Category: Featured Headlines

“The People’s Tribunal on the Murder of Journalists” located in The Hague, the Netherlands, will launch its Tribunal today (2) to indict the Government of Sri Lanka for the assassination of slain Editor Lasantha Wickrematunge and its prolonged failure to bring his murderers to justice.

The International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists falls today, 2 November.

In addition to the murder of Wickrematunge, the Tribunal launched by the Free Press Unlimited, Reporters Without Borders, and Committee to Protect Journalists organisations will inquire into the murders of two other journalists, namely Saudi Arabian journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who was assassinated at the Saudi Arabian Embassy in Turkey, and Maltese journalist Daphne Anne Caruana Galizia, who was assassinated in Malta. Khashoggi’s girlfriend and Galizia’s son are also scheduled to testify.

The Lasantha Wickrematunge murder case will be heard first, at which his daughter, Ahimsa Wickrematunge, who has been fighting to bring her father’s killers to justice, is also expected to testify. In a Tweet, she said that she was honoured to support the Tribunal.

The Hague is where the International Criminal Court is also located. The project, titled “A Safer World for the Truth”, is a collaboration between Free Press Unlimited, a press freedom organisation based in the Netherlands, the Committee to Protect Journalists, and Reporters Without Borders.

According to the People’s Tribunal on the Murder of Journalists, since 1992, more than 1,400 journalists have been killed, and in eight out of 10 cases where a journalist is murdered, the killers go free.

Wickrematunge was killed on 8 January 2009.

The Indian Air Force (IAF) has agreed to transport Indian liquid Nano-Nitrogen fertiliser recommended for use in agriculture, Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage said.

He said that the decision to import liquid Nano-Nitrogen fertiliser by air was taken due to delays in shipping.

Accordingly six Indian planes will arrive in Sri Lanka carrying Nano-Nitrogen fertiliser today, the minister said at an event at Gannoruwa, Kandy.

The Archbishop of Colombo Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith says that it is their right to know the reason why so many people were killed in vein in the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks and that it is not “a gift” to be given by somebody.

“What we have said every day is only one thing. It is that we need to know the reason why these people were killed in vein. It is our right. It is not a gift to be given by somebody. It’s our right.”

Speaking during an event held at the St. Sebastian’s Church in Katuwapitiya, he said that therefore they once against requesting the leaders of the country to reveal the “full story” behind the Easter attacks.

Cardinal Ranjith said their struggle is not aimed at creating any conflict and that they want to see justice being done.

“That is all we are expecting. We are not expecting to be given a lot of money or for anything to be built. We are expecting justice to be done,” he said.

Marine Traffic websites have confirmed that the Hippo Spirit vessel, also sailing as Seiyo Explorer, has entered the Sea of Sri Lanka.

The ship is now located close to the Hambantota Port.

The Hippo Spirit is carrying tonnes of rejected Chinese Fertilizer from Qingdao Seawin Biotech Group Co., Ltd to Sri Lanka.

Earlier, it is reported that the Hippo Spirit, the ship carrying Chinese Organic Fertilizer, did not return to China after the first samples were rejected by Sri Lanka.

Instead, the Hippo Spirit had sailed to Singapore and altered its course back to Sri Lanka, without returning to China.

On the 22nd of September, the Hippo Spirit ship carrying 20,000 metric tonnes of organic fertilizer left for Colombo from China’s Qingdao Port.

But the ship was diverted to Singapore after harmful bacteria was detected in the samples of this fertilizer shipment.

The Hippo Spirit ship that didn’t return to China had left Singapore declaring it would be heading to the Colombo Port.

But on the 14th of this month, the automatic identification system (AIS) used to track the ship had been deactivated at the Malakka Strait.

Vessel trackers showed the last position of the ship as the Malakka Strait before it went out of range.

Data available online showed the Hippo Spirit ship in Hambantota on the 24th of this month under the name Seiyo Explorer.

