Attempt to legalize land takeover for Jaffna President’s House thwarted

An attempt to legalize the takeover of private land for President’s House in Jaffna has been thwarted.

Owners of the land protested against a visiting Survey Department team yesterday (26) and handed them a letter of protest.

Of the 29-acre plot, 12 acres belong to the state, on which the facility began to be built in 2010 during the Mahinda Rajapaksa rule.

It is claimed Tamils have deeds to prove they own the other 17 acres.

They say the military took over their land after they fled in the face of the war in 1990.

Without consent by the landowners, the government decided last December to lease 12 acres of the property owned by it to SLIIT, to be followed by the remaining 17 acres too, leased out to the same institute to ensure an income to the Tamils.

Sagala Ratnayaka to leave for India

President’s Chief of Staff and National Security Adviser Sagala Ratnayaka will leave for India on Wednesday (27), with a delegation.

The land connectivity to be established with India will be the focus of the visit.

The discussions will commence in New Delhi on Thursday (28).

The delegation includes Secretaries to the Ministry of Transport and Environment, General Manager of Railways, Director General of Customs and the Director General of the Office of the Chief of Staff.

Sri Lanka will hold presidential poll first, no funds allocated for general election: minister

Sri Lanka’s next national election will definitely be a presidential election as no funds have been allocated for a parliamentary election and there is no time for that in 2024, Education Minister Susil Premajanaytha said.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday March 26, Premajayantha rubbished speculation that parliamentary elections will precede a presidential poll.

“The presidential election is definitely coming. There is no time to hold a parliamentary election, and no funds have been allocated. Attempting to do that is futile,” he said.

President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s United National Party (UNP) also indicated that a presidential poll will be held first. UNP general secretary Palitha Range Bandara said the president is obligated to follow the constitution.

“Anyone can make requests. When they make appeals in cricket, the umpire doesn’t rule everyone out. The president has to act according to the constitution. If he doesn’t do that, he may have to face a problem when he no longer has presidential immunity,” said Bandara.

“He won’t get caught in that,” he added.

President Wickremesinghe met with Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) national organiser Basil Rajapaksa last week where the matter had been discussed. Wickremesinghe had reportedly told his cabinet ministers later that the presidential election will be held first.

He has yet to officially announce his candidacy, however.

Rajapaksa and the SLPP, meanwhile, have been advocating for early parliamentary polls, arguing that whatever party that wins the presidential election will be able to consolidate power by winning big at the parliamentary elections that will follow. This would not be in the best interest of democracy, Rajapaksa claimed in one interview, though he did not voice this concern when the SLPP went onto secure a two thirds’ majority at the 2020 parliamentary polls after his brother Gotabaya Rajapaksa won the 2019 presidential poll in an unprecedented landslide a few months earlier.

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Sri Lanka, China sign nine agreements on cooperation

The signing of nine new agreements between China and Sri Lanka took place on Tuesday (March 26) under the patronage of Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang and Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena.

The Sri Lankan PM paid floral tributes to the martyred war heroes at the Monument to the People’s Heroes at Tiananmen Square, and after receiving the guard of honour from the Chinese military, bilateral talks commenced.

Later, during the discussions held in the Great Hall in Beijing, more attention was paid to increasing overall cooperation in the social, cultural, educational, and agricultural sectors in addition to economic cooperation.

The two prime ministers confirmed that a new chapter in the long-term friendship and cooperation between Sri Lanka and China will begin through the nine Memoranda of Understanding (MoUS) inked on Tuesday.

Secretary to the Prime Minister Anura Dissanayake signed the agreements on behalf of Sri Lanka, and the secretaries of nine ministries signed on behalf of China.

A group including Ministers of the People’s Republic of China, Sri Lankan State Ministers Shehan Semasinghe and Ashoka Priyantha, and MP Yadamini Gunawardena participated in this event.

