#Colombo Crimes Division

[anothermessagetoyou]

On the afternoon of November 1, 1975, Pasolini gave his last prophetic interview to the journalist Furio Colombo in his Roman home. He decided to title it "We are all in danger". A few hours later, on the night between November 1 and 2, Pasolini was brutally killed at the Idroscalo in Ostia (Rome), in circumstances that remain mysterious to this day. I report here some excerpts from that interview, which immediately took on the meaning of a tragic testament after the crime.

"History gives us a great example. Refusal has always been an essential gesture. Saints, hermits, but also intellectuals. The few who have made history are those who said no, not the courtiers and assistants of cardinals. Refusal to work must be great, not small, total, not on this or that point, "absurd", not common sense."

"First tragedy: a common, compulsory and wrong education that pushes us all into the arena of having everything at all costs. In this arena we are pushed like a strange and dark army in which someone has the cannons and someone has the bars. So a first, classic division is "to be with the weak". But I say that, in a certain sense, everyone is weak, because everyone is a victim. And everyone is guilty, because everyone is ready to play the game of massacre. Just to have. The education received was: to have, to possess, to destroy."

"I miss the poor and real people who fought to overthrow that master without becoming that master. Since they were excluded from everything, no one had colonized them. I am afraid of these blacks in revolt, equal to the master, just as many predators, who want everything at any cost."

"And you are, with school, television, the calmness of your newspapers, you are the great conservatives of this horrendous order based on the idea of ​​possessing and the idea of ​​destroying. Blessed are you who are all happy when you can put a nice label on a crime. To me this seems like another of the many operations of mass culture. Unable to prevent certain things from happening, one finds peace by building shelves."

"I don't want to talk about myself anymore, maybe I've said too much. Everyone knows that I pay for my experiences personally. But there are also my books and my films. Maybe I'm wrong. But I continue to say that we are all in danger."

Rarely have words and concepts, expressed with such conviction and lucidity, been more prophetic than these. Unfortunately. The poet director will be killed a few hours later, in an anonymous football pitch on the outskirts of town, and the crime will be quickly labeled, by a hasty and awkward justice system, as a "violent act linked to the world of homosexuals". But the mysteries, the shadows, the inconsistencies, the unclear facts, the testimonies never heard and the sensational media twists that followed are still many and are all still there. Waiting to be clarified, if it ever really happens. Pasolini, and also his tragic death, have always scared those in power. And, 50 years later, things do not seem to have changed.

via Rocco Parondi

[tvaraj]

Former Embezzler Is Now the Minister of Trade, Commerce, and Food Security in Sri Lanka.

Former Embezzler Is Now the Minister of Trade, Commerce, and Food Security in Sri Lanka.

Nalin Fernando Kachchakaduge Nalin Ruwanjeewa Fernando (born May 8, 1973) is a Sri Lankan politician and Member of Parliament. Nalin Fernando got educated at Joseph Vaz College, Wennappuwa, Sri Lanka.. He has a Postgraduate Degree in Business Management from the University of Colombo and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Northampton. He has held various senior…

[humanrightsupdates]

Urgent Action: Former Police Investigator Detained With Covid-19 (Sri Lanka)

Shani Abeysekara, the former director of the Sri Lankan Criminal Investigations Department (CID) tested positive for COVID-19 on 24 November 2020. 

According to the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka, he was recently transferred to a remote prisoner treatment center, reportedly against his wishes and without his family being informed of his health situation or whereabouts. 

Detained since 31 July 2020, his family believes that he is being targeted for exposing human rights abuses implicating top politicians. There is grave concern for his life, safety, health and wellbeing as he suffers from existing heart conditions and diabetes.

Shani Abeysekera, the former director of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Sri Lanka Police, oversaw the investigations into a number of emblematic human rights cases. 

These included the case of the forcibly disappeared cartoonist Prageeth Ekneligoda, the assault on journalist Upali Tennekoon, the murder of journalist Lasantha Wickrematunge and the disappearance of 11 youth (the ‘Navy 11’). Current members of the government and their close associates, including president Gotabaya Rajapaksa were implicated in some of these investigations. 

Days after Gotabaya Rajapaksa won the Presidential elections in November 2019, Shani Abeysekera was demoted by the National Police Commission to serve as the personal assistant to the Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) to the Southern Province, without any prior disciplinary action or investigation. He is seeking redress for his transfer in a fundamental rights petition before the Supreme Court, alleging that he was removed from the post after the last Presidential election and transferred without a valid reason. The current Government has accused Abeysekara of carrying out a political agenda. 

On 31 July 2020, the Colombo Crimes Division (CCD) arrested Abeysekara over allegations of concealing evidence in a weapons case involving the former DIG made by a Police Sub-Inspector. However, media reports indicate that the Police Sub-Inspector later claimed before a Magistrate court that officers of the (CCD) had threatened to arrest him unless he made a false statement implicating Abeysekera of fabricating evidence.

TAKE ACTION:

Write a letter in your own words or using the sample below as a guide to one or both government officials listed. You can also email, fax, call or Tweet them.

Click here to let us know the actions you took on Urgent Action 168.20. It’s important to report because we share the total number with the officials we are trying to persuade and the people we are trying to help.

[rockofeye]

Spiritual Colonialism and the Doctrine of Discovery

On the eve of the annual US celebration of the colonial occupation and settlement of Indigenous lands and the long-term, still-unfolding process of eradication of Indigenous cultures and nations, it’s important to think about how this came about, how the concepts of the Doctrine of Discovery have harmed Indigenous spiritual systems, how these concepts are still alive and well among spiritual seekers, and how to divest ourselves and our spiritual communities of this specific flavor of spiritual violence.

The Doctrine of Discovery was primarily established by the Roman Catholic Church in the 15th century, and was utilized as a means of conversion of discovered peoples in what European nation-states saw as unclaimed territories. As government structures in that time period and for quite awhile after that were very mixed with religious structures (the pope was considered equal to or above sitting monarchs), this bled from missionary activities to government-funded explorations of previously unknown territories. Cristoforo Colombo/Christopher Columbus is a good example of this; his funding coming from the Spanish crown, which in turn had sought the approval of the papal state. The Conquistadors (literally ‘conquerors’) were missioned out in the same way: sail for new land, claim it for the monarch, and convert and enslave anyone already living there. The Crusades were similar: claim/re-claim primarily the Holy Land/Jerusalem for the Church (and other territories later) from Muslim rule (interestingly, participation in the Crusades was considered as an indulgence of sorts--the Church promised remission of sins for going to slaughter Muslims).

As most of us know, all of these ‘undiscovered lands’ were already populated with complex societies that had all the trappings of European city-states: government structures, division of labor, technological pursuits, family structures and units, and, perhaps most important in the quest for land as funded by the Church, spiritual and religious beliefs and systems. All of these European invaders showed up to Indigenous nations and, by most early accounts, were welcomed warmly. In return, these invaders brought diseases that killed wide swaths of the established societies, used interpersonal and large-scale violence to control and conquer, and did what we know as colonialism: seized land, declared it belonging to someone else, and essentially did a pop-up of European culture on the spot. 

The thread that kept this alive in European culture and religion was the belief that these pre-existing cultures were inferior to European thought and belief. What was present was clearly not the same as European culture but instead of being able to use higher thinking skills and reason out that what is different is not inherently evil, colonizers under the direction of religious monarchs declared these differences as spiritually poisoned, demonic, and uncivilized. This brought forth what quickly became an overculture of white supremacy that declared all non-European influenced thought as in need of conversion and erased differences in European cultures.

