News

In a special event held on July 6, 2019, the first Model Village built with Indian assistance under the Model Villages Program of the Ministry of Housing and Construction & Cultural Affairs - Ranidugama in Gampaha District was inaugurated and the completed houses are handed over to the beneficiaries.

Minister of Housing and Construction & Cultural Affairs Sajith Premadasa, former President of Sri Lanka Chandrika Bandaranayke Kumaratunga and Acting High Commissioner of India Dr. Shilpak Ambule jointly inaugurated the village and handed over the houses.

Several Member of Parliaments, leaders from the Western Province, senior Government officials and large number of people from the region attended the ceremony.

Government of India has partnered with the Ministry of Housing and Construction & Cultural Affairs to build 100 model villages consisting of a total of 2400 houses all across Sri Lanka under Indian grant assistance of 1200 million SLR. These 2400 houses are in addition to the 60,000 houses built under the Indian Housing Project meant for war affected people in the North and East and the estate workers in the plantation areas.

India has undertaken more than 70 people-oriented development projects in various fields including health, education, housing, skill development, infrastructure, vocational training among others, all across the country including the largest University Auditorium in Ruhuna University in Matara. About, 20 such projects are currently under progress. The overall development portfolio of Government of India in Sri Lanka is close to US$ 3 billion out of which US$ 560 million are in grants.

Re-enforcing the death penalty on judgments given by the judiciary is a power vested with the executive says President Maithripala Sirisena.

Sirisena has made this statement at the Cabinet meeting held yesterday (2).

However, the President has added that the matter cannot be further discussed since there was a court case on the re-enforcement of capital punishment.

The President has made this observation when the possible impact to the country’s economy if the moratorium on the death penalty is removed was discussed at the Cabinet meeting.

However, the President has responded saying that implementing the death penalty is a power vested with his office.

A group of hackers specialized in attacking banks has hit again, and this time they've breached four targets in Asia, respectively in Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, and Kyrgyzstan, security researchers from Group-IB have told ZDNet.

The only incident that is currently public is one impacting Dutch Bangla Bank Limited, a bank in Bangladesh, which lost more than $3 million during several rounds of ATM cashout attacks that took place during the month of May, according to local media reports in Bangladesh.

SILENCE GROUP EXPANDS BEYOND EUROPE

In a report shared with ZDNet prior to publication, Group-IB tied the Dutch Bangla Bank incident to a group of hackers known as "Silence."

The group, which ZDNet previously covered in a September 2018 piece, has been active since 2016 and has historically targeted banks in Russia, former Soviet states, and Eastern Europe.

According to Rustam Mirkasymov, Head of Dynamic Analysis of Malicious Code at Group-IB, this is the first time the group has ventured into Asia.

TWO OTHER BANGLADESH BANKS ALSO HIT

Bangladesh local media reported that two other local banks -- NCC Bank and Prime Bank -- also faced similar issues as Dutch Bangla Bank, but they managed to avert financial losses. It is unclear if Silence was involved in those attacks as well.

Group-IB said Silence did hit banks in three other countries -- India, Sri Lanka, and Kyrgyzstan -- but could not disclose their names.

In September 2018, Group-IB said the group had only been successful in attacks against CIS and Eastern European countries, but that they were sending spear-phishing emails to banks all over the world.

President Maithripala Sirisena says there are many forces working against him and that there is a threat to his life due to the consistent programme carried out by him to crackdown on the drug mafia.

The President has said in Polonnaruwa yesterday (2) that measures to hamper his programme are being carried out with the funding of drug lords.

According to the President there are many going before courts to obstruct his programme to crackdown on the drug mafia and the so-called human rights masons (baas) are trying to safeguard these drug lords and drug peddlers.

Sirisena has added that there were many social media platforms along with the government, opposition and NGOs that are rallying together in favour of the drug lords.

