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The grand opening of Sri Lanka's tallest tower was mired in controversy on Monday when President Maithripala Sirisena said one of the Chinese firms contracted to work on the project had disappeared with $11 million of state funds. Sirisena made the allegation at the launch ceremony of the China-financed Lotus Tower, a 356.3-metre (1,169 ft) construction in the shape of a lotus bud featuring a revolving restaurant, conference hall and observation area. The Chinese embassy in Colombo did not respond to requests for comment. The tower, overlooking Beira Lake in central Colombo, is expected to become a major tourism attraction. Sirisena said that in 2012, under his predecessor former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, the state-run Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (TRC) had deposited 2 billion rupees ($11.09 million) with Aerospace Long-March International Trade Co. Ltd (ALIT), a Chinese firm chosen as one of the main contractors. ‘In 2016, we found ALIT had disappeared. We investigated into this and the Sri Lankan ambassador in Beijing went to the address of ALIT personally on my instruction to find there was no such company,’ Sirisena said in a speech. ‘This is the money we could have spent for development of this country, for education, and medicines of patients.’ Sirisena's audience at the opening ceremony included Chinese envoy to Colombo Cheng Xueyuan. It was not possible to approach the Cheng at the ceremony for comment and officials at China's embassy in the Sri Lankan capital did not respond to text and WhatsApp messages. It was not immediately possible to contact ALIT via phone or email. Sirisena had suspended most of the Chinese-backed infrastructure projects started under Rajapaksa when he came to power in 2015 over allegations of corruption, overpricing and flouting government procedures. But more than a year later, the Sirisena government allowed Chinese projects to resume after a few changes in some of them. China's Exim Bank in 2012 agreed to lend 80% of the total investment of $104.3 million in the Lotus Tower, with the rest to be met by TRC. TRC in a statement said Chinese firms China National Electronics Import & Export Corporation (CEIEC) and Aerospace Long-March International Trade Co. Ltd (ALIT) were chosen as the main contractors. Sirisena said the government had started repayment of the loans made, but more funds were needed to complete the project. Chinese investment has become controversial in Sri Lanka, which is struggling with expensive external debt and where growth is expected to slump to its worst level since a contraction in 2001. Tourism, the country's third largest foreign currency earner and fastest growing sector, was also hit hard by religious militants attack in April. Sirisena's Lotus Tower allegation also comes ahead of a presidential election later this year. Political sources close to Sirisena and Rajapaksa have said talks between the president's centre-left Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and Rajapaksa's Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) for a coalition deal have broken down.

Seventeen people were injured in Sri Lanka when two elephants ran amok at a religious festival, police said. A temple custodian who was riding one of the animals was among those hurt, as well as 13 women who were scrambling to get out of the way of the marauding elephants at the Buddhist pageant on Saturday in Colombo. Nobody was seriously injured, authorities said. Elephant expert Jayantha Jayewardene said that the animals were in musth, a period when their reproductive hormones soar, and that said temple authorities had ignored proper procedures. ‘The pair should not have been used in the pageant. There was a clearly laid out system to assess the condition of the animal before allowing it to participate,’ Jayawardene told AFP. Authorities in the central pilgrim city of Kandy were forced to withdraw a 70-year-old cow elephant from a gruelling parade in mid-August. The highly emaciated animal had been forced to walk for miles despite her visibly failing health. Three years ago, two elephants brawled during a temple ceremony and caused a stampede in which one woman died and 12 were wounded. Official records show there are about 200 domesticated elephants in a country where the population in the wild is estimated at about 7,500.

