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Sirisena says officials who did not take action to prevent Easter attacks responsible for carnage

Published

4 years ago

2020/10/16

By Rathindra Kuruwita

Easter Sunday attacks could have been prevented if necessary action had been taken, and officials who did not do so should be held responsible for the carnage, former President Maithripala Sirisena said on Wednesday night, testifying before the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI) investigating the Easter Sunday attacks.

The commissioners asked the former President about the release of two of the four suspects, arrested during the CID raid on Wanathawilluwa Jihadist training camp on 16 January, 2019.

Sirisena said that the person who recommended the release of the suspects should be held responsible. The Commissioners informed him that the documents releasing them had been signed by him.

Sirisena said that he would sign a large number of documents brought to him by the CID and the Ministry of Defence and that it was not possible to check each one individually.

The Attorney General’s Department representative who led the evidence asked the witness whether it was not the responsibility of the Head of State to ensure the safety of the citizens. The former President said terrorist attacks took place in many countries of the world and that the incumbent was not held responsible for failure to prevent all of them.

The Commissioners then asked the witness about a report submitted by the State Intelligence Service (SIS) on 23 October, 2018 about 120 persons who propagated Islamic State (IS) ideology.

Sirisena said the relevant document had been discussed at the National Security Council (NSC) meetings and necessary instructions given. The Minister of Law and Order had attended the NSC meetings and they should have acted on the instructions given, the witness said.

The Attorney General’s Department representative then asked the witness whether he should not take responsibility for failure to prevent incidents such as damaging of the Buddha statues in Mawanella, in December 2018, attack on the Coordinating Secretary of former Minister Kabir Hashim and the explosion of a motorcycle bomb in the Kattankudy area on 16 April, 2019, as he was the minister of law and order at that time.

Sirisena said such incidents should have been investigated by the local Police and other relevant investigating agencies. It was not necessary to seek the advice of the President or the NSC to deal with such matters, he added.

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Commander of USINDOPACOM Admiral Samuel J. Paparo calls on President Dissanayake

Published

3 hours ago

2025/03/21

Priyan

A meeting between President Anura Kumara Disanayake and Admiral Samuel J. Paparo, the Commander of the United States Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM), was held today (21) at the Presidential Secretariat.

During the discussion, Admiral Paparo extended his best wishes to President Disanayake and the new government on their planned initiatives. He also acknowledged Sri Lanka’s continued support in ensuring the security of the Indian Ocean region and maintaining a peaceful maritime environment.

Furthermore, Admiral Paparo reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to strengthening the enduring bilateral ties between the two nations and expressed support for Sri Lanka’s new governmental policies.

President Disanayake conveyed his appreciation for the assistance provided by the United States in enhancing human resources within Sri Lanka’s defence sector. The President also acknowledged the longstanding support extended by the U.S. in this regard.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Vijitha Herath, Senior Additional Secretary to the President Roshan Gamage, U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka Julie Chung, Lieutenant Colonel Anthony C. Nelson of the U.S. Army, and Senior Foreign Policy Advisor to the United States Indo-Pacific Command David Ranz were also present at the meeting.

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SriLankan Airlines flights to and from London Heathrow airport cancelled today

Published

7 hours ago

2025/03/21

Priyan

SriLankan Airlines has announced that SriLankan Airlines flights UL 503 (Colombo to London Heathrow), scheduled to depart at 12:50 hrs and UL 504 (London Heathrow to Colombo), scheduled to depart at 20:40 hrs today [21 March 2025], have been cancelled.

Passengers requiring assistance are encouraged to contact the SriLankan Airlines Customer Centre at 1979 (within Sri Lanka), +94117 77 1979 (international) or +94744 44 1979 (WhatsApp chat) or reach out to their nearest SriLankan Airlines office or their travel agent.

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London’s Heathrow airport shuts after fire causes power outage

Published

8 hours ago

2025/03/21

Priyan

[Aljazeera file pic]

The United Kingdom’s Heathrow airport has closed until midnight on Friday due to a power outage, throwing the plans of tens of thousands of travellers into chaos.

London’s main airport, which is Europe’s busiest gateway, said on Friday that it had suffered a “significant” power failure due to a fire at an electrical substation supplying the facility.

“To maintain the safety of our passengers and colleagues, Heathrow will be closed until 23h59 on 21 March,” Heathrow airport said in a post on X.

“Passengers are advised not to travel to the airport and should contact their airline for further information. We apologise for the inconvenience.”

Flight tracking website FlightRadar24 said the shutdown would affect “at least” 1,351 flights.

“We’re trying to stop passengers from travelling to the airport, and then work with airline partners on flights that are delayed, diverted, or cancelled,” a Heathrow spokesperson told Al Jazeera. “Passengers can reach out to airline partners to work on rebooking.”

Al Jazeera’s Jonah Hull, reporting from London, said the roads leading to the airport were blocked, causing “traffic chaos locally”.

“But local traffic disruption is nothing compared to the air traffic disruptions that will be spreading around the world,” he said.

Heathrow is one of the most globally connected airports and regularly ranks among the top five busiest gateways worldwide.

The airport serves more than 200 destinations in nearly 90 different countries and territories, and last year handled nearly 84 million passengers, the largest number on record.

[Aljazeera]