Kaushal Silva hit by ball while practicing in Pallekele

 Sri Lanka batsman Kaushal Silva has been airlifted to a Colombo hospital, after being struck on the head during a practice match at Pallekele. Initial CAT scans suggested Silva was out of danger, but he will continue to be monitored as a precautionary measure.

Team management said Silva appeared to have been struck just below the back rim of the helmet - in the padded wings that became part of helmet design following Phillip Hughes' death. Teammates believe the injury could have been more substantial if he had been wearing a helmet without this added protection.

"Kaushal was fielding at short leg when he got hit," team manager Charith Senanayake said."[Dinesh Chandimal] swept a ball right onto the back of Kaushal's head. He did take evasive action, but still the ball hit him."

Senanayake said Silva was left dazed moments after the impact, and that he had exhibited symptoms consistent with concussion. The accident had occurred at about 3:30 pm and Silva was immediately taken to a Kandy hospital, where he underwent the initial CAT scan. The decision was then made to transfer him to Colombo.

Wasim Thajudeen case : former Narahenpita Crimes OIC SPILLS THE BEANS

In a statement to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID), former Narahenpita Crimes OIC Sumith Champika Perera told that he received instructions from higher ranking police officers not to conduct further investigations in connection with the murder of former rugby player Wasim Thajudeen. Filing a report in the Colombo Magistrate’s Court, the CID said its detectives were able to record a statement from the former Narahenpita

Crimes OIC Sumith Champika Perera prior to his arrest for allegedly covering up evidence in connection with the murder of Wasim Thajudeen.

The former Narahenpita Crimes OIC has further told CID that he was compelled to conduct investigations, being predetermined that the death of Wasim Thajudeen was due to an accident on the instructions of higher ranking police officers.

According to the ‘B’ Report filed by CID, the former Crimes OIC will have to face several charges including committing the murder which comes under Section 296 of the Penal Code, fabricating false evidence, Concealing a design to commit an offence and Causing disappearance of evidence of an offence committed.

Former Narahenpita Crimes OIC arrested for allegedly covering up evidence was ordered to be remanded till May 5 by Colombo Additional Magistrate Thilina Gamage on Thursday (21).

On July 27, 2015 the CID submitted to Court that the death of Thajudeen was not an accident but a murder.

While delivering the verdict, Colombo Additional Magistrate Nishantha Peiris on February 25 this year ruled that the death appeared to be a murder and ordered the CID Director to immediately arrest all suspects involved in the incident and produce them before Courts.

Thajudeen was killed, apparently, in a road accident in Colombo in May 2012. The CID had informed court that investigations conducted so far had revealed that Thajudeen’s teeth had been broken, the bones in the pelvic region also broken and his neck pierced with a sharp instrument prior to his death.

The CID added that muscles in his legs had been cut with a piece of a broken class. Earlier, police maintained that Thajudeen was driving to the airport and had lost control of his car and crashed into the wall of Shalika Grounds at Park Road, Narahenpita, and that his vehicle had exploded within seconds of the crash.

Sri Lanka Police Department re-named as "Sri Lanka Police"

The newly appointed Inspector General of Police (IGP) Pujith Jayasundara announced that the "Sri Lankan Police Department" will be named as "Sri Lanka Police" from today.

veddah in fatal fall from tallest Buddha statue

A veddah who attempted to remove a ‘giant honey bee’ hive from a Buddha statue scheduled to be unveiled today by President Maithripala Sirisena had a fatal fall in the wee-hours of yesterday. The 135-foot tall statue is described as the tallest standing Buddha statue in South Asia.

The dead man has been identified as Dissanayake Mudiyanselage Kiribanda (52), a resident of Dambana.

The hive had been built behind the right arm of the statue and the Presidential Security Division officials who had inspected the area on Tuesday in view of President Sirisena’s visit scheduled for today instructed the organisers to remove it.

The organisers thinking that a veddah would be ideal for the task hired one from Dambana. Claiming that the best time to remove hives was before daybreak the veddah climbed the statue around 2.00 am yesterday.