A dramatic late-night call from an Australian judge to a plane bound for Sri Lanka has temporarily spared a family of four – including two Aussie-born toddlers – from deportation and fuelled a political firestorm Down Under. Australia’s conservative government had ordered the Tamil family to be taken from immigration detention in Melbourne, put on a plane and deported to Sri Lanka late on Thursday. But an injunction made by a phone call from Federal Judge Heather Riley after the plane took off forced pilots to land the aircraft and deposit the family in the far north city of Darwin. The case has become a new flashpoint over the Australian government’s hardline immigration policies, which include turning away refugees arriving by boat and de facto offshore detention, both measures condemned by the United Nations. The parents arrived in Australia by boat separately in 2012 and 2013 seeking asylum. Their daughters Kopika, aged four, and Tharunicca, aged two were born in Australia and have never been to Sri Lanka but do not have the right to Australian citizenship by birth. Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton insisted the family were not refugees and did not deserve Australian protection. “I would like the family to accept that they are not refugees, they’re not owed protection by our country,” Dutton told local media yesterday. “They came here by boat and we’ve been very clear that they wouldn’t stay.”  Tamil Refugee Council spokesperson Aran Mylvaganam insisted the family “face danger to their lives in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka is a very dangerous place for Tamils.” Shadow minister for Home Affairs Kristina Keneally called on Prime Minister Scott  Morrison to intervene. “This is a family that was allowed to stay here for a period of time, allowed to set down roots, allowed to contribute to their local community and now, in the middle of the night, in dramatic scenes, being ripped out of this country,” she said. “I appeal to him as a father and a fellow Christian...show compassion, show some humanity and show that you are listening to the local  community.” The family was taken into immigration detention in March last year after the mother’s temporary visa expired. Yesterday, a Melbourne judge barred the government from taking any further steps to remove the youngest daughter from Australia until  Wednesday. Under Australian law only children born to Australian citizens and permanent residents acquire citizenship by birth. Children born in Australia to visa holders usually acquire the same visa. Dozens of protesters gathered outside the court with signs chanting “let them stay”. Family friend Brad Coath said after the ruling that the mother was “very distraught, very  distressed.”  “But they still maintain hope that this is not over and they hope to be able to stay in  Australia.” More than 60 supporters protested at Melbourne airport Thursday night as the family were being forced onto a plane for Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka's new army chief on Monday brushed aside international outrage over his appointment, saying "anyone can make allegations" that he had committed war crimes. Shavendra Silva has been accused by the United Nations of committing war crimes during the final stages of Sri Lanka's separatist conflict, which ended in 2009. His appointment last week by President Maithripala Sirisena was widely condemned by other countries and rights organisations. The 55-year-old was quick to dismiss the allegations while praising Sirisena's "courageous decision" to give him the top job despite intense foreign pressure. "There can be concerns, countries can have concerns, but I am sure the president considered the requirement of the nation," Silva said. "Allegations have been there. This is not the first time allegations have been made (against me). Anyone can make allegations." Silva said he wanted to move forward and cited claims about a mass grave in Sri Lanka's northwest that was later found using carbon dating to be hundreds of years old. The government had already rejected as "unwarranted and unacceptable" the avalanche of international criticism over Silva's ascension to the top job. The United Nations Human Rights Council and several UN reports have accused Silva of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity while crushing Tamil Tiger rebels in May 2009. Silva was the commanding officer of an army division in the island's northern warzone in the final months of the offensive that the UN said killed at least 40,000 ethnic Tamil civilians in the hands of the military. UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet said last week that she was "deeply troubled" by Silva's appointment. The American embassy in Colombo described allegations of gross human rights violations against Silva as "serious and credible". Sri Lanka's successive governments have resisted calls for an independent investigation into the conduct of troops during the final months of the 37-year conflict, in which an estimated 100,000 people were killed.

Sri Lanka on Friday withdrew an emergency law imposed after Easter Sunday attacks, a military spokesman said, signifying the return of calm to the island nation which is set to vote in a new head of state later this year. President Maithripala Sirisena imposed emergency law in April after more than 250 people were killed and 500 wounded in Islamist militant bombings across churches and luxury hotels on Easter day. The army will continue to assist police for internal security, military spokesman Sumith Atapattu told Reuters. The emergency gave police and military extensive powers to detain and interrogate suspects without court orders. Almost all militants suspected to have links with the attackers have either been arrested or killed, Sirisena has previously said. The Indian Ocean island is set to vote for a new president in an election due before Dec. 9, with political parties already having kicked off campaigning. 