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Sri Lanka looking to adopt India’s digital model

Sri Lanka’s President Ranil Wickremesinghe has expressed admiration for India’s digital achievements, citing it as a model worth emulating. Speaking at a conference on Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) in Colombo, President Wickremesinghe emphasised the need for collaboration with India, highlighting the potential to save years in development by adopting India’s digital strategies.

“In implementing it, we needed help, and the best place we could get was India. I spoke with PM Modi when I was in India last year, and as part of our integration, we said, we would like to go with India, you have done so much,” stated President Wickremesinghe, underlining the significance of seeking guidance from India’s experience.

Acknowledging India’s historical contribution, he added, “Another reason I took India, is it is the country that discovered zero. Where would the world be had India not discovered zero.” Wickremesinghe expressed his intention to mirror India’s digital advancements, tailored to suit Sri Lanka’s needs. “Let us piggyback your experience. It will save us a few years, maybe 4-5 years in development,” he affirmed.

President Wickremesinghe outlined his vision for Sri Lanka’s digital future, emphasising the importance of digital public infrastructure. “We want to go ahead, I want to implement, I hope we have the support. We have to make the change, we have to join the 21st century. Just as India has done, we have to go ahead and do the same,” he declared.

Highlighting specific initiatives, Wickremesinghe mentioned the introduction of Artificial Intelligence in schools and the establishment of an institutional framework for a digital economy. He also expressed gratitude for India’s assistance in the opening of an IIT branch in Sri Lanka, which will be the third foreign campus of IIT after Tanzania and the UAE.

Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Santosh Jha, underscored the collaborative efforts between the two nations in advancing digital infrastructure.

He referenced to India’s support to the Sri Lanka Unique Digital Identity Project (SL-UDI), akin to India’s Aadhaar, as a symbol of this partnership. “Both leaders agreed to leverage India’s DPI in accordance with Sri Lanka’s requirements and priorities, towards efficient delivery of citizen-centric services,” explained Jha.

Jha further emphasised India’s commitment to supporting Sri Lanka’s digital transformation, noting the inclusion of DPI in bilateral joint statements and vision documents. The conference was organised by the Indian High Commission in Sri Lanka and Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Technology.

Source: WION

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30,000 Street Children Engage in Begging Across SL

Several pressing issues have arisen as there is an estimated 30,000 street children, who engage in begging, in various locations across the country, Wasantha Athukorala, a senior professor in the Department of Economics and Statistics, at the University of Peradeniya, revealed.

He said that this figure is substantiated by research and studies conducted in different areas.

Expressing his views on the matter, Professor Athukorala emphasised the gravity of the situation, describing it as a pressing concern that profoundly impacts the future. He noted the absence of a proper data system maintained by the government regarding these children and stresses that the government’s responsibility is to establish an accurate data system. Without intervention, he warned that the number of street children may continue to rise, potentially leading to increased criminal activities such as drug use, trafficking, theft, fraud and sexual abuse.

Research findings reveal that parents or temporary guardians often exploit these young children for begging and other money-making activities. Many of these children, aged between 4 and 15, who engage in begging alone or accompany adults in bustling cities and religious sites, are deprived of education, he said.

Furthermore, the research indicates that some parents enlist these children in various informal labour and street trading, with many of these parents grappling with drug addiction. Consequently, some of these children become ensnared in drug abuse, as well as engaging in fraudulent activities, theft and experiencing sexual abuse.

In response to inquiries regarding this issue, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Deshabandu Tennakoon acknowledged that the Police was aware of the situation.

He said that while some of these children are taken under Police custody and brought before the Courts, there was a lack of appropriate facilities to shelter these minors after that.

“The Ridiyagama Detention Centre, under the Department of Social Services, where beggars are sheltered, is currently overcrowded. Given this circumstance, sending street children to Court is deemed ineffective. Instead, there is a pressing need for a comprehensive, long-term rehabilitation process. However, there is currently no suitable facility equipped to accommodate and rehabilitate these children,” he said. Speaking further, the IGP stressed the necessity of a suitable facility for their rehabilitation, highlighting the importance of collaboration among relevant agencies to find a viable solution. Despite the challenges, he reassures that the Police are committed to addressing this critical issue with utmost attention.