He managed to remove the hive and while climbing down his leg slipped and fell.

He died on the spot.

His remains were to be taken to Nagoda Hospital in Kalutara for a post-mortem.

The standing Buddha statue has been constructed with financial sponsorship of businessman cum Western Provincial Council member Jagath Pinnagoda Withana.  

Meanwhile, contacted for comment Wimale Attho, the son of Chief of the Veddah clan Uruvarige Wannila Ettho said the victim was not a Veddah though he had been a resident in their village.

OIC arrested over Thajudeen murder

The former Crime Officer in Charge (OIC) of the Narahenpita Police has been arrested by the Criminal Investigation Department in connection with the murder of rugby player Wasim Thajudeen. The former police officer had reportedly hidden evidence concerning the case.

Earlier, a senior officer of the CID declined to comment on the failure to arrest anyone, noting that investigations were yet ongoing. Thajudeen died on May 17, 2012 at Kirulapone when his car crashed into a wall and caught fire.

His death was at first ruled an accident, but later investigations by the CID found the player had been brutally tortured with blunt and sharp weapons before his death.

US should arrest Gotabaya - Tamil forums urge Obama

In an urgent appeal to President Obama, two major Tamil groups in the United States Tamils for Obama and American Tamil Forum urged the United States to arrest former Sri Lankan Defense Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa who is reported to be currently visiting US, the two organizations said in a statement today. 

“US should not miss the opportunity to arrest and prosecute one of the main war criminals in recent times visiting the US.

 Failure to do so would encourage others to commit abuses amounting to war crimes” said these two organizations. 

The UN Human Rights Council, led by the US, last year passed a Sri Lanka resolution to hold a credible investigation to punish those responsible for these killings.  “United States should take the same leadership it took at the UN to initiate investigation for the visiting Sri Lankan war criminal,” said these two organizations. - EIN Presswire - Agencies

Pujitha Jayasundara appointed as the 34th Inspector General of Police

Senior DIG Pujitha Jayasundara has been appointed as the 34th Inspector General of Police (IGP) by President Maithripala Sirisena.

Earlier, the Constitutional Council nominated Senior DIG Pujitha Jayasundara as the next Inspector General of Police, sources revealed.

President Maithripala Sirisena sent the nominations of the three most senior serving members of the Police Department for the post of IGP to the Constitutional Council on April 8.

The three names proposed by the President are Acting IGP S. M. Wickramasinghe, Senior Deputy Inspectors General of Police Pujith Jayasundara and Chandana Wickramaratne.

Senior DIG Pujith Jayasundara was reported to be the forerunner among the contenders for the post of IGP.

The post of IGP fell vacant with the retirement of N.K. Illangakoon on April 11.

8 Sri Lankan nationals suspects of Bangladesh bank heist

Bangladeshi investigators have identified eight Sri Lankans as suspects among 20 foreign nationals suspected to have been involved in the US$ 101 million cyber heist from the nation's foreign reserves.

According to a Reuters report, a Bangladeshi police officer has said on Monday that the investigators have identified 20 foreigners - 12 Philippine nationals and eight Sri Lankans - as suspects involved in the cyber heist, but they appear to be those who received some of the payments, and not the hackers.

Mohammad Shah Alam, a senior officer at the criminal investigation department (CID) of the Bangladesh police, said Interpol had helped identify the foreigners suspected to be involved in one of the largest cyber heists in history.

"We have identified at least 20 foreigners with name and full particulars who we believe were involved," Alam told reporters.

Hackers using official messaging codes transferred $81 million to accounts in Manila, Philippines and $20 million to the account of a newly formed NGO in Sri Lanka.

A 16-member team of the CID have visited the Philippines and Sri Lanka to collect information on the heist. The details on the outcome of the visit will be made public later on, the official said.

Another official on his team said the results of the investigation had been submitted to Philippine and Sri Lankan authorities.

Both Alam and the other official said they could not provide more details about the foreign suspects because investigations were not complete.

Sri Lanka's Criminal Investigation Department (CID) is also investigating the cyber theft, but has declined to provide any information.