Sri Lanka yesterday ordered an investigation following the collapse of a skeletal 70-year-old elephant after being forced to parade at a high-profile pageant popular with local and foreign tourists. Tourism and Wildlife Minister John Amaratunga said he ordered wildlife authorities to investigate how the elephant, known as Tikiri, was forced to take part in a lengthy parade despite her failing health. Animal-lovers slammed the authorities for deploying the aged animal at the annual Esala pageant wearing elaborate clothing at a night festival watched by tens of thousands in the central city of Kandy earlier in the week. After a howl of protests over social media, festival organisers withdrew the aged animal from the grand finale on Wednesday. “I have been informed that the elephant collapsed yesterday,” the minister said in a statement.  “Considering what has transpired, I have ordered officials to initiate an inquiry and ascertain how and why an elephant in such poor health was used in the (pageant) and to take necessary action against those responsible.” The minister said he had also instructed wildlife authorities to ensure there was no repetition of such cruel treatment to some 200 elephants in captivity and routinely paraded at Buddhist festivals. Elephants are considered scared in Sri Lanka and protected as an endangered species, but there are reports of cruelty to many animals who have been domesticated.  A number of rich Sri Lankans keep elephants as pets, but there have been numerous complaints of ill treatment and cruelty. “Many more elephants in Sri Lanka are suffering similar or worse treatment in service to an exploitative and abusive tourism industry,” said People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals senior vice president Jason Baker. Peta offered to transfer the ailing Tikiri to a sanctuary where she could live and be treated by veterinarians. Officials of the Temple of the Tooth - which organised the Esala festival in Kandy - said Tikiri was not a temple elephant, but they withdrew her from Wednesday’s finale which involved dozens of other jumbos. Asian elephant expert Jayantha Jayewardene described the animal’s treatment as inhumane. “Owners parade their elephants to gain merit for themselves and not for the animal. This should never have been allowed,” he said. Lek Chailert, the founder of the Save Elephant Foundation, said on social media that spectators did not realise how weak Tikiri was because she was covered in an  elaborate costume. “No one sees her bony body or her weakened condition, because of her costume,” Chailert said. “No one sees the tears in her eyes, injured by the bright lights that decorate her mask, no one sees her difficulty to step as her legs are short shackled while she walks,” Chailert added.

Former defence secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse formally launched his bid for Sri Lanka's presidency Sunday, vowing to battle "extremist terrorism" in the wake of the deadly Easter Sunday suicide attacks. The 70-year-old -- and his ex-president brother, Mahinda -- have been critical of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's handling of the bombings, which were blamed on a local Islamist jihadi group in the Buddhist-majority nation. The attacks targeting three churches and three hotels claimed the lives of at least 258 people and left nearly 500 wounded. Since then, the country has been under a state of emergency. Gotabhaya Rajapakse will stand for the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) party, which was formed recently by his older brother, who ruled for a decade from 2005. The SLPP is a breakaway faction of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), which is nominally led by current President Maithripala Sirisena. Highlighting frequent schisms in the country's politics, the SLFP in turn broke away from a coalition with premier Wickremesinghe's right-wing United National Party (UNP) earlier this year. "I will not allow extremist terrorism under my presidency," Gotabhaya Rajapakse said at the launch of his campaign for presidential elections, which are due later this year. He was in charge of the defence ministry as its top bureaucrat when security forces crushed Tamil rebels and ended a 37-year separatist war in May 2009. The no-holds-barred military campaign also triggered allegations of grave human rights abuses, including the killing of up to 40,000 Tamil civilians in the final months of fighting. Gothabhaya Rajapakse is currently on bail facing prosecution for allegedly siphoning off millions of rupees of state cash to build a monument for his parents when his brother was president. He also faces a civil suit in the United States for allegedly causing the death of a prominent anti-establishment newspaper editor in Sri Lanka in January 2009. Wickremesinghe has indicated he too wants to run for president, but his party is yet to nominate an official candidate amid major internal clashes over his leadership. Incumbent Sirisena also plans to run again.

Sri Lankan authorities on Wednesday charged a former chief forensic officer with destroying evidence in the notorious murder of a leading rugby player. The May 2012 killing of national team captain Wasim Thajudeen drew international condemnation and was held as an example of Sri Lanka's failure to deal with high profile crime. Ananda Samarasekara, who was chief judicial medical officer at the time, ruled that Thajudeen was killed in a motor accident. Wasim Thajudeen However, a fresh autopsy following a change of government in 2015 showed he was beaten with a blunt instrument and burnt to death. Samarasekara has been charged with destroying evidence, and if convicted could be sentenced to death as a person guilty of covering up a crime can get the same sentence as the actual perpetrator. An ex-police chief in Colombo is also facing prosecution for suppressing evidence. A police investigation found that armed forces members carried out the murder and the perpetrators were in telephone contact with the presidential secretariat on the night of the killing. Mahinda Rajapakse, who was president in 2012 and whose son Yoshitha is also a former national team captain, has denied allegations by rival political parties and media that he helped cover up the murder. Thajudeen's body was exhumed after evidence emerged that he was abducted in a car owned by the Sri Lanka Red Cross Society, a court was told in 2015. The Red Cross said the vehicle was being used by a charity headed by Shiranthi Rajapakse, wife of the former president. The Rajapakse family, including Shiranthi, face investigations over corruption and allegations that they siphoned off millions of dollars of public money during Rajapakse's decade in power. The family has denied the accusations.

