Yohan Perera  Courtesy The Daily Mirror Politics may jeopardise investigations into the Easter Sunday attacks, Archbishop of Colombo Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith said last Saturday at a function held in Akmeemana. We see difference of opinion with regard to investigations into the Easter Sunday attacks. Politicians sabotaging important investigations seems to be part of the Sri […]

Courtesy The Sunday Times A former Sri Lanka diplomat and Foreign Secretary who allegedly pressurised the Defence Ministry to rush through the Acquisition and Cross Servicing Agreement (ACSA) between Sri Lanka and the United States is now a US federal government employee. Prasad Kariyawasam is employed by the US federal government backed Agency for International […]

Courtesy Ceylon Today Leader of the Muslim Congress MP Rauff Hakeem, said that he believes that MP Wimal Weerawansa is the only person who spoke about the people related to extremism knowing the truth, and he has done the correct thing, at the correct time. He said so while participating in the ‘Hard Talk’ programme […]

By Ranmini Gunasekara and Thameenah Razeek Courtesy Ceylon Today The tussle between the Executive and the Parliament should come to a stop, as this can lead to another incident such as that of 21/4, said Chairman of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna Professor G.L Peiris yesterday (10). He said this at a Media conference held […]

Courtesy Adaderana There are doubts concerning the investigations into the terrorist attacks on Easter Sunday, says His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith. Addressing an event held at Thalgasyaya in Akmeemana, the Cardinal stated that these attacks were not a sudden series of events but the result of long-term planning. Murders happen but no actions are taken […]

Courtesy Adaderana The Special Investigative Board appointed to look into the terrorist attacks on Easter Sunday has submitted its final report to President Maithripala Sirisena this morning (10). The final report was handed over to the President at the Presidential Secretariat, the President’s Media Division (PMD) stated. A day following the attacks on April 21st, […]

Courtesy The Indian Express A National Investigation Agency (NIA) team was in Sri Lanka last week in connection with the agency’s probe into two IS modules in India that are suspected to have had connections in Sri Lanka. In the wake of the Easter Sunday bombings which killed more than 250 people, India has shared […]

Courtesy The Island The Sri Lankan security forces had turned from being hunters to fishermen during the last few years and the spirit of the security forces had been crushed since 2015, expert on terrorism Rohan Gunaratna told a meeting organised by the Mahinda Rajapaksa Centre yesterday in Colombo. Gunaratna said that the Easter Sunday […]

Courtesy Adaderana The Chief of National Intelligence Sisira Mendis has resigned from his post with immediate effect. Mendis, Director of Sri Lanka’s Centre for National Intelligence under the Ministry of Defense, had served as DIG of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and was also head of the Terrorism Investigation Division (TID) from 2008 to 2009. […]

by Whitney Webb  Courtesy  mintpressnews.com New evidence suggests that the government of Saudi Arabia not only had foreknowledge of the brutal bombings (and did nothing to stop them) but may have played a more active and direct role in the bloodshed COLOMBO, SRI LANKA — A leaked Saudi diplomatic memo obtained by Lebanese outlet Alahed News claims that […]

Courtesy Adaderana Parliamentarian Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe has sent a letter to the Speaker of the Parliament Karu Jayasuriya to gain his attention towards acts of jeopardizing national security. The letter containing 12 pointers has been copied to 11 persons including the President, Prime Minister, Opposition Leader, and all media institutions. Referring to the Official Secrets Act No […]

Courtesy Adaderana IGP Pujith Jayasundara, testifying before the Special Parliament Select Committee, stated that, on 20th of April, he had received a telephone call that ‘something’ could happen on the 21st. Former Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando had given the said telephone call between 6.30 p.m. to 8.00 p.m., the IGP said. According to the IGP, […]

Courtesy Adaderana Mohamed Razik Mohamed Taslim, who was shot in the head by Zahran Hashim’s group, spoke to Ada Derana via a video call. Taslim was the first person to reveal information on the suspects, who vandalized Buddhist statues in Mawanella area on 26th December 2018, is speaking to the media for the first time […]

Courtesy Adaderana Inspector General of Police (IGP) Pujith Jayasundara testifying before the Special Parliamentary Select Committee that the president had asked him to take the responsibility of the Easter Attacks and resign from his post. IGP Pujith Jayasundara, who is currently sent on compulsory leave, testified before the Special Parliamentary Select Committee appointed to look […]

Faiz Sobhan Courtesy Nikkei Asian Review States must counter youth radicalization with educational, social and economic plans The world appears to be witnessing a new phase in Islamic State’s global war which began in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday. Shortly after the deadly coordinated terrorist attacks by an IS-claimed cell, an IS media outlet released […]

SHAMILA CHAUDHARY Courtesy The American Prospect After the Easter attacks in Colombo, the U.S. must address the growing terrorism threat in South Asia. Eranga Jayawardena/AP Photo Sri Lankan army soldiers patrol a muslim neighborhood during a cordon and search operation in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Security measures have been increased in the country after more than […]

By Lynn Ockersz Courtesy The Island The aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan sails in waters off Okinawa, alongside a refueling ship. There is considerable heated discussion and debate currently in Sri Lanka over two military cooperation agreements that are featuring in this country’s ties with the US and the time could not be more appropriate […]

