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This page lists notable events that took place in the year 2019 in Sri Lanka . The year 2019 had the fewest non-working holidays in the country as most of the public holidays fell on weekends. [1]
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This page lists notable events that took place in the year 2019 in Sri Lanka . The year 2019 had the fewest non-working holidays in the country as most of the public holidays fell on weekends. [1]
| President | Prime Minister | Speaker | Chief Justice | Opposition Leader |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gotabaya Rajapaksa (Age 70) | Mahinda Rajapaksa (Age 74) | Karu Jayasuriya (Age 79) | Jayantha Jayasuriya | Vacant |
 |  |  |  | |
| Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (from 18 November 2019) | Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (from 21 November 2019) | United National Party (since 1 September 2015) | Independent (from 29 April 2019) | (from 21 November 2019) |
| President | Prime Minister | Chief Justice | Opposition Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maithripala Sirisena (Age 68) | Ranil Wickremesinghe (Age 70) | Nalin Perera (Age 65) | Mahinda Rajapaksa (Age 74) |
 |  | | |
| Sri Lanka Freedom Party (9 January 2015 – 18 November 2019) | United National Party (15 December 2018 – 21 November 2019) | Independent (12 October 2018 – 29 April 2019) | Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (18 December 2018 – 21 November 2019) |
Sri Lankan officials launched investigations regarding the alleged kidnapping and mentioned that the attack was possibly in relation to a former top police officer Nishantha de Silva who pledged asylum from Switzerland. [54] The issue has become a significant diplomatic standoff between the two countries with Sri Lanka accusing Switzerland of throwing mud. [55] Sri Lanka Foreign minister further stated that the sequence of events and timeline of the alleged incident, as formally presented by the Swiss Mission on behalf of the alleged victim to the CID, did not in any way correspond with the actual movements of the alleged victim on that date, as borne out by witness interviews and technical evidence, including Uber records, CCTV footage, telephone records and the GPS data. [56] Switzerland government further stated that it will take the issue seriously and called the attack on the employee as unacceptable which would affect the diplomatic ties between the nations. [57] [58] The case is considered to be a mysterious circumstance. [59]
The issue became a prime focus after Nishantha de Silva, a top police officer who was known for inquiring high-profile cases since 2015 had reportedly fled to Switzerland with his family in order to seek asylum following the conclusion of the 2019 Sri Lankan presidential election where Gotabaya Rajapaksa emerged victorious. [52] [60] Silva is believed to have received death threats and left the country without proper permission. [61]
On 25 November 2019, the local embassy employee was dragged into a car by a gang of unknown men to obtain information related to the Swiss embassy and information about Silva. [62] The kidnapped woman was forced to disclose the mobile phone data of Sri Lankan citizens who applied for asylum in Switzerland. On the same day she returned to the embassy with minor injuries from her abduction. [63] Newly appointed Major General Kamal Gunaratne met with the ambassador for Switzerland in Sri Lanka and explained the results of the investigation. In December 2019, the Swiss State Secretary of the EDA Pascale Baeriswyl summoned the Sri Lankan ambassador to Switzerland to voice concern on the medical situation of the employee. [64] The Government of Sri Lanka rejected the request from Swiss authorities to send the staff member to Switzerland for medical treatment. [65]
In December 2019, the Sri Lankan magistrate court ordered the embassy staff worker to remain in Sri Lanka for inquiries and blocked the staff member from leaving the country until 9 December 2019 without making a police statement. [66] [67] [68] [69] However, the Swiss government stated that the health of the woman deteriorated and further stated that the inquiry would be unfair. [70] On 9 December 2019, the magistrate court further extended the travel ban on the staff member until 12 December 2019 and it was reported that the staff issued a statement before the Criminal Investigation Department regarding the alleged abduction of her. [71] [72] [73]
On 16 December 2019, Sri Lankan officials arrested the staff member for claiming false abduction allegations according to the reports. [74] [75] [76] The officials officially revealed the name of the perpetrator as Gania Banister Francis and she was subjected to medical tests and psychiatric analysis based upon her claims. [77] CID revealed there is no such evidence to prove Francis' claim that she was kidnapped and molested. [78]
On 19 December, the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs announced that it had sent an experienced diplomat to Sri Lanka to try to resolve the incident. [79] [80] On the same day, Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa said the foreign press had been reporting on the alleged abduction before the facts were established, calling himself the victim of a "planned thing to discredit me and the government." [81]
On 30 December, the embassy employee was released on bail but banned from traveling abroad. [82]
Investigations on mobile phones found that she was in contact with the former CID Director Shani Abeysekara, former Lake House Chairman Krishantha Cooray and Darisha Bastian, the former Editor in Chief of the Sunday Observer days before she claimed to have been abducted. Krishantha Cooray traveled to Malaysia in December as investigation happened while Dharisha Bastian travelled to Switzerland before the "abduction". [83]
In Sri Lanka Bank Holidays, Public Holidays & Full Moon Poya Days for Year – 2019 [122]
Nandasena Gotabaya Rajapaksa, is a former Sri Lankan politician and military officer, who served as the eighth President of Sri Lanka from 18 November 2019 until his resignation on 14 July 2022. He previously served as Secretary to the Ministry of Defence and Urban Development from 2005 to 2015 under the administration of his elder brother former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, during the final phase of the Sri Lankan Civil War.
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