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C’wealth to determine whether upcoming election conforms to regional and int’l standards

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Faure

A Commonwealth Observer Group (COG), led by former President of the Seychelles Danny Faure, will observe the Presidential Election scheduled to be held on Sept. 21, 2024.

The deployment will take place on Sept. 15. The European Union Election Monitoring mission is already here. The COG issued the following statement on Monday (02): The 14-member group was deployed by the Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland KC, following a pre-election assessment mission to the country and an invitation from the Election Commission of Sri Lanka.

The statement quoted Secretary-General Scotland as having said: “Election observation work is a core strength of the Commonwealth,providing vital support to the process and institutions of democracy across our member states, in line with the principles and aspirations of our Charter.

As part of their critical work, the Commonwealth Observer Group will comprehensively assess all factors impacting the credibility of the electoral process, including the pre-election environment, voting procedures, counting and tabulation processes, as well as the post-election environment following the announcement of results. Their findings will be presented in an interim report, followed by a final report with recommendations to further help strengthen future elections.”

The Commonwealth Secretary-General also expressed her gratitude to the Chairperson, who will lead the COG, and to each of the eminent experts, drawn from across the Commonwealth, who will participate in this important assignment.

The independent observer group will determine whether the election complies with Sri Lanka’s electoral laws and meets relevant regional, Commonwealth, and international standards. Observers will adhere to the International Declaration of Principles for Election Observation, which the Commonwealth was one of the original signatories to at the UN in 2005, to ensure the professionalism and credibility of election observation.

At the end of the assignment, the COG will submit a comprehensive report containing their observations and recommendations to the Commonwealth Secretary-General. This report will subsequently be made public and shared with the Government of Sri Lanka, the Election Commission, political parties, and Commonwealth member governments.

The Commonwealth Observer Group will be in Sri Lanka from 15 to 27 September and will be supported by a seven-member staff team from the Commonwealth Secretariat, led by Lindiwe Maleleka, Political Adviser in the Electoral Support Section of Governance and Peace Directorate.

Members of the Commonwealth Observer Group are Chairperson Danny Faure, former President of Seychelles, Ian Hughes, Supervisor of Elections, Antigua and Barbuda Electoral Commission, Antigua and Barbuda, Allyson Maynard Gibson, Former Attorney-General and Minister for Legal Affairs, The Bahamas, Mrs Josephine Tamai, Chief Elections Officer, Belize, Ms Sharon Bhagwan-Rolls, Programme Manager: Pacific Women Mediators Network, Fiji, Dr. Tres-Ann Kremer, Regional Director-Caribbean, Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, Jamaica, Ambassador Manoah Esipisu, Former Kenyan High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Kenya, Ms. Sara Naseem, Former Communications & Advocacy Manager, Transparency Maldives, Maldives, Maryan Street MNZM, Former Cabinet Minister, New Zealand, Dr. Aderemi Ajibewa , Former Political Director ECOWAS, Nigeria, Mohammad Amir Wasim, Bureau Chief, Daily Dawn, Pakistan, Cynthia Barrow-Giles, Professor of Constitutional Governance and Politics, The University of the West Indies, Saint Lucia, Professor Mandla Mchunu, Former Chief Electoral Officer, Electoral Commission, South Africa, Dr Victor Shale, Governance and Elections Expert, South Africa



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Landslide Early Warnings issued to the districts of Kalutara, Kandy, Nuwara Eliya and Ratnapura

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The National Building Research Organisation [NBRO] has issued landslide early warnings to the districts of Kalutara, Kandy, Nuwara Eliya and Ratnapura effective from 0400hrs on 12th June 2026 to 0400hrs on 13th June 2026

Accordingly,
LEVEL I [YELLOW] landslide early warnings have been issued to the Divisional Secretaries Divisions and surrounding areas of Palindanuwara in the Kalutara district, Doluwa in the Kandy district, Ambagamuwa in the Nuwara Eliya district and Pelmadulla, Ayagama, Ratnapura, Godakawela, Kalawana and Nivitigala in the Ratnapura district

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Wife, counsel seek regular access to ex-Spy Chief Sallay held under President’s detention order

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Suresh Sallay

Wife of former State Intelligence Chief Maj. Gen. (Retd.) Suresh Sallay has asked CID Director retired SSP Shani Abeysekera to allow her, her family members and lawyers to visit her husband in the National Hospital, Colombo. Sallay’s counsel has also written to Abeysekera, asking for permission to visit the former spy held on a detention order signed by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.

The text of Manori’s letter: “I respectfully request your assistance in granting me, and my daughter or alternatively my son, permission to visit my husband, Rtd. Major General Suresh Sallay, who is currently at the National Hospital, Colombo.

“As you are aware, my husband is presently engaged in a fast-unto-death campaign. His physical condition and emotional well-being are of deep concern to our family. During this difficult period, the presence and support of his immediate family are extremely important to him.

“I firmly believe that regular visits from me with our daughter or our son would help uplift his spirits, provide him with much-needed emotional strength, and may encourage him to reconsider continuing this course of action. Family support can play a vital role in preserving his mental and emotional health while he remains hospitalised.

“In view of these exceptional circumstances, I kindly request that permission be granted for either me and my daughter or my son to visit him daily during the period of his hospitalisation.

“I would be most grateful for your compassionate consideration of this request.”

“The text of the counsel’s letter: “I write in my capacity as Counsel for Rtd. Major General Suresh Sallay, who is presently under detention and admitted to the National Hospital, Colombo.

As you are aware, Major General Sallay has embarked on a fast-unto-death campaign, giving rise to serious concerns regarding his physical and mental well-being. In these circumstances, it is imperative that I be granted reasonable and regular access to my client during his hospitalisation.

As his legal representative, I have a professional obligation to monitor his condition and obtain instructions from him so that I may accurately apprise the relevant courts of his health status and any developments affecting his rights and welfare. Effective legal representation requires continuous communication with my client, particularly in light of the grave circumstances presently confronting him.

I also wish to respectfully highlight that Major General Sallay has placed explicit trust and confidence in me as his counsel. Indeed, I was the first person he contacted following his arrest.

Given the trust he reposes in me, I believe I am uniquely positioned to engage with him constructively and persuade him to discontinue this campaign and instead place his confidence in the legal remedies and judicial processes available to him.

For these reasons, I respectfully request that I be granted permission to visit my client on a daily basis during the period of his hospitalization.

Such access would not only facilitate the discharge of my professional responsibilities but may also contribute meaningfully towards safeguarding his health and encouraging a resolution through lawful and institutional means.

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CIABOC summons Yoshitha over his participation in British Navy training programme

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Yoshitha

Yoshitha Rajapaksa, who served as a Lieutenant in the Sri Lanka Navy, has now been summoned to the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption next Tuesday (16) for questioning over his participation in a Royal Navy training programme in the United Kingdom outside established procedures.

The Commission is expected to record statements in relation to several complaints received regarding his recruitment and subsequent service in the Navy after he enlisted on December 14, 2006.

According to sources, the investigation focuses on allegations concerning the educational qualifications considered at the time of his enlistment, as well as foreign training opportunities he is said to have received while in service, which are suspected to have been granted in violation of due process.

The Bribery Commission has launched the inquiry under the provisions of the Anti-Corruption Act, officials said.

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