Easter Attacks Could Have Been Prevented
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HIGHLIGHTS MONDAY Indian PM Modi 28 september 2020 LATEST EDITION holds virtual VOL: 09/240 PRICE : Rs 30.00 conference with PM Rajapaksa READ In Sports PAGE A8 CEYLON TODAY AND Lakshitha,King of Consider all verbal WIN National Surfing orders as circulars LUXURY HOTEL Lakshitha Madushan from Weligama SC took the major honours by winning – President STAYS! both the Arugambay edition and D INSIDE overall National title with 3,000 points ETAILS at the Surfing Open/National... PAGE A8 A16 Former Army COS tells If information shared with STF PCoI on political victimisation Shani Wanted Easter Attacks Duminda Executed Could Have Been CID officers led by former CID Director Shani Abeysekera acted maliciously to make sure former MP Duminda Silva was executed, and even overstepped their duties, former Chief of Prevented Staff of the Army, Major General Amal Karunasekera said, adding that this is apparent from voice tapes between MP Ranjan Ramanayake and CID officers. He said so while testifying before the Presidential – SDIG Latheef Commission probing political victimisation, on Saturday (26). BY BUDDHIKA SAMARAWEERA Nilantha Jayawardena did not When considering the telephone specifically notify him of the conversations between the then Director of If the intelligence information on the intelligence information that a the CID and Inspector of Police Easter Sunday attacks was shared terrorist attack was likely to take Nishantha Silva, it is apparent that all with the Special Task Force (STF), at place in April 2019. of this was done for the purpose of least the attacks that took place in SDIG Latheef said he telephoned bringing to a standstill the work of Colombo could have been prevented Jayasundera on 10 April 2019,to intelligence officers and taking by sealing off Colombo, former inform that he had returned to Sri political revenge, said (Retired) Commandant of the STF, Senior DIG Lanka following a training Major General Karunasekera. M.R. Latheef said. programme in France and asked In connection with the Testifying before the Presidential Jayasundera if there was abduction and assault of Commission of Inquiry (PCoI) into the anything special, but journalist Keith Noyahr, the then Easter Sunday bombings on 26 Jayasundera did not inform him Director of the CID Abeysekera September, he also said former on anything special. and CID officers led by Inspector Defence Secretary Hemasiri However, it was earlier of Police Nishantha Silva and Fernando, former Inspector General of revealed before the PCoI that, Army intelligence officers had Police (IGP) Pujith Jayasundera or by 10 April, the then IGP acted with the purpose of taking former Director of the State Jayasundera was revenge, Karunasekera further said. Intelligence Service (SIS), Senior DIG informed about the... Story Continued on PAGE 2 Story Continued on PAGE 2 COVID-19 Scare in Matara Global COVID-19 Control Austin tells Easter Flower drop on Ratmalane Attacks PCoI Lansiya’s grave Airlines, hotels Lanka number No Acting Defence Five more two – Survey Minister appointed when unlicensed told to stick to Sri Lanka, bested by China, came in Sirisena went abroad second in terms of COVID-19 epidemic drones uncovered prevention measures, economic recovery BY BUDDHIKA SAMARAWEERA guidelines and international cooperation, out of 108 BY M.C. PERERA countries surveyed by the Yicai Research Although it is compulsory for any BY LEON BERENGER Institute, part of China’s largest financial ministers to appoint someone to cover their Five more unlicensed drones with media group, Yicai Media Group. duties when they go abroad, no one was cameras were found in a house in The COVID-19 control Task Nine out of the top 10 countries were in appointed to act as the Defence Minister Kothalawala, Kaduwela, belonging to the Force has issued a fresh the Asia-Pacific region, namely South except on one occasion when former person who had brought a drone with a reminder to airlines and hotels Korea, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, President and Defence Minister Maithripala camera to drop flowers on the grave of to strictly adhere to the Vietnam, Cambodia, Australia and New Sirisena went abroad, said former Secretary Ratmalane ‘Lansiya’, at the Mount guidelines when taking in Zealand, according to the report released. to the President, Austin Fernando. Lavinia Public Cemetery on Saturday guests, aimed at preventing a Ghana was in third place. He said this, on 26 September, testifying (26), Dehiwala Police said. reoccurrence of last week’s Germany was the highest-scoring before the Presidential Commission of Police said the value of the cameras incident in Matara, a topmost European country, coming in 23rd, with Inquiry (PCoI) into the bombings on Easter was about Rs 2 million. official said yesterday. Austria, Greece and Switzerland also Sunday, 21 April 2019. The suspect has been identified as “We met up with several... among