Asia / Oceania
A former Sri Lankan general accused of war crimes by human rights groups has left Brazil, where until recently he was his country’s ambassador to six nations in South America, an embassy official said yesterday. Jagath Jayasuriya left Brazil on Sunday to return to Sri Lanka after completing his two-year tour of service, acting head of mission Premaphilake Jayakody said. The suits are based on Jayasuriya’s role as a commander in the final phase of Sri Lanka’s civil war in 2009. They allege he oversaw military units that attacked hospitals and killed, disappeared and tortured thousands of people. Jayasuriya had diplomatic immunity in the countries where he was ambassador, and the groups pursuing the suits had hoped to compel governments to expel him. With the apparent end of his ambassadorship, he would no longer enjoy that diplomatic protection if he were to return.
An off-duty police officer who kicked down the door of a burning home in Sydney’s inner west and saved an elderly couple while on his way to work is being hailed as a hero. The officer spotted the blaze in Sydenham early yesterday and, with the help of two other good Samaritans, forced his way into the home to rescue the man and woman. The couple, believed to be in their late 70s, were taken to Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, the woman in a serious condition, where both were treated for smoke inhalation. The officer who spotted the inferno is being praised for his actions. “He has literally kicked in the front door of a burning building, entered and saved this couple,” Superintendent Gavin Wood said. Wood said the officer would be given appropriate recognition for his actions.
An 11-year-old girl shot in the face during an apparent argument in Tasmania is in a stable condition in hospital. She was flown to Melbourne’s Royal Children Hospital after the shooting at Deloraine, near Launceston. Initial investigations suggest the girl was inside a car when it was shot at by a 25-year-old man during a dispute, police say. He has been taken into custody.