News

Parliamentary panel to be appointed over Channel 4 claims

Published

2 years ago

September 5, 2023

editor

Sri Lanka’s cabinet of ministers has decided to appoint a special parliamentary committee to look into the Channel 4 documentary claim that the current intelligence chief Suresh Sallay was complicit in the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings, Labour Minister Manusha Nanayakkara said.

Major General Sallay hatched the plot while working for the directorate of military intelligence with the objective of creating instability to clear the way for Rajapaksas to return to power, The Times newspaper said on Monday, based on the UK-based Channel 4 documentary.

“As a responsible government, yesterday the cabinet decided on this and there will be an announcement on a special parliamentary committee,” Nanayakkara told the parliament when the opposition questioned about the latest Channel 4 documentary.

“In addition to this, internationally, if any investigations are required, the cabinet discussed yesterday to go ahead with it. We will not hesitate to act on this.”

However, he said such videos by Channel 4 have been released in the past to make Sri Lanka’s human rights position at United Nations sessions worse.

“What is clear is that whenever the Geneva Human Rights Council is scheduled to meet, videos like this are brought in, continuously,” he said.

“We have to analyse the evidence presented in this video. We won’t hesitate to act on it or discuss it.”

Analysts have said the carnage clearly favoured Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s election in November. Rajapaksa expressed his willingness to contest in the presidency within five days of the Easter bombing.

Sallay was promoted as head of the State Intelligence Service (SIS) no sooner Gotabaya Rajapaksa came to power in November 2019. He was given a one-year service extension by President Ranil Wickremesinghe recently.

Islamic extremists set off suicide bombings at two Catholic churches, a Christian church and three luxury hotels. The attacks were later claimed by the Islamic State group.

In the Channel 4 video, a whistle blower who has already left the country identified as Azad Maulana, a former top aide of current minister Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan alias Pillayan, had spoken of Sallay planning the attacks for about three years.

There was no immediate official response from Sallay or the SIS.

Sri Lankan authorities failed to act on warnings issued by an intelligence agency in neighbouring India 17 days before the coordinated suicide bombings, according to several investigations into the attacks.

Accusations of the involvement of Sri Lankan intelligence operatives has already been reported to courts. However, this is the first time Sallay is directly accused of plotting the attacks.

Sri Lanka’s weekly newspaper, The Sunday Times said, in a letter to Channel 4, Sallay called the allegations “outright false” and denied any contact with the individuals who spoke to the film-makers.

“He said he was not in Sri Lanka on the dates the alleged contact with the bombers was made.”

(economynext.com)

(Except for the headline, this story, originally published by economynext.comhas not been edited by SLM staff)

News

Harley Davidsons found in Bird Park hideout

Published

6 hours ago

July 13, 2025

editor

Some twenty illegally imported high-end, high-capacity motorcycles—including eight Harley-Davidsons—were recovered during a raid conducted by the Central Anti-Corruption Task Force at a warehouse inside Bird Park, Hambantota.

Police said investigations are continuing to determine who owned the bikes and why they were hidden in the warehouse.

News

Navy nabs 4 suspects with smuggled spices, medicine & cosmetics

Published

11 hours ago

July 13, 2025

editor

During a search operation conducted in the beach vicinity of Devils Point, Kilinochchi on 11 July 25, the Navy took hold of a stock of spices, medicine and cosmetic products which have been made ready for distribution.

The operation also led to the apprehension of 04 suspects and 02 cabs.

The operation was mounted by SLNS Buwaneka in the North Central Naval Command in Loggannawadi, Devils Point.

After searching 02 suspicious cabs in the locality, naval personnel recovered 300kg of cardamom, 260kg of turmeric powder, 273kg of dried ginger as well as medicine and cosmetic products loaded in the vehicles.

And also, 04 suspects in connection to the incident were also taken into naval custody.

The suspects detained by the Navy in this operation have been identified as residents of Erakkandi, Kalmunaikudi, Trincomalee and Puttalam, aged between 39 and 49.

The suspects together with the vehicles and seized items were handed over to the Customs Preventive Office in Katunayake for onward legal action.

News

China, Sri Lanka agree to speed up FTA negotiations

Published

12 hours ago

July 13, 2025

editor

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi yesterday called upon his Sri Lankan counterpart Vijitha Herath to expedite the finalisation of the China-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement (FTA).

Minister Yi was speaking during a bilateral meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where the two sides vowed to deepen their strategic cooperative partnership and enhance practical cooperation.

A China-Sri Lanka FTA, which has been under discussion for some time, is likely to boost two-way trade and also address the imbalance in the trade figures.

Minister Yi also called on both sides to deepen high-quality Belt and Road (BRI) cooperation, jointly implement the two flagship projects – the Colombo Port City and the Hambantota Port, and create new growth points for cooperation in fields such as Green Energy, Digital Economy, modern agriculture and maritime (Blue) economy.

Talking specifically on cooperation in the maritime domain, Minister Yi said such cooperation is mutually beneficial, adding that it does not target any third party and should not be interfered with by any third party.

The Chinese Foreign Minister said the so-called “Indo-Pacific Strategy” pursued by certain parties provokes confrontation and coerces all parties to take sides, which is not in line with the trend of the times and will not be supported by regional countries.

Wang said China is ready to work with Sri Lanka to push the development of the strategic cooperative partnership featuring mutual assistance and ever-lasting friendship between the two countries.

Minister Herath said Sri Lanka attaches great importance to its relations with China, and firmly adheres to the “One China” principle.

Minister Herath said that bilateral cooperation has brought tangible benefits to Sri Lankans and promoted the development and connectivity of the region.

Sri Lanka will enhance practical cooperation with China in areas including trade and investment, infrastructure and ocean, and further deepen the two countries’ strategic cooperative partnership in a number of sectors.

Source – sundayobserver.lk / Xinhua