News
Easter attacks: State Minister alleges sinister attempt to discredit SL forces
says FBI, Australian Federal Police have concluded their probes with no new findings
By Rathindra Kuruwita
State Minister of Defence Pramitha Bandara Tennakoon said in Parliament on Thursday (21) that ‘Sonic-Sonic’ was the code name given to a local intelligence official, who was entrusted with extracting information from the National Thawheed Jamma’ath (NTJ).
Abu Hind was an official attached to a foreign intelligence service.Sonic-Sonic and Abu Hind were individuals who had been in contact with NTJ and ISIS, according to previous investigations into the Easter Sunday attacks.
Archbishop Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith and the Catholic Church had been misled by certain groups about the Easter Sunday attacks, and there was a sustained effort to discredit the security forces, Tennakoon said.
The State Minister said that by 2018, there had been two arrest warrants against National Thawheed Jamma’ath (NTJ) leader Zahran Hashim, but police had not arrested him.
“Let’s talk about some other matters. In recent times, the name ‘Sonic’ has come up many times in Parliament. This is a code name. The intelligence services need to find out information about various groups that pose threats to Sri Lanka. Our intelligence services are on it 24/7. Sonic is an intelligence officer. There is nothing to hide. He entered the terrorist ring and extracted information. Sonic pretended to be a terrorist because that is the way one inserts oneself into terrorist groups,” he said.
Tennakoon said that an intelligence officer who is trying to win the trust of a terror group can’t reveal what his real purpose is.
“Intelligence agencies will do this again if there is a future threat. How can you ask an intelligence officer to undertake such an assignment again? This is a country that wants to slander and arrest such people.”
The State Minister said some MPs have asked how intelligence officials visited the house of Abdul Latheef Mohamed Jameel aka Abu Hamsa, who blew himself up at the Dehiwala Tropical Inn, prior to his suicide.
“Officials went to every place they have any inkling of. Jameel went to Turkey in 2014, planning to go to Syria. However, he couldn’t make it to Syria. He returns and makes contact with Australian ISIS members.”
There are many stories about Sara Jasmine, the wife of Hastun, too, he said. From 02 February 2019 to 19 April 2019, she was with Zahran’s group, and on 26 April she was at the NTJ safe house in Sainthamaruthu raided by the security forces, Zahran’s wife has told courts, the State Minister said.
“On three separate occasions, DNA tests were carried out to identify those who were killed at Sainthamaruthu. On 28 April 2019, samples were taken from 16 bodies for DNA testing. On 07 June 2019, the government analyst said that four samples had expired, and samples were taken again from these bodies. There were rumours that this was not Sara’s body and that she escaped the raid on the safe house.
Issues like the neglect of investigators, the fact that they had not taken samples from body parts strewn about, and the expiration of samples led to these rumours. There was an explosion, and there were body parts everywhere. We couldn’t initially find Sara’s body from the samples we had taken. But later, 83 samples were taken, and we found a match for Sara. We must admit that there has been professional negligence by investigators,” he said.
Tennakoon also spoke about Abu Hind, a person who played a similar role as Sonic-Sonic. A lot of terrorist organizations have now shifted their operations online, he said. Abu Hind is the code name given to an official of a foreign intelligence service who engaged NTJ through digital means, he said.
“We have also exposed foreign intelligence assets. We expect these agencies to help us in the future, too. Various parties are demanding foreign investigations. The FBI and Australian Federal Police (AFP), with the help of the Maldives, have carried out an investigation and handed over a report to the IGP. So, already, two international agencies have concluded their investigations here.
The FBI has identified Nawfer Moulavi as the mastermind of the attacks. They informed us in April 2022, that they had concluded the investigations. The Australian Federal Police (AFP) last year told IGP C.D Wickramaratne that they also do not have any pending reports or conclusions on the attacks. AFP said they have concluded the investigations,” he said.The State Minister said that his address was one of the last of the day, and only one Opposition MP and one government MP were present at the time he made the speech.
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.
