Author: TELO Admin

Trust and Goodwill are the factors that India seeks from Sri Lanka, instead of short term benefits and acquiring assets.

Indian Envoy Santosh Jha expressed these views in Colombo yesterday, attending the launch of two books authored by K.V. Ganesharajan.

India-Sri Lanka relations have reached unprecedented heights, according to Santosh Jha, the High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka.

Speaking on the current state of bilateral ties, Jha emphasized the multifaceted nature of the relationship and the progress achieved since both nations gained independence from colonial rule.

“India-Sri Lanka relations have come a very long way and are probably at their best in history, at least since our independence from colonial rule,” Jha remarked.

He highlighted the broad scope of connectivity efforts being undertaken, which include energy, land, digital, and people-to-people connections. Jha stressed the importance of these connections as the foundation of the bilateral relationship.

“Over a five-year horizon, you will see billions and billions of dollars coming in over the next five to ten years through this relationship into Sri Lanka,” Jha projected, underscoring the significant economic impact of the strengthened ties.

Jha also called on the legal profession to play a proactive role in shaping public opinion and supporting the bilateral relationship.

“The legal profession, which also builds public opinion, needs to speak for it and drive it. If we remain silent, we will repeat the mistakes of the past and miss out on future opportunities,” he cautioned.

Malaiyaha Tamils, who live mainly in the plantations, are to be recognized as a separate community.

Their representative Anthony Jesudasan said the director general of census and statistics has agreed to give them that recognition.

They will be called either Indian Tamils or Malaiyaha Tamils, said the convener of the civil society collective of the community.

He said two of their demands made during a march last year have now been met.

Another has been fulfilled via a court order that gives the community the right to postal addresses.

Mainly demanding citizenship rights, they marched from Thalaimannar to Matale, taking the same route their ancestors from India took 200 years ago to reach the hill-country, where they have since been working mainly as tea estate labourers.

To mark the first anniversary of that march, an event took place at a memorial at Urmanai in Talaimannar on 28 July.

They also demand the recognition of their history, struggle and economic contributions, and access to education, health and social security.

A reasonable payment for their work, workplace dignity, protection and equal salaries for men and women, land, livelihood and housing rights and the protection and promotion of their culture are also included.

Sri Lanka and Pakistan have discussed further cooperation in economy and trade, defence and security, among other matters, at an annual consultation, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

The seventh round of Bilateral Political Consultations between the two countries concluded at the Pakistani Foreign Ministry in Islamabad on Tuesday (30).

Foreign Secretary Aruni Wijewardane and the Foreign Secretary of Pakistan Muhammad Syrus Sajjad Qazi reviewed the current status of relations between the two South Asian neighbours.

“The areas of cooperation that were discussed at the meeting included economy and trade, defence and security, education, culture, media and sports, consular matters, agriculture as well as technology,” the MFA said in a statement.

Both countries agreed on the importance of high-level political exchanges in enhancing the bilateral relations. “In this context, a Foreign Ministerial visit to Pakistan is envisaged in the near future.”

Cooperation at multilateral and regional fora were also discussed.

The Sri Lanka delegation “thanked Pakistan for the steadfast support that it has been extending to Sri Lanka over the years at multilateral fora.”

The Pakistan delegation “commended the leadership and the people of Sri Lanka in stabilizing the debt crisis and stated that Pakistan could learn from Sri Lanka’s experience.”

Sri Lanka and Pakistan are both in the midst of International Monetary Fund bailout programmes.

“The delegations agreed on the need to increase connectivity and bilateral trade in enhancing economic growth, in particular air connectivity, between the two countries.

“Tourism and people-to-people contacts could be further enhanced through cultural, religious and sports links.

“The two sides also agreed to cooperate in meeting challenges of transnational organized crime such as drug trafficking which adversely impact both Sri Lanka and Pakistan.”

A group of Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) MPs have issued an ultimatum to party leader Mahinda Rajapaksa after 92 MPs met Ranil Wickremesinghe and assured him support at the election in September.

The SLPP MPs demanded that Rajapaksa make a u-turn on the decision not to support Ranil Wickremesinghe at the Presidential election or face the consequences, Colombo Gazette learns.

Ninety-two MPs, mostly representing the SLPP and the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) met the President in the presence of Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena and guaranteed their support to him at the election in September.

The SLPP MPs have warned Rajapaksa that if the party continues to stick with the decision taken on Monday they will be forced to reconsider their support to the party at the next Parliament election.