The Hippo Spirit and the Seiyo Explorer both share the same IMO number, and therefore it can be confirmed the Hippo Spirit is the Seioy Explorer.

The IMO Ship Identification Number is a unique seven-digit number that remains unchanged through a vessel’s lifetime and is linked to its hull, regardless of any changes of names, flags, or owners.

Although the ship was seen in Sri Lanka’s waters off the Hambantota District on the 24th of this month, the ship has gone out of range on tracking systems.

But on Sunday (31), marine traffic websites confirmed that the ship has entered the Sea of Sri Lanka and is now located close to the Hambantota Port.

Several Government affiliated parties opposed the controversial Kerawalapitiya LNG power plant deal with the US-based Company New Fortress Energy Inc.

The Minister of Power, Gamini Lokuge said that if Government parties are performing the role of the opposition, they must switch sides.

He further stated that the very same parties are levelling absurd allegations before the entire country, and that the Government will have to make a decision on that.

” If they are planning to move forward by criticizing the President and those in leadership roles, we will allow them to do that by switching sides. We won’t allow them to do that while being on our side. Why are they doing this while being in the Government? They will have to leave if this continues,” he stated.

Meanwhile, former President Maithripala Sirisena stated that the MPs simply expressed their views and he does not see the action leading to crisis.

He went onto further state that there is no one to join hands with if the relevant members leave, and it is impossible to predict what would happen in the future. Sirisena also emphasized that it is not good to damage ties during this period as the country is not in a good position.

Moreover, SJB MP Kumara Welgama suggested that the only option for a group with alternative views to the Government, is to leave the Government.

However, the Minister of Youth and Sports Namal Rajapaksa stated that the Ministers could have expressed their views when the relevant Cabinet paper was put forward regarding the decision, and he stated that it is wrong to make statements instead of using that opportunity.

Acting like this, they will bring disrepute to themselves, the Minister mentioned, adding that they are criticizing the very Government which they formed.

Furthermore, SLPP MP Tissa Kuttiarachchi stated that whether the relevant MPs they stand with the Government or not, that he stands with the plan of the Government.

” If they have a backbone, we are challenging people like minister Wimal Weerawansa to resign from their positions. Please resign from your ministerial positions. They say they are doing this to push the Government on the right track. Do they have to express critical remarks openly to do that? They don’t have the backbone to do that. If they have the backbone, please name the people while accusing them. We don’t know whom they are referring to,” Kuttiarachchi stated.

Additionally, MP Weerasumana Weerasinghe emphasized that the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna as a party was born of small parties, and the very same group is now attempting to discard them.

He added that if the Government carries on its conduct while disregarding the small parties and attacking their views, they are destroying their own political journey.

The Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) has said that even if the Seiyo Explorer vessel, formerly known as Hippo Spirit, which is carrying tonnes of Chinese fertiliser that have failed quality tests, has entered Sri Lanka’s territorial waters, it is not illegal.

“Several vessels pass through our waters for the purpose of innocent passage, this is not illegal,” Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SPLA) Harbour Master Capt. K.M. Nirmal P. Silva told The Morning last (31 October) night.

He also stated that the Sri Lanka Navy does monitor Sri Lankan waters, but only for illegal activities, and not for the purpose of innocent passage.

Despite media reports which claimed that the ship had entered Sri Lanka’s sea and was situated near the Hambantota Port, he stated that as of yesterday, no information about the vessel’s position or whether it has entered Sri Lankan waters or ports has been communicated to Sri Lankan authorities.

When asked if the SLPA was aware of the vessels which are currently in Sri Lankan waters, Capt. Silva stated that it is “nobody’s responsibility” to know such details, and that the SLPA’s jurisdiction is only limited to vessels that enter any port in the country.

Indian media outlet WION (World Is One News) reported that the ship changed its name from “Hippo Spirit” to “Seiyo Explorer” last week, adding that the “Hippo Spirit” and the “Seiyo Explorer” appear to have the same IMO number, 9135523, according to a ship-tracking website.

