Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao arrived in Sri Lanka yesterday (May 28)  and was received by the Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Co-operative Development Deputy Minister – R.M.Jayawardena at the Bandaranaike International Airport in Katunayake.

He is accompanied by a 115-member business delegation drawn from 77 companies. The visiting delegates will represent four major chambers in China: the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Machinery and Electronic Products, the China Chamber of Commerce of Import and Export of Foodstuffs, Native Produce and Animal By-Products (CFNA), the China International Chamber of Commerce for the Private Sector (CICCPS), and the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Textiles.

The delegation will participate in the Sri Lanka-China Trade and Investment Forum to be held in Colombo tomorrow (May 30), hosted by the Department of Commerce of Sri Lanka, the Sri Lanka–China Business Council of the chamber, and the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Machinery and Electronic Products.

The ongoing investigation into the Weligama incident is primarily based on evidence submitted by supporters of the National People’s Power (NPP) party, according to Sanjeewa Weerawickrama, legal counsel for suspended IGP – Deshabandu Tennekoon.

He conveyed this during proceedings before the special commission probing allegations against Tennakoon.

Weerawickrama noted that future developments in the case may similarly rely on evidence from political affiliates. In response, Commission Chairman Supreme Court Justice Preethi Padman Surasena stressed the importance of neutrality in the investigation and said all witnesses including those from the NPP may be summoned to assess the credibility of the evidence.

During the session, Tennekoon revealed that several police officers in the Southern Province are allegedly involved in a drug trafficking network linked to underworld figure Harak Kata. He suggested that fear and personal benefit had motivated some officers, particularly those from Matara to collaborate with the drug syndicate.

Justice Surasena advised Tennakoon to avoid unsolicited comments during this stage of the inquiry, assuring him that he would be granted an opportunity to present a full defense later.

Tennekoon also clarified that he had only authorized the arrest of individuals who had communicated with Harak Kata and denied forming or assigning any operational teams. He added that he first became aware of the Weligama incident on December 31.

(Excerpts : dailymirror.lk)

The Department of Pensions has stated that no data was damaged or lost in the recent cyberattack on its information systems.

In an official statement, the department assured the public that measures have been taken to restore the functionality of its online systems to ensure uninterrupted service delivery.

The cyberattack, which targeted the department’s information security infrastructure in the first week of April, prompted immediate action. The department stated that its technical teams began restoring affected systems as soon as they were notified of the breach.

It further confirmed that the reactivation process has not resulted in any data loss or damage.

Meanwhile, an investigation into the incident has been launched in collaboration with the Sri Lanka Computer Emergency Readiness Team (SLCERT) to determine the source and nature of the attack.