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Took swift measures after receiving intel on potential threat, 3 weeks ago – Actg. IGP

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Sri Lanka’s Police Chief disclosed that authorities were aware of the US Security Alert issued by the US Embassy to its citizens, and that they were kept informed about it by the intelligence services.

Acting Inspector General of Police (IGP) Priyantha Weerasooriya said that a special security program was implemented in response to potential threats arising from the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

“With the beginning of the war situation in the Middle East on October 7, 2023, and by October 2024 the war between two sides has spread to other areas. As there were concerns that this situation may pose a threat to Sri Lanka, and as the intelligence services engaged in thorough surveillance operations, by the 7th of October we obtained intelligence reports that an attack would likely target some foreign nationals in the country.”

This intelligence prompted extensive discussions within the National Security Council, led by the President, over the past three weeks, he said.

Based on these discussions, a special security program was implemented to ensure the safety of foreign nationals, their locations, and sites used for religious events by these individuals. 

The Acting Police Chief said that the program involved police stations, the police special task force, and intelligence personnel.

“We also maintained regular contact with the Consular Generals as well. As per the US Security Advisory that was issued, we were aware of that and the intelligence units also kept us informed. Accordingly, we implemented a special security plan from yesterday,” Weerasooriya added.

The National Security Council, which met again this morning, included the commanders of the three-armed forces, intelligence heads, the defense secretary, the President’s Secretary, and the secretary to the ministry of public security. 

They had reviewed the situation and provided further instructions to ensure the security of foreign nationals.

“We have informed the embassies, and the embassies also responded positively to the proper implementation of the security efforts. We did not observe any threat to locals. However, we urge the public to inform the police if they get to know about any incident, act of terror, or any person with threats,” Weerasooriya stated.

The special security plan, which began at 5 AM today, included searches and other measures.

However, no suspicious persons or items were found.

(News1st)

(Except for the headline, this story, originally published by News1st has not been edited by SLM staff)

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UK’s relaxed trade rules to boost SL exports

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The Government of the United Kingdom (UK) has unveiled a package of reforms to simplify imports from developing countries like Sri Lanka after upgrades to the Developing Countries Trading Scheme (DCTS).

The changes, announced as part of the UK’s wider Trade for Development offer, aim to support economic growth in partner countries, including Sri Lanka, while helping UK businesses and consumers access high-quality, affordable goods.

New measures include simplifying rules of origin, enabling more goods from countries such as Sri Lanka, Nigeria, and the Philippines can enter the UK tariff-free, even when using components from across Asia and Africa.

These changes are expected to be in place by early 2026.

This move strengthens Sri Lanka’s position in its second-largest apparel market, supporting exports, jobs, and economic growth.

The British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Andrew Patrick, said: “This is a win for the Sri Lankan garment sector, and for UK consumers. With the UK being the second largest export market and garments making up over 60% of that trade, we know manufacturers here will welcome this announcement.

“We want Sri Lanka to improve the utilisation of the UK’s Developing Countries Trading Scheme for a wider range of goods, not just garments. With the Sri Lankan government’s ambition to grow exports, and with the simplification of rules of origin for other sectors too, we strongly encourage more exporters to explore how they can benefit from the preferences offered by the DCTS. The UK remains committed to working towards creating shared prosperity for both our countries.”

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Pakistan police arrest 149 including 2 Lankans in ‘scam call centre’ raid

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Pakistan police have arrested 149 people in a raid on a scam call centre, the country’s National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) said on Thursday.

The agency told the BBC it acted after a tip-off about the network, which was operating in the city of Faisalabad.

It said the centre was involved in Ponzi schemes and tricked people into handing over vast sums of money in the name of fake investments.

Those arrested included 78 Pakistanis, 48 Chinese nationals, eight Nigerians, four Filipinos, two Sri Lankans, six Bangladeshis, two Myanmar nationals and one Zimbabwean national.
Eighteen of the 149 were women, the agency added.

A copy of a police report said victims of the alleged scam would initially receive a small return on their first investments, before being persuaded to hand over larger sums of money.

“The charged individuals ran WhatsApp groups where they lured ordinary people by assigning small investment tasks like subscribing to different TikTok and YouTube channels,” the agency said.

“Later, they shifted them to Telegram links for further online tasks requiring larger investments.”

Pakistani citizen Muhammad Sajid told BBC Urdu that he was added to a Telegram channel with tens of thousands of members and was impressed by the company’s work. He said he gave them more than 3.138 million rupees ($36,600) in various instalments.

The raid, which took place on Tuesday, saw authorities seize hundreds of computers, servers, cryptocurrency exchanges and foreign SIM cards from the site.

On Wednesday, 149 suspects appeared in court, 87 of whom were handed over to the NCCIA on a five-day physical remand.

A further 62 suspects have been transferred to the district jail on judicial remand until 23 July.

The agency said the raid was at the residence of Malik Tehseen Awan, the former head of Faisalabad’s power grid, who has not been arrested.

(BBC News)

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Milk tea price upped by Rs. 10

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The All Island Canteen and Restaurant Owners’ Association has announced a Rs. 10 increase in the price of a cup of milk tea.

Association President Harshana Rukshan stated that the decision was made in response to the recent rise in the price of imported milk powder.

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