An individual has died after being assaulted with a sharp weapon in Elpitiya police division last evening. Two other individuals were also injured, Police Media Unit told. One of the victims is still being treated at Elpitiya Hospital.
The deceased was a 33-year-old resident of Nawadagala area.
His remains are kept at the morgue of Elpitiya Hospital and post mortem examination will be conducted today.
Suspects have been identified and Elpitiya Police is conducting further investigations in order to apprehend them.
The special commodity tax on an imported kilogram of potatoes and big onions have been increased by Rs. 20 from today. The new tax on an imported kilogram of big onions will be Rs. 25, while a kilogram of potatoes will be taxed Rs. 35.
One person was killed and two others injured after an unidentified group shot at them at Kirimatiyawa Junction in Weerakatiya yesterday morning.
Police Spokesman ASP Ruwan Gunasekara said the gunmen had arrived in a hybrid car with a T56.
The two victims were travelling in a van while the other was on a motorcycle. The three were admitted to Tangalle Hospital in a critical condition.The two victims travelling in the van, also suspects in a murder case had left Weerakatiya police station, where they were
required to report every Sunday, the Police Spokesman said.
One of the victims in the van succumbed to his injuries while undergoing treatment at the hospital. The third victim, a resident of Weeraketiya, was caught in the cross fire. Police are investigating.
Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday said that a luxury cubicle worth USD 4 mn fixed onto aircraft for his use had never been acquired by Sri Lanka.
The former President was responding to a statement issued by Gampaha District UNP MP Ranjan Ramanayake.
The following is the full text of statement issued by the former President’s office: "Parliamentarian Ranjan Ramanayake said at a press conference yesterday that President Mahinda Rajapaksa had ordered a luxury cubicle worth four million US dollars to be fixed onto aircraft used by him and that because of the agreement that has been signed, President Sirisena is unable to reverse the order. Mr Ramanayake further stated that it was because of such abuse of power that former President Rajapaksa has had to face various commissions of inquiry today.
During the last presidential election campaign, President Rajapaksa was falsely accused of having ordered a private plane for himself. Now they say fairly truthfully, that this was only a kit to convert a part of an ordinary airliner into a luxury cubicle. These are VIP conversion kits which can be installed after removing several seats in commercial airliners and are supplied free as a complimentary accessory when new commercial passenger planes are ordered. Airbus Industries mentions a value for this conversion kit only to give the customer an idea of the value of the complimentary kit. The customer can’t ask for the money instead of the complimentary accessory.
Though, Mr Ramanayake said in his press conference that the President of the USA and the Sultan of Brunei also used similar units on their plane that is not true. The American President travels in an official plane and the Sultan of Brunei has many private planes. They don’t travel on commercial airlines fitted with conversion kits.
It is not correct to say that the government cannot reverse the order for this VIP kit. Any customer can turn down the offer of a complimentary accessory if he does not need it. It seems to be that the present leaders now wish to avail themselves of the comfort of this VIP kit for their foreign travels and are trying to make excuses for accepting it by saying that the agreement prevented them from turning it down. All those who value yahapalanaya principles should ensure that the government flatly refuses to accept this complimentary VIP conversion kit and even if it is sent to Sri Lanka with the new planes, it should be returned to Airbus Industries forthwith."
A former Senior Deputy Inspector General of Police and three more policemen who were in the rank of Officers-in-Charge in their respective police stations at the time ruggerite Wasim Thajudeen reportedly died in a motor car ‘accident’ are to be arrested shortly, top police sources disclosed yesterday.
This follows the determination by court last Thursday that Thajudeen had been murdered. The Colombo Chief Magistrate ordered the CID to arrest all suspects within 30 days to be produced before court.
Court also directed the CID to arrest any person who had aided and abetted in the murder of Wasim Thajudeen.
The Chief Magistrate who considered all medical evidence placed before court determined that Thajudeen had been murdered though it was earlier reported he had died of burns following a motor car accident. The CID informed court that certain pages in the entries of the Police Information Book had gone missing and it was believed that some persons had tampered with those relevant entry books. CID sources said investigations were proceeding in a speedy manner to arrest all suspects within 30 days.
Wasim Thajudeen was an outstanding national rugger player who started his rugby career at S.Thomas’ College,Mt.Lavinia.
The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) searched a land belonging to the Chief Security Officer (CSO) of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa in Weeraketiya using backhoes yesterday.
A contingent of Special Task Force personnel was deployed around the land. Only CID officials were allowed to enter the land from yesterday morning. CID sources said a court order was obtained to search the land and the land was searched for jewellery, gold and weapons said to have been hidden in this land.
The sources said that the land is belonging to Major Nevil Wanniarachchi who is one of the most closest security officers of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa. More than Twenty Special Task Force Personnel have been deployed to assist with the search operation and they have dug-up the land with a backhoes.
The Colombo Chief Magistrate had issued an order to the CID and the Financial Crimes Investigations Division to investigate corruption and fraud allegedly committed by Major Nevile.
The CID recently sought the court assistance to obtain the bank account details of three persons, including Major Nevile Wanniarachchi. The Magistrate ordered to scrutinize their accounts in 32 banks and 47 financial institutions. The FCID and CID earlier informed court that Major Wanniarachchi has allegedly taken over several lands and houses belonging to the Government. Police told court that several cabs belonging to the Maga Neguma project were being taken over by Major Warrniarachchi for his personal use. "It was also disclosed that this Major is running a number of business ventures including a filling station.
A number of former officials of SriLankan Airlines will be brought before the Committee on Public Enterprise (COPE) in the near future, COPE Member and Deputy Minister, Ranjan Ramanayake said yesterday (25).
He added, there are agreements entered into by former top administrators that have created serious issues for the government.
"We spoke to the current administrators at the airline and they also admit that former top administrators took a number of irresponsible decisions and were responsible for financial irregularities.
The agreements they entered into are binding and we can't get out of them," he said. The Mahinda Rajapaksa administration had ordered a number of aircrafts from Airbus Industrie, out of which one was to be fitted like the Air Force 1 used by the President of USA, costing millions of dollars, Ramanayake said.
"We don't need that much of aircraft but we can't get out of the agreements because these companies will sue us. Sri Lankan has already made a significant down payment to Airbus," he added.
COPE which is headed by Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) MP Sunil Handunnetti will continue to investigate financial irregularities and push the Attorney General's Department to take legal action against those who are guilty of abusing public funds.
"For example, we have sent a file on the irregularities which have occurred at Lankaputra Bank, to the Attorney General's Department and have asked them to take necessary steps," he said.
The Colombo Magistrate’s Court today ordered the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) to arrest those responsible for the death of Sri Lankan rugger player Wasim Thajudeen, since it appears to be murder.
After announcing the results of the postmortem examination hhent he case was taken up, the Colombo Additional Magistrate Nishantha Peiris instructed the CID to arrest the suspects and produce them before the court.
The additional magistrate stated that Thajudeen’s cause of death has been observed as injuries sustained in the chest area and that a motor vehicle accident cannot be considered as the reason for the death.
He also said that Thajudeen’s death appears to be murder according to information uncovered and ordered that a report be submitted on March 23 with regard to this.
Senior State Counsel Dilan Ratnayake informed court that investigations into the death are ongoing and that statements have been recorded from 16 witnesses so far.
Thajudeen was found dead on May 17, 2012 inside his car which appeared to have crashed into a wall in Kirulapone.
