Sri Lankan authorities have arrested a third suspect in connection with the discovery of a gold-colored T-56 assault rifle at a luxury apartment complex in Wellawatte. 

The latest arrest was made during a police operation in the Ruwanwella area.
The investigation began after police received a tip-off via the emergency hotline, leading to the dramatic discovery of the weapon on Tuesday (20) evening.

The rifle was found during a security inspection of a 40-year-old woman attempting to enter the high-rise residential complex.

The alert security officer promptly notified the police, who arrived on the scene and took the woman into custody.

Further inquiries revealed that the woman is a resident of Battaramulla and a national of Kazakhstan.

Her 68-year-old mother-in-law, who accompanied her, was also arrested.

Police have since confirmed that the older woman is the mother of the Kazakh national’s husband, who is currently employed in Qatar.

Both women are being held for 48 hours for questioning as investigations continue.

Authorities suspect the weapon may have been intended for use in a criminal activity, although no definitive conclusions have been reached.

Interestingly, police noted that the serial numbers on different parts of the rifle do not match, raising further questions about its origin and intended use.

(News1st)

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

Deputy Solicitor General Yohan Abeywickrama informed Matara Magistrate Aruna Buddhadasa yesterday (22) that the documents regarding the investigation into the incident of Contempt of Court against suspended Inspector General of Police Deshabandu Tennakoon has been completed.

The Deputy Solicitor General informed the Court that the Attorney General is prepared to take further legal action against Tennakoon in relation to the incident.

Tennakoon and the other eight suspects charged in connection with the incident appeared in Court when the case was called.

Accordingly, the following order was issued when the case regarding the shooting incident in which a Police officer died at a hotel in the Pelena area of Weligama was called up again. This case was filed against interdicted IGP Deshabandu Tennakoon and Roshan Lakshitha, who took him out of the Court complex in a motor vehicle after he was granted bail, on charges of violating Court orders and contempt of Court in relation to the incident.

Matara Magistrate Aruna Buddhadhasa on April 25 stated that an investigation should be conducted into whether an incident amounting to a contempt of Court had happened due to Tennakoons behaviour in the Court premises after being granted bail. The Magistrate, who emphasised that his Court did not have the legal authority to act in this regard, had ordered the Attorney General on the previous court date to file a case against Deshabandu Tennakoon before the Court of Appeal.

After considering the facts, the Magistrate set the case for hearing on October 10 at 10 am.

(dailynews.lk)

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

In a letter addressed to R.M.A.L. Rathnayake, Chairman of the Election Commission of Sri Lanka, political analyst and columnist Kusal Perera has accused the Commission of deliberately stalling the long-overdue Provincial Council (PC) elections under the guise of legal ambiguity.

The letter, sent on May 21, follows a report published in The Morning (link:- PC Polls: Government yet to consult EC) on 20 May, which quoted Chairman Rathnayake as saying that the PC elections could only be held if either the delimitation process is completed or the existing election law is amended to revert to the old system.

Perera, however, contends that this interpretation misrepresents the current legal framework.

Referring to the still-active Provincial Councils Elections Act No. 02 of 1988, he argues that there is no legal void preventing the Commission from proceeding with the elections.

“This argument is an old and invalid one that was also used by your predecessor, Mahinda Deshapriya, to align with the political agenda of the ruling government. It is not the responsibility of the EC and its Chairman to intervene in making new law. Their responsibility is to deliver on existing law. That’s precisely what the EC is not doing,” he noted.

The letter sent by Mr. Perera is as follows :

21 May, 2025

R.M.A.L Rathnayake
Chairman,
Election Commission of SL
Election Secretariat,
P.O. Box 02
Sarana Mawatha
Rajagiriya.
chairman@elections.gov.lk

Mr. Chairman,
Re – long delayed PC elections and PC election law the EC avoids

On 20 May (2025), I read a news report in “The Morning” newspaper with the caption “Govt. Yet To Consult EC” regarding the long-delayed PC elections that are now being contemplated upon by the present government to be held, possibly end of this year or early next year.

You were quoted verbatim in that news report as having said, “In order to hold the PC Elections, either the delimitation process should be completed or the existing law should be amended to allow the Elections to be held under the old system. One of these two must happen.”

Let me tell you, this argument is an old invalid argument that was used by the previous Chairman of the EC Mahinda Deshapriya too, to tag along with the politics of the ruling government. Six years ago on 19 April 2019, I wrote about this side-stepping in my Daily Mirror article titled “Political Mess We Wish To Continue With” wherein I said, “It is not the responsibility of the EC and its Chairman to intervene in making new law. Their responsibility is to deliver on existing law. That’s precisely what the EC is not doing. Instead, they are violating the PC Election Act No.02 of 1988, still the valid provincial council election law of this land.”

Mr. Chairman, this holds true and valid till this day. Your argument quoted above from the news report in the “The Morning” newspaper, is a total distortion of the legal status of the existing law. You basically say, there is no law at present to hold elections, simply because the parliament had begun a process to amend existing law with new electoral demarcations approved by the Delimitation Commission that sat till 2018 November. You therefore say “…..either the delimitation process should be completed or the existing law should be amended”.

It is common knowledge, the existing law is not trashed as you imply, while a new law is being made. The existing law remains valid till the parliamentary process is completed with the Speaker placing his signature on a bill making it law. For the simple reason, society can never be left with a legal lacuna. In this case as you say, Sri Lanka is without a PC election law since 2017 September and would be so, until the government decides someday to “either complete the delimitation process or amend the existing law”.

It is not your duty, nor your responsibility to continue to stall PC elections till someday the government decides to complete the delimitation process and make it into law, or amend the present law as you say. As an “independent commission” your responsibility to the taxpayer who funds you as chairman and the commission, is to ensure his or her sovereign right is not infringed upon, on invalid arguments and for political interests.

I would therefore request you to schedule the PC elections at your earliest convenience, for which the EC does not need any permission from any State agency, authority or political party.

Thank you.

Yours sincerely

Kusal Perera
Bellanwila

C.c. –  To all Members in the EC
            To all media