prasanna lokugamage

Banker MBA AIB LLB

[Harsha de Silva @HarshadeSilvaMP]

DM of Finance Anil Jayantha has stated that the Rebuilding #SriLanka Fund remains ‘safe’. Excuse me?! This fund was never established. With @IMFNews program various ‘funds’ were abolished and any only statutory funds could be maintained, meaning established by and Act of #Parliament. On every occasion I questioned the government they kept saying they were ‘working on it’. Thus, no such fund exists. https://t.co/zgj1vZoI0M

[Harsha de Silva @HarshadeSilvaMP]

After my absolute refusal to accept postponement of the summons, the Secretary to Treasury and senior officials attended the COPF meeting along w @CBSL. All members of the Commitee were present and participated in the meeting in a most professional manner immaterial of political affiliations.

It was revealed that 10 payments totalling USD 2.5m had been robbed from the treasury from Oct 25 through Jan 26.

Notwithstanding red flags being raised the process had continued and officials had made payments upon approvals being obtained from multiple reporting layers. We were astonished to find the massive gaps in procedure which had been manipulated to commit this crime over four months. Serious questions remain as to why audits did not pick up the tell tale discrepancies.

While it is the duty of law enforcement to track down criminals our responsibility is to continue oversight on public finance in general and in this case debt repayment in particular. On that count, I took the strong position that it was the duty of the Treasury to inform us and not be told by outsiders. Their excuse of sensitive nature of the matter etc was not accepted.

ST had obligations under several Acts and FRs to inform the FIU within 48 hours, to get an initial report within 7 days and have the complete report submitted to Auditor General and Parliament within 3 months etc. While there is discrepancy on when exactly the Treasury found out about the crime, they informed us that they had initiated all such action, evidence for which we directed the officials to submit to us along with all relevant details.

Next session on the matter will be held in four weeks at which point we will decide on further action.

#SriLanka #cybercrime

[Sunil Jayasiri @sjayasiri]

Update: A four-member committee of forensic medical experts has confirmed that the suspicious death of a suspended Assistant Director of the Ministry of Finance was a suicide caused by self-inflicted injuries-Police

[Mahas Murshid @ZainulMahas]

Don't be a slave. Not for the NPP, not for anyone.

I voted for them. I do believe they are least corrupt. They also seem very incompetent at certain things.

Trivialising real loss is wrong. Whether AKD does it or someone else. No real Ditwah fund, jayakodi, and now the hack.

[Armchair Warlord @ArmchairW]

In making sense of a complex event, it's often best to start with the facts and then work backwards from there. So what are we to make of this weekend in Iran?

My theory is we just saw an attempt to seize Iran's stockpile of enriched uranium unravel.

Down the rabbit hole.⬇️

Let's run through the timeline and the location of key events first:

The evening of April 2nd, the Iranian military released a video of them shooting down a USAF aircraft. This was initially claimed as having occurred over the Persian Gulf, but apparently occurred near Isfahan. Wreckage corresponding to an F-15E of the 494th Tactical Fighter Squadron was recovered from a site south of Isfahan the morning of April 3rd, although geolocation of the very barren crash site took some time (fig. 1).

The afternoon of April 3rd, a number of USAF HH-60s and an HC-130 fueler (!) were spotted operating further south and west in Iran, over Kogiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province, as well as at least one A-10, an MQ-9 Reaper, and apparently an F-35. An antiaircraft battle developed and the Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) HH-60s (fig.2) and an A-10 were damaged, with the A-10's pilot ejecting over the Persian Gulf. The HH-60s were reported as "damaged" and one was photographed trailing smoke. Reports emerged at that time that the pilot of the F-15E (which had crashed near Isfahan, although this was then-unclear!) had been rescued, while the WSO remained at large. Provincial authorities in Kohgiluyeh asked civilians to be on the lookout for an American aviator around this time and numerous photos of militia searching for him emerged.