At the same time, missionaries had been spreading into the Kongo basin region of Africa. Christianity had been present in northern Africa essentially since the very beginning; many early figures in Christian history were recorded as being from Africa, three early popes were recorded as being Black, and the first recorded established Christian monastic community dates to the early 1100s in modern day Algeria. But, in the 1400s, the Portuguese arrived and spread inward. Many accounts from the Kongo region talk about Catholic beliefs being folded into Indigenous beliefs without real issue (and this is reflected in a lot of Kongo art from that period) and a significant number of folks from the Kongo region were already aware of Catholicism--and in some cases willingly converted--before the Middle Passage and Age of Enslavement began. 

But as the Age of Discovery waned, the Doctrine of Discovery did not. Instead, it has continued to play out in interactions between religious bodies and Indigenous communities as well as government entities and Indigenous communities. It is almost 2020 and the Roman Catholic Church has still not done with with the Doctrine of Discovery, as published and supported in many papal bulls/documents issued by a pope re: official Church policy and belief.

In the US, we see this in the continual denial of basic rights to Indigenous individuals and nations. Treaties are still not honored, the sitting government still gets to decide who is an ‘Indian’ and who is not, blood quantum has been enforced by government entities and trickled to nation governments, and individuals and groups continue to suffer at the hands of colonialist rule. To even determine if you can be called a Native American, you must consult the Dawes Rolls/Final Rolls, which was essentially a census of individuals associated with five recognized Indigenous nations in the US, to determine if an ancestor of yours was named there. Given that there are currently 573 recognized tribal groups and nations in the US, the problem with this is obvious...and that does not even take into account the number of tribes and nations who cannot receive federal recognition due to low membership, blood quantum debates, or lack of financial resources to fight the colonialist government. Indigenous government services are some of the lowest funded services in the US, and the statistics of poverty, hunger, murdered and missing Indigenous woman, and substance use among Indigenous individuals is staggering...all of which can be related to lack of funding and support.

This doesn’t even account for the historic--and present--reality of ‘Indian schools’ in the US and Canada that were essentially re-education camps aimed at stripping Indigenous children of their cultural identity and family, and indoctrinating them with Catholic beliefs. There’s a lot of blood of a lot of hands about that, and it is shameful that the Church has not taken an official stance of removing the doctrines that support these crimes against humanity.

In Haiti, the Doctrine of Discovery has taken an interesting and insidious new turn. The Catholic Church is very present, but in a lot of ways has become somewhat socially neutered..there are a lot of services provided by Catholic orgs that DEFINITELY express some of the racist ‘noble savage’ arguments and engage in a lot of voluntourism, but the real problem is the Protestants.

In the last 10-15 years, the presence Protestant missions and missionaries have exploded in Haiti. Almost to a fault, they incite social and cultural violence towards practitioners of the Indigenous religion of Haiti (Haitian Vodou), and they utilize American-derived prosperity gospel ideals twisted to really disgusting ends: convert and we will give you food. In a nation where food insecurity and malnutrition are literally life and death issues, this is an outright abuse of essential human rights. Religious gatekeeping of what people need to survive is beyond words (this also plays out in the US via orgs like the Salvation Army).

One of the most painful things I have ever watched was a Haitian megachurch pastor in Port-au-Prince promising abundance if only people would denounce their Vodou practice and be exorcised of their ‘demons’. The footage of this aired on CNN, and what CNN didn’t know was what was being said by the woman being exorcised was not speaking in tongues, but a spirit who had mounted the head of the sèvitè begging not to be sent away and for this to be stopped. This particular megachurch is backed by American missionaries, and their Haitian partner-pastors know exactly what they are doing.

Protestants can’t stop at that sort of stuff, though...they engage in outright violence as well. I have heard first hand accounts from family members of being assaulted on their way home from ceremonies because they were wearing white clothes (standard dress for most ceremonies), and Protestants show up to LOUDLY protest ceremonies often with cars that have large speakers hooked up to broadcast music and messages of damnation/redemption. I’ve seen and heard that myself, with Protestants standing outside my mother’s compound during my initiation and other ceremonies and confronting house members about their presence there. They desecrate sacred spaces and are generally awful.

This has American roots in that this style of Protestant religion and engagement directly grows from the hellfire and damnation style of Southern US conservative Protestantism. It’s a not-so-subtle insertion of white supremacy couched as religious belief.

In all of this, the Doctrine of Discovery lives and thrives and gains ground; the work of Protestants on the island--both American-influenced Haitian groups and awful American voluntourists in matching tshirts that I see EVERY SINGLE TIME I fly to or from Haiti--is to repress culture, convert people, and grow a militant power base.

But, the current iterations of the Doctrine of Discovery and how they interact with Indigenous religions is not limited to actual in-person missionary encounters. The internet has made this particularly insidious via the ease of access to some information about the religions. Many people discover that Vodou (and other Traditional or Diasporic religions) is actually a real-deal non-tourist thing on the internet, which is not in and of itself a bad thing.

It becomes bad when it starts getting scooped up out of context and re-packaged to fit other agendas. What does this look like? Sometimes it’s neo-pagans trying to cast the lwa as cartoonish, toothless figures who are only present to bring us thing and do our bidding--all of these ‘Ezili Freda amulets’ and ‘Ogou elekes’ and Legba-as-a-candy-swilling-devil things and backyard pup-tent ‘kanzos’. Sometimes it is stripping Haitian Vodou of it’s inherent Haitian-ness and repackaging it in a pan-Africanist light, where Hathor is Ezili Freda is Oshun is Mama Chola and it all descends from thoughts and feelings about what ancient Egyptian culture was. Sometimes it is trying to drag the lwa into hoodoo, rootwork, and conjure as beings who can be sent out to do work with no license to ask for that, no ceremony, and no understanding of the dynamics of the religion. Sometimes it is the ascertain that Vodou is really just about what you think or feel connected to, not a continuous line of historical, lineaged practice. Sometimes it is the idea that elders are irrelevant and someone can improve upon what they are taught or do it in a way that they feel is more authentic. Sometimes it is casting the lwa as vegetarian/vegan because animal sacrifice doesn’t feel marketable. Sometimes it is treating the religion as a treasure chest that can be mined--pay what is conceived of as an ‘entrance fee’ and then collect all the information that is thought to be important while ignoring what the religion actually is.

The internet has created this brand of self-appointed experts who use their own discovery of Indigenous practice as a means to feel or present themselves as some sort of spooky without actually bothering to speak to the people who carry the culture and religion. This isn’t dependent on skin tone or background, and it isn’t dependent on initiation or not; plenty of non-white folks do this and plenty of folks who initiate into the religion use it like a vending machine and point at their initiation as a reason why they can do that or as a way to say that what they are doing is without fault. 

It all relates back to the Doctrine of Discovery as an assertion of ‘we know better’. It’s become more insidious because it can be couched in language and images that look right to folks who may not know how to look at the religion, but it’s still the same old thing. 

So, what to do?