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Confusing speculations about Sri Lankan national elections By Veeragathy Thanabalasingham

The question whether parliamentary elections will be held before the Presidential election or whether the elections will be delayed to make changes in the parliamentary elections system is causing confusion among the people.

Although President Ranil Wickremesinghe recently asked the cabinet to prepare for the Presidential election, the Rajapaksas are insisting that parliamentary elections should be held first.

President Wickremesinghe’s initial talks with former President Mahinda Rajapaksa and his younger brother Basil Rajapaksa did not lead to any agreement regarding the formation of an alliance or the elections.

While the President seems to be determined that the Presidential election should be held before mid-October according to the constitition, the majority of Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna ( SLPP ) MPs want parliamentary elections to be held first. That demand has intensified since Basil’s return from America. But the important question is whether the Rajapaksas will be able to prevail upon the President to comply with that request.

When Basil Rajapaksa met the President for the second time, he presented to him their demand regarding parliamentary elections. He told the media that before meeting the President, he had consulted members of Parliament from his party and its allies and did not expect an immediate determination from the President on holding parliamentary elections first. He has also said they need to have discussions again.

The next parliamentary elections should be held between August and September 2025. But the House can pass a resolution a with simple majority support to request the President to dissolve Parliament immediately to facilitate the holding of elections before the Presidential election. But, the President is not bound to dissolve the Parliament on account of that.

However, the President now has the power to dissolve Parliament at any time. But, he is not going to agree to dissolve Parliament because of his emphasis on the Presidential election.

Meanwhile, since a significant number of current Members of Parliament were elected to Parliament for the first time in the 2020 general elections, it is certain that they are not going to support a dissolution because if Parliament is dissolved before the end of the five-year term, they will lose their chance to get pension.

The Rajapaksas, who had always held parliamentary elections after the Presidential elections during their rule, have now come up with a strange reasoning to justify their current position.

In an interview with a private television channel recently, Basil said that if parliamentary elections are held after the Presidential election, the people will give overwhelming support to the party of the new President. So parliamentary elections must be held first to ensure that the people vote rationally. By this argument he indirectly acknowledges that the people of the country did not vote intelligently in the parliamentary elections held after the Presidential election during their rule.

Not only that, he is now speaking as though he has forgotten the key role he played in encouraging party cross-overs to secure a two-thirds majority in the House to introduce constitutional amendments and anti-democratic laws aimed at strengthening his family’s interests after the 2010 and 2020 parliamentary elections.

At the same time, Mahinda Rajapaksa has also voiced his support for the demand that parliamentary elections must be held before the Presidential election and added “If our proposal is not accepted, the party of the winner of the Presidential election will win the parliamentary elections overwhelmingly. It is not good for the country. It is important that there should be a fair situation in the country after the elections.”

It is clear from the comments of the Rajapaksa brothers that the Rajapaksas’ desire is that no party should get a clear majority in Parliament.

It seems that the Rajapaksas do not want a strong successor government as their party is unlikely to win the parliamentary elections. It is because of that they think that the party of the next President should not win a big victory in the parliamentary elections

But the President’s United National Party (UNP) does not want parliamentary elections to be held first. The party strongly believes that Wickremesinghe has a chance of winning the Presidential election as a result of the economic restructuring that the government is carrying out with the help of the International Monetary Fund.

The UNP being organisationally very weak is not in a position to face parliamentary elections at the moment. Party stalwarts believe that if Wickremesinghe wins the presidential election, they will be able to face the parliament elections confidently.

The President has so far not expressed any opinion publicly regarding the Rajapaksa brothers’ demand on Parliamentary elections. It seems that the Rajapaksas don’t have any option other than supporting Wickremesinghe in the Presidential election even though they have contradictions with him on many issues including the elections. Even if Wickremesinghe (with their support) becomes President again, the Rajapaksas will not want his government to be stable.