The next day passed relatively uneventfully. The evening of April 4th, however, there was a report of more helicopter activity slightly further north, in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province, accompanied by a washed-out photograph of an unknown helicopter flying very low on a very dark night (fig. 3). Later that night news emerged that the F-15Es WSO had been rescued... and that C-130s had been abandoned and scuttled at a forward base in the Isfahan area during the withdrawal of a company-size SOF force that had landed in the area, over 100 operators ostensibly having been sent to rescue one aviator. Photographs that emerged as dawn broke showed two burned-out C-130s and several destroyed MH-6 Little Bird SOF assault helicopters, in a scene reminiscent of the aftermath of Operation Eagle Claw (fig. 4). A USAF C-295 tactical transport was caught on video around that time flying in Iran - presumably outbound - at extremely low altitude.

So, what are we to make of this?

First and foremost, the official story - that a huge direct-action SOF force landed near Isfahan with assault helicopters and heavy transport aircraft to rescue one fugitive airman - is nonsense. Not because the USAF won't go to extreme lengths to recover isolated personnel - it can, will, and did in this case - but because that's an absolutely nonsensical way to accomplish that mission. It's a totally inappropriate force package for a mission to go in, extract a single person from a remote area, and leave. Ergo this SOF task force was there on other business.

So how were the pilots actually recovered? In all likelihood, exactly the way you would expect them to be recovered - by USAF PJs in long-range helicopters, under cover of darkness. The rescue force probably recovered the pilot from the Isfahan area late at night on April 2-3 and were caught in daylight as they exfiltrated, leading to the aforementioned antiaircraft battle the morning of April 3rd and a high-risk refueling over Iranian territory that was filmed by many Iranians on the ground, as well as a shot-down A-10 trying to clear a path for the helicopters to exfiltrate. The WSO was likely recovered from his hide site near Isfahan by HH-60 in a quiet and deliberate operation the night of April 4-5. One or two birds, in and out under cover of darkness - a far cry from the gung-ho stories currently being spun.

So what about the SOF rodeo happening at the same time? Well, why was an F-15 flying downtown to Isfahan the evening of April 2nd to begin with? Probably because there was a huge direct-action raid planned in the Isfahan area for the night of April 4-5, likely going after enriched uranium at an underground facility in the region, and the Iranian air defenses around Isfahan weren't going to suppress themselves. The plan was likely to fly several MH-6 assault birds and a sizable force of operators via C-130 and C-295 to a forward staging area near Isfahan the evening of April 4th, hit a reported cache site or sites for enriched uranium, and try to make it out with the magic dust by daybreak on April 5th.

In any event the USAF wasn't going to send transports somewhere it wouldn't send strike aircraft. So the Air Force cashed its check on claims of air superiority and in went the strike package the evening of April 2nd - and lo and behold one of the F-15Es went down because reports of the demise of the Iranian air defense network had been greatly exaggerated. Any rational planner would have scrubbed the SOF operation at this point because they'd lost control of the situation and the Iranian defenses had proven more effective than planned.

We went ahead anyways and inserted the SOF task force the evening of April 4th. I strongly suspect that this force was immediately discovered by Iranian drones that would have been up and searching for this WSO, because five transport aircraft including at least two C-130s (about what would be required for a bunch of Little Birds and a company-sized element of operators with equipment) landing at a desert airstrip 50km from Isfahan (and in the same general area where the WSO was taking cover) would be pretty God-damn obvious to anything with thermals. Iranian troops immediately deployed and began converging, the task force probably took indirect fire, and the operational commander immediately aborted mission and retreated in the three remaining operational aircraft. Scuttling charges on delayed fuzes burned two C-130s and an unknown number of MH-6s that had been abandoned at the airstrip around dawn.

The story that they were there to rescue the WSO was concocted at that time to cover the disastrously failed raid, as were logistically implausible claims that the task force had been rescued by three additional aircraft after the two C-130s got stuck on the LZ and were scuttled - perhaps to minimize the scale of the effort. Claims that a large battle took place appear to be similarly exaggerated - video has emerged of a single group of Iranian militia apparently killed in a drone strike, but nothing of the nonstop bombing and firefights that were rumored across Telegram all night. I remind the reader that the events of the last few days have proven quite conclusively that Iranians seem to have plenty of internet access to post photos and video when they actually have something worthwhile to film.

I'd like to note that Hegseth fired General George - US Army Chief of Staff - on April 2nd, apparently because he just wasn't a good fit for the job and definitely not because he'd told him that this whole scheme was insane. It seems to me that the good General's advice should have perhaps been heeded.