Sri Lanka customs yesterday ordered the return of container loads of hazardous mortuary and clinical waste illegally imported into the island from Britain under the cover of metal recycling. Customs officials said the racket dating back to 2017 was uncovered after the Colombo port complained last week that an importer had abandoned 111 containers which were emanating a huge stink. A total of 241 containers had been imported since 2017 and 130 of them had been taken to a free-trade zone ostensibly for recycling and re-export, customs spokesman Sunil Jayaratne said. “We are taking immediate action to order the re-export of the 111 containers abandoned at the port,” Jayaratne said. “The other 130 which had already been cleared from the port will be dealt under environmental and other laws.” He said the 130 containers were stuffed with used mattresses and plastic and clinical waste imported in violation of international laws governing the shipping of hazardous material. A Sri Lankan businessman who imported the containers would be liable for criminal prosecution if he failed to re-export them to Britain, from where they originated, Jayaratne said. An official at the finance ministry, which is responsible for the customs department, said it would take up the issue with British authorities for exporting hazardous cargo without first checking if Sri Lanka was willing to accept it. “This is a well-organised racket that has been going on since 2017,” said the official, speaking anonymously because he was not authorised to talk to the media. The 111 containers are believed to contain mortuary waste including human organs and had been unloaded and exposed to the elements for the past two years. The 130 containers taken to a free-trade zone near Colombo International Airport were contaminating water and polluting the air in the area, he said. Sri Lanka’s pushback on imported trash came as Indonesia and the Philippines returned shipments of foreign rubbish to their originating ports. Indonesia announced two weeks ago it was sending more than 210 tonnes of garbage back to Australia and Canada has agreed to accept 69 containers of rubbish it had shipped to the Philippines between 2013 and 2014.

International drug syndicates orchestrated Sri Lanka’s deadly Easter bombings, the country’s leader claimed yesterday, despite earlier blaming the attacks on extremists. The statement comes amid a nationwide narcotics crackdown, with President Maithripala Sirisena aiming to reintroduce capital punishment for drug offences. Authorities have said local jihadist group National Thowheeth Jama’ath (NTJ) were responsible for the suicide bombings in churches and hotels that killed at least 258 people in April. The attacks were later claimed by the Islamic State group. Sirisena’s office said the day after the bombings that local terrorists and international terror groups were responsible for the attacks. But in a statement issued by his office yesterday, Sirisena said the attacks “were the work of international drug dealers”. “Drug barons carried out this attack to discredit me and discourage my anti-narcotics drive. I will not be deterred,” he said. Sirisena is waging a battle against efforts by his governing coalition in parliament to abolish capital punishment, which has been subject to a moratorium since 1976.  A spokesman for Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe discounted the president’s claims. “Police completed the investigations within about two weeks,” Sudarshana Gunawardana said. “There is no mention of drug dealers being involved. We have no reason to doubt our investigators.” He said speedier justice would be a bigger deterrent to drug traffickers than the threat of capital punishment. “We don’t believe hanging people will address the issue, especially considering that it takes several decades to get a conviction.” Sri Lankan courts take on average 17 years to complete criminal trials for grave offences such as murder and rape. Gunawardana said Wickremesinghe was opposed to capital punishment as it was against the policy of his United National Party, and noted that there was cross-bench support in the legislature to completely abolish it. Police officials said investigations into the April 21 suicide bombings were still ongoing, and all the more than 100 people in custody were Sri Lankans. “We are going on the basis that this was a crime planned and executed by a group of radicalised Sri Lankan Muslims,” a senior police official said,  asking not to be named. “Everyone involved in the attacks is either dead or in custody.” Sirisena has marshalled public support for an end to the moratorium on the death penalty, saying that hangings would deter the illegal drugs trade. “If the government brings legislation to abolish capital punishment, I will declare a day of national mourning,” Sirisena said in the statement, adding that public opinion favoured hanging condemned criminals. He said the leading Buddhist monk Omalpe Sobitha had advised him to resume hangings and not to abandon his war on narcotics. Sri Lankan courts routinely hand down death sentences to drug offenders, murderers and rapists but it is automatically commuted a term of life imprisonment.  Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court earlier this month suspended Sirisena’s moves to hang four drug convicts. The court banned any executions until it rules on a petition seeking a declaration that hanging breaches the country’s constitution. The next hearing in the case is in October. Sri Lanka’s last hangman retired in 2014, but officials said they had selected two new executioners from a pool of candidates.

