22 WORLD
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13 - 19 July 2019
Lanka's top court halts executions until Oct 30 COLOMBO: Sri Lanka's Supreme Court halted the execution of four people until October 29, a week after the country's president announced he would end the country's 43year moratorium on the death penalty. The apex court's order came after it took into consideration 11 petitions filed in various courts against President Maithripala Sirisena's order and termed it as a violation of the fundamental rights of the convicts. One such petition was filed by MA Sumanthiran, a lawyer, claiming that Sirisena's decision impinges on the rights of one of the drug convicts. "The case argument was that hanging would be a cruel and degrading treatment", he said. Sirisena is facing mounting criticism from his countrymen as well as the international community, including European Union, since he passed the order. Sri Lanka became a party to the UN moratorium on death penalty and voted in favour of
Human rights groups and several governments have raised concerns about the restoration of capital punishment in Sri Lanka
the moratorium just six months back. The British government in a statement condemned the move, saying the decision would have implications on many areas, including counterterrorism cooperation. Sirisena accused the European Union of challenging Sri Lanka's sovereignty by threatening with tariffs if capital punishment is re-introduced in the country after 43 years. He also claimed to have turned down a telephonic call by UN
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to reconsider his decision to reintroduce death penalty. Sirisena has said narcotic drugs have become a menace with 300,000 addicts across the island nation, which authorities say is being used by dealers as a transit hub. He said 60% of the country's 24,000 inmates were jailed for drug-related offenses. Sri Lanka's prisons were built to accommodate 11,000 people. Drug trafficking is a capital
offense, but no prisoners have been executed since 1976. Currently, 1,299 prisoners are on death row, including 48 convicted of drug offenses. In April, police publicly destroyed 770 kg of drugs seized in 2016 and 2017. Police have seized 731 kg of heroin, 1 kg of cocaine and 1,607 kg of marijuana so far this year. Marijuana is the most widely used illegal drug in Sri Lanka, followed by heroin and cocaine. Drug-related arrests rose 2% in 2017 from the previous year to 81,156. Sirisena, who visited the Philippines in January, praised President Rodrigo Duterte's harsh crackdown on illegal drugs as "an example to the world." Thousands of suspects, mostly urban poor, have been slain since Duterte took office in 2016. Rights groups have denounced what they say are extrajudicial killings. Police say most of the suspects were killed in encounters with officers.
Two former Lanka top officials arrested over serial bombings COLOMBO: The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in Sri Lanka arrested former defence secretary Hemasiri Fernando and ex-police chief Pujith Jayasundera for their alleged failure to prevent attacks on churches and luxury hotels that killed more than 250 people in April. Attorney General Dappula de Livera ordered their arrest on July 1 and urged the acting police chief to bring charges against the two, including for grave crimes against humanity. “The two officials should be brought before a magistrate for their criminal negligence to prevent the April 21 attacks,” the attorney
general said in a letter to the acting police. During the time of arrest, the duo was undergoing treatment at different hospitals. Fernando was arrested from the Colombo National Hospital while Jayasundara was taken into custody from the Police Hospital. Earlier, President Maithripala Sirisena had suspended Jayasundera and Fernando for their alleged inaction on the information shared by India, which warned of an attack by Islamic militants and thereby failing to prevent the attack which resulted in an Easter terror attack on April 21, 2019.
FOUR DEAD AFTER BOAT CAPSIZES IN PAKISTAN At least four people have been killed and 21 went missing after a boat capsized in northwest Pakistan, officials said, with a rescue operation continuing as hopes for finding survivors fade. The boat was carrying passengers along the Indus River from Shangla to Haripur district in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province when it overturned. "There were 38 people on the boat when the incident occurred and 13 people saved their lives by swimming to the shore," a police official said. "We have retrieved four bodies from the river," he said. "The flow of the water is very fast the river is very deep which has dimmed the chances of survival, however we will continue the rescue operation till the last individual is found," he added.
