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May 9 violence: Inquiry panel calls for action against then Army commander

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The conduct of Acting Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) and then Army Commander Shavendra Silva during the events of March 31 and May 9 last year should be further investigated by a specialised investigating unit such as the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), a Board of Inquiry (BOI) appointed to look into lapses by the armed forces and state intelligence services during this period has recommended.

The three-member BOI comprising Admiral of the Fleet Wasantha Karannagoda, Marshal of the Air Force Roshan Goonetileke and General Daya Ratnayake has concluded that orders and instructions given by then President Gotabaya Rajapaksa as Commander in Chief and subsequent supporting orders given by Defence Secretary Kamal Gunaratne had not been conveyed by General Shavendra Silva to the Field Commanders on time.

Furthermore, no clear instructions had been issued with regard to action to be taken to quell mob violence, which the BOI says amounts to wilful neglect of duty. As a result, the troops on the ground were not able to prevent damage to public property and harm to persons. The report was filed before the Court of Appeal on Thursday. President’s Counsel Uditha Igalahewa, appearing for the three-member BOI, filed the report in the court when a writ petition filed by 22 government MPs representing Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) was taken up before a two-judge bench comprising Justices Nishshanka Bandula Karunaratne and M.A.R. Marikkar.

The BOI report concludes that violence that took place on the afternoon of May 9 along Galle Road and Galle Face could have been mitigated, if not prevented, if the Secretary of Defence had acted upon an intelligence report which had been hand-delivered to his residence on Sunday, May 8 by the State Intelligence Service (SIS) and the WhatsApp message on the same intelligence on the following morning by the Director SIS with regard to possible clashes/violence at Galle Face on May 9.

The Inspector General of Police (IGP) had acted on the same intelligence report that had been copied to him and deployed the police. However, due to miscommunication and poor assessment of the evolving ground situation, the number of policemen deployed was not sufficient to deal with the situation effectively, the report has noted.

The BOI has observed that the failure to stop protesters (from inside Temple Trees) from reaching the protest site at the Galle Road entrance to Temple Trees and at Galle Face, resulting in violent clashes, was the main reason for the countrywide mayhem that followed.

The Army Commander had informed Field Commanders not to deploy troops until he personally gave the order to do so. By doing so, he had taken the initiative away from ground commanders to take appropriate action to quell mob violence as and when the ground situation demanded, the report states.

The BOI has also concluded that a lack of legal protection afforded to operational troops for lawful actions had resulted in a reluctance to act decisively at a time of necessity. It has recommended that indemnity for lawful actions of servicemen and police whilst performing their duties should be introduced as a matter of priority.

The general belief of widespread corruption and misusing of public funds was the root cause to mobilise people for violent protests, the BOI says.

(sundaytimes.lk)

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Materials worth Rs. 12 mn. from consumer goods warehouse, misplaced

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The Committee on Public Accounts (COPA) met recently under the chairmanship of the State Minister Hon. Lasantha Alagiyawanna and the Auditor General’s reports for the years 2020, 2021 and 2022 and the current performance of the Ministry of Defence were discussed.

Secretary to the Ministry of Defence, General (retired) Kamal Gunaratne and a group of officers participated in this meeting.

Expedite amendment of Firearms Act

COPA had directed the officials of the Ministry of Defence to expedite the amendment of the Firearms (Amendment) Act No. 22 of 1996 and the Explosives (Amendment) Act, which have been delayed for many years.
Although the committee had recommended to amend the Firearms (Amendment) Act No. 22 of 1996 and the Explosives (Amendment) Act since 2012, it was revealed that it has been delayed due to various reasons. Officials also said that so far about 37,000 firearms have been licensed in the country. The officials mentioned that the amendment of the Act is in the final stage and the draft bill will be completed soon. The committee emphasized the need to speed up the process as the license fees should be revised and the state revenue will be lost due to this delay. Accordingly, it was also advised to submit a report on the progress.

Although it was mentioned in the constitution that the revenues generated by the services provided to external parties by the armed forces should be credited to the consolidated fund, attention was also drawn to the fact that it was not implemented properly. Although it was previously informed to prepare a proper system related to it and report to the committee, the committee asked about the fact that it has not yet been prepared. The Auditor General’s Department pointed out that since most of the income goes to the welfare associations, a proper system should be set up. Although the services are being successfully carried out, the committee also advised to prepare a clear system in this regard. He also instructed the ministry officials to review this process extensively.

Procurement of food itemsSpecial attention was also paid to the procurement of food items for the three-armed forces. It was revealed at the committee that although earlier recommendations had been given to set up an information management system connecting all the institutions involved in the food items procurement process for the three-armed forces, it is being implemented only in the Navy and the Air Force. Accordingly, the officers were ordered to expedite the preparation of the system for the Army and to submit a report on this. Also, it was emphasized in the committee that parties including the soldiers should receive a meal commensurate with the money spent by the government.

There was also a discussion regarding hiring a housing complex with 24 house units on a lease agreement for 72 million rupees, in order to provide accommodation for the 31 officers participating in the course of the National Defence Academy. Instead of getting houses on such a rent, the Committee Chair advised to pay attention to the possibility of providing accommodation facilities by constructing a new building. The Defence Secretary pointed out that since the construction has been stopped due to the current economic situation, measures will be taken in the future.

Materials worth Rs. 12 mn. misplaced!Attention was also drawn to the misplacement of materials worth 12 million rupees in the consumer goods warehouse. The officials said that all those persons related to this have been suspended and steps have been taken to collect the related money from the storekeeper. It was discussed why this incident was not revealed by the internal audit until it was uncovered by the audit of the Auditor General’s Department.

Apart from this, attention was also paid to the strategic communication network project, procurement process, role of Disaster Management Centre (DMC) etc.

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Major drug bust at Central Mail Exchange

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The Sri Lanka Customs at the Central Mail Exchange (CME) seized multiple consignments containing psychedelic drugs worth over Rs. 43 million, sent from European countries addressed to bogus recipients in Sri Lanka.

Customs Narcotics Control Unit officials following a special surveillance inside the CME detected 25 parcels sent from Germany and the United Kingdom during the weekend and found a variety of narcotics.

The parcels contained the Cannabis variety of ‘Kush’ weighing 1.74 Kgs, Methamphetamine drug contained 2,193 tablets of Ecstasy and 29 grams of Amphetamine drug varieties.

Customs Spokesman Senior Director Seevali Arukgoda said the parcels had been addressed to recipients in Colombo, Battaramulla, Maharagama, Boralesgamuwa, Panadura, Moratuwa and Kandy but all those were found to be fake addresses.

The Customs officials with the CME’s Postal Department officials carried out the inquiries and the contraband was to be handed over to the Police Narcotic Bureau (PNB).

(dailymirror.lk)

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First digitized National Birth Certificate in SL, issued

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The first digitized National Birth Certificate with a barcode was issued today (Nov. 05).

The launch event was held at the Kalutara District Secretariat under the patronage of State Minister of Home Affairs –  Ashoka Priyantha.

The state minister notes that measures are already underway to broaden this programme to other districts.

He added that the number given in this National Birth Certificate will be converted into the National Identity Card number as per international standards.

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