News
North gets serious about tackling covid threat because of contacts with Indians
CCTV cameras have been installed in Kilinochchi to identify those who do not follow health guidelines.
Chairman of the Kilinochchi Pradeshiya Sabha, Arunachalam Welamakithan said that Covid-19 was becoming a serious problem there as people were not adhering to health guidelines.
With the support of the CCTV evidence, those who violated the health guidelines could be arrested, he said.
Welamakithan said that vendors at the Kilinochchi wholesale market worked closely with commercial hubs in Dambulla, Vavuniya, Jaffna and Tambuttegama. Those were areas with high coronavirus prevalence, he said.
“Our fishermen associate with their Indian counterparts. They also deal with smugglers operating between the two countries. This is a dangerous situation.”
The Mannar District COVID-19 eradication committee has decided to prevent residents of the district leaving the district. District Secretary Nandani Stanley de Mel said that the decision had been taken as residents of the district had close relationships with fishermen and businessmen of India.
“We have established checkpoints in Mannar. Those who leave the district will be checked. they won’t be allowed to leave unless they have a valid reason. We have also advised people not to take pillion riders on their motorcycles. Only one family member should do the shopping twice a week. Navy officers have told us that they won’t allow Indian fishermen to come into Sri Lankan waters.”
Eighty four people who took part in a certificate awarding ceremony at Karaveddi, Jaffna have been quarantined as six of the participants were found to be Covid-19 positive.
The certificates were awarded to people who had passed a Sinhala language proficiency test. One participant, a woman initially tested positive and health officials later found that all three family members were infected. Her husband works at the Irrigation Office – Anuradhapura. Health officers also took steps to quarantine a day care centre that her child was attending. Twenty three children and four attendants in the day care centre too have quarantined.
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Landslide Early Warnings issued to the districts of Kalutara, Kandy, Nuwara Eliya and Ratnapura
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
News
Wife, counsel seek regular access to ex-Spy Chief Sallay held under President’s detention order
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.
News
CIABOC summons Yoshitha over his participation in British Navy training programme
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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