News

Cardinal alleges 1,500 pages of evidence missing

Published

2 years ago

2024/03/17

Thilina Walpola

Archbishop Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith

Proceedings of Easter Sunday Commission given to church

by Norman Palihawadane

Colombo Archbishop Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith says that over 1,500 pages containing evidence are missing from the soft copy of the report of Presidential Commission of Inquiry on Easter Sunday given to the Church by the government.

Speaking at the first meeting of the Archdiocesan Presbyterium at Archbishop’s House Conference Hall in Colombo last week, the Cardinal said that the government had given them the soft copy of the PCoI report in six CDs.

“After going through them by us and our lawyers we found that there are nearly 70,000 pages of the PCoI report. However, the government has kept to themselves over 1,500 pages. It is discernible that these missing pages contained evidence given by key witnesses such as Hadiya, wife of Zahran Hashim and Sarah Jesmin, one of the leading protagonists who had very close associations with the group of terrorists who exploded themselves at the Easter Sunday attacks,” the Cardinal said.

He said that the following many letters from the Church demanding the complete PCoI report, the government authorities released the six CDs and told the media that the report in its entirety was given to the Church.

“These ministers and officials keep on saying that 99 per cent of investigations are over and the Church has been appraised of the contents of the PCoI report. There is no truth in their statements. Now they have filed cases against 23 Muslims who had known Zahran and his team members. The government authorities are now trying to turn them to scapegoats while deliberately overlooking to investigate all aspects of the case,” the Cardinal said.

“This year marks the fifth anniversary of the Easter Sunday attack. In response to our continuous calls for a fresh, fair and independent investigation, government authorities have come up with plots to mislead the public. Besides no inquiry has been conducted, up until now, on new evidence emerging in the case like the statements made by witness Azad Moulana, the personal secretary of Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan alias Pillayan.

“Moulana has alleged that Pillayan had been the go between who had assisted the Directorate of Military Intelligence (DMI) to approach Zahran and his group. Moulana also affirmed that Zahran Group had received money through Pillayan from the DMI which was then headed by Suresh Saleh, who is the head of State Intelligence Service under the incumbent government.

“As per new evidence, there had been meetings between Saleh and Zahran and that a lorry load of suspicious materials was released without being checked on the orders of incumbent IGP Deshabandu Tennakoon at Gelanigama exit of the Southern Highway. The said lorry belonged to the Avant Garde Security Service closely connected to former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. Moulana has stated that the lorry presumably contained explosives,” the Cardinal said.Auxiliary Bishops Rt Rev Drs Anton Ranjith, Maxwell Silva and JD Anthony were also present att he head table with the Cardinal.

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Tri-Forces donate LKR. 372 million, a day’s pay of all ranks to ‘Rebuilding Sri Lanka’ Fund

Published

4 hours ago

2026/01/3

Priyan

Members of all ranks from the Sri Lanka Army, Sri Lanka Navy and Sri Lanka Air Force have collectively donated a day’s basic salary to the ‘Rebuilding Sri Lanka’ Fund, which was established to restore livelihoods and rebuild the country following the devastation caused by Cyclone Ditwah.

Accordingly, the total contribution made by the Tri-Forces amounts to LKR. 372,776,918.28.

The cheques representing the financial contributions were handed over on Wednesday (31 December) at the Presidential Secretariat to the Secretary to the President, Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake.

The donations comprised LKR. 250 million from the Commander of the Army, Major General Lasantha Rodrigo; LKR. 73,963,879.71 from the Commander of the Navy, Rear Admiral Kanchana Banagoda and LKR. 48,813,038.97 from the Commander of the Air Force, Air Marshal Vasu Bandu Edirisinghe.

Secretary to the Ministry of Defence, Air Vice Marshal Sampath Thuyacontha, was also present on the occasion.

News

CEB demands 11.57 percent power tariff hike in first quarter

Published

7 hours ago

2026/01/3

Thilina Walpola

The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) has submitted a proposal to the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) seeking an 11.57 percent increase in electricity tariffs for the first quarter of 2026, citing an estimated revenue shortfall and additional financial pressures, including cyclone-related damages.

According to documents issued by the PUCSL, the proposed tariff revision would apply to electricity consumption from January to March 2026 and includes changes to both energy charges and fixed monthly charges across all consumer categories, including domestic, religious, industrial, commercial and other users.

Under the proposal, domestic electricity consumers would face increases in unit rates as well as fixed monthly charges across all consumption blocks.

The CEB has estimated a deficit of Rs. 13,094 million for the first quarter of 2026, which it says necessitates the proposed 11.57 per cent tariff hike. The utility has noted that any deviation from this estimate whether a surplus or a shortfall will be adjusted through the Bulk Supply Tariff Adjustment (BSTA) mechanism and taken into account in the next tariff revision.

In its submission, the CEB said the proposed revision is aimed at ensuring the financial and operational stability of the power sector and mitigating potential risks to the reliability of electricity supply. The board-approved tariff structure for the first quarter of 2026 has been submitted to the PUCSL for approval and subsequent implementation, as outlined in Annex II of the proposal.

The CEB has also highlighted the financial impact of Cyclone Ditwah, which it said caused extensive damage to electricity infrastructure, with total losses estimated at around Rs. 20 billion. Of this amount, Rs. 7,016.52 million has been attributed to the first quarter of 2026, which the utility said has a direct bearing on electricity tariffs.

The CEB warned that if external funding is not secured to cover the cyclone-related expenditure, the costs incurred would need to be recovered through electricity tariffs in the second-quarter revision of 2026.

Meanwhile, the PUCSL has said that a decision on whether to approve the proposed tariff increase will be made only after following due regulatory procedures and holding discussions on the matter.

By Sujeewa Thathsara ✍️

News

Health Minister sends letter of demand for one billion rupees in damages

Published

7 hours ago

2026/01/3

Thilina Walpola

Ondansetron controversy

Minister of Health and Mass Media Dr Nalinda Jayatissa has sent a letter of demand for Rs. 1 billion in damages from YouTube content creator Dharmasri Kariyawasam, accusing him of disseminating false and defamatory material linking the Minister to the importation of Ondansetron and inciting public unrest.

The notice, sent through the Minister’s lawyers, states that investigations are currently under way into 10 medicines, including Ondansetron Injection, manufactured by India-based Maan Pharmaceutical Limited.

Ondansetron Injection was among nine injectable drugs recently suspended by the National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA) following reports of patients administered with the drug suffering adverse complications.

Despite the ongoing investigations, Kariyawasam allegedly aired a widely viewed programme on his YouTube channel titled “The hidden story of the Indian drug that claimed lives, Mayor Balthazaar’s relative, and Minister Nalinda’s cover-up.”

According to the letter of demand, the programme falsely portrayed Minister Jayatissa as being directly responsible for importing the drug, colluding with the supplier, and attempting to conceal the issue, while depicting him as indifferent to public suffering.

The Minister’s lawyers maintain that these allegations are entirely false and defamatory, citing passages in which Kariyawasam allegedly accused Jayatissa of lying about the supplier, concealing facts related to PTC Medicals (Pvt) Ltd., the actual importer, and showing a lack of concern over deaths purportedly linked to the drug.

The programme also claimed links between the directors of PTC Medicals and family members of Colombo Mayor Vraîe Cally Balthazaar, implying political favouritism.