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Zuhair questions arrest of Lankans over ISIS links, warns of Western machinations
Former parliamentarian and ex-ambassador to Iran M. M. Zuhair, PC, has questioned the rationale behind the arrest of four Sri Lankans over their alleged involvement with ISIS.
Zuhair has sent the following statement in response to our report ‘ Lankans arrested in Gujarat over terrorism charges: India, Sri Lanka finding vary while university dons warn of post-Easter Sunday failures’ in yesterday’s issue of The Island: “A significant question that is being raised in circles concerned with the never-ending Western aided wars in third world countries is, where was the so called ‘Islamic State of Iraq and Syria’, best known by its acronym “ISIS”, when the Israeli forces wantonly destroyed its host country Palestine and mercilessly murdered thousands of Palestinians, mostly women and children, for eight consecutive months! In short, why didn’t ISIS launch even a single attack on Israel?
The terror organisation-ISIS’s intervention on behalf of the helpless Palestinian women and children being killed by a racist terrorist State, Israel, would have been a legitimate expectation, if the group was in fact in existence or a pro-Islamic entity! At the least, they could have dropped some ‘parippu’ for the hungry Palestinian kids who are in the throes of death! Why didn’t they? Why do pro-Western governments and their agents continue to label any Muslim involved violence as “ISIS terror”, even though they know the ISIS is dead and destroyed?
Of course the terrorist organisation, Islamic State of Khorashan Province (ISKP) is still surviving in Afghanistan, confronting the Afghan government!
These questions have arisen following the arrest on 20th May at the Ahmedabad airport in India of four Sri Lankans alleging ISIS involved plans to carry out terrorist attacks on contradictory targets! Sri Lanka must investigate independently without relying on CIA, Mossad, RAW or any of its agents or being subservient to any government abusing the name of a dead organization!
The leader of the ISIS Abobucker Al Baghdadi was killed on 26.10.2019, close upon five years ago and the ISIS, widely known in the Muslim world, as an anti-Islamic terrorist group, died a natural death by 2020, four years ago! Baghdadi’s alleged successor, the so called Caliph Abu Ibrahim Hashimi reportedly committed suicide in 2021, in Germany Hitler style. Hashimi’s suicide, prohibited in Islam is also evidence that ISIS was an anti-Muslim terrorist entity!
Hypocritically, those who founded Baghdadi’s ISIS, to oust though unsuccessfully, the Syrian leader Bashar Al Assad continued to label any significant attack by any person with a Muslim name in any part of the world as an ISIS attack or that ISIS has claimed responsibility for the attack! Editor of Prison Planet.com Paul Joseph Watson in a write up dated 3rd September 2014 records that in an appearance on Fox News, US General Thomas McInerney acknowledged that US “helped build ISIS”.
When the Easter Sunday attack of 21/04/2019 occurred, the ISIS was gasping for breath with its leader Baghdadi said to have been working in an American military camp in Baghdad, Iraq! There was no ISIS involvement even in the 21/04 attacks, according to the evidence given by the then Senior DIG CID Ravi Seneviratne before the Parliamentary Select Committee that probed the attacks. Everyone had also come to know of alleged attempts through an Indonesian contact to get ISIS to claim responsibility.
How long more can they mislead the world supported by the powerful Western media and Western intelligence agents, hell bent on creating hatred against Islam? The mass murder by the Zionist State Israel, of Palestinians, its women and children by the hundreds every day, notwithstanding the International Court of Justice ordering ceasefire and the International Criminal Court’s prosecutor being intimidated for seeking arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Defence Minister is proof enough of Western hatred for peace and a world free of wars!”
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
