News
Police and Navy investigate on board hanging of ship’s officer
By Norman Palihawadane
The Harbour police and Navy are conducting two separate investigations after finding the body of the executive officer of the SLNS Vijayabahu anchored at the Colombo Harbour hanging in his personal quarters (cabin) inside the ship on Thursday.
Police identified the deceased as Commander R Rajapakshe, a resident of Gampaha. He is a father of two children and his wife is a major in the Army. The Navy declined to comment.Police sources said that the preliminary investigations showed that the officer is reported to have attended to his usual duties and crew members did not believe that he had any cause to hang himself.
The deceased body was found hanging by the neck using a rope, police said.The Harbour police said that they recorded statements from members of the crew of the ship. An investigation into the phone records of the deceased was underway, police said.
Police said that they were awaiting the report of the post mortem.
The Offshore Patrol Vessel P 627 the most recent addition to the Sri Lanka Naval fleet. It was acquired from the US Coast Guard and was commissioned as Vijayabahu by President Ranil Wickremesinghe at the Colombo Port on Nov 22 last year.
The SLNS Vijayabahu was rushed to the rescue of a Chinese fishing vessel that capsized in the Indian Ocean last month. The Chinese Embassy at a special ceremony in Colombo recently (June 6) felicitated the Navy diving team which engaged in an operation at the site of the overturned fishing vessel ‘LU PENG YUAN YU 028’.
The vessel capsized in the Australian Search and Rescue Region, south of Sri Lanka on May 16, 2023. The felicitation was presided over by Chinese Ambassador Qi Zhenhong and Chief of Presidential Staff and Senior Adviser on National Security Sagala Ratnayaka.
Members of the South Asian Journalists Forum have gathered at the University of New Delhi for a two day conference themed ‘Peace and Co-operation’.
Journalists from Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka and India are attending the conference hosted by the University of Delhi in collaboration with the India Chapter of SJF, and will deliberate on how the media can act as a catalyst for regional stability and mutual coexsistence.
A tree plantation campaign was also held at the Ghandi Bhawan premises of the University to mark the event and symbolize growing regional ties.
The Sri Lanka delegation is led by President of SJF’s Sri Lanka Chapter Rahul Samantha Hettiarachchi.
The Governor of the of Gujarat, Acharya Devvrat, along with the Deputy Chief Minister of Gujarat, Harsh Sanghvi, met with Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya on Thursdy [February 05] at the Parliamentary Complex to discuss the arrangements related to the exposition of the Devnimori Sacred Relics of Lord Buddha, which have been brought to Sri Lanka under the patronage of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Government of India.
These sacred relics of Lord Buddha were discovered during archaeological excavations conducted in the 1960s at the historic Devnimori site in Gujarat, the home state of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Until now, these relics had never been taken outside India. As a result of discussions held between President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his recent visit to Sri Lanka, the people of Sri Lanka have been granted this rare opportunity to venerate these sacred relics.
The exposition of the relics is being held for a period of seven days, from February 05 to February 11, at the Gangaramaya Temple in Hunupitiya, Colombo. Discussions were held between both parties regarding the arrangements related to this event.
The discussion was attended by Samar Nanda, Joint Secretary of the Indian Ministry of Culture; Dr. Satyanjal Pandey, Acting High Commissioner of India in Sri Lanka; Abhijit Halder, Director General of the International Buddhist Confederation; along with several others.
[Prime Minister’s Media Division]
The Indian Naval Ship (INS) GHARIAL made a port call in Colombo for operational turnarounds on 04 Feb 26. The Sri Lanka Navy welcomed the visiting ship in compliance with naval traditions.
Commanded by Commander Gaurav Tewari, INS GHARIAL is a vessel with a length of 124.8 meters.
During this visit, ten (10) Bailey Bridges, brought by ship, through the coordination of the High Commission of India in Sri Lanka, will be handed over to the Disaster Management Center. These bridges will provide temporary transportation links while bridges damaged across the island by adverse weather conditions are repaired.
The crew’s itinerary features scheduled goodwill activities with the Sri Lanka Navy, alongside visits to several tourist attractions across the island.
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