A former LTTE cadre had been questioned on detention orders in that regard, he said.

However, further investigations had revealed that the suspect was not involved in the incident. After 21 April, 2019, it had been revealed that the killing was carried out by a group on the instructions of National Thowheed Jamaat leader Zahran Hashim, Abeysekera said.

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Cabinet aporives recruitment of Nursing Instructors for Nursing Schools under the Ministry of Health and Mass Media on Contract Basis

Published

7 hours ago

2026/09/1

Priyan

There are 17 nursing schools under the Ministry of Health and Mass Media including the postgraduate primary nursing school.

There are 142 vacancies in the posts of Grade I / Special Grade Nursing Officer (Education) as on 31.03.2026 in those schools while 24 officers are to be promoted to the special grade on 31.12.2025 owing to the vacancies existing in the post of Special
Grade Nursing Officer (Education). Therefore, the number of vacancies is to be 166.

In addition, there are 24 vacancies in the post of Special Grade Nursing Officer (Education).

Although at present action has been taken to upgrade the nursing schools to nursing colleges and upgrade the nursing diploma course to nursing degree course, no action has been taken so far to carry out recruitment for the training relevant to the appointment for the post of Grade I / Special Grade Nursing Officer (Education).

Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers granted approval to the resolution furnished by the Minister of Health and Mass Media to recruit retired nursing instructors and nursing instructors who served in the nursing schools belonging to the three armed forces and are retired or have resigned legitimately from service to the post of Grade I / Special Grade Nursing Officer (Education) on contract basis.

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Signing agreement for the establishment of BIMSTEC Technology Transfer Facility in Sri Lanka

Published

7 hours ago

2026/09/1

Priyan

It has been decided to establish a BIMSTEC technology transfer facility in Sri Lanka by entering into a Host Country Agreement at the second leaders’ summit of BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal
Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) held in New Delhi, India, in 2008, with the objective of enhancing regional cooperation.

The relevant cooperation agreement was signed by the member countries at the 5th BIMSTEC summit on 30-03-2022 in Colombo.
The prime objective of this technology transfer facility is to provide technology, capacity building, and management of intellectual property for the micro, small, and medium-scale
enterprises of the BIMSTEC member countries.

According to the cooperation agreement, an agreement should be entered into between Sri Lanka, as the host country, and BIMSTEC Secretariat for formalizing the legal status, privileges, and immunities of the technology transfer facility.

The drafted agreement has received the relevant institutional approval and legal clearance.

Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers has approved the resolution furnished by the Minister of Science and Technology to sign the proposed agreement.

News

The cabinet approves agreement on mutual legal cooperation in criminal matters between the Republic of Sri Lanka and the Republic of Korea

Published

7 hours ago

2026/09/1

Priyan

Approval has been granted at the cabinet meeting held on 11-12-2023 to sign an agreement between the Republic of Korea and the Government of Sri Lanka regarding mutual cooperation
in criminal matters.

However, according to the aforementioned approval, the relevant agreement could not be signed between both parties.

Through this agreement, opportunities will be provided
for mutual assistance to other countries in handing over judicial documents and collecting evidence for the use of criminal case matters.

Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers has approved the resolution provided by the Minister of Justice and National Integration to sign an agreement between the Republic of Korea and the Government of Sri Lanka to cooperate in criminal matters.