Two hangmen appointed by the Sri Lankan government following moves to resume capital punishment in the country “have been fully trained for the job,” a prison official said on Wednesday.

President Maithripala Sirisena ended a 43-year moratorium on executions recently when he signed the death warrants for four convicts jailed for drug offenses.

Bandula Jayasinghe, an official at the Justice and Prison Reforms Ministry, said that the two executioners have received comprehensive training inside the prison.

“Now they are ready for the job,” he said.

The executioners will await the president’s green light to carry out the death penalty on the four convicts. In the meantime, the prisoners can appeal for clemency and their next of kin will be told the date of the executions, Jayasinghe said.

The two executioners were selected from more than 100 applicants after the government advertised the posts recently.

Jayasinghe said that the hangmen’s identities would not be revealed.

“It’s good to keep their names secret so that the public and even their own family members don’t know they are hangmen,” he added.

According to sources, up to 20 prisoners — eight Muslims, eight Tamils and four Sinhalese — could face the death penalty for drug offenses.

Sirisena told a public meeting on Tuesday that he is determined to carry out the executions to save the nation from “a narcotics scourge.”

“I will not bow to local or international pressure to reverse my decision to execute these convicts. I know what my country needs and it has to be rid of people who destroy the country,” he said, referring to illicit drug smugglers.

More than 60 percent of the 24,000 people inside Sri Lanka’s prisons are drug offenders, Sirisena said.

The president said that capital punishment was needed against “big-time illicit drug smugglers for the sake of the younger generation of the country."

No instructions to carry out executions!

However, a senior prison official said that neither the Ministry of Justice nor the Presidential Secretariat is yet to inform the Department of Prisons with regard to the implementation of capital punishment.

He said the Department had sent a list to the Justice Ministry, comprising of 18 inmates who had been convicted to death penalty, out of which the President had signed the documents for the execution of four drug offenders. "However, we have not yet been informed about the four convicts and the date of the execution," he added.

Former Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando and Inspector General of Police (IGP) Pujith Jayasundara, who were supposed to appear before the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) yesterday (2) to record statements related to the probe on the Easter Sunday attacks, have been hospitalized.

Fernando has been admitted to the Intensive-Care Unit (ICU) of the Cardiology Unit at the National Hospital in Colombo.

Jayasundara meanwhile has been hospitalized at the Police Hospital in Narahenpita over a sudden illness. Jayasundara is currently on compulsory leave.

Meanwhile, the Attorney General (AG) has directed the Acting IGP to name Jayasundara and Fernando as suspects of the Easter attacks.

Further, the AG has requested the Acting IGP to produce them before courts.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has hailed the decision taken by the world's premier travel magazine, Lonely Planet, to reaffirm Sri Lanka as the best destination for travel in 2019, even after the Easter Sunday attacks in April.

"At the beginning of the year, Lonely Planet magazine named Sri Lanka as the world’s best destination to visit. However, after the Easter Sunday bomb blasts, we thought that we had lost this position. Many tourists fled the country. But last week, Lonely Planet stated that despite all the troubles Sri Lanka faced due to the attacks, we still remain the best destination for tourists to visit, the best destination in the world," the Premier said in a statement.

Quoting a recent article on the Planet magazine, PM Wickremesinghe said that Sri Lankans should be proud for being recognized as the best destination for travel.

“We came here and were greeted with a friendly hello by the people. Everyone was friendly and they welcomed us everywhere, we did not see any problems. This is the view of Lonely Planet magazine. Therefore, I must emphasize that the Government is taking steps to assist the tourism industry, and will announce further measures soon. I would like to thank all those in the tourism sector – big and small – who helped to keep the industry moving," the Premier added.

Wickremesinghe further said that he must also thank the members of the security forces who helped us from April 21.

"They set about capturing those responsible, and all are now in custody. They were able to accomplish this mission within just two months. So I must reiterate that tourism has a promising future in Sri Lanka. I urge everybody to get together to ensure that the industry thrives and enhances our image in the eyes of the world," Wickremesinghe said.