Although they say that they want a fair situation to be maintained in the country after the elections, they seem to think that it is in their best interest to have a fragile government in office.

Claiming that SLPP and JVP have robust organizational structures and SLPP and opposition leader Sajith Premadasa’s Samagi Jana Balawegaya ( SJB ) have sufficient popular support, Basil said in the television interview that the UNP lacks strong structures and popular support, but it has the best presidential candidate.

These comments are a clear indication of his belief that if SLPP and UNP work together in the presidential election, it would be beneficial for both parties. But, at the same time, he wants Parliamentary elections be held first so that the UNP does not get a big victory in it. The Rajapaksas want all circumstances to be favourable to their interests at all times.

It is noteworthy that most of the recent opinion polls have showed that it is impossible for any political party to get an absolute majority, if the parliamentary elections are held in the present political situation.

Meanwhile, with the presidential election six months away, the cabinet’s approval for a proposal to change the parliamentary election system last week has raised suspicions.

According to reports on the cabinet resolution on electoral reforms, laws will be introduced to elect 160 Members of Parliament on the basis of First-Past – the Post system and remaining 65 members on the basis of proportional representation.

A similar proposal was said to have been submitted to the Cabinet by Justice and Constitutional Reforms Minister Dr.Wijedasa Rajapaksa latter part of the last year. He denied the reports that the government was also considering holding a referendum to seek people’s approval for abolishing the Executive Presidential system along with electoral reforms. Anyway the proposal for electoral reforms has been brought forward again and cabinet approved it.

It is also noteworthy that late last year, President Wickremesinghe had appointed a commission led by former Chief Justice Priyasath Dep to completely review all the processes related to the elections and submit a report within six months. Election watchdog civil organizations and opposition parties have expressed fears that the proposed parliamentary electoral reforms could lead to the postponement of elections. But Minister Wijedasa Rjapakshe has stated that the new system would not be applied in the coming elections.

The electorate delimitation process is crucial for electoral reforms. Dealing with the various procedures associated with those process takes a long time, even last for years.

Provincial council elections have not been held for many years due to a glitch in the delimitation process after the law was passed in 2017 during the ‘ Yahapalanaya ‘ government to hold the provincial council elections under a mixed electoral system.

However, under the constitution, parliamentary elections cannot be postponed. Therefore, speculation in the political about the postponement of the 2025 parliamentary elections are unfounded.

Presidential Election in October first week

President Ranil Wickremesinghe has informed his close associates and hinted to his cabinet that the Presidential Election will be held as scheduled, indicating Basil Rajapaksa’s failure in convincing the President to hold the Parliamentary Polls first, the Daily Mirror learns.

A senior political source said that Wickremesinghe had in the past two cabinet meetings discussed the elections and indicated that the Presidential Election would be held as scheduled.

Although the Elections Commission is yet to be notified officially, sources said that the elections will be held in the first week of October.

The three main candidates who will run for the presidency are Ranil Wickremesinghe from the UNP, Sajith Premadasa from the SJB and Anura Kumara Dissanayake from the NPP.

The main SLPP is not expected to field its own candidate and will pledge its support to Wickremesinghe, with the SLPP camp already being divided with some members already pledging their support to the President.

The SLPP have in recent weeks been campaigning for a parliamentary election to be held first with Basil also meeting Wickremesinghe last week in order to convince him, but talks seem to have failed with the President remaining firm on his decision.

The Daily Mirror learns that former UNP members close to Wickremesinghe have advised the President to hold the Presidential Election first instead of the Parliamentary Polls, seeing it as a path for the UNP to enter parliament once again in the event Wickremesinghe wins the Presidential race.

