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Ottawa mass killing: Lawyer says accused Sri Lankan student is in protective custody
OTTAWA, March 15 (Canadian Press) Febrio De-Zoysa, the teenager accused in the brutal killing of six Sri Lankans in Ottawa, is now held in protective custody, his lawyer Ewan Lyttle has said.
“I can comment that he’s in protective custody. He’s doing OK,” Lyttle was quoted as saying by Canadian media reports. Inmates are often held in protective custody to shield them from other prisoners.
Lyttle’s comments came after De-Zoysa made a brief court appearance that took place by phone on Thursday (March 14).
De-Zoysa’s matter was adjourned until March 28, to give Lyttle time to receive and begin reviewing disclosure from the Crown, a process he suggested would span months.
According to Ottawa Police, De-Zoysa had come to Canada as an international student and had been living with the victims, who were also newcomers from Sri Lanka.
Six people – a mother, her 4 young children and a family acquaintance – were knifed to death inside a townhouse the family was renting on Berrigan Drive near Palmadeo Drive in Ottawa’s southern suburb of Barrhaven in the late hours of last Wednesday (March 06).
The victims were identified as Darshani Dilanthika Ekanayake (35 years), Inaka (7 years), Ashwini (4 years), Rinyana (2 years), Kelly (24 weeks) and Gamini Amarakoon (40 years).
Meanwhile, Ekanayake’s husband Dhanushka Wickramasinghe, who was hospitalized with critical injuries sustained in the attack, is now in a stable condition.
The 19-year-old was arrested at the scene on March 06 and is charged with six counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder. The killer’s motive still remain unknown.
The following day, Algonquin College president Claude Brulé released a statement confirming that De-Zoysa was a student at the institution and that his last semester of attendance was Winter 2023.
During Thursday’s appearance before Justice of Peace Karen Baum, the Crown entered new information to correct the spellings of some of the victims’ names that had been entered at De-Zoysa’s first court appearance last week. The charges remained unchanged.
Waiving his rights to arraignment made it necessary for the full list of charges against De-Zoysa to be read into the court record again.
After registering his client’s language of choice as English, Lyttle has requested an adjournment until March 28. According to foreign media, the entire matter has taken less than four minutes.
Speaking to reporters outside the courthouse, Lyttle has not commented when asked if his client might use mental health as a defence or if he understood what had happened.
Lyttle has met with De-Zoysa both by video and in person at the Innes Road jail. “He’s in protective custody. He’s doing OK,” he said.
Lyttle said he had also been in contact with De-Zoysa’s family, but would not say where they were, only that they were not in Sri Lanka.
“They’re obviously very upset,” he added.
Against this backdrop, Google has taken steps to terminate the YouTube channel associated with the 19-year-old to which he reportedly had posted videos of the ‘Minecraft’ video game. The tech giant said if a user’s off-platform behavior harms the YouTube community, they may take action in accordance with YouTube’s creator responsibility guidelines.
The suspect is facing a lengthy legal battle, according to criminal law experts who said the case could take two to three years to work its way through the court system.
Daphne Gilbert, a professor of criminal law at the University of Ottawa told MSN news agency that the accused will likely go through extensive psychiatric evaluations to determine whether or not he’s fit to stand trial.
The U.S. Embassy in Colombo welcomed the U.S. Sports Envoys to Sri Lanka, former National Basketball Association (NBA) and Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) players Stephen Howard and Astou Ndiaye, from June 8 through 14.
The Public Diplomacy section of the U.S. Embassy said that it would launch a weeklong basketball program intended to harness the unifying power of sports, made possible through collaboration with Foundation of Goodness and IImpact Hoop Lab.