The United Sates insisted that they have no plans to establish a military base in Sri Lanka.

US ambassador in Sri Lanka, Alaina B.Teplitz, in a twitter message said the negotiation on the Visiting Forces Agreement is aimed to facilitate cooperation and any agreement will respect the sovereignty of Sri Lanka.

“Blatant misinformation. There is no plan or intention to establish a US base in Sri Lanka. VFA negotiations only aim to facilitate cooperation and any agreement will fully respect the sovereignty of,” Telpitz tweeted.

Her comments came in the wake of concerns raised by various parties over the proposed agreement.

Meanwhile, US Embassy Spokesperson Nancy VanHorn said on Sunday that Sri Lanka would retain all sovereign rights to approve or deny entry or exit of US personnel, vessels, and aircraft into Sri Lanka’s territory and territorial waters/airspace.

She recalled that in 1995, the US and Sri Lanka concluded the agreement on the status of US Department of Defence (DoD) military personnel and civilian employees who visit Sri Lanka for exercises or official duties.

“We have proposed amending this agreement to include some additional privileges, such as the mutual recognition of professional licenses, how US military personnel and DoD civilians can visit Sri Lanka, fees for support services rendered, and regulations for hiring foreign and local contractors. These updates will streamline processes that are already in place and will facilitate collaboration with the Sri Lankan military on counterterrorism practices, maritime security, and other issues of common concern,” she said.

Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera giving a statement regarding the Presidential candidate from the UNP noted that for the past 25 years, the UNP has not had a presidential candidate of their own. He noted that even though a UNP government was in power for the past five years, they failed to provide solutions to the problems faced by each electorate.

The minister added that it is with great expectations that all UNPers hope for a president to be elected from the UNP. He said the presidential candidate should not only be a UNPer, but must also be able to win the upcoming elections.

In a twitter message, Samaraweera said that the "United National Party must reaffirm its commitment to a united Sri Lanka that belongs to all Sri Lankans as envisaged by its founder D.S.Senanayake under a Sajith Premadasa presidency."

He went onto note that in his point of view, it is Minister Sajith Premadasa who has the popularity to win and it is he who possesses all the characteristics required to succeed. However, he said they do not imply that the current leader should be removed from his position.

Minister Samaraweera stated that they have no issue on who comes forward as the candidate from the opposition, even if it is a Rajapaksa. He pointed out that the political struggle within the Rajapaksa family is similar to the game of musical chairs and regardless of who comes forward from the opposition, Sajith Premadasa will win.

He added that in line with his victory, they should be able to carry forward the vision of Ranil Wickremesinghe and D.S. Senanayaka as well. He noted that when all political parties promote extremism, it is only the UNP that stands to uphold democracy in the country.

must reaffirm it's commitment to a #UnitedSrilanka belonging to all Sri Lankans as envisaged by it's founder D.S.Senanayake under a @sajithpremadasa presidency

The Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) probing the Easter Sunday attacks has stated that it will take SLFP General Secretary, MP Dayasiri Jayasekara to court if he fails to appear before the committee despite being issued summons on two occasions.

Jayasekara was summoned before the PSC last week and due to his absence, the committee decided to issue summons for him once more. The PSC will have its next hearing on 10 July.

Deputy Speaker of Parliament and Chair of the PSC Ananda Kumarasiri has said if the MP fails to appear, legal action will be taken against him.

“We are giving the former Minister another chance on 10 July to appear at the PSC hearings. If he decides not to show up, we will take legal action against him,” he has stated.

Meanwhile, Jayasekara has stated that he was yet to obtain some clarifications from the Speaker of Parliament on several parliamentary Standing Orders.

“There are several clarifications over the topics that are discussed at the PSC hearings and there are subjugates. There are five cases against the head of the state and the relevant authorities. The Attorney General Dappula Livera, in a letter to the President, stated that there are concerns over the issues raised by the committee over the case that is progressing in the Supreme Court.”