NPP’s Anura Kumara Dissanayake who is also continuing a vigorous local and international campaign eyeing to win the Presidency received 3.9 per cent votes in the 2019 Presidential Election. If he is to win the election this year, he will have to increase his vote base drastically to poll at least 50 per cent or above in the upcoming election.

SJB’s Sajith Premadasa who won 40 per cent votes in the 2019 election race is also continuing his campaign but with trouble in his camp with last-minute notable crossovers likely before the Presidential Polls, he will need to campaign harder to poll the 50 per cent or above.

Wickremesinghe himself will have to prepare himself for a tough campaign if he wants to win the Presidency. With the UNP getting wiped out in the past election, political sources say his campaign will need to be stronger, especially at the grassroots level where the UNP has always lacked popularity.

Political analysts have rubbished the recent polls being released on social media by various organizations and individuals indicating percentages on which candidate is likely to win the presidential race as still over 40 per cent of voters still seem to be undecided on who to vote for in the upcoming election, due to the failure of politicians in general which led to the country’s turmoil and worst ever economic crisis.

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Easter Sunday attacks dragged through mud yet again!

Sri Lankan politicians are notorious for their innate ability for fishing in troubled waters; to turn any incident of any gravity – even incidents of national importance – to their advantage. A slight analysis of almost every Presidential Election held in the country would reveal how the existing political, economic and defence scenarios of the country at the time were cleverly manipulated by the winning parties to secure majority of votes. In the last Presidential Election, securing national security and bringing economic fraud of the highest order to justice were the most popular political promises made by the winning party. However, the reality of the country as of now is that the perpetrators who committed the bond scam are yet to be brought into the country, let alone producing them before courts and doing justice by the Easter Sunday attacks victims is slowly becoming a pipedream for survivors who are slowly trying to move on with their lives.

However, for politicians, these incidents are seemingly mere opportunities to be used at times they deem suitable for gains or keep shelved till such time arrives. Just like how essential a wound is for a beggar, these issues hardly get solved but instead dragged through the mud again and again until the last bit of political gain is extracted from it.

On giving a sensible listen to former President Maithripala Sirisena’s recent comments about being aware of the culprits behind the Easter Sunday attacks, the logical conclusion one could arrive at is that the explosive statement has no other intent behind it other than gaining some political gainsay, in a year dubbed as ‘Election year’.

Speaking to the media in Kandy last Friday (22), the ex-President claimed that although the investigations thus far have identified some of the perpetrators of the deadly attacks, that only he alone knows the real culprits behind the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks. Moreover, he said he was prepared to disclose the information to the judiciary if the court makes a request or issues an order in this regard. Maintaining the exclusivity of the information he has revealed, the former President stated that no one has revealed the true masterminds behind the attacks yet and that he is privy to that information. Sirisena said he was willing to disclose the details, but it was the responsibility of the judges to keep the information strictly confidential, hinting that the information at his disposal is sensitive and of grave national importance.

The information about the Easter Sunday attacks is only a small part of a much longer interview with the electronic media where Sirisena highlighted a number of other issues pertaining to the SLFP’s stance in the upcoming elections, the prospect of MPs leaving the party and the ability of the party to form political alliances that assure an upper hand. Looking at the whole interview without isolating the bit about the Easter Sunday attacks, it looks more of an attempt to clear his own name, and an attempt to convince the media that they need to look elsewhere for real bad guys.

Probing deeper into the matter, he talked about the Easter Sunday attacks, it begs the question as to why he decided to keep this information of national importance to himself all this time and coincidentally reveal it to the media at a time when much is happening in the political arena and at a time when a major election is on the horizon. Considering how Sirisena has voiced his desires to contest once again in the Presidential Election, it would be quite ironic and shameless for him to use the Easter Sunday attacks as a political scapegoat in an attempt to reach the hot seat again, given how he was ruled responsible by the Supreme Court for the very attacks that killed around 270 people.

