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Easter Sunday probe must not be swept under carpet – Cardinal

Published

2 years ago

2020/12/4

Archbishop of Colombo Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith yesterday urged the government not to delay investigations into the Easter Sunday attacks because of the issues that it confronts daily.

The government must ensure extremism would not lead to other attacks in the future, he said.

“Security forces must not sleep on the Easter Sunday attacks investigations. We hope investigators will find out the forces that were behind the attacks. We hope that the government would not sweep the investigations into the attack under the carpet for short-term political gain.”

The President and the government had promised the Catholic community a comprehensive investigation into the Easter Sunday attacks, the Cardinal said. The PCoI is only one of the investigations. Other probes by government entities too must continue, the Cardinal said.

“If this is not done our faith in this government will be shattered and we might have to assign other groups to look at the incident. The CID investigation and other such investigations into the attack must go on and the investigation into the Batticaloa Sharia Campus should be a part of these probes.

Sharia might be important for Muslims, but it shouldn’t affect other religious groups in the country, the Archbishop of Colombo said.

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South Korean airline bans emergency seats after plane door opens

Published

12 hours ago

2023/05/28

Priyan

South Korea’s Asiana Airlines has stopped selling some emergency exit row seats following an accident in which a passenger opened an emergency exit door midair causing panic on board.

The incident took place on an A321-200 plane, which was carrying nearly 200 passengers, as it approached the runway at Daegu International Airport, about 240km (150 miles) southeast of Seoul. The plane landed safely but several passengers were hospitalised. There were no serious injuries or damage.

The airline told the AFP news agency on Sunday the emergency exit seats – 31A and 26A – on its 14 A321-200 jets would no longer be offered for sale. “As a safety precaution, this measure will apply even if the flights are full,” it added. It is however unclear how the move might stop passengers seated elsewhere on the plane from attempting to open the emergency door.

The man, in his 30s, was arrested by authorities in Daegu for allegedly breaking aviation security laws. He faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted. He told Daegu police that he had been under a lot of stress after losing his job recently and that he opened the door because he wanted to get off quickly after feeling suffocated, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported on Saturday.

Video footage apparently taken by a person on board and posted on social media showed passengers’ hair being whipped about by air rushing into the cabin when the emergency door opened.

It is still unclear how Lee was able to open the emergency exit door mid-flight.

Jin Seong-hyun, a former Korean Air cabin safety official, said as far as he knew, this case was unprecedented, although passengers have opened emergency exits without authorisation while planes were on the ground.

A South Korean transport ministry official said it was possible to open emergency exits at or near ground level because the pressures inside and outside the cabin were similar.

(Aljazeera)

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Heat Index at Caution level in Northern, North-Central, North-western and Eastern provinces and Monaragala and Hambanthota districts

Published

15 hours ago

2023/05/28

Priyan

Heat index Advisory Issued by the Natural Hazards Early Warning Centre At 07.30 a.m. 28 May 2023, valid for 28 May 2023

Heat index, the temperature felt on the human body is expected to increase up to ‘Caution’ level at some places in Northern, North-Central, North-western and Eastern provinces and Monaragala and Hambanthota districts.