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‘They were plotting to kills us’ – Wasantha reveals it all (Video)

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The Convener of the Inter-University Students’ Federation Wasantha Mudalige attended a media briefing for the first in 167 days on Thursday (2).

At this media briefing, he made certain startling revelations about what he experienced during his detention.

According to Wasantha Mudalige he was arrested by a police officer identified as ASP Mahinda Wiloarachchi from the Peliyagoda Special Police Unit.

Mudalige said he was taken to the Peliyagoda Police and thereafter to an emptied out Enderamulla Police where ASP Mahinda Wiloarachchi from the Peliyagoda Special Police Unit had a pistol on the table pointed at him in a bid to instill fear.

“At the Enderamulla Police, the person identified as ASP Mahinda Wiloarachch placed a pistol on the table pointed towards me, and asked if I recall what happened to Wijeweera and Vijaya Kumaratunga. He said that is what I deserved, however given the situation I would not be killed. He hinted to return in a few years, by late post,” said Wasantha Mudalige.

Furthermore, he said that following his arrest he was moved to the basement room of the Foreshore Police Dorm and kept in the dark, and later moved to the car park close to the Nawagamuwa Devalaya.

“There is a 10 feet drop to the river. They took us there, handcuffed us, placed their weapons all around and started making phone calls. The officer said over the phone that we have arrived at the location. The vehicle was placed there, arousing suspicions, and a police officer assigned to the security of the Nawagamuwa Devalaya came and inquired over the suspicious vehicle. The police officers saw this, and wanted to chase away that inquiring police officer. That was how they acted,” he told the press.

He also added that one particular police officer revealed that this was the method used to kill the underworld members, including the one-time don Makandure Madush.

Wasantha Mudalige also revealed that the officer from the Terrorist Investigations Division ASP Ratnayake who took over the investigation is also the main accused in the case filed over the murder of a person called Army Suranga who was killed after being arrested.

“While there were officers like ASP Wiloarachchi from the Peliyagoda Police, and ASP Ratnayake from the TID many other police officers protected us. When we were taken away in secret to police stations, the police officers who were at those police stations protect us. That is why we are able to come forward and speak like this today,” he revealed.

(newsfirst.lk)

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UK’s relaxed trade rules to boost SL exports

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The Government of the United Kingdom (UK) has unveiled a package of reforms to simplify imports from developing countries like Sri Lanka after upgrades to the Developing Countries Trading Scheme (DCTS).

The changes, announced as part of the UK’s wider Trade for Development offer, aim to support economic growth in partner countries, including Sri Lanka, while helping UK businesses and consumers access high-quality, affordable goods.

New measures include simplifying rules of origin, enabling more goods from countries such as Sri Lanka, Nigeria, and the Philippines can enter the UK tariff-free, even when using components from across Asia and Africa.

These changes are expected to be in place by early 2026.

This move strengthens Sri Lanka’s position in its second-largest apparel market, supporting exports, jobs, and economic growth.

The British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Andrew Patrick, said: “This is a win for the Sri Lankan garment sector, and for UK consumers. With the UK being the second largest export market and garments making up over 60% of that trade, we know manufacturers here will welcome this announcement.

“We want Sri Lanka to improve the utilisation of the UK’s Developing Countries Trading Scheme for a wider range of goods, not just garments. With the Sri Lankan government’s ambition to grow exports, and with the simplification of rules of origin for other sectors too, we strongly encourage more exporters to explore how they can benefit from the preferences offered by the DCTS. The UK remains committed to working towards creating shared prosperity for both our countries.”

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Pakistan police arrest 149 including 2 Lankans in ‘scam call centre’ raid

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Pakistan police have arrested 149 people in a raid on a scam call centre, the country’s National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) said on Thursday.

The agency told the BBC it acted after a tip-off about the network, which was operating in the city of Faisalabad.

It said the centre was involved in Ponzi schemes and tricked people into handing over vast sums of money in the name of fake investments.

Those arrested included 78 Pakistanis, 48 Chinese nationals, eight Nigerians, four Filipinos, two Sri Lankans, six Bangladeshis, two Myanmar nationals and one Zimbabwean national.
Eighteen of the 149 were women, the agency added.

A copy of a police report said victims of the alleged scam would initially receive a small return on their first investments, before being persuaded to hand over larger sums of money.

“The charged individuals ran WhatsApp groups where they lured ordinary people by assigning small investment tasks like subscribing to different TikTok and YouTube channels,” the agency said.

“Later, they shifted them to Telegram links for further online tasks requiring larger investments.”

Pakistani citizen Muhammad Sajid told BBC Urdu that he was added to a Telegram channel with tens of thousands of members and was impressed by the company’s work. He said he gave them more than 3.138 million rupees ($36,600) in various instalments.

The raid, which took place on Tuesday, saw authorities seize hundreds of computers, servers, cryptocurrency exchanges and foreign SIM cards from the site.

On Wednesday, 149 suspects appeared in court, 87 of whom were handed over to the NCCIA on a five-day physical remand.

A further 62 suspects have been transferred to the district jail on judicial remand until 23 July.

The agency said the raid was at the residence of Malik Tehseen Awan, the former head of Faisalabad’s power grid, who has not been arrested.

(BBC News)

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Milk tea price upped by Rs. 10

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The All Island Canteen and Restaurant Owners’ Association has announced a Rs. 10 increase in the price of a cup of milk tea.

Association President Harshana Rukshan stated that the decision was made in response to the recent rise in the price of imported milk powder.

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