There’s no real easy solution to spiritual colonialism because there is no one prevailing Indigenous religion anywhere with one central governing body. It’s not as simple as ‘don’t provide access’ and ‘don’t document’ because that is contrary to what the lwa of Haitian Vodou have largely expressed that they want, and it’s not as direct as going toe-to-toe with folks we feel are being exploitative because, frankly, it would be an unending battle and practitioners have too much stuff to do as it is.

There are ways to engage and explore our own internal biases and colonial attitudes, though, and steps to take if we have begun a process of determining whether an Indigenous religious community might welcome us or if we are simply interested in knowing more:

Do the homework. Research and reflect. While Indigenous practices do not live in books, books can be useful for gaining historical understanding and cultural context for folks who did not grow up in the Indigenous practice they are in contact with or want to learn more about. Compare and contrast what you are reading and push at the differences--why does this author say that? What is their source material? What is the general opinion of their source material? Who are their informants? What is their personal history, if any, with the religion? Read the bibliography, and go find those sources. The Columbusing of Indigenous religions and fraudulent folks bank on the idea that people are uneducated and won’t look further. Read critically. Question influences.

Ask questions. Find elders and culture bearers of the religion and ask if they might have a little time to chat with you about their experiences and practice of their religion. Many, MANY elders and practitioners are quite happy to share what their religion means to them with a respectful party. Be prepared to compensate them for their time and energy.

Ask questions, again. If folks are presenting themselves as knowledgeable or are presenting things about the religion that seem somewhat out of touch (see Do the homework), ask them where they learned these things and who their elders or authorities are. These should not be hard questions to answer, nor should anyone tapdance around them.

Learn the language. If a religion has a written body of knowledge, it will likely be in the cultural or liturgical religion which, if you are allowed to access that body of knowledge, you will need to learn. Many Indigenous religions are passed orally, and so the language is a must as many important things are lost in translation. With Vodou, when folks claim there is no good written information about the religion this inevitably points to them only looking for information in English, as there is an IMMENSE body of solid work in Kreyòl ayisyen, French, and, surprisingly, German. If you are welcomed to participate somewhere, learning the language is a must. For instance, in Vodou, all services are conducted in Kreyòl with bits of French, and it is a mark of respect to work towards fluency and it is necessary if one wants or needs to travel to Haiti for ceremony.

Support the communities. Spend your money with Indigenous groups or orgs...make donations that support communities and buy products and services from legitimate practitioners. If there are public events and/or political movements by Indigenous religious groups, attend them and/or boost the visibility of them. Ask how you can help (and be prepared to be told you cannot without getting offended) and listen/observe what is being said and taught.

Decentralize experience. Personal experience IS central to religion and spiritual practice, but when folks are being invited to ceremony or into an Indigenous practice, it is not just about our experience...there is an entire community that is drawn together and has it’s own means. methods, and reality. We can center the community without losing our own experience, and that’s good practice towards undoing to colonial influence that places Self at center stage at the expense of the broader Us.

These are places to start, but the whole of the work will unfold as steps are taken forward. It is the labor of outsiders to do this, versus expecting the insiders of the Indigenous practice to carry the burden of unpacking bias along the lines of the Doctrine of Discovery. Rejecting colonial actions and filters means doing the heavy lifting, which everyone is capable of if we remain willing to engage in this way.

On the day of celebration of colonialism and destruction of Indigenous communities, I challenge folks to explore their own internalized colonialism towards the othered Indigenous communities of our local areas. What are our attitudes towards Indigenous communities? What do we think about and feel when we see commentary that tells the truth about what Thanksgiving is? How do we engage with the idea that our current lives are built on the colonization of lands and communities that were already established before we got here? How do we engage with the idea that we continue to benefit from colonialism as non-Indigenous individuals living in settler states? What definitive actions can we take to contribute to reparitive attitudes and actions that recognize the reality of colonialism in our current societies?

Writing from illegally occupied Massa-adchu-es-et land, and bearing benefits from illegally occupied Nipmuck lands and un-ceded Taino territory, I wish you a thoughtful and reflective Day of Mourning and research-driven National Native American Day.

[etthawitthi]

Arrested Arjuna granted bail

Arrested Arjuna granted bail

Colombo Chief Magistrate has granted bail for MP Arjuna Ranatunga, who was arrested by the Colombo Crimes Division earlier today (29).

The former Minister has been released on a surety bail of Rs. 500,000.

Colombo Crimes Division (CCD) has arrested MP Arjuna Ranatunga over the shooting incident at Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) and produced him before the Colombo Magistrate’s Court.

Three…

[newstfionline]

Headlines

More reasons for a good night’s sleep (LI) In case you need more reasons to get enough rest: A lack of sleep takes a sizable toll on your cardiovascular, mental and reproductive health, U.C. Berkeley’s Matt Walker recently told an audience at the TED conference in Vancouver. It also hampers your ability to do a good job, at work and elsewhere. When we get fewer than six hours of shut eye, we are less likely to tackle hard problems, our ability to learn new information declines and we are more prone to ethical lapses, Walker recently told LinkedIn’s Isabelle Roughol.

The toll of wrongful convictions (The Intercept) Before the charges against him were finally dismissed, Richard Phillips spent more than 45 years in prison for a crime he did not commit, earning him the dubious distinction of having been locked up longer than any other exoneree to date. He is one of 2,425 wrongfully convicted individuals exonerated since 1989, who have collectively spent more than 21,000 years behind bars.

Over 1,000 quarantined in measles scare at LA universities (AP) More than 1,000 students and staff members at two Los Angeles universities were quarantined on campus or sent home this week in one of the most sweeping efforts yet by public health authorities to contain the spread of measles in the U.S., where cases have reached a 25-year high. The action at the University of University of California, Los Angeles, and California State University, Los Angeles--which together have more than 65,000 students--reflected the seriousness with which public health officials are taking the nation’s outbreak.

Colombia’s Trasandino Pipeline Bombed for Seventh Time in 2019 (Reuters) Colombia’s Trasandino oil pipeline was bombed late on Friday in western Narino province, spilling crude into a nearby stream, state-run oil company Ecopetrol SA said, the seventh time it has been attacked this year.

Austerity-Battered U.K. ‘Retreating Behind a Nuclear Shield’ (NYT) As Britain spends heavily on big-ticket items like nuclear-armed submarines, its military is no longer deemed capable of defending the homeland by itself.

French Police, Yellow Vests Protesters Clash in Strasbourg (Reuters) French police fired tear gas to push back protesters who tried to march towards the European Parliament building in Strasbourg on Saturday, the 24th consecutive weekend of protests against President Emmanuel Macron’s policies.

Voting Starts in Spain With Suspense High After Tense Campaign (Reuters) Voting started on Sunday in Spain’s most divisive and open-ended election in decades, set to result in a fragmented parliament in which the far-right will get a sizeable presence for the first time since the country’s return to democracy.

Churches Fall Silent in Sri Lanka a Week After Attacks (Reuters) Churches across Sri Lanka suspended Sunday mass and the Archbishop of Colombo delivered a televised special sermon from a chapel at his home, as fears of more attacks remained a week after suicide bombers killed over 250 in churches and hotels.

Xi: China wants to expand sprawling infrastructure project (AP) President Xi Jinping called for more countries to join China’s sprawling infrastructure-building initiative as other leaders expressed support Saturday for a project Washington worries is increasing Beijing’s strategic influence.