[Arnaud Bertrand @RnaudBertrand]

So, if I got that right, here's the narrative:

- A US F-15E fighter jet got shot down over Iran, despite Trump saying 2 days beforehand in his nationwide address that Iran has "no anti-aircraft equipment. Their radar is 100% annihilated." (https://t.co/3pnVUGxHyV)

- The plane's weapons systems officer - a "highly respected Colonel," according to Trump - ejected from the plane and got "seriously wounded" (still according to Trump: https://t.co/jUbGiGk9uM)

- He still managed to "hike up a 7,000-foot [2.1km] mountain ridgeline and hide in a crevice" in the Zagros Mountains, despite his wounds (https://t.co/ECTqgUFOZ3)

- U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drones started killing all "Iranian military-aged males believed to be a threat who got within three kilometers of [the American's location]" (https://t.co/86aZgrsXGT)

- To retrieve him the U.S. managed to seize an "abandoned airport," 200 miles deep inside Iran, near Isfahan (https://t.co/rOpRm3mqt9), which happens to be where Iran's largest atomic scientific center is located (https://t.co/jQfmg4zI8t)

- They landed two MC-130 military transport planes in that airport (https://t.co/k0mU0wqnvU) in an operation involving "hundreds of special forces troops and military personnel" (https://t.co/ECTqgUFOZ3)

- Both MC-130 planes got "stuck in the sand" and the U.S. destroyed them themselves "to prevent them from falling into Iranian hands" (https://t.co/k0mU0wqnvU)

- They deployed "three new aircraft to extract all the U.S. personnel" on the ground (https://t.co/k0mU0wqnvU)

- There are videos circulating online of "heavy clashes" with presumably Iranian missiles raining down in Kohgiluyeh County, in the Zagros Mountains during that night (https://t.co/VCeTzcC1vt)

- Iran sent pictures of the aftermath at the "abandoned airport" and it's a sight of utter destruction, with US plane and MH-6 helicopter parts scattered all over the ground, still smoking (https://t.co/mDpYT9qsKC). Iran claims they are the ones who in fact destroyed all the aircraft.

- Meanwhile a second U.S. plane, an A-10 Warthog, also crashed on Friday near the Strait of Hormuz according to two U.S. officials speaking to the NYT (https://t.co/lFs4zERw2t). In that instance too the lone pilot was apparently "safely rescued."

- In all this, after the multiple planes and helicopters destroyed or shot down, the documented heavy clashes, the "hundreds of special forces troops and military personnel" operating deep inside Iran, not a single US soldier was reported killed "or even wounded" (according to Trump: https://t.co/rCgrl6vMpT).

- And the 'highly respected Colonel' this was all for? No name. No photo. No interview. Nobody has spoken to him nor knows who he is.

So to sum up: anti-aircraft equipment that supposedly didn't exist shot down an F-15 (and, apparently, an A-10 Warthog the same day). A seriously wounded man climbed a 2.1km mountain. The US seized an airfield 200 miles inside a country it's at war with, next to one of its most strategic nuclear sites, and deployed hundreds of troops all apparently unimpeded. Lost two planes to "sand" and destroyed their own helicopters. Videos show heavy clashes, missiles raining down - but not a single person got "even wounded". And the man at the center of it all? Nobody knows who he is, completely anonymous, zero pictures, but Trump says he is "SAFE and SOUND." And so is the rescued A-10 Warthog pilot, who also remains anonymous.

Trump concludes this all proves the US has "achieved overwhelming Air Dominance and Superiority over the Iranian skies" (https://t.co/rCgrl6vMpT), despite the whole episode only happening because Iran shot his planes out of the sky.

Basically, the only thing that's "overwhelming" here is the audacity of the storytelling...

[News Curry @NewsCurrySL]

Namal Offering Solutions In 2026 To Problems That SLPP Caused In 2022. #lka #NewsCurry

[Sajith Premadasa @sajithpremadasa]

Modi government has decided to reduce the Special Additional Excise Duty on petrol and completely remove it for diesel in order to cushion the hardship on the Indian consumer. High time for AKD to keep up to his election promise and follow suit.

