Sri Lanka to sack police chief over criminal ties
Inspector-General Deshabandu Tennakoon would become the first head of police in the island's history to be impeached after being deemed unfit to lead its 85,000-strong police force.
A three-member committee, appointed by the parliament, unanimously found Tennakoon guilty of the allegations brought against him, said speaker Jagath Wickramaratne.
"This marks a historic moment in our constitutional journey, the first time in the history... that such a committee has submitted its findings recommending the removal of an Inspector General of Police".
An impeachment vote will be scheduled and is expected to pass in the 225-member parliament, where President Anura Kumara Dissanayake's government holds a two-thirds majority.
Tennakoon was appointed police chief in November 2023, despite Sri Lanka's highest court ruling that he had tortured a suspect in custody by rubbing menthol balm on the victim's genitals.
He also stands accused of authorising an ill-fated raid in 2023, which triggered a gun battle between rival police units in the coastal resort town of Weligama and led to the death of an officer.
Sri Lanka's apex court suspended him in July 2024, pending the outcome of a separate case that questioned the legality of his appointment by former president Ranil Wickremesinghe.
A state prosecutor told the court this year that Tennakoon was the "head of a criminal network".
This latest move against Tennakoon comes days after the independent National Police Commission sacked the number two officer in the police force, Senior Deputy Inspector General Nilantha Jayawardena.
Jayawardena was dismissed for negligence leading to the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings that killed 279 people. - AFP
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Straits Times
5 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Trump's Truth Social: A megaphone for policy, provocation and power
UNITED States President Donald Trump has turned his obscure Truth Social platform into a megaphone in his second term — constantly posting everything from major policy announcements to personal threats and unashamed self-promotion. To mark his first six months back in power, Trump unloaded around 40 posts on Sunday on the app he owns and can use unfettered by moderators, censors or fact-checkers. The deluge was characteristic of the way he has transformed Truth Social, despite being a minnow in the social media world, into the White House's primary means of communication. AFP analysed over 2,800 Truth Social posts by @realDonaldTrump from his inauguration on Jan 20 up to July 20 to get a better idea of how the Republican communicates. Sidelining the White House press office, the president speaks straight to his hardcore base, posting an average of 16 messages a day, many in all-caps rants peppered with exclamation marks and the odd expletive. Although Truth Social is tiny compared to X, Trump can post to 10.5 million followers knowing that he is being followed by the media and political establishment, with much of what he says quickly being reposted to rival platforms. Trump repays the favour, helping to create a right-wing media ecosystem that invariably circles back to him. Since Jan 20, he has shared Fox News articles 101 times, and the New York Post and Breitbart News 51 times each. "The minute he puts something on Truth Social, others pick it up and echo it," said Darren Linvill, a social media and disinformation specialist at Clemson University in South Carolina. In his first term, Trump relied in a similar way on what was then known as Twitter — renamed X on being purchased by Elon Musk. But after Trump's attempt to overthrow his loss in the 2020 election, he was banned by Twitter and Facebook and briefly persona non grata in Washington. Although once more present on the bigger alternatives, Trump continues to prefer Truth Social. The posts vary wildly in content, all part of Trump's brand of mixing politics with entertainment. And the style deliberately mimics Trump's verbal ticks — the bombast, salesmanship and exaggeration. "Vladimir, STOP," he posted on April 24, after Russia launched an especially heavy bombing of Kyiv. Russian President Vladimir Putin did not stop, but Trump's two-word plea earned heavy media coverage. Half of his posts used at least one exclamation point and 155 were written in all-caps. One post on March 23, promoting his cryptocurrency $Trump, read: "I LOVE $TRUMP — SO COOL!!! The Greatest of them all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Trump's posts are a way for him to keep the public on its toes and to change the narrative by giving journalists a new "rabbit hole" to follow when needed, said presidential historian Alvin Felzenberg. The leader of the world's biggest economy knows investors are paying attention. As markets plunged following Trump's tariffs announcements, he used Truth Social on March 10 to pump out articles predicting optimistic economic outcomes. On April 9, just as stock prices were tanking, he posted: "THIS IS A GREAT TIME TO BUY!!!" And hours later, he announced a 90-day suspension of additional tariffs against dozens of countries, triggering the best day for the S&P 500 index since the recovery from the 2008 financial crisis. The timing led to accusations from Democrats of an insider trader scheme.
The Sun
8 hours ago
- The Sun
UN warns of high risk of abuses in Israel's Gaza operations
GENEVA: The United Nations issued a stark warning on Tuesday, stating that Israel's expanded military operations in central Gaza carry an 'extremely high' risk of serious violations of international law. UN rights chief Volker Turk emphasised that permanently displacing Gaza's population could constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity. 'These Israeli airstrikes and ground operations will invariably lead to further civilian deaths and destruction of civilian infrastructure,' Turk said. 'Given the concentration of civilians in the area, and the means and methods of warfare employed by Israel until now, the risks of unlawful killings and other serious violations of international humanitarian law are extremely high.' The town of Deir el-Balah faced intense shelling on Monday, following evacuation orders from Israel's military. Initial UN estimates suggest between 50,000 and 80,000 people were in the area when the order was issued. 'The latest Israeli displacement orders, followed by intensive attacks on south-western Deir el-Balah... have added more misery to the suffering of hungry Palestinians,' Turk said. 'It seemed the nightmare couldn't possibly get worse. And yet it does.' The UN highlighted that the targeted area includes humanitarian facilities such as clinics, shelters and warehouses. Thousands have already fled, forced into overcrowded zones where aid delivery is increasingly difficult. 'I remind Israel that permanently displacing people living under its occupation would amount to unlawful transfer, which is a war crime, and in certain circumstances, may also amount to a crime against humanity,' Turk stressed. He called for an immediate halt to military actions and urged Israel to ensure essential supplies reach civilians. 'More and more countries are joining the calls to shake us out of this nightmare,' he added. – AFP
The Sun
8 hours ago
- The Sun
French foreign minister visits Ukraine frontline in Kharkiv
KHARKIV: France's Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot visited Ukraine's northeastern Kharkiv region on Tuesday, witnessing firsthand the impact of Russia's ongoing offensive. Accompanied by journalists, he walked through the city centre, which remains under frequent shelling from Russian forces positioned 30 kilometres away. 'Russia isn't only leading its war of aggression on the front line. It also deliberately targets civilians, residential areas and businesses to undermine Ukrainian morale,' Barrot said from a rooftop overlooking damaged buildings. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga expressed gratitude for the visit, stating, 'our people need to understand that they are not alone.' Kharkiv, once a cultural and industrial hub with 1.4 million residents, continues to endure heavy attacks. Barrot emphasised the broader nature of warfare, noting, 'War is waged not only with trucks and tanks, but also with intelligence.' His itinerary included a stop at the Kharkiv literature museum before proceeding to a military site for a frontline briefing. The minister also engaged with Ukrainian troops and shared a meal in their canteen, reinforcing France's support for Ukraine's defence efforts. – AFP