Thousands Take to Hong Kong Streets to Protest New Extradition Laws (Reuters) Thousands of people marched on Hong Kong’s parliament on Sunday to demand the scrapping of proposed extradition rules that would allow people to be sent to mainland China for trial--a move which some fear puts the city’s core freedoms at risk.

More Than 270 Died From Overwork-Related Illnesses in Indonesia Elections (Reuters) Ten days after Indonesia held the world’s biggest single-day elections, more than 270 election staff have died, mostly of fatigue-related illnesses caused by long hours of work counting millions of ballot papers by hand, an official said on Sunday.

Australian PM Promises Migration Cut, Refugee Freeze if Re-elected (Reuters) Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, trailing in opinion polls ahead of a May 18 election, on Sunday campaigned on the hot-button issue of immigration, promising to cut annual migrant numbers and freeze the country’s refugee intake.

Air Strike Hits Tripoli as Eastern Libyan Forces Send Warship to Oil Port (Reuters) Air strikes hit the Libyan capital late on Saturday as eastern forces loyal to Khalifa Haftar pursued a three-week campaign to take Tripoli and also confirmed for the first time they had dispatched a warship to an oil port.

Algerian Protest Leader Calls for Six-Month Transition Period (Reuters) Algeria needs six months to prepare free elections, a protest leader said on Saturday, and called for the transition from 20 years of rule by President Abdelaziz Bouteflika to be managed by a former minister respected by protesters as well as Islamists.

Serious Flooding in Mozambique in Wake of Cyclone Kenneth (AP) Serious flooding began on Sunday in parts of northern Mozambique that were hit by Cyclone Kenneth three days ago, with waters waist-high in areas, after the government urged many people to immediately seek higher ground. Hundreds of thousands of people were at risk.

South Africa Marks Freedom Day, End of Apartheid (AP) South Africans attended celebrations on Saturday on Freedom Day, the public holiday marking the 25th anniversary of the end of apartheid. Many waved the South African flag at the festivities which featured speeches focusing on the progress made in the past quarter-century and the many challenges that still must be tackled, including unemployment and inequality.

Militant Attacks Kill 22 Government Troops in North Syria (AP) Al-Qaida-linked militants launched attacks early Saturday on government forces positions in northern Syria killing and wounding dozens in the latest violation of a seven-month truce in the last major rebel stronghold in the country.

[dragoni]

Trump and co-conspirators #MuellerIsComingForYou

1. John Gotti

Mueller, who was serving as U.S. Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division, had to make the call on whether or not to take up known killer and second-in-command, Salvatore “The Bull” Gravano, on his offer to rat out Gotti.

Ultimately, a deal was struck and Sammy the Bull sang on his former boss, earning him a five-year sentence, and putting Gotti away for life. After earning the nickname the “Teflon Don” for multiple previous acquittals, Gotti’s incarceration forever diminished the power of the once-influential criminal organization. Gotti died in federal prison in 2002.

2. Manuel Noriega

Mueller, whose low-key gutsy style attracted powerbrokers in the Department of Justice, was personally tapped by George W. Bush’s attorney general Dick Thornburgh to help lead the prosecution of Noriega.

Mueller was working as the U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts when he got the call and according to a Princeton alumni report, was on the next plane.  On April 9, 1992, Noriega was convicted on eight counts of drug smuggling and racketeering. He received a 40-year sentence, reduced to 30 years, and served 17 years before being extradited to France for money laundering, signed on the order of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

3. La Cosa Nostra Round-up:

In 2011, the F.B.I. under Mueller, orchestrated the biggest blow to organized crime in history. On January 20, 2011, the F.B.I. arrested 127 mafia members and accomplices from seven crime families, among them: Bonanno, Colombo, Gambino, Genovese, Luchese, and multiple branches of the DeCavalcante family, in the largest single-day sting on record.

4. Paul Manafort and Company:

In the words of Millennial Politics legal analyst Tracy Green, “Manafort is like a mafia guy, and he’s playing for keeps.” In our recent legal explainer on why Manafort blew up his plea deal, she said, he doesn’t “want to rat.”

Trump’s former campaign manager built his career on rehabbing dictators, from Russian-puppet Viktor Yanukovych who Manafort helped cop the presidency of the Ukraine, to the kleptocrat of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos.

Both were forced to flee their countries due to corruption and human rights violations and Manafort’s next alleged kleptocrat was his former employer, Trump, whose entire presidency* has lurked under a cloud of murk.

[athibanenglish]

Ex-strongman Rajapaksa's son arrested in Lanka

Ex-strongman Rajapaksa’s son arrested in Lanka

COLOMBO: Former Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa‘s son was arrested on Saturday along with four other people over money laundering allegations. Yoshitha Rajapaksa, the second son of ex-strongman Mahinda was, arrested and quizzed this morning by the police’s Financial Crimes Division (FCID) at the Sri Lankan Navy headquarters, a navy spokesman said. He and four others have been arrested on…

[lkexposed]

European Parliament Works WONDERS In Sri Lanka

Court of Appeal Order Leaves CCD Case Against Shani Abeysekera In Tatters FacebookTwitterWhatsAppShare

The Court of Appeal tore the police case against Shani Abeysekera to pieces in its bail order, calling the charges a sham designed to ‘prejudice and harm’ the star criminal investigator and former CID Chief by the ‘backers of convicted murderers.”

The Court slammed what it called “extraordinary delays” filing the complaint against Abeysekera and three junior officers who investigated the Mohammed Shiyam murder in 2013. Two witnesses in the trial came forward in 2020, to claim Abeysekera had coerced their testimony and fabricated evidence to implicate DIG Vas Gunewardane who was convicted of the murder by a High Court Trial-at-Bar. The case against Shani Abeysekera is being investigated by the Colombo Crime Division (CCD) which Vas Gunewardane led before he faced trial for murder.

But the Court of Appeal in its 14 page order granting bail to Abeysekera, said the delays strongly demonstrated that”the allegations against the suspect Shani Abeysekera are a result of falsification and embellishment”, and a “creature of afterthought”.

According to the Court of Appeal, complaining about Abeysekera’s conduct during a murder investigation eight years ago cost the complaint the “benefit of the advantage of spontaneity.” The Court of Appeal said the complainants had ample time and ability to make the complaint.

The delayed complaint “smacks of the introduction of a fabricated, false version and an exaggerated account or concocted story involving a set of collaborators or conspirators to unduly cause prejudice and harm to the suspect Shani Abeysekera,” the Court of Appeal said in its order.

The Court of Appeal sits in the Superior Courts Complex in Hulftsdorp, Colombo

The CA Order, written by Justice Bandula Karunaratne, said that the statements provided by witnesses who complained against Abeysekera in 2020 are contradictory to statements they had made in 2014, when the murder probe was underway.

The Court observed that the police had made a “blatant attempt to frame allegations through fabrication of false evidence” against Abeysekera, by reporting the statements of “apparent backers and supporters or collaborators of the convicted murderers” before the Magistrate’s Court of Gampaha.

The Court of Appeal said that based on the material presented to court, no credible evidence had been provided to substantiate the position that Abeysekera had committed offences under the Penal Code, and the Offensive Weapons and Explosives Act. “No credible evidence had been brought to the attention of the Court to substantiate this position or credibly establish a semblance of a prima facie case,” the Court of Appeal said, referring to the CCD Investigation against Abeysekera.