Despite several attempts to Contact Sri Lanka Navy Media Spokesperson Capt. Indika De Silva for comments on the same, our efforts proved to be futile.

Last week, when contacted by The Morning, the Agriculture Ministry Secretary Prof. Udith K. Jayasinghe said that he is not aware as to whether the ship has arrived in the close seas of Sri Lanka. However, he said that the fertiliser stock will not be allowed to be unloaded in the country.

“Whether it has arrived or not, we have clearly asked not to unload it. The arrival of a ship does not come under me or the Director General (DG) of the Department of Agriculture, but if any ship brings unwanted things for agriculture purposes which were not permitted by the relevant authorities or for which the necessary licences have not been issued, we have asked very clearly not to unload them,” he said.

Prof. Jayasinghe further said that the Department of Agriculture DG Dr. Ajantha de Silva has sent a letter to the SLPA through which the SLPA was informed not to allow the said consignment of fertiliser to be unloaded. “Dr. de Silva has issued a very clear letter and it was accepted by the SLPA.”

Speaking further, he went on to say: “This has been dealt with by the NPQS, the Agriculture DG, Promoting the Production and Regulating the Supply of Organic Fertiliser, and Paddy and Grains, Organic Foods, Vegetables, Fruits, Chilies, Onion, and Potato Cultivation Promoting, Seed Production, and Advanced Technology Agriculture State Ministry Secretary Nihal Ranasinghe, and myself. If any fertiliser meets the prescribed standards set out by the relevant authorities, then we have no issue, but these fertilisers were not in accordance with such standards, due to which we have made it clear that they should not be brought into the country.”

In response to a question as to whether Sri Lanka would have to pay any compensation to said Chinese company in the event of this ship having to be sent back, he said: “No. Why should we pay? If somebody drops something at your home without asking and if you do not need it, are you going to pay for it? When the relevant standards are not met, this cannot be considered a fertiliser.”

The Colombo Port Harbour Master has, on 23 October, told the media that he was unaware of the said ship’s whereabouts, but had issued instructions to prevent it from entering the harbour.

Furthermore, when contacted last evening, the Ports and Shipping Ministry Secretary U.D.C. Jayalal confirmed to The Morning that the ship had not entered the port and that the Port Master had instructed the relevant parties to prevent it from entering.

Following tests carried out by local testing agencies, including the National Plant Quarantine Service (NPQS), on the second set of samples of organic fertiliser made in China that have confirmed the presence of harmful bacteria in said samples, the Agriculture Ministry recently decided not to import organic fertiliser from the said company.

However, following requests from China, the Government has agreed to send the organic fertiliser samples from the China-based Qingdao Seawin Biotech Group Co. Ltd., which have been found to contain harmful bacteria on two previous occasions, to a third party and to retest their quality.

Promoting the Production and Regulating the Supply of Organic Fertiliser, and Paddy and Grains, Organic Foods, Vegetables, Fruits, Chillies, Onion, and Potato Cultivation Promoting, Seed Production, and Advanced Technology Agriculture State Minister Shasheendra Rajapaksa told the media last Tuesday (26 October) that China had refused to accept the results of the tests conducted so far.

“They (China) said that the tests carried out on these fertiliser samples by the local agencies could not be accepted as they were not accredited laboratories. They said that this company in question manufactures fertilisers for about 16 countries, including Australia, Canada, and the US, and therefore asked us to understand the quality of these fertilisers.”

Accordingly, Rajapaksa said that the Government had agreed to refer these fertiliser samples to a third party laboratory in order to ascertain their quality.

However, the National Plant Quarantine Service (NPQS) told The Morning last week that it has sole authority to carry out testing on fertilisers that may contain live organisms to be imported into Sri Lanka, and that no such fertiliser can be imported based on the tests carried out by any other institution.