Individual shot dead in the Minuwangoda

A resident of Hinatiyana in the Minuwangoda police area is reported to have been shot dead by two gunmen who had arrived on a motorcycle this morning.

Susantha Pradeep Silva (37) alias Fred was residing at the Peelawatta Big City Housing Complex in Minuwangoda and a father of two children.
He was living with his family in a rented house until the construction of their house. He had attempted to escape from his assailants after noticing them coming towards him, but they had followed him before he was shot dead.

Police said the he had been on bail in connection with a series of offences.

Crime Investigation Branch OIC IP Dissanayake, SI Ekanayaka, PC 15332 Kariyapperuma, are conducting investigations on the instructions of Minuwangoda Police OIC Jeewaka Rajapakse and SSP Mudita Pussella.

New Laws To Protect Elephants in Sri Lanka

Wildlife Minister Gamini Jayawickrama Perera stated the cabinet approved new regulations imposing tough conditions on owners of elephants.

This includes a ban on using young elephants for logging and other physical work, as part of a crackdown on cruelty to domesticated wild animals.The animals are also legally protected but are often subjected to cruel treatment by some owners.

Owners are banned from using working elephants below the age of 10 years while those under five years cannot be used in parades, even at religious festivals.

There are 41 new conditions aimed at ensuring minimum standards of care, including the daily diet that should include fresh fruit in addition to leaves and vegetables.

Owners must also take their elephants for daily walks of not less than five kilometres (three miles) and the animals must be allowed two and a half hours for bathing.

The minister is also seeking to regulate the use of elephants in movie productions.

Elephants cannot be made to fight each other on camera. Flash or floodlights cannot be shone on the animals and letting off firecrackers near them is also banned.

Those violating the new regulations could lose their ownership licence and face up to three years in jail.

The new laws come into force as the authorities investigate allegations that over 40 baby elephants had been stolen from national wildlife parks over the last decade and are being kept as pets.

Capturing wild elephants is illegal.

Official records show there are about 200 domesticated elephants in a country where the population in the wild is estimated at about 7,500.

Man arrested for slashing woman’s buttocks

A man, who used a blade to slash the buttocks of a woman (in Maharagama Town) who was six months pregnant, was arrested yesterday (23) with the assistance of people in the vicinity, Maharagama Police said.  

The woman had been admitted to Kalubowila Hospital. She had had to have six stitches, hospital sources said.  

Police said the victim was a resident at Rukmalgama in Kottawa and employed as a store-keeper at a private institution in Dehiwala. 

She had been about to enter a bus last morning on her way to work, when the suspect cut her with a blade. Hearing her screams, passers by had seized the suspect and handed him over to the Police.   Police said the suspect was a resident of Ratnapura and the father of two.  

Police said he was the man who had injured two women in a similar manner on October 2, near the Maharagama Municipal Council, and escaped.   The suspect is due to be produced in the Gangodawila Magistrate’s Court.  

Further investigations are being conducted on the instructions of Maharagama OIC, CI Thuan Sulary Midik. (Bimal Shaman Jayasinghe, Bandaragama)

Former STF chief remanded

One-time Commandant of the elite Special Task Force (STF) retired DIG K. M. L. Sarathchandra was yesterday remanded till Dec. 07 for allegedly misusing a vehicle belonging to the STF. 

The former police commando was arrested by the Police Special Investigations Unit (SIU) and produced at the Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court.

Police informed the court that the retired DIG had been arrested for misusing a vehicle and requested that he be remanded as investigations were in progress. Colombo Chief Magistrate Gihan Pilapitiya ordered that the suspect be remanded till December 07.

DIG (retired) K.M.L. Sarathchandra served as the Commandant of the police commando unit from March 24, 2008 to March 19, 2011.

Tissa a political prisoner – Mahinda

Former President and SLFP Kurunegala District MP Mahinda Rajapaksa says that charges brought against former UNP General Secretary and MP Tissa Attanayake reflected the desire to exact political revenge against Attanayake because he had switched sides in politics.

