Day: 23 February 2016

The Attorney General’s Department is examining 25 files relating to misappropriation of public funds by powerful politicians and top officials of the previous regime including former Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa and former Treasury Secretary P.B. Jayasundera. The Financial Crimes Investigation Division (FCID) has completed investigations into these 25 cases and has submitted relevant files to the AG’s Department for necessary action, sources from the AG’s Department said. The investigation into the misappropriation of a sum of Rs. 5.7 million at the Tourism Promotion Bureau has been completed with the alleged…

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DIGs removed incriminating pages in CIB BY ANANDA WEERASURIYA Two former Deputy Inspectors General of Police have removed pages from books which included notes regarding investigations carried out into the murder of Lasantha Wickrematunge. It is said that notes on a number of important sections of information revealed in connection with the persons who had been given the contract to murder Wickrematunge, which were contained in certain pages of the Crime Investigation Books (CIB), collected during investigations have been removed. Since these two top Police officials had got down the…

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by Dasun Edirisinghe Residents of Vadamarachchi East are planning a protest at Maruthankerny in Jaffna against proposed water purification project which, the fear, will pollute groundwater in the area. President of the Vadamarachchi East Undergraduates’ Union S. Sathees told The Island that the protest would be held on Feb. 26 at 9.00am. More than 1,000 villagers to be affected by the project were expected to participate in the protest, he said. The proposed large scale project to desalinate sea water is being implemented by the Northern Provincial Council in collaboration…

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by Manjula Fernando Sri Lanka is in a position to teach the world how to stand up to dictatorial regimes and overturn such regimes through peaceful elections, member of the Independent Elections Commission, Dr. Ratnajeevan Hoole, said. Dr. Ratnajeevan Hoole, Member, Independent Elections Commission In an interview with the Sunday Observer, he said the Commission is currently occupied with the task of absorbing the former Election Department staff, preparing to conduct the upcoming local government elections, where for the first time the 30% quota for women will be accommodated. Excerpts:…

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By Jehan Perera – February 22 marks the anniversary of the signing of the Ceasefire Agreement in 2002 between the government and LTTE with Norwegian facilitation. This was an unexpected development that brought hope to the country that the war would come to an end and a peaceful solution to the ethnic conflict would be possible. Faced with the prospect of economic collapse, and a protracted war, the government of that time headed by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe sought to break the stalemate with a bold initiative. The sudden cessation…

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