News
Govt. sees conspiracy behind grenade found in Church
Minister of Law and Order Sarath Weerasekera yesterday said that the recent detection of a hand grenade at All Saints Church, on Ananda Rajakaruna Mawatha, Borella, and a similar detection at Lanka Hospital were masterminded by a single person to undermine the government and the Police.
Speaking to the media in Colombo, the Minister also rejected the allegations made by the Catholic Church that the Police was attempting to create a false narrative about the incident.
“After we received the complaint, the Police started the investigation. The Police discovered that the same person who had informed the priest about the grenade was the one who planted it through a child. The Police arrested four people and a 13-year-old child, living at a nearby house, told the magistrate that one of the four men had got him to move the bomb. The suspect also admitted this. Police also found evidence in the suspect’s room.
if someone says that these information is false, this is bad. When people issue statements undermining the police, people lose faith in police,” the Minister said.
The Minister said that they are also looking for a man with a limp in connection with the incident. On Thursday, the Church released footage of a man with a limp who was behaving suspiciously in the All Saints Church and claimed that instead of trying to ascertain the truth the police had detained a person working in the church.
“If the fathers have information relevant to the case, the church must inform the police. This is their responsibility. When revelations are made to media, in the middle of the investigation, those involved can hide and become harder to find. Also when you start suspecting the Police from the start, things can go wrong,” Minister Weerasekera said.
The Minister said that they will find the mastermind behind this incident and a detection of the grenade at the Lanka hospital.
“It has only been two days. We usually tell people involved in a case not to release CCTV footage to media. What if suspects hide and harder to find? Who is responsible then? This helps the suspects. However we have arrested the main suspect and, through him we will find others,” Minister Weerasekera said.
On Thursday, Archbishop of Colombo Rt. Rev. Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith asked whether the recent detection of ahand grenade at All Saints Church, on Ananda Rajakaruna Mawatha, Borella was part of a conspiracy. The Cardinal questioned the failure on the part of the police to ascertain the identity of an unidentified person whoentered the Church at 9.52 am on Tuesday (11).
The Church released the video footage of a man carrying a shopping bag entering the premises. He was also captured on camera taking something out of his pocket and leaving it behind a statue. Addressing the media in Colombo, the Catholic leader alleged that the police had checked the video footage; he emphasised the need to establish the identity of the person who limped and was not a Catholic. The Cardinal said that the unidentified person had not prayed and walked away when questioned by someone. The church also released the video footage of the man leaving the church.
The nominations for the appointments of three new Ambassadors and a new High Commissioner have been approved by the Committee on High Posts of Parliament.
The Committee on High Posts approved the nomination of Dharshana Mahendra Perera as the High Commissioner of Sri Lanka to Malaysia, the nomination of Dassanayake Mudiyanselage Sumith Priyantha Dassanayake as the Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, Dayani Mendis as the Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the Republic of Austria, and for the nomination of Samantha Priyadarshana Weerasinghe Pathirana as the Ambassador of Sri Lanka to Romania.
The Credit Information Bureau of Sri Lanka (CRIB) has become the first Corporate Partner of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) for 2026, marking the launch of BASL’s newly introduced Corporate Partner Scheme, the BASL stated.
The text of BASL statement: “The partnership was formalised by signing a Memorandum of Understanding at the BASL Secretariat. The event was attended by Mr. Rajeev Amarasuriya, President of BASL; Mr. Pasindu Silva, Treasurer of BASL; Mr. Pushpike Jayasundera, Director/General Manager of CRIB, Mr. Janaka Lakmal, Deputy General Manager of CRIB, and Ms.Saumya Wijesinghe, Manager Legal of CRIB, together with other office-bearers and officials.
BASL represents over 26,000 legal professionals across 93 regional branches, providing a strong platform to engage legal practitioners nationwide. Through this initiative, CRIB and BASL will conduct in-person awareness programmes and webinars, focusing on credit information systems, CRIB’s services, and the Secured Transactions Registry (STR), in line with CRIB’s national campaign “We Care for Your Credit Health.”
Speaking at the event, President BASL Mr. Rajeev Amarasuriya stated that the Corporate Partner Scheme reflects BASL’s commitment to reach out to different sectors and collaborate in areas of mutual benefit to the respective organisations.
General Manager of CRIB, Mr. Pushpike Jayasundera noted that CRIB sees this as an important opportunity to enhance understanding in the legal sector of credit information and secured transactions.
The inclusion of CRIB as BASL’s first Corporate Partner underscores BASL’s efforts to support a more informed and future-ready legal profession.”
Arrangements have been made to ordain two boys in commemoration of the 50th birthday of Venerable Ambaliyadde Sangharatana Nayaka Thero, at a ceremony scheduled to be held today (15) at the Sri Bharathi Kusumachethiyarama Pirivena, Peradeniya.
Venerable Ambaliyadde Sangharatana Nayaka Thero is the Principal of Panideniya Sri Bharathi Vidyayathana, the District Sangha Supervisor of the Northern Sangha Council of the Sri Lanka Ramanna Maha Nikaya, Chief Prelate of the Sri Bharathi Kusumachethiyarama Moolika Pirivena, and a recipient of the Sasana Seva Vibhushana honour, as well as a scholar and Pandit.
The two boys to be ordained are Heman Sankalpa Ranawira of Unantanna, Hanguranketha, and Pamindu Bhanuka Wijerathna of Embilipitiya.
Heman Sankalpa Ranawira, born on May 16, 2013, is the second son of Kekulandara Mudiyanselage Gedera Wijerathna Banda and Hewage Sumithra Jayanthi, residents of No. 23, Unantenna, Hanguranketha.
Pamindu Bhanuka Wijerathna, born on May 17, 2013, is the second son of Ranawira Kankanamge Chaminda Kumara and Chamila Niroshani, residents of Embilipitiya.
Following the ordination ceremony, an alms were offered to (dana ) to 59 monks A series of religious observances are scheduled to be held within the premises of the Kusumachethiyarama Pirivena to mark the event.
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Nayaka Thero’s 50th birthday marked by ordination ceremony
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