The former President said that as such, Attanayake could well be defined as a political prisoner under the current regime.

He made these remarks to reporters after visiting Attanayake at the Borella Prison Hospital on 21 November.

Rajapaksa added the government has used the 2007 ICCPR Act, clause 56, to place Attanayake in remand and that the latter was the first to have been taken into custody and remanded under this Act.

The former President asserted that Attanayake being held in remand was an obvious attempt to vent political vengeance on him.

Customs seize 220Kg of Cocaine at Orugodawaththa

Two hundred and twenty (220) kilogrammes of Cocaine was discovered inside a container carrying a consignment of sugar, at the customs container yard in orugodawaththa today, Thursday, November 24.

The haul of cocaine, which was found inside a container that arrived in the country on October 14 via Brazil and Portugal, was uncovered by Sri Lanka Customs and the Sri Lanka Police Anti Narcotics Bureau.

Two hundred (200) packets of cocaine sealed in eight bags were found close to the entrance of the container.

Customs Media Spokesperson Dharmasena Kahandawa speaking to media said that the 200 kilogrammes of Cocaine which was discovered is valued at over two billion rupees. He stated that they are handing this stock over to the Police Narcotics Bureau so that legal measures will be taken.

Over the past few months, there were a number of instances where cocaine was smuggled into the country in the guise of  bringing in sugar.

1. Thirty one kilogrammes of Cocaine was seized with the help of the police Anti Narcotics Bureau on October 9, in the customer yard in Pethiyagoda, Kelaniya.
2. On July 22 , a stash of Cocaine valued at four billion rupees was discovered at a container yard in Peliyagoda.
3. The 273-kilogramme haul of Cocaine was believed to be one of the largest hauls ever discovered in the country.
4. Twenty five kilogrammes of Cocaine was seized from a container carrying sugar from Brazil on June 14.

Teams of Investigators opine that the reason for using sugar to conceal the cocaine is the similarity in texture and appearance.

Sri Lanka beat West Indies by one run

West Indian batsman Evin Lewis hit his maiden one-day international hundred but his efforts went in vain as Sri Lanka held their nerve to secure a one-run victory at Queens Sports Club today and advance to the triangular series final.

Playing just his fourth ODI, Lewis struck a superb 148 but a series of run-outs ultimately hurt the West Indies as they finished on 329 for nine in response to Sri Lanka's 330 for seven.

Sri Lanka's total was set up by Niroshan Dickwella and Kusal Mendis, who both scored 94 after the West Indies had won the toss and opted to bowl first.

The victory ensured Sri Lanka's passage to Sunday's final, while the West Indies must avoid defeat in their final group game against hosts Zimbabwe on Friday if they are to progress. (AFP)

Contempt of Court charges against Lanka e news

A lawyer today filed fourteen Contempt of Court actions in the Supreme Court against the editor of Lankaenews website Sandaruwan Senadheera.

The lawyer - Deputy Mayor of Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte Municipal Council Madura Vithanage - is seeking the Court’s jurisdiction to punish Senadheera for allegedly publishing defamatory articles on Lankaenews.

Vithanage complaining that there had been a series of articles published a on the website 'Lankaenews' and on its social media, defaming judges and castigating their character.

The complainant stated that the contents of the said articles on the website and on social media had insulted, defamed, and ridiculed judges whose names are referred to therein, and were a direct and indirect intimidation on judges as well as the judiciary as a whole.

“These articles have attacked on both the judicial conduct as well as the private lives of the judges and caused embarrassment not only to the judges but also to the entire judiciary”, the complainant said.

The complainant stated that 'Lankaenews' is a website owned and operated by Sandaruwan Senadheera from London, United Kingdom.

He said the contents in the said articles on the 'Lankaenews' website are tantamount to Contempt of Court and punishable under law. President’s Counsel Hemantha Warnakulasuriya appeared for the petitioner.