Sri Lanka's police chief and former defence secretary were released on bail on Tuesday, a week after they were arrested over allegations that they failed to prevent the Easter Day bomb attacks that killed more than 250 people. Colombo magistrates' court granted their release and will hear the case on July 22, Anuja Premaratne, who is representing both the accused, told Reuters. The Criminal Investigation Department last week arrested Inspector General of Police Pujith Jayasundara and former secretary to the Ministry of Defence Hemasiri Fernando while they were both receiving treatment in hospital. The two were remanded in custody a day later. Attorney General Dappula de Livera had ordered their arrest last week and urged the acting police chief to bring charges against the two, including for "crimes against humanity". Jayasundara and Fernando denied the allegations when they appeared before a parliamentary committee investigating the attacks on churches and luxury hotels. They are the first two state officials to be arrested for failing to prevent the attacks, claimed by the militant group Islamic State. The bombings took place despite repeated warnings from Indian intelligence that an attack was imminent. President Maithripala Sirisena has accused Fernando and Jayasundara of failing to act on an April 4 intelligence report about possible attacks. The suicide bombers struck on April 21. Jayasundara, the first serving police chief to be arrested, told a parliamentary committee last month that the president had asked him to take the blame for the bombings and resign, promising him a diplomatic posting in return. Jayasundara refused to quit and was later asked to go on compulsory leave, with his deputy standing in for him. Fernando, who resigned as defence secretary, told the committee that Sirisena had given instructions to keep political rival Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe out of all security council meetings where sources have said the warnings were discussed. The defence secretary reports to the president, who heads the Defence Ministry. Sirisena has not publicly addressed the accusations but said after the testimonies last month that he would not accept the committee's conclusions. 

Sri Lanka's President Saturday announced he will not allow his government to conclude a proposed military deal that would allow US troops free access to the island's ports. Maithripala Sirisena said he was opposed to the draft Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) that the two countries are negotiating to further strengthen their military ties. Sirisena is at loggerheads with his pro-Western Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. "I will not allow any agreement that undermines our independence and sovereignty," Sirisena told a public rally in the island's south. "Several agreements currently being discussed are detrimental to our country." "I will not allow the SOFA that seeks to betray the nation. Some foreign forces want to make Sri Lanka one of their bases. I will not allow them to come into the country and challenge our sovereignty." The SOFA seeks to ensure reciprocal access to port facilities and allow freer entry to military personnel and their contractors. Sirisena said there will be no bilateral agreements "against Sri Lanka's national interest" as long as he was in office. His term ends in January. He did not name the powers he accused of trying to gain a military foothold in his Indian Ocean island republic of 21 million people. However, it was a thinly veiled reference to the US which is keen on strengthening their existing military cooperation. A year ago, Washington announced it was granting $39 million to boost maritime security in Sri Lanka as China developed its strategic hold on the Indian Ocean island. Increased US interest in Sri Lanka comes as China is upping investment in ports and other building projects on the island, which is a key link in Beijing's ambitious "Belt and Road" infrastructure initiative. The US had stopped arms sales to Sri Lanka during the height of the island's Tamil separatist war that ended in 2009. The global power has also been highly critical of the human rights record of the former government of strongman president, Mahinda Rajapakse. Several senior military commanders from the Rajapakse regime have been denied visas to visit the US. China has vowed to keep providing financial help, including loans, to Sri Lanka despite warnings about the island nation's mounting debt. Sri Lanka in 2017 granted a 99-year lease on a strategic port to Beijing because of it could not repay Chinese loans for the $1.4 billion project. The port in Hambantota straddles the world's busiest east-west shipping route and also gives a strategic foothold to China in a region long dominated by India.

Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court yesterday suspended President Maithripala Sirisena’s moves to end a 43-year-old moratorium on capital punishment by hanging four drug convicts. The court banned any executions until it has ruled on a petition seeking a declaration that hanging breaches the country’s constitution. “The court will take up hearing the case on October 29 and in the meantime the prisons department was asked not to implement any order by the president to carry out the death penalty,” a court official said. M A Sumanthiran, a Sri Lankan legislator and a lawyer representing a condemned prisoner, said death by hanging was a “cruel and degrading punishment”. “It is the fundamental right of any individual not to be subjected to cruel and degrading treatment,” Sumanthiran said. “It is on that basis we want courts to hold that execution of capital punishment is a  violation of the constitution.” The challenge added to several other cases filed in lower courts. Sirisena told reporters on June 26 that he had signed four death warrants for convicted drug offenders and he expected them to be hanged within weeks. Sri Lanka’s last hangman retired in 2014, but officials said they had selected two out of 26 candidates to become executioners although their names were being kept secret for fear of attacks. Media reports said the two men had not been assigned any work. Sirisena has said the hangings should be a deterrent to the illegal drugs trade. Sirisena said there were 200,000 drug addicts in the country, and 60% of the 24,000-strong prison population  were drug offenders. Earlier this week, Sirisena said he rejected a telephone appeal by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to reconsider reintroducing the death penalty. The president has not disclosed the names of the four people he wants executed nor said when they will be hanged. He has come under international pressure to give up his plan. This week he accused the European Union of interfering in Sri Lanka’s internal affairs by opposing his capital  punishment plan.