According to Jayasekara, the Speaker needed to give a ruling and table the letter that the President’s Secretary had sent in relation to the PSC proceedings.

He has also stated that once the proceedings commenced in the Parliament, some of the issues itemized on these letters needed to be submitted to Parliament.

“The Speaker of the Parliament should give us a ruling saying that these are not sub judice. Minister Laskhman Kiriella on Friday raised an issue on the PSC hearings, stating that the Parliament was not abiding by judicial style proceedings. We, as the Parliament, have passed standing orders within the parliamentary rules, and if we are to violate the rules of the Parliament, I fail to understand how these proceedings need to be conducted,” Jayasekara has added.

Sri Lanka's state-owned Marine Environment Protection Authority on Wednesday warned that the country only had 10 per cent of live coral reefs in its oceans as 90 per cent had died due to pollution, illegal fishing methods and excessive climate change.

Dr Terney Pradeep Kumara, General Manager of the marine authority, told Xinhua news agency that urgent steps must be taken by the government to mark the remaining live coral reefs as "highly protected areas" and measures must be taken to move these live corals to deeper seas.

He said Sri Lanka, rich in coral reefs, had lost 90 per cent of its corals in recent years mainly due to illegal fishing methods such as bottom trawling and dynamite blasting, excessive climate change and high levels of pollution dumped into the seas.

"We urgently now need to save the remaining 10 per cent. At present, what we are observing is that the remaining 10 per cent is also facing a lot of difficulty due to high temperature levels.

"Therefore we expect all government agencies, private agencies and all the environmentalists to get together and help the government declare these reefs as highly protected areas and help transfer the living corals to deep areas to keep them alive," he added.

Kumara said that by saving the remaining live corals, they would stay alive for decades which would help Sri Lanka attract more tourists which would strengthen the economy and the bio diversity of the country.

Sri Lanka’s president said Monday he had rejected a telephone appeal by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to reconsider his push to reintroduce the death penalty after 43 years.

“I told the Secretary General that I want to save my country from drugs,” Maithripala Sirisena told a meeting in Colombo to mark his anti-narcotics drive.

“He telephoned me last week shortly after I signed four death warrants. I told him to please allow me to stamp out the drug menace,” Sirisena said.

Sirisena told reporters on Wednesday that he had signed death warrants for four drug offenders, but did not give their names nor say when and where the executions would be carried out.

He accused the European Union of interfering in the internal affairs of his country, saying that EU diplomats had threatened him with tariffs if Sri Lanka went ahead with the executions.

“The EU told me that they will withdraw the GSP Plus (tariff concession) if I go ahead,” Sirisena said. “This is interfering with the sovereignty and independence of our country. It is unacceptable.”

He also took a swipe at Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and at non-governmental organisations that had criticised him over his stance.

Wickremesinghe had on Sunday said that a majority of parliament members were against Sirisena’s decision to resume executions.

Sirisena faces several court challenges to his decision to restore the death penalty.

In the latest case filed in the Supreme Court Monday, the Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) noted it was long recognised that hanging by death was a cruel and inhuman form of punishment, not befitting a multi-religious and civilised society.

“Though convicts have been sentenced to death, the long recognised practice in Sri Lanka for over 43 years has been that they were not executed,” the CPA’s executive director Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu said.

Justice ministry sources said they were yet to fill the vacancies for two hangmen, although 26 candidates had been shortlisted for the job.

An executioner was in the post until his retirement in 2014 although no hangings were carried out since June 1976. Three replacements since have quit after short stints at the unused gallows.

Sirisena’s office has said the president wanted the hangings to send a powerful message to anyone engaged in the illegal drugs trade.

Sirisena said there were 200,000 drug addicts in the country, and 60 percent of the 24,000-strong prison population were drug offenders. (AFP)