MAN DIVORCES WIFE OVER VACCINATION A woman who was divorced by her husband for having their children inoculated against polio has condemned the “anti-vaxx” campaign that is sweeping Pakistan. Dua Rabbani, 26, was at home with her children when a vaccination team arrived in the area, on the outskirts of Karachi. Her husband, Israr Ahmed, was at work but had left strict instructions that the children were not to receive the vaccine. “He had often fought with me about vaccinations. He said they were suspicious and damaged children’s health,” Rabbani said. Rumours have spread like wildfire across Pakistan in recent weeks, fuelled by a series of lurid videos posted on social media claiming that scores of children who had taken polio drops during a recent vaccination died.
NEPAL POLICE ARREST PAKISTANI COUPLE
Ex-police chief Pujith Jayasundera and former defence secretary Hemasiri Fernando
However, they deny all allegations against them. On April 21 serial attacks, over 250 people were killed in eight suicide attack carried by National
Thowheed Jammath (NTJ), local Jihadi group, linked to ISIS. The serial attacks were one of the deadliest attacks in the recent history of Lanka.
Nepal bans Tibetans from celebrating Dalai Lama's birthday KATHMANDU: Authorities of Nepal have stopped the Tibetan community from holding public events to commemorate the 84th birthday of their spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, over security concerns. Amid China’s growing economic and defence ties with Nepal, the latter has been reported to have stalled a programme by Tibetan refugees to celebrate the Dalai Lama’s 84th birthday. To mark his birthday, Tibetan refugees and people of Tibetan origin planned to hold several events in the valley where they reside. The Nepal government beefed up security in areas inside the Kathmandu valley ahead of Dalai Lama's birthday, according to reports. Nepal is said to be home to about 20,000 Tibetans. Krishna Bahadur Katuwal, assistant district administrator of Kathmandu, was quoted as saying the government refused permission for Tibetans to mark the Dalai Lama’s birthday because “infiltrators” could create trouble. “There
in brief
could be a law and order problem as infiltrators could organise demonstrations or try to self-immolate.” The programme, according to security sources, was to be attended by senior diplomats from western countries, including the United States, Germany and the United Kingdom. Several western diplomats had expressed reservations over the move by the K P Sharma Oli government. "These diplomats have expressed serious concerns about the forced cancellation of the event, which is a severe violation of rights of people of the Tibetan community," a western diplomat said. The Nepal government generally intervenes in events organised by the Tibetan community stating Nepal is committed to 'One China Policy'. The country, in the past has detained Tibetans on their way to India and later handed them over to Chinese authorities. Reportedly, airport immigration authorities in
Dalai Lama
Kathmandu refused to admit a US citizen of Tibetan origin and deported him last month, reportedly at China’s request. Many schools across Nepal were recently reported to have made it mandatory for students to learn Chinese. They were apparently lured by the Chinese government’s offer to cover salaries of teachers who teach Mandarin. India was miffed by the recent visit by the Nepal army chief to Beijing which saw the two sides agreeing to further “upgrade” military ties.
A Pakistani couple was arrested for the second time for stealing foreign currency from Rajendra Shrestha's Davis Metro Money Exchange at Jhochen, Lalitpur from where they have stolen 900 American Dollar, 3000 Saudi Riyal and 1400 Chinese Yuan," the Nepal Police said. The duo has been identified as 32-year-old Mohasin Khan and 31-year-old Puja Mohasin Khan native of Lahore, Pakistan. As per the police, the couples went to money exchange office claiming they want to exchange 500 Saudi Riyal with the American dollar and stole the foreign currencies. As per the police record, the same couple was arrested on May 14 for stealing cash from shops in Bhaktapur and Rupandehi districts.
240 FALL ILL AFTER EATING AT IMELDA MARCOS PARTY More than 240 people were brought to hospitals in the Philippine capital with suspected food poisoning in an event celebrating the 90th birthday of former first lady Imelda Marcos. Bryant Wong, a disasterresponse officer, said dozens of ambulances transported at least 244 people who either vomited or grew dizzy hours after eating a breakfast of chicken stew with egg and rice and drinking water in a sports center in suburban Pasig city. Food and Drug Administration personnel took samples of the food to check if it caused the apparent poisoning. The incident cut short what was supposed to be a daylong celebration by more than 2,000 Marcos followers, Wong said. Imelda, who ended her term in May as a member of the House of Representatives, celebrated her birthday last week.