Sri Lankan police on Tuesday arrested their own chief and the former defence secretary for failing to prevent attacks on churches and luxury hotels that killed more than 250 people in April, a police spokesman said. The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) arrested Inspector General of Police Pujith Jayasundara and former secretary to the Ministry of Defence Hemasiri Fernando, while they were receiving medical treatment at state-run hospitals, the spokesman, Ruwan Gunasekera, said. Attorney General Dappula de Livera ordered their arrest on Monday and urged the acting police chief to bring charges against the two, including for "crimes against humanity". Jayasundara and Fernando were not immediately reachable for comment, though both had previously appeared before a parliamentary committee investigating the attacks and denied the allegations. They are the first two state officials to be arrested for allegedly failing to prevent the Easter Sunday attacks, claimed by the militant group Islamic State. The bombings took place despite repeated warnings from Indian intelligence that an attack was imminent. "Police will report facts regarding the arrest to the Colombo chief magistrate in a while," Gunasekera told Reuters. President Maithripala Sirisena has accused Fernando and Jayasundara of failing to act on an April 4 intelligence report about the April 21 bombings. Jayasundara, the first serving police chief to be arrested, told parliament that the president had asked him to take the blame for the bombings and resign, promising him a diplomatic posting in return. Jayasundara refused to quit and was later asked to go on compulsory leave, with his deputy standing in for him. Fernando, who resigned as defence secretary, told parliament that Sirisena had given instructions to keep Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, with whom he fell out in October, out of security council meetings. The defence secretary reports to the president, who heads the Defence Ministry. Sirisena has not publicly addressed the accusations but said after the testimonies last month that he would not accept the committee's conclusions. 

Sri Lanka has hired two hangmen as it prepares for executions of four prisoners convicted of drug offences in what would be the country's first use of the death penalty for over 40 years, prison authorities said on Friday. The Prisons Department began the recruitment process in March after the last hangman quit in 2014, citing stress after seeing the gallows for the first time. Another, hired last year, never turned up for work. President Maithripala Sirisena announced on Wednesday an end to a moratorium on the death penalty in force since 1976, a move political analysts said was meant to boost his chances of re-election if he stands again later this year. Local and international rights groups, along with former colonial master Britain, Canada, the European Union and United Nations have raised concerns about the South Asian nation's restoration of capital punishment. "The recruitment process is finalised and two (hangmen) have been selected. The two need to go through final training which will take about two weeks," prisons spokesman Thushara Upuldeniya said. The two were picked from among 100 applicants who responded to an advertisement calling for male Sri Lankans aged between 18 and 45 with "excellent moral character” and "mental strength”. Prisons Commissioner T.M.J.W. Thennakoon declined to provide details of the four convicts whose death penalties were approved by the president. On Friday, a petitioner - a Sri Lankan journalist - filed public interest litigation seeking to stop any executions, arguing that people's rights were being violated. A court hearing will be held on July 2, and Thennakoon pledged that there would be no executions for the next seven days. A spokesman for the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said on Thursday international drug control conventions cannot be used to justify the use of the death penalty for drug-related offences alone. "Application of the death penalty may also impede international cooperation in fighting drug trafficking as there are national laws that (bar) the exchange of information and extradition with countries which may impose capital punishment for the offences concerned," the UNODC spokesman said.

