Attorney-at-Law Senaka Perera on behalf of the Committee for Protecting Rights of Prisoners (Guarantee) Limited has asked Acting IGP Priyantha Weerasooriya to inquire into the death of Sathsara Nimesh soon after he was admitted to the Mulleriyawa mental hospital by Welikada police on the night of April 1.

In a letter dated April 3 addressed to the IGP, the lawyer said that the victim’s mother Lekamwasam Liyanage Samanthi, who visited Welikada police station the following day, thad been old that her son made a bid to commit suicide at the police station. Quoting the victim’s mother the lawyer said that the clothes worn by Nimesh at the time he was taken into custody by Welikada police were found within the premises.

Responding to queries, the human rights activist said that Nimesh had been caught by a group of people at Nawala road, Welikada around 7.30 pm-8 pm on April 1. Alleging that Nimesh who had been undergoing training at a private hospital as a caregiver was acting suspiciously, the group called in the police on 119 emergency line and handed him over to the police, Perera said, urging the IGP to ensure that the police followed laid out procedures when dealing with suspects.

The Attorney-at-law said that the victim’s mother had visited Mulleriyawa hospital and was able to speak with a doctor who had been present at the time Nimesh was brought there. The doctor had told her that her son was barely alive at the time he was brought in. Perera alleged that Welikada police made an attempt to allude that Nimesh was mentally unsound. If the police had been genuinely concerned about Nimesh in case he was experiencing sudden difficulty, they should have rushed him to the National Hospital, Perera said.

Acknowledging the need to deal firmly with those who are on the wrong side of the law, the rights group said that the police couldn’t adopt Gestapo-style strategies.

The National People’s Power (NPP) government couldn’t turn a blind eye to what was going on regardless of the change of government in last Sept. There had been at least two recent deaths in police custody, Perera said, referring to an incident in the Kotahena police area in the third week of February this year.

Police shot dead two persons arrested over the killing of Shashi Kumar in a mobile phone shop at Kotahena. Police claimed that law enforcement men had to open fire when the suspects made an attempt to grab a weapon from an officer while being taken to a hideout to recover hidden guns.

Lawyer Perera said that police should be ashamed to repeat a blatant lie often used by them though they knew no one accepted that.

Political parties represented in parliament should take up this matter vigorously, he said, urging the government to put an end to custodial deaths, he said. The lawyer pointed out that the Supreme Court, too, has intervened in the matter and the issue was taken up at the highest level.

By Shamindra Ferdinando

The Frontline Socialist Party (FSP) says that if JVP’s pioneer leader Rohana Wijeweera had been alive today, he, too, would have joined the FSP in opposing the proposed defence agreement between Sri Lanka and India, calling it a serious betrayal of the nation’s interests.

Duminda Nagamuwa, Propaganda Secretary of the FSP, told the media that the JVP-led NPP government was reportedly planning to sign the agreement.Speaking to the media, Nagamuwa said there was lack of transparency surrounding the proposed accord, which had already drawn the attention of Indian experts.

“These experts have termed the agreement as the most significant between the two countries since the Indo-Lanka Peace Accord of 1987, Nagamuwa said.

“Cabinet Spokesman Minister Nalinda Jayatissa recently revealed that a number of agreements involving defence, energy, health, and digitalisation are set to be signed during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s upcoming visit to Sri Lanka. Foreign Minister Wijitha Herath had previously stated that agreements would be signed covering six key areas, but details of these agreements have not been disclosed to the public,” Nagamuwa said.

“We call upon the people of this country to realise the dangers lurking in these agreements. If the government keeps the people in the dark about their contents, they will be illegitimate.”

He said those agreements had not been presented to Parliament for approval. That marked a troubling continuation of a trend where previous agreements have been signed without proper public discourse or parliamentary scrutiny, he said.

Nagamuwa said that the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the proposed accord had been signed by former President Ranil Wickremesinghe in 2023, and that the JVP/NPP was now proposing the same deal. “If Ranil Wickremesinghe had tried to sign this accord, the people would have taken to the streets in protest. But now, this government is pushing the same agreement forward,” he said.

Nagamuwa appealed to the public to closely observe the processes leading up to the signing of the accord. “We believe that this agreement will have serious implications for the country’s national security. If Comrade Wijeweera were alive today, he too would stand with us in opposing this government’s betrayal of our national interests,” he said.

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has appointed a high-level committee to analyse the potential economic impact of the new tariffs by US President Donald Trump and make recommendations.

US President Donald Trump yesterday announced 44% tariff on Sri Lankan goods exported to the US. The move, described by the U.S. as a reciprocal measure in response to what it claims are Sri Lanka’s 88% trade barriers on American goods, has placed Sri Lanka among the countries facing the highest tariff rates globally.

The committee comprises key economic policymakers and industry experts, including the Secretary to the Ministry of Finance, Governor of the Central Bank Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe, Chairman of the Board of Investment (BOI), the Chairman of the Export Development Board (EDB), and the Director General of Economic Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Additionally, Senior Economic Advisor to the President Duminda

Hulangamuwa, Chief Economic Policy Advisor of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce Shiran Fernando, and business heavyweights Ashroff Omar, Sharad Amalean, and Saif Jafferjee have been appointed to the committee.

This initiative aims to assess challenges arising from the US tariff adjustments and propose strategic measures to mitigate any adverse effects on Sri Lanka’s economy and trade. The committee is expected to submit its findings and recommendations to the government in the coming weeks