Connect with us

News

Schaffter killed by a close friend!

Published

on

The investigators of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) suspect that Janashakthi PLC Director Dinesh Schaffter was brought to the Borella Cemetery and killed according to a plan devised by one of his close friends.

Meanwhile, a senior CID officer said that a statement was recorded from Mr.Schaffter’s wife Tani yesterday (19) for nearly two and a half hours in relation to the murder.

Also, the report of the fingerprints found in Mr.Schaffter’s car is due to be received today (20).

It was reported that the CID is looking into the mobile phones of several suspects. Their behavior before and after the incident is also being closely monitored.

It has also been revealed that the person who drove Schaffter’s vehicle is someone who has a sound knowledge of the roads inside the Borella Cemetery.

In order to have such knowledge, the person in question must have visited the cemetery several times in the past as well. If Mr. Schaffter drove his car from home to the cemetery directly, it is confirmed that it was not the first time he had visited the cemetery.

The CID suspects that the person who lured Mr. Schaffter to the cemetery had brought him there with the intention of killing him.

Meanwhile, an investigator said Schaffter had been killed while he was in the driver’s seat.

“This further confirms that Mr. Schaffter was the driver. He was found dead in his car with his hands tied. His hands were not tied with something like ropes that can be found around the cemetery. Plastic cable has been used to tie the hands. He has been strangled with a wire. At first glance, it does not look like the wire was picked up from the ground. It’s a new one. He was tied to the driver’s seat with a wire around his neck. Cable ties and wires are not to be found easily at the cemetery. The criminals have come prepared with these to kill Mr. Schaffter,” he said.

The CID is also looking into several vehicles that seemed to have followed Schaffter’s vehicle.

News

UN Rights chief türk to visit Sri Lanka this month

Published

on

By

The United Nations Human Rights High Commissioner Volker Türk will visit
Sri Lanka this month or early July, a Foreign Ministry source confirmed. No dates have been finalised for the visit, though the government has agreed to the visit by Mr. Turk.

It’ll be the first time in nine years that a UN Human Rights Commissioner will be visiting Sri Lanka, the last being Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein in February 2016 during Maithripala Sirisena’s presidencyMr. Turk, an Austrian national who took up his duties in October 2022, will visit at a time the government grapples with how it will address human rights concerns raised by the international

community.

In his report to the UN body in August last year, just ahead of
Sri Lanka’s presidential and parliamentary elections, Mr. Turk said the newly elected government should recommit to addressing the root causes of conflict and undertake fundamental constitutional and institutional reforms to address the accountability gap and work towards reconciliation.

These include the immediate moratorium on the Prevention of Terrorism Act and assurances that any replacement legislation is consistent with international human rights law, repeals or amends existing laws or proposed laws that unduly restrict the rights to freedom of opinion and expression, association, and peaceful assembly, including the Online Safety Act and the ICCPR Act.

Mr. Turk’s predecessor Michelle Bachelet requested a visit to
Sri Lanka, but the matter was put under consideration, and the visit did not materialise.

The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) set up the Sri Lanka accountability project, an external evidence-gathering mechanism within the OHCHR, during Ms Bachelet’s period in office, a move strongly opposed by the government.

The OHCHR says that as of July 5, 2024, the repository established within the framework of the OHCHR project comprises 96,215 items and contains information from more than 470 different sources (more than 220 witnesses and 250 organisations), including international and multilateral organisations.

Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath, who addressed the high-level segment of the UNHRC in March this year, rejected the OHCHR Sri Lanka project and outlined government plans for a credible and sound domestic process to address accountability issues in the country.

“We will ensure that the domestic mechanisms and processes established to address challenges emanating from the conflict will continue their work in an independent and credible manner within the constitutional framework,” the minister told the UNHRC.

Despite a visit by the Human Rights Commissioner, the government will remain opposed to any international legal options to advance accountability in Sri Lanka and maintain that there are adequate domestic mechanisms to address accountability issues.

(sundaytimes.lk)

Continue Reading

News

Trade unionist Ranjan Jayalal takes helm as Kaduwela Mayor

Published

on

By

Prominent trade union leader Ranjan Jayalal has officially been appointed as the new Mayor of the Kaduwela Municipal Council.

Jayalal, a key member of the Ceylon Electricity Board Employees’ Union and a strong advocate for labor rights, was nominated by the National People’s Power (NPP) following their recent victory at the local government elections.

His appointment was formally confirmed through the government gazette issued by the Election Commission on May 31.

Continue Reading

News

Sri Lanka must take practical steps to join BRICS – Russian Ambassador

Published

on

By

If Sri Lanka is interested in joining the BRICS alliance, the country must take practical steps, says the Russian Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Levan S. Jagaryan.

Speaking during an event at the Bandaranaike International Centre for International Studies in Colombo, Ambassador Levan S. Jagaryan said Russia and China have been offering support to Sri Lanka, but he has not seen adequate interests from the Sri Lankan side.

Responding to a question raised by a journalist about Sri Lanka joining BRICS, the Russian Ambassador to Sri Lanka said, he has been questioned about the matter on several occasions.

Ambassador Levan S. Jagaryan said, “Last October, on the 1st, I met with President Anura Kumar Dissanayake and brought with me an invitation letter from the President of Russia, inviting Sri Lanka to participate in the BRICS summit. I spoke with a language interpreter, but I don’t know if the translation was accurate. The President told me that due to the upcoming general elections, he wouldn’t be able to visit Russia. If Sri Lanka is to join BRICS, it’s not just a matter of Russia; all the member countries need to agree, and there are several steps to take before that happens.”

Russian Ambassador to Sri Lanka Jagaryan stated that he has not seen much interest at the moment and therefore requested Sri Lanka to take some practical steps, if it is serious about joining BRICS.

(adaderana.lk)
(This story, originally published by adaderana.lk has not been edited by SLM staff)

Continue Reading

Trending

Copyright © 2024 Sri Lanka Mirror. All Rights Reserved