[Estelle Vasudevan @Estelle_Vasude1]

Another series win to cap off their tour of the Caribbean. This is the last scheduled series for Sri Lanka ahead of the T20 World Cup in June. #WIvSL

[Megatron @Megatron_ron]

JUST IN:

🇺🇸🇮🇷🇧🇭 An American sailor records the Iranian strike in Bahrain.

"OH S**T"

[NewsWire 🇱🇰 @NewsWireLK]

A Sri Lankan–born baker has risen to the top of France’s most iconic culinary tradition. Sithamparappillai Jegatheepan, 43, has won the prestigious Grand Prix de la Baguette, earning the title of best traditional baguette in Paris.

His modest neighborhood bakery, Le Fournil de Didot, triumphed over 142 competitors with its “Baguette Tradition,” impressing judges on taste, aroma, crust, and texture.

“This was my first time participating, and I won straight away,” Jegatheepan said after the announcement.

Along with a €4,000 prize, the victory brings increased recognition and the honor of supplying baguettes to the Élysée Palace, official residence of President Emmanuel Macron. The award traditionally includes a meeting with the French head of state — a prospect Jegatheepan described with delight.

[Amazing Page @womengrom]

This is one of the unforgettable monents in the history of pop

[Verité Research @VeriteResearch]

🔴 Today marks 11 years since the Central Bank of Sri Lanka’s infamous bond auction which triggered a series of irregular transactions, collectively referred to as the “Bond Scam.”

Yet, a forensic audit has still not been conducted to determine the losses it caused to the Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF).

Here's the full story.

https://t.co/n2irKqGi8r

#SriLanka #Bondscam #11Years

[Wazhma Ayoubi 🇦🇫 @WazhmaAyoubi]

What a match. What a fight. What a heart shown by our #AfghanAtalan and especially @RGurbaz_21, who stood tall till the very last ball. Chin up, champion. You didn’t quit, and that matters more than words can say.

Winning and losing will always be part of cricket, but wearing this jersey is something far greater than a game. When you carry Afghanistan on your chest, you carry the tears, the hopes, and the only joy of a nation that has learned to survive on belief. This responsibility is not an inheritance, it is a sacred trust bestowed by the people who believe in you. Forty million souls at home, plus millions across India and the world, look at this team and feel pride, escape, and hope.

You are not just cricketers. You are leaders. You are examples. Every run, every decision, every moment on that field echoes in the hearts of people who have nothing else to celebrate. We have won hearts again and again, the world admires our courage, our rise, our story. But there comes a time when hearts are not enough. There comes a time to win the big matches, to turn belief into history.

Tonight hurts. It hurts deeply. It sucks to be an Afghan cricket fan right now 💔
But this pain comes only because the love is real, because the belief is unshakable. Learn from it. Carry it. Let it change you. Lead by example, not just with talent, but with responsibility, hunger, and fire.

We still believe.
And belief like this deserves greatness.
❤️🇦🇫❤️
@ACBofficials @cricketworldcup @ICCMediaComms
#AFGvsSA #WorldCup2026

[prasanna lokugamage @PLokugamage]

@KassNaidoo @DaleSteyn62 @T20WorldCup @ICC I respect @DaleSteyn62 and South Africa cricket, but being a neutral viewer, I felt you guys were openly biased and terrible in not recognizing the brilliance of Afgan team performance after one of the most competitive games of all time.

[prasanna lokugamage @PLokugamage]

England vs West Indies.....Colonial masters vs people stolen from Africa and settled in stolen land from natives....Hope English lose.

[prasanna lokugamage @PLokugamage]

@AzzamAmeen Collateral damage of rebellion against ICC/BCCI tyranny

[NewsWire 🇱🇰 @NewsWireLK]

The Ministry of Defence has ordered a formal inquiry into the sudden death of Lieutenant Koyan Chamitha, the first Sri Lankan Navy officer to complete elite U.S. Navy SEAL training. The 28-year-old was found dead at the Welisara Navy Camp quarters. Chamitha had completed SEAL training in 2025 before returning to resume duties in Sri Lanka.

[#AusOpen @AustralianOpen]

Pure class 👏

@DjokerNole • #AO26

[Sameer Allana @HitmanCricket]

Cricket is a boring game.

Meanwhile somewhere in a domestic game in a lower ranked country.