The Court order said that while Abeysekera had been in remand custody for 10 months, there was no cogent material before Court to establish that witnesses had been intimidated by the ex-CID Director.

The order also noted that evidence had been presented to court by Abeysekera’s lawyers that his health was failing.

“Considering the totality of the material placed before us, I am of the considered view that the suspect Shani Abeysekera be enlarged on bail, subject to strict conditions imposed by this Court,” the order said.

Read the Court of Appeal Order of June 16, 2021 in full here:

The witnesses came forward to complain against Abeysekera only after the election of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in November 2019. DIG Vas Gunewardane, the convicted murderer, is a close associate of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. Colombo Telegraph learns that as Defence Secretary in 2013/2014, Rajapaksa tried hard to scuttle the Mohammed Shiyam murder probe, when Abeysekera and his team nabbed DIG Vas Gunewardane for the killing. Vas Gunewardane’s appeal is pending before a five judge bench of the Supreme Court, and the witch-hunt launched against Abeysekera is tied to attempts to have the case thrown out of court, Colombo Telegraph learns.

Former Colombo Crime Division DIG Vas Gunewardane was convicted for murder and sentenced to death by a High Court Trial at Bar in November 2015

Damaging the credibility of Shani Abeysekera’s investigations meets a twin objective for President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. For nearly two years now, the President has been struggling to justify a pardon for Duminda Silva, another convicted murderer on death row. Silva has exhausted all appeals available to him under the Sri Lankan criminal justice system. As Monitoring MP to the Ministry of Defence (MoD) in 2010-2012, Silva had an especially intimate relationship with the current president and former defence secretary. During his time as Monitoring MP, Silva used his influence at MoD to wage war on rivals of his narcotics trafficking operation, using the Sri Lankan forces, with the blessings of then Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa Colombo Telegraph learns. Silva continues to run one of the most efficient drug-trafficking operations from within prison walls in Welikada. Since President Rajapaksa’s election in 2019, Silva has served his death row sentence in the hospital wing of the Welikada prison, where he is afforded all creature comforts.

It was Shani Abeysekera’s investigation that led to Duminda Silva’s conviction for the murder of Premachandra by a High Court Trial at Bar. If his investigations are cast into doubt and the former CID Director is tried and jailed for falsifying evidence, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa will win the leverage he needs to issue a presidential pardon for Duminda Silva, without inviting a hailstorm of public outrage. A well-known drug lord in Colombo, Silva is widely unpopular among the Sri Lankan middle classes, although he continues to enjoy some grassroots support in Kolonnawa and Central Colombo areas, where his gangs run illegal narcotics. (Nimal Ratnaweera)

Lion Wednesday, 16 June 2021 10:40 AM

This news bring a great relief ,for the ordinary law abiding people,who craves for justice.

Chris Wednesday, 16 June 2021 11:00 AM

Finally. The EU threat is working. Now release the other political prisoners as well.

Kosappu Wednesday, 16 June 2021 11:03 AM

Thanks European Parliament

Lalith Wednesday, 16 June 2021 11:06 AM

11 months too late .... but better late at least .... the regions best detective .... we salute you Sir for not cowing to the severe harassment inflicted on you over this extended period .... you stand so tall as an honorable and true servant for the public. Thank you Sir.

S Prasad Wednesday, 16 June 2021 11:06 AM

Great news for the law-abiding people in the country.

Lumbini Wednesday, 16 June 2021 11:08 AM

Finally.

SIRA Wednesday, 16 June 2021 11:32 AM

Thanks Human rights ONE COUNTRY ONE LAW

Sri Wickrema Wednesday, 16 June 2021 11:34 AM

Without pressure, nothing happens in a banana republic.

Hudson Wednesday, 16 June 2021 11:47 AM

Power of GSP . Thank u EU. Please make sure Ranjan Ramsnayake released too. He was given a excessive prison term for just being outspoken.

Wipula Wednesday, 16 June 2021 11:48 AM

Law is equal to all. Was that principle applied to Shani Abeysekara?

Sambo Wednesday, 16 June 2021 11:48 AM

Thank you sir for not giving in to baboons and their pressure. We wish Good health, peace and happiness . Thank you for the yeoman service you have given this country.

[undergroundalbania]

FBI surveillance photograph of Alex Rudaj, outside Jimbo’s Bar in Astoria, Queens on April 15, 2003

The Rudaj Organization was the name given the Albanian mafia in the New York City metro area, so named for the man accused of being its kingpin, Alex Rudaj of Yorktown, New York. The Rudaj Organization, called “The Corporation” by its members, was started in 1993 in Westchester and spread to the Bronxand Queens. Prosecutors say the Albanian gang was headed by Alex Rudaj and an Italiannamed Nardino Colotti who had ties to the late Gambino soldier Skinny Phil LoscalzoAlex Rudaj (also known as Allie Boy, Uncle Rudaj, Xhaxhai,) of Yorktown, New York is the alleged boss of the Albanian mafia’s Rudaj Organization, based in the New York City metro area. Rudaj is an ethnic Albanian from Ulcinj, Montenegro who immigrated to the United States in 1987. Federal prosecutors said Rudaj was the triggerman in a 1996 shooting of another organized crime figure after a high-speed chase in the Bronx. Rudaj hung out the sunroof of a car and fired at Guy Peduto as he fled in another car. They also described an incident where Rudaj showed up with 20 thugs to get late mob boss John Gotti’s table at Rao’s, the legendary and exclusive East Harlem Italian restaurant. On Friday, June 16, 2006, Alex Rudaj, 38, was sentenced to 27 years in federal prison for racketeering, extortion and gambling offenses.

Nardino Colotti (born 1963) of the Bronx, New York, is an Italian American protégé of the late Gambino soldier Phil (Skinny Phil) Loscalzo and co-leader of the Albanian Mafia Rudaj Organization. In addition to gambling dens in Queens the Rudaj Organization ran gambling operations in Mount Vernon and Port Chester. Nardino Colotti’s group had a gambling joint on Adee Street in Port Chester and forced bar owners in Mount Vernon to install their illegal gambling machines. In one instance, Colotti’s group tried to force Salvatore Misale, the owner of Puerto Roja in Mount Vernon, to hand over his bar to the Corporation. Misale went to authorities in 2003 after he endured a beating at a Bronx cafe over his refusal to hand over the keys to the bar. Lamaj and Misale sliced his ear off and then beat and cursed at him. On October 26, 2004, the FBI and Manhattan U.S. Attorney David Kelley announced the arrest of the group’s alleged boss, Alex Rudaj, and 21 other reputed mob members charged in the indictment. Kelley’s office said it believes the indictment is the first federal racketeering case in the United States against an alleged organized crime enterprise run by Albanians. Kelly neglected to mention a smaller Albanian-Italian drug smuggling operation indicted by federal authorities in Brooklyn since 1981, from which known crime associate was also charged but only received 2 years at sentencing. Several of the defendants indicted in the case are not Albanian - the organization has soldiers that are Greek, Arab and Italian - but most of the defendants in the case were either native Albanians or first-generation Albanian-Americans.

During a bail hearing for one of the two dozen people arrested in the case, Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Treanor said that the Albanian mob had taken over the operations of the Lucchese family in Astoria, Queens. Rudaj lead an attack in August 2001 on two Greek associates of the Lucchese crime family who ran a gambling racket inside a Greek social club called Soccer Fever at 26-80 30th St. in Queens. On August 3, 2001 Rudaj and at least six other men entered the club with guns, beating one of the men in the head with a pistol and chasing others out of the neighborhood by threatening to destroy the building.

