A four-member police team has been appointed to investigate the allegations against IGP Deshabandu Tennakoon. The team will assist the committee in conducting the ongoing investigations.The appointment was made following a request from the relevant parliamentary committee to the Acting IGP.

The Committee of Inquiry, chaired by Supreme Court Justice P.P. Surasena, consists of Justice W. M. N. P. Iddawala and the Chairman of the National Police Commission (Ex-officio),  E. W. M. Lalith Ekanayake. The Resolution to appoint a Committee of Inquiry in terms of Section 5 of the Removal of Officers (Procedure) Act, No. 5 of 2002, to remove Tennakoon from the office of the Inspector General of Police for misconduct and gross abuse of power of his office in terms of Sections 3(d) and 3(e) read with Section 5 of the said Act, was passed in Parliament on 8 April.

UNP Chairman and former Minister Wajira Abeywardena says that the end is near for the JVP/NPP government.Speaking at a UNP rally held in Thalpitiya, Galle, on Saturday, Abeywardena said that the JVP/NPP government had become dysfunctional.

“It has not done anything new. It has been following what the UNP leader, Ranil Wickremesinghe did as the President. It’s like an incompetent student copying from the notebook of a bright student,” he said. “Sure, the weak student might scrape through an exam, but when faced with a new problem, he’s completely lost. That’s exactly where this government stands. They copied Ranil Wickremesinghe’s governing style, but when real challenges arise, they have no answers.”

Abeywardena said all that JVP/NPP members could do was to keep on blaming the previous administrations for corruption. “They keep ranting about corrupt former rulers. But during those times, a coconut was Rs. 80. Today, under these supposedly ‘clean’ leaders, it costs Rs. 250.”

The UNP Chairman said that recently when there was a nationwide power outage, the Energy Minister had claimed that it had been caused by a monkey. “Even a schoolchild wouldn’t make up such a ridiculous lie,” Abeywardena said. “This bizarre excuse made international headlines, bringing shame to our country.” He said that the economic crisis was likely to deepen in the coming months. “Economists have predicted a downturn by November or December, and this government has no plan to face it,” he said. “Just like a weak student, they can only copy Ranil Wickremesinghe. Beyond that, they’re clueless.”

More than 10% of students who sat the 2024 G.C.E. Advanced Level (A/L) Examination failed to secure even a simple pass each in any of their main subjects.Commissioner General of Examinations Amith Jayasundara told media yesterday that 29,244 candidates — or 10.66% of the total — had failed in all three main subjects.

“It is concerning that such a large number of students are failing each year, especially considering the significant investment made by the state in the education sector,” Jayasundara said.

Out of the 331,850 students who sat for the examination, only 9,458 candidates (3.45%) obtained ‘A’ passes in all three main subjects.

Despite the number of failures, there was a positive trend in university eligibility. A total of 177,588 candidates — or 64.73% — qualified to apply for university admission, indicating an increase compared to last year’s figures.

The results of the 2024 A/L examination were released online on Saturday evening.

by Chaminda Silva