In January 2023, a seven-judge Supreme Court bench ruled that Sirisena was responsible for negligence to take measures to prevent the attacks despite stern intelligence warnings two weeks prior and ordered the former President to pay Rs 100 million from his personal funds to family members of victims who brought the civil case before the court.

Considering how he accepted till collections to pay the fine, it is peculiar as to why he didn’t decide to reveal this information even at a time like that when the topic was hot and he was constantly under the microscope.

An inquiry, rather understandably has been ordered to probe into the statement made by Sirisena regardless of whatever the outcome of the statement would be, it is quite disheartening to see the Easter Sunday attacks; the names of the victims and the dignity of the survivors, are being dragged through the mud yet again for political gain!

Hamilton Reserve Bank tells US court to give SL conditional extension till end April

Plaintiff Hamilton Reserve Bank Ltd. (HRB), countering the defendant Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka’s motion for a five-month stay, has requested the New York Southern District Court to extend the stay till the end of April 2024 on the condition that timely and specific information about the status of restructuring be submitted by 16 April.

Complete details about any restructuring proposal Sri Lanka made or received and the progress are the key contents of the proposed reports the Plaintiff demands. In its ‘Memorandum of Law in Opposition to Defendant’s Motion for Further Stay,’ HRB argued a further five-month stay until the end of July 2024 is unwarranted. “The traditional stay factors and comity do not support a five-month stay. The prior four-month stay has already afforded Sri Lanka a limited opportunity to achieve a consensual resolution before judgments are entered or enforced against its debts. Nothing more is required,” the Bank said.

Bringing out Peru’s restructuring, which took seven years as an example, the HRB pleaded: “Second Circuit law clearly states that bondholder actions cannot be kept indefinitely. That is because sovereign debt restructurings, which involve ‘voluntary and open-ended negotiations’, are not the equivalent of a judicially enforced bankruptcy proceeding. Instead, sovereign debt restructurings are merely voluntary, private negotiations, with no judicial supervision or clear timeline, that typically take years. Given such negotiations’ protracted and uncertain nature, courts should not deny bondholders’ right to enforce the underlying debt by making their rights conditional on the completion of restructuring.”

“Sri Lanka is pursuing private negotiations with other creditors that have ‘no obvious and reasonably proximate termination date,’ indeed, these negotiations remain at an early stage nearly two years after Sri Lanka’s default. As in Peru, Plaintiff’s rights cannot be made conditional on the completion of Sri Lanka’s restructuring, since there is no assurance of whether or when that will occur. And while Sri Lanka has chosen to make multiple, shorter stay requests, instead of a single request to stay, this action will allow Sri Lanka to complete its efforts to renegotiate its foreign debt, and the result is the same. While the restructuring negotiations drag on, Sri Lanka will simply continue seeking stays for the foreseeable future, making the requested stay ‘indefinite’ for all practical purposes.

Moreover, the combined effect of the prior four-month stay and Sri Lanka’s current request is a nine-month stay: longer than any other stay entered in a sovereign debt case in this Circuit, including the eight-month stay granted in Peru,” the Bank justified.

The Paris Club members and the US have supported Sri Lanka’s request for extension.

Sri Lanka was sued in the United States by a bondholder after the government defaulted on its debt for the first time in history while struggling to stop an economic meltdown where HRB, owns over US$ 250 million in principal amount of US$ 1 billion worth of Sri Lanka’s 5.875% International Sovereign Bonds (ISBs) issued in 2012, filed the lawsuit in June last year in a New York federal court seeking full payment of principal and interest. The Bonds matured on 25 July 2022. Hamilton alleged that due to Sri Lanka’s default, it is owed US$ 250.19 million in principle and US$ 7.349 million in accrued interest (before accounting for pre- and post-judgment interest). In mid-April, Sri Lanka announced a moratorium on foreign debt repayments, including the bonds, and since then, has made no payments on the bonds. The government of Sri Lanka filed a motion in September 2022 to dismiss on the grounds that the plaintiff lacks contractual standing.