May 2 (Island) More than 60 persons were arrested yesterday along with a large number of weapons, the National Thowheed Jamath (NTJ) propaganda material and clothes similar to military uniform during search operations carried out by Police, STF and the tri-forces in several parts of the country. The Kuliyapitiya Police detected a large volume of fabrics similar to saffron robes worn by Buddhist monks and several garments that more..

May 2 (AD) A search operation carried out in Akurana, the area represented by Minister A. H. M. Haleem, has led to the arrest of 20 suspects along with many suspicious items including swords and air rifles. Meanwhile, the National Bhikku Front, holding a press conference today (1), objected a statement made by the Minister over the discovery of weapons from mosques. The search operation carried out at Akrurana commenced at 4 am this morning and lasted throughout the day. more..

May 2 (Island) Govt is planning to purchase hi-tech equipment to scan the bags and passengers at the BIA to enhance security. The Cabinet that met yesterday, approved a proposal by Minister of Transport, Arjuna Ranatunga, who had stated that new equipment was necessary to thwart terror attacks. It was revealed a few months ago at the PCoI that two Explosive Trace Detectors (ETDs), purchased by SriLankan in 2016 for the BIA, were being used without CAA certification. more..

May 2 (AFP) Sri Lanka’s police Wednesday named nine people who staged Easter Sunday suicide bombings that killed 253 people, and said the attackers’ assets will be confiscated in line with anti-terror laws. Two of the luxury hotels were bombed by two brothers from a wealthy Colombo family involved in spice exports. The group of Islamists had used one bomber at each of the locations hit on Easter Sunday, except at more..

May 2 (DM) As if the nearly three-decade long war, which killed tens of thousands of combatants and several thousands of civilians caught in the crossfire was not enough and complacently thinking all the while that nothing of that nature would ever again take place in Sri Lanka, the entire country was shocked and shattered by the trail of death and destruction left in its wake by six suicide bombers on Easter Sunday morning. The bombs they exploded killed at least 253 innocent worshippers and more..

May 2 (DM) While Sri Lanka reflects on the Easter Sunday carnage with each passing day, the islanders have come to terms with understanding another reality; the country has to face the threat of terrorism again. Among all those who worked towards finishing the war and ushering in peace, there is one individual who is most sad about what situation the country is in. He is none other than former President and the present Leader of Opposition Mahinda Rajapaksa who has told more..

May 2 (DM) Sri Lanka’s security forces have engaged in many battles and armed confrontations during the long war against the LTTE. The military defeat of the LTTE in May 2009 brought an end to the conflict. Thereafter for ten years, the country has been experiencing peace and relative tranquillity. The armed forces too were confined to barracks most of the time as there was no enemy to combat. more..

May 2 (DM) The threat of terrorism from Islamic State (IS) showed signs of dissipating during the last few days following the arrest of masterminds behind the attack. The govt halted imposing curfew, and people returned to the streets more and more during the last couple of days. However, things cannot be taken for granted as the threat has not disappeared fully. Now is the time for govt to respond to this man-made disaster more..

May 2 (AC) SL govt’s response to the Easter Sunday bomb blasts has been solely from a security and military standpoint. But a military-centric response could also boost Colombo’s decades-long indifference to the legitimate political grievances of Muslims in the country. Explosions left over 250 dead in three churches packed with Easter worshippers and in luxury hotels as foreign tourists & local guests were at breakfast. more..

May 2 (Island) Cabinet on Tuesday approved a proposal by the Minister Akila Viraj Kariyawasam to purchase 160,000 laptops to develop IT facilities in secondary schools across the country. This will be a part of an initiative to strengthen and modernize teaching. Ministry has calculated that 160,000 laptops are needed for this. A previous attempt by the Minister to purchase Tab computers in 2017 was mired in controversy. more..

May 2 (FT) Using racism and religious extremism for political gain will never be part of the JVP, in the wake of the Eater Sunday attacks, said the JVP Leader Anura Kumara Dissanayaka at the May Day celebrations held at the Party hq yesterday. He stated that the JVP has many political slogans such as the need to create a better economy, good governance & better democracy while prioritising national unity and security. more..

May 2 (FT) Pushing aside requests by the Govt to fast-track the Counter-Terrorism Act (CTA), Opposition Leader Mahinda Rajapaksa said his supporters would not back the proposed legislation, as it included problematic clauses. Rajapaksa claimed the Govt was trying to use the prevailing situation to their benefit by fast-tracking the proposed CTA through Parliament. He pointed out that the CTA would have negative more..

May 2 (ST) Health Services Director General Dr Anil Jaasinghe has said the identification of those killed in the Easter Sunday explosions were made difficult due to the fact that some of the bodies were badly damaged. He explained that damage to bodies of those killed in the explosions at the churches was less than those who died in the explosions at hotels, which was due to the fact that in the churches the shockwaves were able to more..

May 2 (SUN) MI5 is hunting ISIS crocodile cells plotting attacks in the UK after it emerged the ringleader of SL's massacres was mentored by British terrorist Jihadi John. Intelligence chiefs believe Abdul Lathief Jameel Mohamed, 36, was lured by Brits to ISIS' former caliphate in Syria for terror training. The UK-educated murderer was sent back to Sri Lanka to carry out the Easter atrocities that killed more than 253 people, more..