Kelum Bandara Courtesy The Daily Mirror President Maithripala Sirisena is reportedly not in agreement with the move to purchase a bullet proof vehicle for the use of Opposition Leader Mahinda Rajapaksa. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe submitted a Cabinet paper last week seeking approval to purchase such a vehicle based on a request by the Opposition […]

Courtesy Adaderana A three-member committee comprising of three senior police officials has been set up at the Police Head Quarters to receive any complaints against former governors M.L.A.M. Hizbullah and Azath Salley and MP Rishad Bathiudeen. The committee will be in effect until the 12th June, stated the Police Media Spokesperson. Accordingly, the general public […]

By P.K.Balachandran/Daily Mirror Since the government changed in Sri Lanka in January 2015, the US has significantly” strengthened its military engagement with the island nation, particularly with the Sri Lankan Navy, says the latest US Department of Defense Indo-Pacific Strategy Report (IPSR). The report, dated June 1, 2019, says that 2017 saw the first port […]

Courtesy Adaderana CCTV footage of the Easter Province Governor M. L. A. M. Hizbullah meeting several persons who could be identified as Saudi Arabian nationals at a hotel in Pasikudah has been uncovered. The CCTV footage shows Governor Hizbullah arriving at the particular hotel on the 22nd April 2019, a day after the Easter Sunday […]

උපුටාගැණීම ලංකාදීප ඇමරිකාව සමග ඇතිකරගෙන තිබූ පවරා ගැනීමේ සහ දෙපාර්ශවය අතර සේවා සපයාගැනීමේ ගිවිසුම අලුත් කිරීම සදහා එය රටේ ආරක්ෂක අමාත්‍යවරයා ලෙස කැබිනට් මණ්ඩලයට ඉදිරිපත් කළේ  ජනපති සිරිසේන මහතාය. අමාත්‍යවරුන්ගේ අවධානය සදහා 2017 ජූනි මස 30 වැනිදා ජනපතිවරයා විසින් ඉදිරිපත් කරන ලද එම ගිවිසුමට 2017 අගෝස්තු මාසයේ දී කැබිනට් අනුමැතිය හිමිවිය.  මෙම ගිවිසුම වසර 10 […]

උපුටාගැණීම ලංකාදීප එක්සත් ජාතික පක්ෂය ප‍්‍රමුඛ එක්සත් ජාතික පෙරමුණු රජයට ඇමරිකාව සමඟ ආරක්ෂාව හෝ ආරක්ෂක කටයුතු සම්බන්ධයෙන් වන කිසිදු ගිවිසීමකට එළැඹීම ජනපති මෛතී‍්‍රපාල සිරිසේන මහතා පසුගිය සතියේ තහනම් කළේය.  එවැනි ඕනෑම ගිවිසුමකට එළැඹීමට පෙර ඒ සදහා රටේ ආරක්ෂක අමාත්‍යවරයා වන තමාගේ අනුමැතිය  ලබාගත යුතුම වන බව ද ඔහු පවසා ඇත. චීනයේ සංචාරයක නියැළී පසුගිය බ‍්‍රහස්පතින්දා […]

By Lasanda Kurukulasuriya Courtesy The Island After Narendra Modi took oaths on Thursday for a second time as India’s Prime Minister, having steered the BJP-led coalition to a landslide election victory, there was a string of announcements relating to diplomatic engagements involving Sri Lanka, India, China and the United States. Modi will visit Sri Lanka […]

By Shamindra Ferdinando Courtesy The Island The wartime Rajapaksa administration, having created the post of Chief of National Intelligence (CNI) to run an efficient network involving all three services, the police and the State Intelligence Service (SIS), placed Maj. Gen. Kapila Hendavithana, in charge of the powerful Office in January, 2007. The CNI tasks included […]

By Neville Ladduwahetty Courtesy The Island There is uncertainty as to the current status of the Compact between the U.S. Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) and Sri Lanka as to whether it has been signed by the President, as the Chairman of the National Physical Planning Council, and whether it has been Gazetted or not. On […]

Courtesy The Daily Mirror In the petition submitted to court last week and seen by AFP Sunday, Jayasundara said the country’s premier spy agency, the State Intelligence Service (SIS), ordered him last year to stop ongoing police investigations into Islamic militants. The head of the SIS, Nilantha Jayawardena, did not take seriously the intelligence shared […]

Courtesy Mail Online Suspended Sri Lanka police chief Pujith Jayasundara has blamed President Maithripala Sirisena for failing to prevent the Easter bombings that killed 258 people Sri Lanka’s suspended police chief has petitioned the Supreme Court, accusing President Maithripala Sirisena of failing to prevent the Easter bombings that killed 258 people. In a 20-page complaint, […]

Anil Amarasekera Co-President National Joint Committee Hon. Ranil Wickramasinghe,The Prime Minister of Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka,The Prime Minister’s 0ffice,No. 58, Sir Ernest de Silva Mawatha Colombo 7. Dear Sir, The Millennium Challenge Corporation Agreement The National Joint Committee is committed to protect and preserve the unity and territorial integrity of our nation. We […]

Aneesha Manage Courtesy The Daily Mirror Opposition Leader Mahinda Rajapaksa today said it was absolutely wrong to request a list of intelligence service informants to fulfil petty political gains as it would jeopardise the national security of the country. Speaking at a public meeting held at the Carlton House in Tangalle, Mr. Rajapaksa said investigations […]