Sri Lanka's army chief in controversy over election ad
Colombo: Sri Lanka's election chief said Wednesday that he has asked for an explanation from the defense ministry on why the army commander features in an advertisement promoting a candidate for next month's presidential election.
The advertisement, which appeared in a newspaper last weekend, had comments made by Lt Gen Shavendra Silva, the current army chief, in 2009 praising presidential candidate Gotabaya Rajapaksa for his role in ending the country's long civil war.
Rajapaksa was defence chief at the time, serving under his brother, then-President Mahinda Rajapaksa, and Silva was an army division commander. The advertisement includes a photo of Silva in uniform with his comments.
Election chief Mahinda Deshapriya criticised the advertisement and said he has sought an explanation from the secretary to the defence ministry on why the army chief was being used to promote a presidential candidate.
"We highly regret this advertisement," said Deshapriya, adding that "it could be an old statement, but it is regrettable that the rank and designation of the present army commander had been used."
Mahinda Rajapaksa has swept to victory in several elections by promoting himself as the leader who defeated the once invincible Tamil Tiger rebels in the long civil war.
Gotabaya Rajapaksa's popularity is on the increase after April's Easter attacks in Sri Lanka that killed 263 people and wounded 500. But to his opponents and critics, he is a feared defence official accused of condoning rape, torture and shadowy disappearances of critics.
On Tuesday, he said that if he wins the November 16 election, he won't recognise an agreement the government made with the UN human rights council to investigate alleged war crimes during the civil war.
If he does win and follows through with his comments, it would be a severe setback to Sri Lanka's post-war reconciliation process.
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2 children killed in bomb attack in Manipur
Imphal (PTI): Two children were killed and their mother was injured in a bomb attack in Manipur's Bishnupur district on Tuesday, triggering protests by locals, police said.
The incident occurred at around 1 am when a bomb was hurled by suspected militants at a house in Moirang Tronglaobi area, killing a 5-year-old boy and a six-month-old girl, a senior officer said.
The two children and their mother were sleeping in their bedroom when the bomb exploded in the house, he said.
Locals staged a protest this morning and torched two oil tankers and a truck near a petrol pump in the area. They burnt tyres in front of the Moirang Police Station and destroyed a makeshift police outpost.
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Security forces have been deployed in the area to control the situation, the officer said.
Low-lying Moirang Tronglaobi is located close to hill areas of Churachandpur and witnessed consistent gun firing during the ethnic conflict between Meiteis and Kuki-Zo groups in 2023 and 2024.
An explosive device was also recovered in a nearby area of Tronglaobi on Tuesday, another senior officer said.
Local NPP MLA Th Shanti Singh condemned the "brutal attack at Tronglaobi, allegedly carried out by Kuki narco-terrorists".
"This heinous act is nothing less than an act of terrorism. Such inhuman acts have no place in our society and must be condemned in the strongest possible terms," he said.
"I offer my heartfelt tributes to the innocent lives lost - a 5-year-old boy and a 5-month-old baby girl - taken away in such a cold-blooded manner. My deepest condolences go out to the bereaved family during this unimaginable time of grief," the MLA said.
More than 260 people have been killed and thousands rendered homeless in ethnic violence between Meiteis and Kuki-Zo groups since May 2023.