May 2 (AP) Catholic services are being cancelled for a second weekend in Sri Lanka's capital after the government warned of more possible attacks by the same Islamic State-linked group that carried out Easter suicide bombings. Rev. Edmund Tillakaratne, spokesman for the Colombo diocese, said Thursday that Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith had cancelled all Sunday services in the diocese based on the latest security reports. more..

May 2 (AM) Saudi Arabia confesses responsibility or at least relation to the terrorist attacks that hit Sri Lanka two weeks ago as Christians celebrated Easter, according to a leaked document. The leaked urgent, confidential and top secret document obtained by Lebanese Al-Ahed news website, shows a letter sent by Saudi Foreign Minister Ibrahim bin Abdul Aziz al-Assaf’s to Saudi Ambassador to SL, Abdul Nasser al-Harethi. more..

May 2 (FT) It is momentous and is of very great importance that the subject of Shari’ah is to be perceived and analysed dispassionately and in an impartial manner as well as to be understood with knowledge, intelligence and wisdom. Trying to make scurrilous and irresponsible comments being emotional and sentimental will certainly exhibit one’s ignorance and destroy the objective of the subject. They are those who would be accused of extremism. The word Shari’ah is exploited and more..

May 2 (CT) “SL intelligence services believe the Easter Sunday suicide bombers had very clear links to ISIS, the country’s President (Maithripala Sirisena) told CNN Monday.” Meanwhile, ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is quoted on a video on Monday of having said that the Easter Sunday carnage was in retaliation for the loss of Baghouz, the last stronghold of ISIS in Syria. “God ordered us to wage jihad (‘holy’ war). He did not order us to win,” he’s further quoted to have said. more..

May 2 (CT) Colombo Telegraph can reveal that former Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe‘s reasons for making police complaints against former Secretary to the Ministry of Defence Hemasiri Fernando who is an ex naval officer is linked to a lucrative contract he was pushing the Defence Ministry to give the highly controversial private security firm Avant Garde which is run by Rajapakshe’s bosom friend Major (Rtd) Nissanka Senadhipathi. more..

May 2 (GDI) 5,900 Army absentees have reported to military service so far, during the General Amnesty period announced on April 22nd. A General Amnesty period starting from April 22nd to May 10th was granted to enable them to receive a discharge from service under four categories. The amnesty has been offered by the Prez, in his capacity as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and Minister of Defence, on the recommendations of the Ministry of Defence & Commander of Army. more..

May 2 (DN) UNP MP Ashu Marasinghe said it is best that Batticaloa Campus Pvt. Ltd. is converted into a state university. He said there is no institution named Sharia University. The said institution registered as Batticaloa Campus Pvt. Ltd is not registered with the UGC or the Higher Education Ministry. “Batticaloa Campus cannot operate as a university, but as a big investment has been made, the best option to resolve this more..

May 2 (DM) TNA MP Mavai Senathirajah had requested the government to provide military security to the Northern Province considering the prevailing situation in the country. He made this request during a May Day meeting organised by the ýIllankai Tamil Arasu Katchchi (ITAK) members in Palai, Kilinochchi. “The Army and the police security should be beefed up to ensure the people’s safety,” he said. However, earlier he had urged the govt to withdraw the Army from the North. more..

May 2 (CT) The Govt should place more trust in the country’s Armed Forces and the Police, rather than bringing foreign investigators to aid in the Easter Sunday attacks investigations, Opposition Leader Mahinda Rajapaksa said yesterday (1). “It’s alright to ask for other countries’ assistance, but the Govt must not let them bring their people to Sri Lanka. First of all, the Govt should place their trust in our own Army and in our own people,” added Rajapaksa. more..

May 2 (EN) Assets of directors of ETI Finance Ltd. (ETIF) are being sold to repay depositors, with 20 percent of deposits already repaid by selling the failed finance company’s subsidiaries and investment properties, central bank said. “(The central bank) has also initiated several legal actions against the directors of ETIF to seize personal assets of the directors and transfer those proceeds to ETIF,” a statement from the regulator’s more..

May 2 (AD) His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith has requested all the private Catholic schools in Western Province not to reopen for the second term next week as scheduled. Following the terror attacks on three churches, three luxury hotels and one lodge which were carried out on Easter Sunday (April 21), security was beefed up island-wide. Considering the country’s threatened security, reopening the schools for the second term was postponed until the 6th of May. more..

May 2 (Aleteia) An interview with Franciscan Father Malaka Leonard Fernando.. Father Malaka Leonard Fernando is the Minister Provincial of the Vice Province of our Lady of Lanka, SL, of the Third Order Regular Franciscans. His residence is near Katuwapitiya, where St. Sebastian’s Church was bombed on Easter morning. The congregation also has a Friary just in front of St. Sebastian’s Church. Fortunately none of the friars were injured. Father Fernando spoke with Aid to Church in need: more..

