News
Church calls for suspension of intelligence top brass, two SDIGs to facilitate fresh probe
Easter Sunday terror attacks
By Shamindra Ferdinando
The National Catholic Committee (NCC) has presented a five-point proposal to President Ranil Wickremesinghe, spelling out how it expects the concerns relating to the 2019 Easter Sunday carnage to be addressed.
The proposal includes the suspension of Senior DIGs, Nilantha Jayawardena, former head of State Intelligence Service (SIS) and Deshabandu Tennkoon named by the Presidential Commission of Inquiry which inquired into the Easter Sunday massacre.
The NCC has proposed an impartial, just, transparent and broad-based investigation in the wake of Channel 4 disclosures to probe the matters that transpired before different commissions and a committee but have remained uninvestigated.
The letter containing the five-point proposal dated 09 Oct. 2023 and addressed to President Ranil Wickremesinghe, has been signed by Archbishop Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith, Bishop of Colombo, Bishop Harold Anthony Perera, Bishop of Kurunegala and the President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference, Bishop Valence Mendis, Bishop of Kandy/Apostolic Administrator, Chilaw, Bishop Raymond Wickramasinghe, Bishop of Galle and other senior priests.
Alleging that Public Security Minister Tiran Alles’s recent declaration that 99 percent of Easter Sunday investigation had been concluded was meant to deceive the public and suppress the truth, the NCC has said that (2) the proposed investigation should be directed by an independent international investigation team (3) officers of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) who conducted the original investigation into the National Thowheed Jamaat (NTJ) bombing campaign should be brought back into the fresh inquiry (4) Senior intelligence officers should be suspended temporarily to allow a truly independent investigation along with Senior DIGs, Jayawardena and Tennakoon and (5) the recommendations made by the PCoI should be implemented without further delay.
Top spokesperson for the Catholic Church Rev. Father Cyril Gamini Fernando told The Island that the issues at hand couldn’t be addressed unless the Wickremesinghe-Rajapaksa government accepted their proposals.
Rev. Fernando has said President Wickremesinghe, appearing on a television programme in Germany recently ruled out an international investigation. But the Church couldn’t refrain from making representations on behalf of the victims and their families. The priest has stressed that the government should realise that the deceased included 45 foreigners and the concerns of their families, too, should be addressed.
Responding to another query, Rev. Fernando said that they had appealed to former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, too, but there had been no response from him.
In their letter to President Wickremesinghe, the NCC has said successive governments shielded Senior DIG Jayawardena named by PCoI and the Supreme Court in respect of a fundamental rights petition. Pointing out that instead of taking immediate disciplinary action as directed by the apex court, the government had initiated yet another inquiry, the NCC has asked President Wickremesinghe whether the government disregarded the SC directive thereby committing contempt of court
The Sri Lanka Navy rescued a fisherman from a local fishing trawler that encountered distress due to adverse weather conditions off the eastern coast of Sri Lanka.
The rescue operation took place on 17 July 2026, approximately 15 nautical miles off Pothuvil. The operation was launched following information received by the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) Colombo.
In response, the Sri Lanka Navy deployed the Offshore Patrol Vessel SLNS Vijayabahu along with additional craft to conduct a search operation in the designated sea area, where they successfully located the distressed fisherman.
Following the rescue, the individual was brought aboard SLNS Vijayabahu, where naval personnel administered preliminary first aid. He was subsequently brought to the mainland and rushed for further medical attention.
Meanwhile, the Navy, along with the coordination of MRCC Colombo, remains constantly prepared to swiftly respond to the eventualities faced by maritime and fishing communities operating within the island’s Search and Rescue Region (SRR).
The countrywide dengue outbreak has intensified, with the death toll rising to 50, by July 16, as the number of reported infections surpassed 73,000, according to the National Dengue Control Unit (NDCU).
The country has recorded 73,455 dengue cases so far this year, with the case fatality rate standing at 0.07 percent, highlighting the severity of the ongoing outbreak.
The Western Province continues to remain the worst affected region, accounting for more than half of the total cases, with 38,700 infections. The Gampaha District has recorded the highest number of cases in the province with 15,341, followed closely by Colombo with 14,625.
The Southern Province has reported 11,382 cases, while the Sabaragamuwa and Central provinces have each recorded more than 6,000 infections.
Dengue cases have shown a sharp increase in recent months, with June recording the highest monthly total of 21,538 cases, while July has already reported 18,076 infections. In comparison, 8,590 cases were reported in May, and 5,651 in April.
Health authorities have identified 175 Medical Officer of Health (MOH) areas as high-risk locations during the 27th epidemiological week. An average of 2,677 new dengue cases are being reported daily, prompting authorities to intensify prevention and mosquito control measures.
The Colombo High Court yesterday (17) resumed hearing the money laundering case filed against Yoshitha Rajapaksa, son of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.
The proceedings were held before High Court Judge Udesh Ranatunga, where evidence was recorded from prosecution witnesses, under the direction of Deputy Solicitor General Janaka Bandara.
President’s Counsel Sampath Mendis, appearing for Yoshitha Rajapaksa, cross-examined the witnesses during the hearing.
After recording evidence, the court ordered that further examination of evidence be postponed until July 24.
The Attorney General has filed indictments, alleging that Yoshitha Rajapaksa committed an offence, under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, by purchasing five plots of land in Dehiwala and Ratmalana, valued at more than Rs. 73 million.
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