Sri Lanka’s tourism industry is recovering faster than expected after the Easter Sunday suicide bombings shook the island nation, giving a much-needed boost to the economy, Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera told AFP.  The country was hit by mass cancellations after Islamic State-backed militants attacked three churches and three hotels on April 21, leaving 258 dead, including dozens of foreigners.  Yet even in the bombings’ aftermath, domestic tourists filled hotels, and visitors from key European markets are already starting to return, Samaraweera said in an interview on Wednesday. Samaraweera had initially predicted that Sri Lanka could lose 30% of its tourism revenues — about $1.5bn this year —  but now believes the loss will be less than 1bn.  “We are beginning to feel that the situation was not as dire as we expected,” Samaraweera said. “Bookings are coming back.”  Hotels were able to keep staff by offering “excellent packages” to Sri Lankan tourists, he added. The government also set aside hundreds of millions of dollars to provide cheap credit for tourism businesses hit by the crisis. Bus companies, bed and breakfast owners and the makers of Buddhist festival decorations all received interest-free loans, the minister said. “Even the musicians who accompany the processions claimed they were out of pocket,” he said.  After five years in which Sri Lanka has faced a series of blows, Samaraweera said the economy could get to 5% annual growth from next year if calm was restored.  “The last five years have not been easy for Sri Lanka,” he said, referring to floods and then a drought, which were followed by a political crisis in 2018 and the 2019 attacks. Sri Lanka’s economy slowed to 3.2% last year, down from 3.4% in 2017, because of a power struggle between the country’s president and prime minister.  Samaraweera told parliament this year that the political battle had cost the economy $1bn in capital flight from debt and equity markets.  The International Monetary Fund has since revived a bailout programme with Sri Lanka, and the government resumed international sovereign bond sales in March. “I hope that for this year we can come back to 3.8-4.0% growth, and in the next two years if it was 5% we would be happy.” Sri Lanka raised $2bn this week in its first international bond auction since the bombings.  The minister said the interest rates were lower than for a $2.4bn auction in March – before the attacks – and this showed confidence in Sri Lanka’s ability to bounce back.  “The international community has shown that they still have confidence in the good macro economic foundation we laid,” he added. Sri Lanka heads for a presidential election later this year, which could set off new political battles. Economic activity usually spikes in an election year, partly because of increased government spending.  Samaraweera said he may not present a full 2020 budget by November as scheduled and instead present a temporary account to cover expenses of the first three months of the year.  He said he wanted to allow a new president to decide on fiscal policy rather than imposing a budget on the future government.

Sri Lanka’s president yesterday signed death sentences for four people convicted of drug-related offences in a decision analysts said is aimed at boosting his chances of re-election later this year. Maithripala Sirisena was elected as a reformist in January 2015, but has struggled to fulfil pledges including addressing human rights abuses, eliminating corruption and ensuring good governance. He has been under increasing pressure since a political crisis last year, and more recently faced criticism for his handling of Easter Sunday bomb attacks that killed more than 250 people. “I have already signed the death penalty for four (convicts). It will be implemented soon and we have already decided the date as well,” Sirisena told reporters in Colombo, without giving details. He said the four could appeal their convictions on charges of trading and trafficking in drugs. Many Sri Lankans, including several influential religious leaders, are in favour of reinstating the death penalty to curb rising crime, though rights groups have warned that such a measure would be ineffective. “The death penalty does not deter crimes any more effectively than other punishments,” said Kumi Naidoo, secretary general of rights group Amnesty International. “Executions are never the  solution,” he added. The last execution in  Sri Lanka was 43 years ago. The country’s last hangman quit in 2014 without having to execute anyone, but he cited stress after seeing the gallows for the first time. Another hangman hired last year  never turned up for work. The president’s hardline policy is in part inspired by the Philippines’ so-called “war on drugs”, where thousands have died in encounters with police. “He is trying to project himself like the Philippines president ... but I doubt whether it is enough. It won’t give him much political mileage now,” political columnist Kusal Perera said. Sirisena declined to comment on whether he will stand as the presidential candidate for his centre-left Sri Lanka Freedom Party, which has recommended him as the candidate for the election expected in the last two months of 2019.

Sri Lanka’s President yesterday called for sweeping reforms to the country’s constitution that he introduced in 2015 to be rolled back, saying they are responsible for political instability. Maithripala Sirisena said the 19th amendment to the constitution - which notably transferred some of the president’s powers to the prime minister and depoliticised key institutions - should be scrapped because it has led to a power struggle. It “has triggered instability. There is no single leader,” Sirisena told a meeting in Colombo. “People believe that the president and prime minister are pulling in different directions.” Sirisena came to power in 2015 promising constitutional reform carried out with the 19th amendment, including the reduction of the powers of the executive and giving greater authority to parliament. The police, public service, election commission and the judiciary were depoliticised - and term limits of the presidency, which were removed by Sirisena’s predecessor, were restored. Human rights were strengthened and the president was made answerable to parliament and could be challenged in court.  At the time, Sirisena was hailed internationally for the sweeping reforms. However, in October, he sacked Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and tried to bring his former nemesis Rajapakse back to power. The Supreme Court held his actions were illegal and restored the status quo. Sirisena’s attempt to extend his presidential term by a further year was also shot down by the top court.  The president does not have the two-thirds parliamentary majority in the current parliament that he needs to change the constitution. The independent elections commission is due to conduct the next presidential poll between November 9 and December 9. Sirisena has an uneasy relationship with the premier who helped him come to power. The two have clashed openly as the prime minister has made it clear that he wants to contest the upcoming presidential polls.

