News
Ex-STF chief makes U-turn
By Rathindra Kuruwita
Former Commandant of the STF, Senior DIG (Retd.) M.R. Latheef earlier told the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI) investigating the Easter Sunday attacks that he heard about the National Thowheed Jamaat (NTJ) and its leader Zahran Hashim only after the Easter Sunday attacks, but yesterday he admitted he had been aware of Zahran and the NTJ even before the attacks.
Earlier a Commissioner asked the witness if STF’s Kattankudy office had not bee aware of NTJ and Zahran before the Easter Sunday attacks.
SDIG Latheef said the STF intelligence agents were not geared to uncover intelligence information on national security. They had been established to work on intelligence provided by other agencies and how best to use such intelligence.
Chairman of the PCoI then asked the witness if STF intelligence officers had never reported on Zahran and the NTJ. Latheef said no intelligence information had been provided by STF agents.
Commissioners directed Latheef’s attention to a report sent by the STF intelligence officers to the Commanding Officer of the Kalawanchikudi STF camp on 24 March, 2018. This report referred to Zahran and the NTJ and Latheef acknowledged that the report referred to NTJ and Zahran.
Latheef was also shown STF intelligence reports and he admitted that those reports too had referred to Zahran and his activities.
“Did the Secretary of the Commission ask you to submit documents on the religious extremism that were available at STF?” Chairman of the Commission asked the witness.
“I was instructed,” SDIG Latheef said.
Commissioners: “Why didn’t you include STF reports on Zahran and the NTJ in the documents you submitted to the Commission?”
SDIG Latheef: “I don’t know if the documents you have were received by the STF headquarters. Can you please request a report on this from the STF headquarters? These three reports were sent to STF regional camps. It should be checked whether they were referred to the headquarters and it should be ascertained whether any officer at the headquarters had inquired into it.”
The Commissioners also questioned the witness on the transfer of five intelligence officers attached to the STF camp at Arugambay and Kalawanchikudi between February 2017 and October 2018. Latheef said he had to look at the relevant documents before answering the question.
The Commissioners then asked Latheef if his earlier statement to the PCoI, i.e. that he had never known about Zahran before 4 April, 2019, was true, Latheef said that he had been aware of NTJ through certain electronic and print media reports before the Easter Sunday bombing.
He had also been made aware of Zahran during discussions held at the Police headquarters and during discussions with other senior police officers, he said.
The Commission then questioned him whether it could have been possible for him to take action on Zahran using the report of the SIS, warning of a possible terror attack.
Latheef said he had taken steps. “For example, I beefed up security at the Indian High Commission as the information indicated that it could be a target of attackers.”
Considering SDIG Latheef’s evidence before the Commission, yesterday, the Commission observed that it was appropriate to give him the opportunity to appear before the Commission with the assistance of an Attorney-at-Law under Section 16 of the Commission Act and adjourned the hearing until 10 October.
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Landslide RED warnings issued to the districts of Kandy, Kegalle, Kurunegala, Matale and Nuwara Eliya extended up to 1600 hrs today [07]
The Landslide Early Warning Center of the National Building Research Organisation [NBRO] has issued landslide early warnings to the districts of Badulla, Colombo, Galle, Gampaha, Kalutara, Kandy, Kegalle, Kurunegala, Matale, Matara, Monaragala, Nuwara Eliya and Ratnapura effective from 16:00 hrs on 06.12.2025 to 16:00 hrs on 07.12.2025.
Accordingly,
LEVEL III RED warnings have been issued to the Divisional Secretaries Divisions and surrounding areas of Pathadumbara, Kundasale, Pathahewaheta, Panvila, Medadumbara, Doluwa, Thumpane, Udunuwara, Deltota, Ganga Ihala Korale, Pasbage Korale, Yatinuwara, Hatharaliyadda, Ududumbara, Minipe, Udapalatha, Gangawata Korale, Akurana, Poojapitiya and Harispattuwa in the Kandy district, Thumpane, Udunuwara, Deltota, Ganga Ihala Korale, Pasbage Korale, Yatinuwara, Hatharaliyadda, Ududumbara, Minipe, Udapalatha, Gangawata Korale, Akurana, Poojapitiya and Harispattuwa in the Kegalle district, Alawwa, Rideegama, Polgahawela, Mallawapitiya and Mawathagama inthe Kurunegala district, Ukuwela, Naula, Yatawatta, Laggala Pallegama, Pallepola, Matale, Rattota, Ambanganga Korale and Wilgamuwa in the Matale district, and Hanguranketha, Mathurata, Nildandahinna and Walapane in the Nuwara Eliya district
LEVEL II AMBER warnings have been issued to the Divisional Secretaries Divisions and surrounding areas of Uva Paranagama, Badulla, Kandeketiya, Bandarawela, Soranathota, Hali_Ela, Meegahakivula, Ella, Welimada, Haputhale, Lunugala, Haldummulla and Passara in the Badulla district, Narammala in the Kurunegala district, Kothmale West, Norwood, Ambagamuwa Korale, Thalawakele, Kothmale East and Nuwara Eliya in the Nuwara Eliya district and Godakawela, Kahawaththa and Kolonna in the Ratnapura district.
LEVEL I YELLOW warnings have been issued to the Divisional Secretaries Divisions and surrounding areas of Seethawaka and Padukka in the Colonbo district, Elpitiya and Yakkalamulla in the Galle district, Mirigama, Divulapitiya and Attanagalla in the Gampaha district, Ingiriya, Bulathsinhala and Horana in the Kalutara district, Pasgoda and Athuraliya in the Matara district, Bibile and Medagama in the Monaragala district, and Kuruwita, Balangoda, Eheliyagoda, Pelmadulla, Kaltota, Kalawana, Openayake, Ayagama, Nivithigala, Imbulpe, Elapatha, Ratnapura and Kiriella in the Ratnapura district.
The Situation Report issued by the Disaster Management Center [DMC] at 2000hrs on Saturday [06] confirms that 607 persons have died due to the recent flooding and landslides while another 209 persons were missing.
The death toll in the Kandy district which one of the most affected districts has risen to 232, and 1800 houses have been fully damaged.The number of missing persons reported is 81
100,124 persons belonging to 29,874 families were being housed at 990 safety centers established by the government.
The government’s failure to act on expert warnings, including advance forecasts on Cyclone Ditwah, had led to the worsening of disaster impact, Udaya Gammanpila, leader of the Pivithuru Hela Urumaya, said at a press conference in Colombo yesterday.
Gammanpila accused the NPP government of ignoring 14 key preventive measures, despite alerts from the Meteorology Department, foreign experts, and the media.
Gammanpila said the government had failed to lower the water levels in reservoirs, dredge estuaries, and deploy the armed forces for canal maintenance. Local government bodies were reportedly sidelined, and that led to a delay in cleaning of drains. He said the government had also failed to evacuate people in a timely manner from seven districts identified by the National Building Research Organisation as landslide-prone. It had delayed declaring emergencies or curfews and the deployment of tri-forces to evacuate people in such areas.
Gammanpila said an experienced public official should have been appointed as Secretary to the President to mobilise the state machinery swiftly during the disaster. He said the government had not convened the National Disaster Council.
“These failures worsened the disaster, causing immense hardship, disruption, and loss of life and property to the people,” Gammanpila said.
The government has denied the Opposition’s claims.
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