the continent’s better performers. Manjula Nishantha Kumaratunga (28), The US and Brazil, both countries with Story Continued on PAGE 2 Police said. Story Continued on PAGE 2 leaders who initially downplayed the They further said, of the five drones problem and with lower levels of that were seized, three of them had cooperation by the public, ranked 98th Killing of ‘Ratmalane Roha’ cameras fixed on them. Ruwan tells Easter Attacks PCoI and 89th respectively. On the instructions of OIC of the Sweden, which opted for the Dehiwala Police, Chief Inspector of Police Sirisena told Tri-Forces controversial policy of herd immunity, Four held for H.L. Dushmantha, OIC of the Crime came in at number 90. Division, Inspector of Police Rohana Chiefs not to visit PM Udayanga and a team of officers are celebration bid conducting investigations. BY BUDDHIKA SAMARAWEERA BY LEON BERENGER Although the Prime Minister has the power to Four persons, including the sister of an summon the Armed Forces in the absence of the alleged drug dealer currently domiciled President, the Commanders of Tri-Forces had been overseas, were arrested, after they attempted instructed by former President Maithripala Sirisena, to celebrate the death of an underworld figure not to visit the Prime Minister, said former State shot dead by Police on Thursday last week, at Minister of Defence, Ruwan Wijewardene. a location in Kochchikade, Negombo. He was testifying before the Presidential The suspects were linked to the alleged Commission of Inquiry into the Easter Sunday drug dealer Amal Sinhara alias ‘Kudu Anju,’ bombings. believed to be currently living in Italy. He also said Sirisena, who was the Defence Minister at the time, had never appointed him as the Story Continued on PAGE 2 Story Continued on PAGE 2 Acting Minister in accordance with the due process Police seize when he was on foreign tours and noted that he had 1,024 kg of turmeric served as Acting Defence Minister only once before... Tuition Master held with drug haul BY NABIYA VAFFOOR Story Continued on PAGE 2 Sought to purchase car for wife Police have seized over 1,024 BY LEON BERENGER AND tuition master who is a was picked up in a sting kilogrammes of turmeric, believed to 21 waste containers BERTY WEERASINGHE resident of Rock House in operation carried out by have been smuggled via the sea route. (KATANA) Mattakuliya, Police said. Police following a tip-off at The stock of turmeric, seized on 26 re-shipped to UK Initially the tuition master the Dandugama Bridge and... September, was packed in 29 polythene A tuition master and two bags, and was found in a lorry that had BY THAMEENAH RAZEEK others were arrested in been parked in the Periya Karisal area in possession of 150 grams of Mannar. Twenty-one freight containers containing waste heroin and six kilograms of The stock of turmeric was found when material,shipped to Sri Lanka in 2017,were cannabis, having a street the Pesalai Police searched the lorry in re-shipped to the United Kingdom on 26 value of Rs 5.5 million,at a question, following a tip-off. September,on the instructions of the Attorney location in Negombo So far, it has not been revealed who General. yesterday, Police said. brought the stock of turmeric to Sri Reportedly, a total of 263 containers, filled with Among those arrested were Lanka, and the Pesalai Police are waste material, were illegally imported by a private... a former student of the conducting further investigations. Story Continued on PAGE 2 Story Continued on PAGE 2 A2 MONDAY 28 SEPTEMBER 2020 NEWS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Correction With reference to the news report titled ‘Case against former Shani Wanted... Kandy ASP further hearing on 25 Sept’ in our Sunday edition published on 27 September, we have inadvertently mentioned, He also said, on several occasions, The witness said it was then Mount complaint filed by retired Major General “When the case was taken up, the accused Patabendige who is officers Abeysekera and Silva had tried Lavinia Magistrate Lochana Amal Karunasekera, Parliamentarian presently out on bail was present in Court.” And, “the Attorney to influence him to say that the attack Abeywickrema who imposed these bail Ranjan Ramanayake, former General has indicted the accused Patabendige in the High Court.” on journalist Noyahr was carried out conditions. Parliamentarian Hirunika It should have read, “When the case was taken up, the accused with the knowledge of then Defence CID officers had worked with the Premachandra, former Director of the former Kandy ASP Udugampola, who is presently out on bail was Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa and objective of keeping him in remand even CID Shani Abeysekera and former present in Court.” And, “the Attorney General has indicted the since he rejected that charge, a while bail had been granted, he felt, Inspector of Police Nishantha Silva have accused Udugampola in the High Court.” conspiracy was launched both locally witness Karunaseker apointed out.