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Lasantha’s family says Shani can complete probe into murder
The family of slain editor Lasantha Wickrematunge has expressed hope that the government led by Anura Kumara Dissanayake will uncover the truth behind the crime, and deliver justice.
Speaking at the Borella Cemetery during a memorial event marking the 16th anniversary of Wickrematunge’s killing, his brother, Lal Wickrematunge, highlighted the lack of progress under previous administrations. “There have been four governments since Lasantha’s death, but none had the political will to investigate the incident,” he said.
Lal said that the current JVP/NPP government had pledged to pursue justice not only for Lasantha but also for several other high-profile cases that have remained unresolved.
He recounted the investigation’s history, stating that the case had been initially handled by the Terrorism Investigation Division (TID) amid speculation that the LTTE was involved. However, following the regime change in 2015, the family’s lawyer had got the case transferred to the CID.
“The CID investigation uncovered significant details, including the names and addresses of those involved in the murder,” Lal said, crediting former CID officer Shani Abeysekera for the progress made at the time.
Lal expressed confidence that with Abeysekera’s return to the CID, under the current government, there is no need to restart the investigation. “It is simply a matter of completing the work that has already been done,” he said.
The Paddy Marketing Board has approximately 115,000 metric tonnes of paddy stocks purchased from farmers, which are currently stored in the Board’s warehouses, and it has been planned to retain a sufficient buffer stock from these reserves and sell the remaining quantity in order to provide the necessary storage space and financial resources for the purchase of paddy from farmers during the upcoming Yala season.
Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers has approved the resolution furnished by the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Land and Irrigation to sell the aforementioned paddy stocks
following a formal tender procedure.
The Promotion of Export Agriculture Act, No. 46 of 1992 provides the legal provisions for regulating and promoting the export agriculture sector in this country.
Taking into consideration administrative changes and sectoral developments that have taken place over time, approval was granted at the Cabinet Meetings held on 2023-09-04 and 2025-08-11 to amend the said Act, which has not been updated for over 30 years.
The proposed amendments are intended to amend the designations of the Head of the Department of Export Agriculture and other officials, and to provide a clearer definition of the term “the export agricultural crop.”
Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers has approved the resolution furnished by the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Land and Irrigation to publish in the Government Gazette the Draft Export Agriculture Promotion (Amendment) Bill, prepared in all three languages by the Legal Draftsman to amend the Export Agriculture Promotion Act, No. 46 of 1992, and thereafter submit the same to Parliament for its concurrence
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