While in Sri Lanka, Howard and Ndiaye, both retired professional basketball players, will conduct a weeklong program, Hoops for Hope: Bridging Borders through Basketball. The Sports Envoys will lead basketball clinics and exhibition matches and engage in leadership sessions in Colombo and Southern Province for youth aged 14-18 from Northern, Uva, Eastern and Western Provinces, offering skills and leadership training both on and off the court. The U.S. Envoys will also share their expertise with the Sri Lanka Basketball Federation, national coaches, and players, furthering the development of basketball in the country. Beyond the clinics, they will collaborate with Sri Lankan schoolchildren to take part in a community service project in the Colombo area.
“We are so proud to welcome Stephen and Astou as our Sports Envoys to Sri Lanka, to build on the strong people-to-people connections between the United States and Sri Lanka,” said U.S. Ambassador Julie Chung. “The lessons that will be shared by our Sports Envoys – communication, teamwork, resilience, inclusion, and conflict resolution – are essential for leadership development, community building, equality, and peace. The U.S. Sports Envoy program is a testament to our belief that sports can be a powerful tool in promoting peace and unity.”
SJB Colombo District MP Mujibur Rahuman in parliament demanded to know from the government the reasons for CEB suspending the leave of all its employees until further notice from Thursday.
MP Rahuman said that the CEB has got an acting General Manager anew and the latter yesterday morning issued a circular suspending leave of all CEB employees with immediate effect until further notice.
“We demand that Minister Kanchana Wijesekera should explain this to the House. This circular was issued while this debate on the new Electricity Amendment Bill was pending. There are many who oppose this Bill. The Minister must tell parliament the reason for the urge to cancel the leave of CEB employees,” the MP said.However, Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena prevented Minister Wijesekera responding to the query and said that the matter raised by MP Rahuman was not relevant.
The Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (CIPM) successfully concluded the 8th Annual CIPM Symposium, which took place on 31st May 2024. Themed “Nurturing the Human Element—Redefining HRM in a Rapidly Changing World,” the symposium underscored the pivotal role of human resource management (HRM) in today’s dynamic global landscape. Since its inception in 1959, CIPM has been dedicated to advancing the HR profession through education, professional development, and advocacy, solidifying its position as Sri Lanka’s leading professional body for HRM.
Ken Vijayakumar, the President of the CIPM, graced the occasion as the chief guest. The symposium commenced with the welcome address by the Chairperson, Prof. Arosha Adikaram, followed by the Web Launch of the Symposium Proceedings and Abstract Book by the CIPM President. The event featured distinguished addresses, including a speech by Chief Guest Ken Vijayakumar, President of CIPM, and an address by Guest of Honor Shakthi Ranatunga, Chief Operating Officer of MAS Holdings Pvt. Ltd., Sri Lanka.
The symposium also featured an inspiring keynote address by Prof. Mario Fernando, Professor of Management and Director of the Centre for Cross Cultural Management (CCCM) at the University of Wollongong, Australia.
Vote of Thanks of the inauguration session was delivered by Dr. Dillanjani Weeratunga, Symposium Co-chair.
The symposium served as a comprehensive platform for researchers to present their findings across a wide range of critical topics in HRM. These included Cultural Diversity and Inclusion, Talent Development and Retention, Ethical Leadership and Corporate Social Responsibility, Adapting to Technological Advancements, Mental Health and Well-being at Work, Global Workforce Challenges, Employee Empowerment, and Reskilling and Upskilling.
The plenary session was led by Prof. Wasantha Rajapakse. Certificates were awarded to the best paper presenters during the valedictory session, followed by a vote of thanks delivered by Kamani Perera, Manager of Research and Development.
The annual symposium of CIPM was a truly inclusive event, attracting a diverse audience that spanned undergraduates, graduates, working professionals, research scholars and lecturers. This widespread interest highlights the symposium’s significance in the field of HRM, offering a unique opportunity for everyone to network and learn from scholarly brains.The CIPM International Research Symposium was sponsored by Hambantota International Port, Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology (SLIIT), E B Creasy & Co. PLC, and Print Xcel Company.
US sports envoys to Lanka to champion youth development
Rahuman questions sudden cancellation of leave of CEB employees