Sri Lanka's bombed Catholic church was reconsecrated Wednesday with a prayer for a strong national leader to punish those responsible for the Easter attacks that killed 258 people. Speaking at the newly restored St Anthony's in Colombo, the head of Roman Catholics in Sri Lanka said there were doubts whether the island could pull itself out of crisis after the coordinated suicide bombings on April 21.  At least 54 people were killed at the church, where thousands of people -- including leading politicians -- attended a special trilingual service on Wednesday. "What we need is a leadership that will work for the country rather than themselves. A leader with a backbone who will not protect the guilty. A leader who is not afraid to punish wrongdoers," said the Archbishop of Colombo, Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith. "There is some doubt, both here and abroad, whether we have a strong leadership that will deliver us from this crisis," he added. His remarks came as President Maithripala Sirisena faced serious criticism that he, as minister of defence and Law and Order, failed to act on advance warnings of the Easter attacks. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has publicly apologised for the security lapses that allowed suicide bombers to stage the assaults unchallenged. Cardinal Ranjith said the Islamist extremists who staged the suicide attacks against three churches and three luxury hotels were misguided youth who will have no place in heaven. "The innocent victims who died while in church are now angels in heaven. Those who carried out the attacks are in the hell of hells," Ranjith said. St Anthony's -- which dates back to 1740 -- is venerated by non-Catholics too and as its restoration was nearing completion, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi made an unannounced visit on Sunday and paid tribute to all the victims. "I am confident Sri Lanka will rise again," Modi said on Twitter where he posted photos of himself at the church. "Cowardly acts of terror cannot defeat the spirit of Sri Lanka. India stands in solidarity with the people of Sri Lanka." Wickremesinghe said he had discussed with Modi ways to combat militant attacks and counter religious extremism. Sri Lanka has been under a state of emergency since the assaults, giving the police and security forces sweeping powers to arrest and detain suspects for long periods. The authorities have said they have killed or arrested all those responsible for the Easter Sunday attacks that were blamed on a local jihadi group, the National Thowheeth Jama'ath (NTJ) and claimed by the Islamic State.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi yesterday met Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena for the second time in 10 days and agreed that terrorism was a “joint threat” that needed collective and focused action. The two leaders had last week met at Modi’s swearing-in ceremony. Modi is the first foreign leader to visit Sri Lanka after the horrible terror attack of April 21 that killed over 250 people and was claimed by the Islamic State. His visit is being seen as India’s affirmation of solidarity with the neighbouring country in its hour of crisis. The Prime Minister’s Office described his visit as “important, signifying the strong bonds of friendship with a valued neighbour”. “Met President @MaithripalaS, our second meeting in 10 days. President Sirisena and I agreed that terrorism is a joint threat that needs collective and focused action. Reiterated India’s commitment to partner with Sri Lanka for a shared, secure and prosperous future,” Modi tweeted after his meeting. The prime minister also met his Sri Lankan counterpart Ranil Wickremsinghe and leader of opposition Mahinda Rajapakse during the short trip to the island nation.  Modi, who arrived in Colombo from the Maldives, started the day with a visit to one of the sites of the April 21 attacks, the St Anthony’s church. “I am confident Sri Lanka will rise again. Cowardly acts of terror cannot defeat the spirit of Sri Lanka. India stands in solidarity with the people of Sri Lanka. My heart goes out to the families of the victims and the injured,” he later tweeted. Before his departure, the prime minister interacted with members of the Indian community in Sri Lanka at India House and emphasised the important role played by them in strengthening  bilateral relations.  The Prime Minister said the Indian democracy had been strengthened by the sweeping mandate in the general  elections. “The results of the Lok Sabha elections are a matter of study for the world as to how mature the Indian democracy is. We have seen people’s respect for democracy and their  commitment to it,” Modi said. He said that although the Indian elections saw a lot of attacks and counter-attacks among the rivals, Indians became one “from Kashmir to Kanyakumari” once the vote count was over, triggering  applause in the crowd. Stating that women voters turned out in record numbers, Modi said: “The message of this election is that as a democracy we have matured. Democracy is our tradition and there is democracy in our ethos.” The prime minister also appealed to the diaspora to contribute to India’s development. India’s image, he said, had changed a lot in the last few years.  “Today India’s image in the world is getting stronger. A large part of credit for this goes to the Indian diaspora. Wherever I go, I am told about the successes and accomplishments of the Indian diaspora,” Modi said. “I have been travelling around the globe and have never come across any complaint about Indians residing in various countries. This is due to Indian  culture and tradition.”  India is Sri Lanka’s largest trading partner globally, and it also accounts for the largest FDI in the island nation.