News

Rishad lodges complaint against Wimal

Published

2 years ago

2021/03/11

Sahan Weerasooriya

… insists neither he nor his brother had links to Zahran

By Shamindra Ferdinando

All Ceylon Makkal Congress (ACMC) leader and Vanni District Samagi Jana Balavegaya lawmaker Rishad Bathiudeen yesterday (10) lodged a complaint with the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) requesting an inquiry into National Freedom Front (NFF) leader Wimal Weerawansa’s claim that his brother Riyaj had been in touch with Easter Sunday bomber Zahran Hashim.

Addressing the media at the entrance to the CID headquarters, SJB lawmaker Bathiudeen alleged that Minister Weerawansa had made a deliberate bid to mislead the public when he delivered a speech at the Sri Sambuddhathva Jayanthi Mandiraya the previous day.

Bathiudeen said that neither he nor his brother had ever met Zahran Hashim or talked to him over the phone under any circumstances in the run-up to 2019 Easter Sunday carnage. The lawmaker alleged that Minister Weerawansa’s statement was meant to harm the Muslim community.

Minister Weerawansa during his Tuesday’s special lecture delivered at the Sri Sambuddhathva Jayanthi Mandiraya alleged that the police spokesman was on record as having said that Rishard Bathiudeen’s brother called Zahran and the police spokesman had been transferred immediately.

Weerawansa said that the police had explained to Archbishop of Colombo Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith how Rishad ‘s brother called Zahran Hashim and then got in touch with Rishad. Then again Rishad Bathiudeen’s brother called Zahran Hashim.

One-time Police Spokesman SSP and attorney-at-law Jaliya Senaratne told police headquarters briefing last year how Riyaj had been in touch with one of the suicide bombers in the run-up to the attacks. SSP Senaratne said that the investigators were in possession of incriminating evidence. However, Riyaj who had been detained under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) was subsequently released by the CID claiming there was no case against the suspect.

Attorney General Dappula de Livera, PC, intervened in the wake of over 100 SLPP members of parliament demanding an inquiry into Riyaj Bathiudeen’s release. The DIG CID and Director CID were replaced while police headquarters appointed two special teams to probe the matter. Police headquarters is yet to announce their findings.

At the time of the Easter Sunday attacks the ACMC had been a constituent of the UNP led administration, having contested the 2015 general election on the UNP ticket. The ACMC contested the last general election in 2020 on the SJB ticket.

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News

Stay on course and don’t go back to the past – Dr Indrajit Coomaraswamy

Published

7 hours ago

2023/03/24

Priyan

Former Governor of the Central Bank delivering the keynote address at a high profile Webinar hosted by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka today (24) said that Sri Lanka must implement the structural reforms proposed by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) without relaxing like in the past or else we will be in a deeper economic mess.

The webinar was titled ‘What is next for Sri Lanka in the wake of the IMF programme’

News

Sustainable economic development goals cannot be achieved unless attention is paid to mitigating climate change – Sagala Ratnayake

Published

7 hours ago

2023/03/24

Priyan

President’s Senior Adviser on National Security and Chief of Presidential Staff Sagala Ratnayake said sustainable economic development goals cannot be accomplished without taking steps to mitigate climate change.

He said this while participating in the 10,000 sapling planting program organized by the LEO Youth Vision 2048 Club and the LEO Club at the Royal College, Colombo on Thursday (23rd).

This program was organized in view of President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s birthday, which is today (24), and the required plants were distributed to the main schools of the Colombo District.

News

SF claims thousands of police and military personnel leaving

Published

19 hours ago

2023/03/24

Thilina Walpola

By Saman Indrajith

Thousands of police and military personnel had left the services recently as they did not want to carry out illegal orders, Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka told Parliament yesterday. According to the war-winning army commander 200 policemen have resigned during the past two months and 25,000 soldiers have left the army during the last two years.

“We urged the law enforcement and military officials not to follow illegal orders. We will reinstate them with back pay,” he said.

Fonseka also urged the President and the government MPs not to take people for fools.

“Sri Lanka owes 55 billion dollars to the world. Ranil’s plan is to borrow another seven billion during the next four years. So, in four years we will owe 62 billion to the world.

Ranil and his ministers ask us what the alternative to borrowing is. These are the people who destroyed the economy and society. They must leave. Then, we will find an alternative and develop the country,” he said, adding that the IMF loans had made crises in other nations worse.

“Ranil says that by 2025, we will have a budget surplus as in Japan, Germany and South Korea. These countries are economic power houses, and this comparison is ludicrous.”