While highlighting that the statements made by Minister of Civil Aviation Bimal Ratnayake on the recent crash of a Sri Lanka Airforce (SLAF) aircraft in Wariyapola is not valid, former Deputy Minister of Defence Pramitha Bandara Tennekoon said the Minister should tender an apology to the SLAF.

The following is the statement issued by former Deputy Minister:

Civil Aviation Minister Bimal Ratnayake has said the cause of the recent crash of the SLAF aircraft is due to an error by the pilots. This is totally false.

A court of inquiry has to be appointed to look into an aircraft crash during such an eventuality. Statements have to be recorded from the pilots in the event they escape a crash. The inquiry report is then handed over to the Airforce Commander. It is then handed over to the Ministry of Defence. It is the Ministry of Defence which has to issue a statement officially. On that score the statement made by the Aviation Minister is irrelevant.

The Minister of Aviation therefore should tender an apology to the SLAF for making a false statement.

Sri Lanka has experienced a significant surge in HIV/AIDS cases in 2024 recording over 800 cases. According to the National STD/AIDS Control Programme, Sri Lanka has logged 824 cases reflecting a 18 per cent increase compared to the year 2023, which saw 694 cases.

A direct flight service between Tiruchirappalli in Tamil Nadu and Jaffna in Sri Lanka commenced today after 47 years. Due to the war situation, flight services at the Palaly International Airport, Jaffna were suspended, but in 2019, the airport resumed its services. Passenger flights between Chennai and Jaffna started after the reopening of the airport.

In a swift response to an urgent appeal, the Court of Appeal today issued an interim order suspending the decision made by the Puttalam High Court Judge to remand a lady lawyer over an alleged contemptuous conduct.

Former Minister of Public Security Tiran Alles has arrived at the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) to record a statement. According to reports, the former minister arrived at the CID to record a statement regarding the shooting incident in front of a prominent hotel in Weligama in 2023.

The draft bill for the government’s recovery of assets acquired through illegal means, the Proceeds of Crime Bill, will be presented to Parliament on 08 April 2025, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said. Addressing a public meeting in the Welipitiya area in Matara, President Dissanayake said that frauds and the corrupt will not be allowed to rule the country again.

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has stated that efforts are underway to reveal those responsible for the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks before April 21.

The government is considering repurposing a number of ministerial bungalows, including offering some to diplomatic missions, Lankadeepa newspaper reported.

Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs & Foreign Employment Arun Hemachandra are expected to travel to Thailand later this week to attend the sixth BIMSTEC Summit, The Sunday Times newspaper reports.

Former Public Security Minister Tiran Alles has been summoned to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to record a statement regarding the death of a police sergeant from the Colombo Crimes Division during a shooting incident near a hotel in Weligama, Matara in 2023.

Kuwait has deported 20 convicted Sri Lankan prisoners under an extradition agreement between the two countries, according to media reports. The inmates, held at Kuwait's Central Prison, were repatriated on Wednesday to Katunayake Airport on a special flight to Sri Lanka, reported the Sri Lankan Daily News.