May 2 (EN) Thousands of Sri Lankans have subscribed to terrorism insurance within a week after the Easter Sunday Bombings on April 21, while the industry has taken a collective decision to keep premiums at the same levels, top officials said. "I have talked to the insurance companies, and they are saying that there is a big demand for the terrorism cover," said Manjula de Silva, Chairman of the state-owned more..

May 2 (Reuters) Prez Sirisena said a foreign mastermind may have planned the Easter Sunday bombings, claimed by Islamic State, telling the militant group to leave my country alone. Sirisena also warned it may be possible Islamic State had launched a new strategy by targeting smaller countries. A govt source told Reuters on Tuesday police and other security forces across the Buddhist-majority country had been ordered to remain on high alert because the militants more..

May 2 (NYT) Two days after the Easter Sunday bomb attacks in Sri Lanka, I met my greengrocer at the Colpetty market, a symbol of the cosmopolitan city that I call home. I have known Ashraff virtually all my life. He did not have his usual half-smile on his face, and when I went up to him to say goodbye, I could see he was troubled. Eventually, shaking his head in sorrow, with tears in his eyes, he told me that the day before, someone he had known for 35 years, a man from SL’s Sinhala majority, more..

May 2 (EN) Several suicide bombers belonging to an extremist group that killed over 250 people in co-ordinated suicide attacks have been buried without religious rites on the instructions of religious dignitaries. Police pulled out 12 bodies including six children from a hideout in Eastern SL following an overnight gun battle where several explosions were heard. Investigations and post-mortems of 10 persons had been completed. more..

May 2 (AD) A Dubai court has postponed its decision on whether to deport drug kingpin Makandure Madush to SL. The court was expected to deliver its verdict today on the appeal filed on behalf of Makandure Madush seeking the prevention of his deportation to Sri Lanka. However, when the case was taken up today the court decided to postpone the decision until May 09. Madush is presently in the custody of Dubai Police after being arrested during a raid on a drugs-fuelled more..

May 2 (Island) The Commander of the Navy held a meeting with the manufacturers and distributors of explosive material in the country, on Monday April 29. Navy Commander Vice Admiral Piyal de Silva briefed the invitees on the security situation in the country and the need to take precautions. Vice Admiral De Silva said that only the licensed stakeholders were permitted to obtain explosive materials from the Commercial Explosive Fire Arms Procurement Unit (CEFAP) in Welisara. more..

May 2 (FT) Brand Finance Lanka, the pioneering brand valuation and strategy firm, released its 16th consecutive review of Sri Lanka’s most valuable and strongest brands in LMD’s Brands Annual. The launch event scheduled for 30 April was cancelled as a mark of respect to the many people who were affected and lost their lives in the tragic Easter Sunday attacks. In 2019, following global trends, Dialog takes more..

May 2 (Island) The cabinet of Ministers on Tuesday approved a proposal to increase the minimum monthly wage of private sector employees to Rs 12,500 from Rs. 10,000. The minimum monthly wage of private sector employees was last raised to Rs. 10,000 in Jan 2016. The same legislation set the minimum daily wage at Rs. 400. Recently National Labour Advisory Council recommended that this should be increased to Rs. 12,500 (monthly) and Rs 500 per day considering the cost of living. more..

May 2 (PT) Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi postponed his visit to SL due to the security clearance issue in the wake of recent terror attacks on churches and hotels in Colombo and other areas. Foreign minister was slated to visit the country on the invitation of SL govt. Meanwhile, SL security forces maintained a high level of alert after the Easter bombings, officials said, amid intelligence reports that militants were planning fresh attacks before the start of Ramzan. more..

May 2 (Globes) Bitcoin's anonymity, availability and the ease with which unsupervised international money transfers can be achieved have made it the favored means of financing for terrorist organizations including ISIS. Globes can reveal that an investigation conducted by Israeli blockchain intelligence startup Whitestream has found that on the day prior to the Easter bombings in Sri Lanka, there were exceptionally large transfers in more..

May 2 (AD) One of the individuals killed in the suicide bombings at a house in Sainthamaruthu has been identified as a bother of Zahran Hashim while the other two men appearing with him in a video have been identified as Mohamed Rilwan and Mohamd Seyni. Police have recovered 4 suicide vests, 2 mobile phones, 2 ATM cards and several bank books from the Kattankudy residence of the persons identified as Rilwan. Meanwhile four photographs of Rilwan’s children, NICs and more..

May 2 (AD) A foreign journalist, who was arrested for allegedly trying to forcibly enter a school in Katana, has been remanded until May 15 by the Negombo Magistrate’s Court. Iraqi-born Siddiqui Ahamed Danish, a Reuters photographer based in India, was reportedly arrested at around 12.30 p.m. today, based on a complaint received by the 119 emergency hotline, when he allegedly forcibly entered the school. He had reportedly arrived in the country from India in order to cover more..

May 2 (AD) Security will be tightened at schools when the new term commences on May 6th, says Minister of Education Akila Viraj Kariyawasam. Security forces have emphasized that security should be beefed up in order to commence the new term of the schools on 6th May, and accordingly, at least one police officer will be assigned to each school for this purpose. The govt has implemented all the necessary steps more..