News
UK police arrest second man over Sri Lankan war crimes
The UK Metropolitan Police confirmed they have arrested a man in connection to war crimes committed in Sri Lanka, the second such arrest to have taken place in the United Kingdom, The Tamil Guardian reported recently.
The 60-year-old suspect has been arrested under suspicion of an offence under Section 51 of the International Criminal Court Act, 2001. The arrest specifically relates to the killing of two individuals during a political rally in Jaffna in late 2001.
The Tamil Guardian
reported that the attack referred to by the police is the one in November 2001 in Velanaitivu, Jaffna. The attack was allegedly committed by the government-aligned paramilitary group the Eelam People’s Democratic Party (EPDP) against members of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) whilst they were campaigning. Two TNA activists were killed during the attack and several others were injured.
This arrest is the second of its kind, with Metropolitan Police arresting another individual, under the same offence, in connection with the murder of journalist Mylvaganam Nimalarajan who was killed in 2000. That arrest took place in 2022 and that person was released under investigation, with enquiries still ongoing. The EPDP is also suspected of carrying out the killing.
Following this second arrest, the UK police have issued a statement calling on individuals who can provide first-hand information of war crimes committed in the early 2000s in Sri Lanka to speak with them.
“We know that these crimes have a lasting and significant impact on victims and witnesses and we’ve now made two arrests as part of this investigation,” said Commander Dominic Murphy. “This is a sign of the progress made by officers looking into these extremely serious crimes.”
“As in all serious cases, we need as much eye-witness testimony as possible to continue to build the case. We know that there are people with information about these incidents during the civil war in Sri Lanka who have not yet come forward. We urge those people to contact police – we will support you, and your information will be treated in the strictest confidence.”
These arrests follow increasing calls on members of the international community to conduct arrests of those accused of human rights violations in Sri Lanka under the principle of universal jurisdiction.Both incidents were part of a referral made in 2017 to the Counter Terrorism Policing War Crimes team, which is hosted by the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command and the investigation remains ongoing.
The Cabinet of Ministers approved the resolution furnished by the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Lands and Irrigation to appoint Ms. P. M. Jayadeera (Engineer) in the Special Grade of Sri Lanka Engineering Service serving at present as the Additional Secretary (Water Resources Development) of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Lands and Irrigation to the post of Director General which will be vacant from 06.10.2026.
Approval has been granted at the meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers held on 08.06.2026 to prepare a draft bill for restructuring Sri Lanka Cricket.
Accordingly, the Legal Draftsman has formulated Sri Lanka draft bill providing legal provisions for the administration of Sri
Lanka Cricket, control, regulation, promotion, establishment of Sri Lanka Cricket for the development and administration, through the concepts of better governance, integrity, transparency, accountability, inclusiveness and providing equal opportunities for the betterment of the cricket sport, establishment of Sri Lanka Cricket for securing the wellbeing of all participants and securing cricket from corruption and other mal practices.
Clearance of the Attorney General has been received for the said draft bill. Approval of the Cabinet of Ministers has been received for the resolution furnished by the Minister of
Youth Affairs and Sports to publish the said draft bill in the government gazette notification and thereby forward the same to the Parliament for its concurrence.
The Sri Lanka Land Development Corporation performs vitally important functions such as minimizing the risk of inundation in urban and lowland areas, maintaining drainage systems efficiently, carrying out urgent operations during inundation events, and maintaining canals.
The need to strengthen the capacity of the corporation’s internal
operations has been identified by the corporation to perform the aforementioned functions efficiently and expeditiously.
The corporation has planned to purchase small -scale machinery that can be used to clean small canals, which significantly contribute to urban inundation.
The General Treasury has agreed to grant 625 million rupees as an equity contribution for purchasing the relevant machinery.
Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers has approved the resolution submitted by the Minister of Transport, Highways, and Urban Development to purchase the relevant machinery by the Sri Lanka Land Development Corporation, following formal procurement procedures at an estimated cost of Rs. 1,233
million, utilizing the aforementioned amount granted by the General Treasury and the funds of the Sri Lanka Land Development Corporation.
Ms. P. M. Jayadeera (Engineer) appointed Director General of Irrigation
Sri Lanka Cricket Draft Bill to be gazetted
Cabinet approves purchase of machinery for the Sri Lanka Land Development Corporation
Cabinet approval for Project to Build Secure, Skilled, and Empowered Community for families resettled at the at Kalinga Mawatha, housing scheme
Appointment of Cabinet Sub-Committee for the Organization of 79th Independence Day Commemoration
Establishment of New Management Framework for the Dr. Nevil Fernando Hospital
‘Dates have the highest sugar content to fight Coronavirus’
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