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SJB demands to know who occupied rooms 616 and 623 while Zahran was on 6th floor
Shangri-La Hotel in Easter Sunday mystery:
By Shamindra Ferdinando
SJB spokesperson Mujibur Rahman on Sunday (21) alleged that attempts were being made to hide the identities of persons whom two Easter Sunday suicide bombers–– ringleader Zahran Hashim and his accomplice Ilham Ahamed, who blasted themselves at the Shangri-La Colombo on the morning of April 21, 2019––had met in the same hotel the previous day.
Addressing the media at the Opposition Leader’s Office, the former Colombo District UNP MP said that the two suicide bombers had stayed at a room on the sixth floor, on the night of 20 April.
At the time of the suicide blasts, Rahman was a member of the ruling UNP-led Yahapalana administration (2015-2019).
Rahman, who previously represented the UNP in Parliament, said he had got to know that the hotel refrained from disclosing the identities of those who occupied the room before Hashim and Ahamed moved in on the night of April 20, 2019.
The SJB official said that they got to know about the hotel’s failure to reveal the names of the guests after having examined the proceedings of the ongoing High Court of Colombo case that dealt with the Easter Sunday carnage.
Ilham Ahamed’s brother Mohamed Ibrahim Inshaf Ahamed carried out the suicide blast in the Cinnamon Grand hotel. Responding to The Island queries, Rahman said that comparison of Hashim’s DNA samples with that of his wife and daughter, apprehended a week later, following a confrontation with the Army at Sainthamaruthu, proved beyond any doubt that the ringleader had been killed in the Shangri-La blast.
According to Rahman, a comprehensive list of those who had stayed at the Shangri-La Colombo, during the period of two weeks before the day of the blasts, had been submitted to the Colombo High Court, sans information pertaining to room number 616.
Spice merchant Mohamed Yusuf Ibrahim is the father of Ilham Ahamed and Mohamed Ibrahim Inshaf Ahamed. His daughter-in-law detonated herself, killing three police personnel during a raid on their luxurious Dematagoda residence.
Rahman told the media briefing at the Opposition Leader’s Office that the identities of those who had stayed in another room, also on the sixth floor of Shangri-La hadn’t been revealed to the Colombo High Court.
Emphasising the responsibility on the part of the Wickremesinghe-Rajapaksa government to reveal the truth, the ex-lawmaker said that those who stayed at room numbered 623, too, seemed to have been involved with the Zahran Hashim’s group. Rahman later told The Island that the Shangri-La management had prepared a comprehensive list of all guests at the hotel at the time of the blasts leaving out those who had stayed at 616 and 623 on the night of April 20, 2019. “We believe that there were some foreigners in room 623 whereas Zahran Hashim’s accomplices in Room 616 were a mystery,” the ex-MP said.
Rahman said that the government or perhaps the Attorney General’s Department owed the public an explanation as to why two senior retired police officers, Senior DIG Ravi Seneviratne and SSP Shani Abeysekera, who the spearheaded investigations into the Easter Sunday carnage, had not been listed as witnesses. Similarly, DIG Nalaka de Silva, who headed the Terrorist Investigation Division (TID), which had been tasked with inquiring into the clandestine activities of the National Thowheed Jamaath (NTJ), during Yahapalana regime, in the run-up to the Easter Sunday blasts, had also been left out of the list of witnesses, Rahman said.
The former lawmaker recalled the circumstances under which the CID arrested de Silva over unsubstantiated allegations pertaining to an alleged conspiracy to assassinate the then President Maithripala Sirisena and wartime Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa, on Oct 25, 2018, the day before President Sirisena sacked the then Premier Ranil Wickremesinghe.
At the time of the Easter Sunday blasts, de Silva had been behind bars; he was granted bail in May 2019.
The former TID head now serves as DIG Puttalam.
The ex-MP urged the government to come out clean during a three-day parliamentary debate on the Easter Sunday attacks, scheduled to be held this week (Wednesday to Friday).
Ex-MP Rahman claimed that inquiries made by his party revealed that there was a certain category of people who could have booked hotel rooms without being registered. Among them were diplomats, their security contingents, Defence personnel and members of intelligence services. It would be the responsibility of the government to set the record straight. The ex-MP said that the government could correct him if he was wrong.
Rahman said that the desperate bid to hide the identities of those who met the suicide bombers at Shangri-La underscored their belief that there was an influential and very powerful hand behind the Easter Sunday attacks.
Rahman reiterated SJB and Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa’s recent declaration that a through investigation would be conducted into the Easter Sunday carnage if the SJB won the upcoming presidential election.
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