Gambino leader Arnold Squitieri had had enough and wanted a talk with these rogue mobsters. The “sit down” took place at a gas station in a rest area near the New Jersey turnpike. Twenty armed Gambino mobsters accompanied Squitieri. Alex Rudaj on the other hand had only managed to bring six members of his crew. According to undercover FBI agent Joaquin Garcia, who infiltrated the Gambino crime family during this period, Squitieri told Rudaj that the fun was over and that they should stop expanding their operations. The Albanians and Gambinos then pulled out their weapons. Knowing they were outnumbered, the Albanians threatened to blow up the gas station with all of them in it. This ended the discussion, and both groups pulled back.

By 2006 all of the main players involved in this “sit down” were in prison. Rudaj and then personal driver and bodyguard Lumaj including all members of Sixth Family had been picked off the street in October 2004 and charged with a variety of racketeering and gambling charges. After a trial Rudaj and his main lieutenants were all found guilty. In 2006 Rudaj, at that time 38 years old, was sentenced to 27 years in prison. His rival Arnold Squitieri was convicted in an unrelated racketeering case and was sent to prison for seven years.

“What we have here might be considered a sixth crime family,” after the five Mafia organizations — Bonanno, Colombo, Gambino, Genovese and Lucchese — said Fred Snelling, head of the FBI’s criminal division in New York.

To date, over 20 members of the Rudaj organization have been charged with various crimes. Six of its top leaders, including Alex Rudaj himself, have been convicted. Ten more have pleaded guilty.

[news24fresh]

Sri Lanka’s Easter bombings probe is at final stages, say police

Sri Lanka’s Easter bombings probe is at final stages, say police

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Sri Lanka’s probe into the April 2019 Easter terror bombings is in its “final stages”, authorities have said, while raising suspicion that the suicide bombers were funded by “two foreign outfits”.

The Colombo Crime Division, Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and the Terrorism Investigation Department (TID), who are investigating the attacks of last summer, have arrested over 200…

[toldnews-blog]

New Post has been published on https://toldnews.com/world/asia-pacific/a-new-enemy-but-the-same-hate-can-sri-lanka-heal-its-divisions/

‘A New Enemy but the Same Hate’: Can Sri Lanka Heal Its Divisions?

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Sri Lanka is an impossibly lovely island, a pendant suspended off the Indian subcontinent that for centuries attracted traders and evangelists in search of spices and souls.

But this is also a war-wounded nation that popularized the use of the suicide bomber vest, a place far more compact than the Balkans yet cleaved by more divisions: ethnic, religious and class. If it is renowned for its beauty, Sri Lanka has become equally defined by its hate.

With the government’s reluctance to address these schisms, every violent episode breeds fear that the nation will fracture in new and unexpected ways, leading to yet more bloodshed.

“We have many clashes of civilizations on a small island,” said Nirmal Ranjith Dewasiri, a University of Colombo historian of Sri Lankan national identity. “It’s hard to know how to overcome our divided history.”

This month, Sri Lanka will mark a decade of peace after 26 years of civil war between the Sinhalese-majority state and a Tamil separatist movement. But hopes of celebrating that calm were shattered last month on Easter Sunday when suicide bombers claimed by the Islamic State targeted Christian churches and luxury hotels, killing at least 250 people and weaving Sri Lanka into a web of global terrorism.

“Well, it was very nice for us to have 10 years of relative freedom and safety,” said M.A. Sumanthiran, a prominent legislator and human rights lawyer. “Now it’s back to normal in Sri Lanka. We have a new enemy but the same hate.”

Mr. Sumanthiran was sitting in his study in the capital, Colombo, effectively a hostage in his own home. Downstairs, armed guards were on alert. Months ago, military intelligence had warned that resurgent Tamil separatists wanted his assassination. Last week, they cautioned that Muslim militants also had him in their sights.

Since independence in 1948, one Sri Lankan president and one prime minister have been assassinated. Sri Lankan extremists have also killed dozens of local politicians and a former prime minister of India.

In the wake of last month’s bombings, in which repeated warnings were ignored that militants were planning attacks, some Sri Lankans have called for the return of the security state that brought an end to war in 2009. Yet that peace came at the cost of up to 40,000 Tamil lives, according to the United Nations.

A few days after the Easter attacks, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the defense chief who led that deadly final push against Tamil separatists, announced that he was running for president in elections set for later this year, on a get-tough-again platform.

Mr. Sumanthiran, a Christian Tamil, is adamant that more soldiers and the return of a feared military intelligence network are the last thing Sri Lanka needs. Mr. Rajapaksa, who is considered the front-runner in the race, is being accused of crimes against humanity in a California court.

“The heavy hand of the security state will breed extremism of all kinds,” Mr. Sumanthiran said. “Our problem is that, fundamentally, minority rights, religious or ethnic, are treated with disrespect and with force by the government. Until we resolve this, Sri Lanka will be stained in blood.”

Traveling through Sri Lanka is like venturing into a kaleidoscope, each piece shifting and separate.

A Buddhist heartland, with verdant hills and saffron-robed monks, gives way to neighborhoods of mosques and men in prayer caps. Later, along the same road, comes a Hindu village, with its diversity of gods decorating homes.

Occasionally, a cross juts out from a Roman Catholic or Protestant church or the windshield of a trishaw driver.

The Easter bombings may have been particularly bloody, but the targeting of places of worship in this multiethnic, multifaith nation is not new. In 1998, Tamil separatists attacked one of world’s holiest sites, the temple in central Sri Lanka where a relic believed to be the Buddha’s tooth is kept. That temple was also targeted in 1989 by communist extremists.

Over the course of the civil war between insurgents from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and the Sinhalese-majority state, the military descended upon Christian churches and Hindu temples where Tamils had sought refuge. The Tamil Tigers responded by massacring dozens of Buddhist monks. In 1990, they infiltrated evening prayers at two mosques, killing more than 100 Muslims who were considered government collaborators.

Sri Lanka cannot be divided neatly by race, faith or language. The population is more than 70 percent Sinhalese; most are Buddhists, a minority is Christian. Around 10 percent of the country is Tamil, largely Hindu and Christian. Muslims occupy another 10 percent and are considered a distinct ethnicity even though many speak Tamil.

The Constitution affords special status to Buddhism, which for many Sinhalese is synonymous with their ethnicity. After the Tamils were defeated, a Buddhist nationalist movement gained favor with the government, and extremist monks turned their attention to new enemies: Muslims and Christians.

Since the war’s end, dozens of mosques and churches have been attacked by Sinhalese mobs. Last year, at least one Muslim was killed in violence near the city of Kandy, where the Temple of the Tooth Relic is. This year, on Palm Sunday, a week before the Easter bombings, Sinhalese pelted stones at a center run by the Methodist church.

Sinhalese enjoy numerical superiority in Sri Lanka, but some accuse a growing evangelical Christian movement of stealing souls. They also claim that minority Muslims and Hindus have a plan to overwhelm the island by fecundity.

“I will be accused of racism, but I know what they want is a Muslim Sri Lanka,” said Dilanthe Withanage, a former spokesman for Bodu Bala Sena, the most influential Buddhist nationalist group. “By 2040, they will have a majority of the population and they will buy Sinhalese politicians to make the country run by Shariah law.”

