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Former Army Chief Senanayake exposes failure of Sirisena, Ranil, NSC, CID, TID

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By Rathindra Kuruwita

Former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe had not taken National Security seriously or fully cooperated at the National Security Council (NSC) meetings, former Army Commander Mahesh Senanayake on Wednesday (7) told the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI) investigating the Easter Sunday attacks.

Directorate of Military Intelligence (DMI) had given prior warnings about National Thowheed Jamaat (NTJ) and Zahran Hashim and the threat they posed to National Security in 2018. However, no official at the National Security Council (NSC) had taken these warnings seriously, he said.

During the Digana riots the DMI had warned of possible threats which Zahran could pose in the future.

“The DMI asked relevant officials to arrest Zahran after those riots, but none of them heeded warnings.”

Senanayake said that Zahran had been preaching IS ideology according to information received by the DMI in 2018. The DMI had informed the NSC that Zahran was encouraging Muslim youth to embrace the IS ideology.

Senanayake said that former President Maithripala Sirisena, too, had been aware of the situation since 2018. Commissioners then asked the witness why the security forces had failed to take necessary action against Zahran and his associates.

“There was a lot of competition among investigation agencies and they did not cooperate with the DMI when they conducted inquiries. If the institutions with power to enforce the law had arrested Zahran, the terror attacks would not have happened.”

The commissioners then asked the witness what institutions had not cooperated with the DMI.

The former Army Commander said that investigations units attached to the Police, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and the Terrorism Investigation Division (TID) had acted in an uncooperative manner.

When the Wanathawilluwa jihadist training camp was raided, the CID could have obtained the support from the DMI because the DMI had a huge network that could have assisted the inquiry, the ex-Army Chief said.

“Information being revealed at this Commission on Zahran and his associates is not new to me. We had been providing such information even before Easter Sunday attacks.”



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SJB, JVP move SC against Finance Secy. for contempt of court

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The main Opposition, Samagi Jana Balavegaya (SJB), and the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) yesterday (21) moved Supreme Court against Treasury Secretary Mahinda Siriwardana over his failure to provide funds required by the Election Commission to conduct the Local Government polls, ignoring an interim order issued by the apex court, on 03 March.

Ranjith Madduma Bandara, MP, is the petitioner for the SJB and Vijitha Herath, MP, moved court on behalf of the JVP, the leading party in the Jathika Jana Balawegaya (JJB).

Two Opposition parties declared action against Siriwardana the day after the Freedom People’s Alliance (FPA) issued a seven-day ultimatum to the Finance Secretary to release the funds.

EC Chairman Nimal Punchihewa is on record as having said that in spite of SC directive he didn’t receive fresh funding.

The petitioners sought the issuance of summons on Siriwardana for contempt of court over failure to carry out its interim orders, given on 03 March.

The petitioners want the Finance Secretary punished in terms of Article 105 (3) of the Constitution.

The SJB stated that Siriwardana had refrained from carrying out the March directives, on the basis of a Cabinet decision, taken on 13 Feb., 2023. The SJB also pointed out that the offensive conduct of the Treasury Secretary, inter alia, causes grave prejudice to the esteemed authority of the Supreme Court and in turn disturb the public confidence in the authority of the highest Court in the country. (SF)

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Minister indicates reduction in fuel prices in April

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Power and Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekara told Parliament yesterday that fuel prices would be reduced considerably according to the fuel price formula at the next fuel price revision, due in April.

The Minister said that the government would be able to procure fuel shipments, at lower prices, during competitive bidding, with the receipt of the IMF bailout.

There had been practical issues, and problems, in opening Letters of Credit, and obtaining credit facilities, in the recent past, as Sri Lanka could not give a guarantee to fuel suppliers, Minister Wijesekara said.

“We could not open LCs and obtain credit facilities when procuring fuel. After the IMF bailout, we will be able to procure fuel at lower prices during competitive biddings. We will be able to obtain a long-term credit facility as well. Fuel prices in the global market seem to have declined and the rupee has also gained strength against the US Dollar. Having considered all these factors, fuel prices will be reduced by a considerable margin which could be felt by the people,” he said.

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IGP tells CID not to brook any interference from any quarter while they probe ’Harak Kata’ and ‘Kudu Salindu’

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By Norman Palihawadane

IGP CD Wickramaratne has directed the CID to maintain a special log of names and details of any attempts by external parties to influene the ongoing investigations on notorious drug traffickers Nandun Chinthaka Wickramaratne aka Harak Kata and Salindu Malshika aka Kudu Salindu.

The suspects are currently under the custody of the CID.

The IGP issued the orders to the DIG CID and its director during a meeting of senior police officers on Monday, police headquarters said.

Sources said that the IGP has further instructed not to allow statements from the detainees to be taken by any police team other than the team currently investigating the suspects.

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