The group of SLPP MPs have also warned that failing to support Wickremesinghe could lead to the eventual death of the SLPP.

SLPP General Secretary Sagara Kariyawasam had told reporters, Monday, that the SLPP decided, by majority, to nominate its own candidate at the election in September.

However, SLPP MP and Cabinet Minister Kanchana Wijesekera said that the SLPP politburo which met on Monday did not constitute the majority of the SLPP.

He said that a majority of the MPs represented in Parliament met the President, Tuesday, and assured him their support.

The Minister said that while most SLPP MPs want to back the incumbent President there are a handful who are against it.

President Ranil Wickremesinghe and an influential section of the SLPP backing him at the presidential election have agreed to form a broader alliance led by Premier Dinesh Gunawardena.

Political sources told The Island that the decision had been made following talks between President Wickremesinghe and the SLPP group at his official residence at Paget Road and later at UNP leader’s political office at Flower Road. President Wickremesinghe proposed that the campaign be conducted under Premier Gunawardena’s leadership.

Sources said that the decision taken by the SLPP at its Chairman Mahinda Rajapaksa’s Wijerama Mawatha residence, earlier in the day, to field a candidate of its own, wouldn’t have any bearing on their decision to back Wickremesinghe’s candidature.

Responding to queries, sources said that during the discussions, the dissident SLPP group had stressed the need to stop projecting President Wickremesinghe as the UNP candidate.

The SLPP secured 145 seats at the last parliamentary poll held in August 2020.

Sources said more than half were believed to have pledged their support to President Wickremesinghe. That group included several SLFPers elected on the SLPP ticket and other key members, including Chief Government Whip Prasanna Ranatunga and Leader of the House Susil Premjayantha. Sources pointed out that the SLFP recently reached an agreement with another dissident SLPP group that included Nimal Lanza and Anura Priyadarshana Yapa in line with their overall strategy intended to promote President Wickremesinghe’s candidature.

In the wake of the latest split in the SLPP, State Defence Minister Pramitha Bandara Tennakoon and State Finance Shehan Semasinghe, both elected on the SLPP ticket at the last general election, called for combined effort to ensure President Wickremesinghe’s victory at the Sept. 21 presidential poll.

Addressing the media at their new propaganda office at No 15, Lauries Road, Bambalapitiya, they emphasized the need to sustain post-Aragalaya recovery efforts, under President Wickremesinghe’s leadership.

Minister Ranatunga spearheading the effort in support of President Wickremesinghe has declared that their decision wouldn’t be reversed under any circumstances.

Sources said that the Rajapaksas blundered by seeking to deprive President Wickremesinghe of support on the basis of a decision taken by the recently appointed executive committee consisting of 96 members. However, only 82 members had been present at the Wijerama Mawatha residence at the time a vote was taken on whether the SLPP should field a candidate of its own.

The executive committee, appointed about two months ago, included 20 MPs named by the party leader.

The MPs on the Executive Committee included S.B. Dissanayake, Gamini Lokuge, C.B. Ratnayake, Janaka Bandara Tennakoon, Chamal Rajapaksa, Prasanna Ranatunga, Ramesh Pathirana, Mahindananda Aluthgamage, Prasanna Ranaweera, Indika Anuruddha, Pavitra Wanniarachchi, Johnston Fernando, D.V. Chanaka, Thenuka Vidanagamage, Bandula Gunawardena, Pradeep Undugoda, Kokila Harshani Gunawardena, Sahan Pradeep, Janaka Wakkumbura, Kanaka Herath and Kanchana Wijesekera.

Ex-officio members in the group were Namal Rajapaksa, Sagara Kariyawasam and Rohitha Abeygunawardena.

Arguments erupted at the very beginning when S.B. Dissanayake, much to the surprise of the Executive Committee, declared though he accepted SLPP General Secretary Kariyawasam’s proposal to field a candidate of its own, the current situation, however, demanded that the ruling party back Wickremesinghe.

Johnston Fernando reacted angrily to Dissanayake’s proposal while Prasanna Ranatunga, Mahindananda Aluthgamage, Ramesh Pathina and Kanchana Wijesekera defended Dissanayake’s right to take a stand on the issue at hand.

Sources said that when Kariyawasam asked those who backed his proposal to field a candidate of its own to raise their hands, none did. But when those opposed to his proposal were asked to raise their hands, 11 out of the 82 did so, according to sources.