Demographics are unlikely to prove Mr. Withanage correct. But the feeling that the Sinhalese are an embattled majority has meant that minorities receive less-than-equal treatment from the government, which in turn fosters resentment. For years, the nation’s Hindus were governed by the Buddhism ministry. Another ministry governs tourism, wildlife and Christian affairs.

“Sinhalese people don’t consider us real Sri Lankans, so maybe I can understand when Muslims are attracted by Islamic State, which welcomes them into a brotherhood,” said M.M. Moinudeen, an imam from the eastern city of Batticaloa, the site of one of the Easter bombings.

Such is the power of the Buddhist political establishment that when John Amaratunga, the minister of tourism, wildlife and Christian religious affairs, made an offhand comment in an interview about the organizational differences between Buddhism and Catholicism, aides spent 10 minutes explaining why publishing the remark could prove disastrous for communal relations.

At the Sri Manika Vinayagar Hindu Temple in Colombo, Ganeshan, a textile merchant who goes by one name, eyed the soldiers who have guarded the entrance since the Easter bombings. In the early days of Sri Lanka’s civil war, as pogroms against Tamils forced entire villages to flee, this temple housed a makeshift camp for refugees. Mr. Ganeshan was one of them.

“People talk with their tongues about peace, but their hearts are not in it, because as long as one community wants to rule another, it will not stop,” he said. “For all of us, even if this attack was Muslims against Christians, we live in fear because it could always go back again.”

But in another neighborhood of Colombo, amid houses with Arabic prayers over their doors and others with altars to Christian saints, stood a Bodhi tree and the Buddhist temple that grew around it. Kolonnawe Narada Thero, the temple abbot, said anyone was welcome. He was not scared of Buddhist extremists, he said.

After an evangelical Christian church and school were forced out of nearby premises in 2011, he welcomed the Christians and their students into his compound. Today, children supported by the Christian charity still study on temple grounds.

“If you have a garden and only have roses, it will not be as beautiful as if you have lots of different flowers,” the abbot said. “In Sri Lanka, if you only have one culture or religion, you lose the diversity, the beauty.”

[thenewsvala]

3 Suspects Arrested With 21 Hand Grenades, 6 Swords In Sri Lanka

3 Suspects Arrested With 21 Hand Grenades, 6 Swords In Sri Lanka

COLOMBO: 

Police in Sri Lanka on Thursday arrested three suspects during a raid in Colombo and seized 21 hand grenades, six swords and a van.

The raid was carried out by the Colombo Crime Division (CCD) and the Special Task Force (STF) personnel in the city’s Modara area, the Daily Mirror reported.

Meanwhile, Sri Lankan police spokesman, Ruwan Gunasekera told CNN that more than 70 suspects have…

[tripstations]

Latest in the Sri Lanka wave of terror: Holy Sites must be respected

The latest from Sri Lanka in regards to eight deadly terror attacks on Easter Sunday leaves 290 dead and more than 500 people injured.

Among the dead are also foreign tourists including 3 from India, 1 from Portugal, 2 from Turkey, 3 from the UK, and 2 with both a U.S. and U.K. citizenship 9 foreigners are missing, 25 unidentified bodies are also believed to be foreigners.

The German embassy is working on identifying possible German tourists among the victims.

Bombs explosions were reported yesterday in eight locations

Katuwapitiya Church

Kochikade Church

Church in Batticaloa

Shangri-La Hotel, Colombo

Cinnamon Grand hotel

Kingsbury Hotel, Colombo

Dehiwala

Dematagoda

An improvised explosive device (IED) was discovered in close proximity to the Bandaranaike International Airport in Colombo last night. The IED was successfully diffused and detonated by the members of the Sri Lanka Air Force. The bomb was discovered along the Adiambalama road, in close proximity to the BIA hours before President Maithripala Sirisena returned to the country.

According to the Crime Division of the Sri Lanka Police (CCD) 13 individuals linked to the attack last night were arrested and 10 of them were later transferred into the custody for further investigations.

Officers of the Wellwatte police late last night managed to take into custody a van and a driver believed to have been used to transport the attackers. 24 people have been arrested thus far in relation to the incidents.

Schools and Universities remain closed, scheduled government examinations have been postponed. The Colombo Stock Exchange last night announced that they would not be open for trading until further notice.

The United States of America and the United Kingdom have issued travel advisories for Sri Lanka.

In the meantime, curfews and social media and instant message shut down are in effect in Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka had planned to double tourist arrivals next year. This may be a big test to achieve such numbers.

The attacks that took place yesterday has also drawn international condemnation.

Here are some of their messages:

POPE FRANCIS

“I learned with sadness and pain of the news of the grave attacks, that precisely today, Easter, brought mourning and pain to churches and other places where people were gathered in Sri Lanka,” he told tens of thousands of people in St. Peter’s Square to hear his Easter Sunday message.

“I wish to express my affectionate closeness to the Christian community, hit while it was gathered in prayer, and to all the victims of such cruel violence.”

WORLD JEWISH CONGRESS PRESIDENT RONALD S. LAUDER

“World Jewry – in fact all civilized people – denounce this heinous outrage and appeal for zero tolerance of those who use terror to advance their objectives. This truly barbarous assault on peaceful worshippers on one of the holiest days in the Christian calendar serves as a painful reminder that the war against terror must be at the top of the international agenda and pursued relentlessly,” he said in a statement.

ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY, JUSTIN WELBY, SPIRITUAL LEADER OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND

“The will to power leads to the murder of innocents in Sri Lanka. The utterly despicable destruction that on this holiest of days seeks to challenge the reality of the risen Christ. To say that darkness will conquer, that our choice is surrender or death. Jesus chose to defy this darkness and he is risen indeed.”

U.S. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP

“The United States offers heartfelt condolences to the great people of Sri Lanka. We stand ready to help!,” he tweeted.

INDIAN PRIME MINISTER NARENDRA MODI

“Strongly condemn the horrific blasts in Sri Lanka. There is no place for such barbarism in our region. India stands in solidarity with the people of Sri Lanka. My thoughts are with the bereaved families and prayers with the injured,” he said on Twitter.

PAKISTAN’S PRIME MINISTER IMRAN KHAN

“Strongly condemn the horrific terrorist attack in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday resulting in precious lives lost and hundreds injured. My profound condolences go to our Sri Lankan brethren. Pakistan stands in complete solidarity with Sri Lanka in their hour of grief,” he tweeted.

RUSSIAN PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN

“Vladimir Putin expressed condolences to Sri Lanka President Maithripala Sirisena in connection with tragic consequences of terrorist acts,” his English Twitter account said.

GERMAN CHANCELLOR ANGELA MERKEL

“It is shocking that people who had gathered to celebrate Easter were the deliberate target of vicious attacks,” she wrote in a letter of condolence to Sri Lanka’s president.

FRENCH PRESIDENT EMMANUEL MACRON

“Deep sorrow following the terrorist attacks against churches and hotels in Sri Lanka. We firmly condemn these heinous acts. All our solidarity with the people of Sri Lanka and our thoughts go out to all victims’ relatives on this Easter Day,” he said on Twitter.

IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER MOHAMMAD JAVAD ZARIF

“Terribly saddened by terrorist attacks on Sri Lankan worshippers during Easter. Condolences to friendly govt & people of Sri Lanka. Our thoughts & prayers with the victims & their families. Terrorism is a global menace with no religion: it must be condemned & confronted globally,” he said on Twitter.

NEW ZEALAND PRIME MINISTER JACINDA ARDERN

“New Zealand condemns all acts of terrorism, and our resolve has only been strengthened by the attack on our soil on the 15th of March. To see an attack in Sri Lanka while people were in churches and at hotels is devastating,” she said in a written statement.

“New Zealand rejects all forms of extremism and stands for freedom of religion and the right to worship safely. Collectively we must find the will and the answers to end such violence.”

SRI LANKA EMBASSY

It was with horror and sadness we heard of the bombings in Sri Lanka costing the lives of so many people. We condemn the horrendous attacks targetting innocent civilians. Our sympathies go out to all the victims. Maldives stands in solidarity with people & Govt. of Sri Lanka.

TORONTO

The Toronto sign has been dimmed in solidarity with Sri Lanka following today’s tragic attacks. We join our Sri Lankan community and our Christian community in mourning those killed and pray for the recovery of those injured.

Travel News | eTurboNews

Original Article

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[spicynbachili1]

Sri Lanka: Warnings of ‘bloodbath’ as political tensions rise | News

Colombo, Sri Lanka – Sri Lanka’s President Maithripala Sirisena has come below elevated strain to permit legislators resolve an influence wrestle together with his sacked prime minister, amid warnings that the nation’s deepening political disaster might devolve right into a “massacre”.

The priority over potential violence got here on Monday as legislators loyal to eliminated Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe known as on their supporters to converge on Sri Lanka’s capital, Colombo, to protest towards what they stated was a coup by Sirisena.

Speaker Karu Jayasuriya urged the president to let Wickremesinghe show his majority help on the parliament ground. “If we take it out to the streets, there will likely be an enormous massacre,” he informed a information convention.

Referring to the dying of 1 man when the bodyguard of certainly one of Wickremesinghe’s deposed ministers opened fireplace on a crowd on the state-run Ceylon Petroleum Company (CPC) on Sunday, Jayasuriya added: “There may be unrest and international nations are issuing journey warnings.

“This may set the nation again on the worldwide stage and injury our economic system.”

Police have taken the dismissed minister, Arjuna Ranatunga, into custody after employees on the CPC threatened to strike, demanding his arrest over their colleague’s killing.

Ranil Wickremesinghe (centre) insists he stays the prime minister [Lakruwan Wanniarachchi/ AFP]

Sri Lanka, a Buddhist-majority nation within the Indian Ocean, was plunged into chaos on Friday when Sirisena sacked Wickremesinghe in a shock transfer. He additionally suspended parliament in an obvious bid to shore up help for newly appointed Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, a former president accused of human rights abuses and corruption.

The shock and confusion triggered by the president’s strikes dissipated by Monday and Sirisena was below rising political and diplomatic strain to reconvene parliament and resolve the constitutional disaster.

In a press release late on Sunday, Heather Nauert, a spokesperson for the US state division, expressed concern and backed the decision by Wickremesinghe’s supporters to reconvene parliament.

“We urge all sides to chorus from intimidation and violence,” she stated. 

‘Democracy at stake’ 

Patali Champika Ranawaka, a member of Wickremesinghe’s United Nationwide Social gathering (UNP), stated some 126 legislators within the 225-member Home despatched letters to Jayasuriya, the speaker, on Monday, urging him to summon parliament.  

That determine consists of 104 members of the UNP, and 22 members from the minority events, the Tamil Nationwide Alliance and the Folks’s Liberation Entrance, he stated.

“It is a constitutional coup and spells the dying knell for democracy,” Ranawaka informed reporters. “I problem Mahinda Rajapaksa to show up on the parliament and present his majority.”

The legislator stated the prime minister’s supporters will collect in downtown Colombo at noon on Tuesday to protest his removing.

Sirisena’s celebration, nevertheless, stated the speaker doesn’t have the authority to recall parliament.

Dayasiri Jayasekara, a member of Sirisena’s celebration, additionally accused Wickremesinghe of stirring unrest.

“The UNP chief created this tense state of affairs as a result of he’s grasping for energy. If he feels the structure has been violated, he ought to go to the Supreme Courtroom,” he stated.

Sirisena stated on Sunday that he had no selection however to ask Rajapaksa – a former rival he had defeated in elections in 2015 – to kind a brand new authorities. The reason is the alleged involvement of a member of Wickremesinghe’s cupboard in an assassination plot towards him, he stated.

In the meantime, Rajapaksa assumed on Monday the duties of the prime minister’s workplace at a ceremony attended by Buddhist monks in Colombo.

He additionally appointed 12 legislators to his cupboard, together with ministers for finance, transport, schooling, agriculture, tourism and sports activities.

In a press release on Sunday, the previous president, who dominated Sri Lanka from 2005 to 2015, pledged to “eschew politics of hate” and name a snap election as quickly as potential.

His return to energy, nevertheless, has frightened human rights teams, who maintain him liable for alleged crimes dedicated by the navy on the shut of the nation’s 26-year-long civil conflict towards Tamil separatists. The battle led to 2009.

Mahinda Rajapaksa (proper) assumed duties of the prime minister’s workplace [Dinuka Liyanawatte/ Reuters]

Alan Keenan, analyst on the Worldwide Disaster Group, stated Sirisena’s actions have been “unlawful” and urged the worldwide neighborhood to ramp up strain on the president.

“Sri Lanka’s democracy is at stake,” he stated.

“Rajapaksa seems to be in a robust place. He has the backing of the president and the sympathy of the police and armed forces. The longer he controls the state, the extra doubtless it’s for him to win the vote when parliament convenes,” Keenan informed Al Jazeera.

“The worldwide neighborhood should inform Sirisena to permit a free and open vote instantly. They need to additionally let him and his supporters know that there will likely be a value to pay if this farce continues and Rajapaksa finally ends up staying in energy.”

The disaster has sparked widespread concern.

China known as for dialogue on Monday, with Lu Kang, spokesman for the nation’s international ministry, saying that Beijing was paying shut consideration to developments in Colombo.

Antonio Guterres, the UN chief, stated he was following developments carefully, and known as on the federal government to “respect democratic values” and “uphold the rule of legislation”. Earlier on Sunday, neighbouring India stated it hoped Sri Lanka will comply with the constitutional course of.

A gaggle of outstanding Sri Lankan college students issued a press release calling on Sirisena to renew parliament. They stated the president’s sacking of Wickremesinghe was the primary “unconstitutional and unlawful switch of energy” within the nation since 1931.

The Church of Ceylon, in the meantime, appealed to the safety forces to behave “impartially and with restraint” and stated the nation’s democratic structure should not be abused for “political expediency”.

Rathindra Kuruwita reported from Colombo. Zaheena Rasheed reported and wrote from Doha.

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Ex-strongman Rajapaksa's son arrested in Lanka

Ex-strongman Rajapaksa’s son arrested in Lanka

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COLOMBO: Former Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa‘s son was arrested on Saturday along with four other people over money laundering allegations. Yoshitha Rajapaksa, the second son of ex-strongman Mahinda was, arrested and quizzed this morning by the police’s Financial Crimes Division (FCID) at the Sri Lankan Navy headquarters, a navy spokesman said. He and four others have been…