Author: TELO Admin

Congratulating Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the BJP-led NDA’s “historic” achievement of securing three consecutive victories in the Lok Sabha elections, Sri Lanka’s Opposition Leader, Sajith Premadasa on Wednesday reaffirmed support for India’s permanent membership in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).

Making a special speech in the Sri Lankan Parliament on Wednesday, Premadasa emphasised that India, with its status as the world’s most populous country and a significant global economic and military power, deserves this recognition.

“This is of utmost importance as India has the largest population in the whole world. Also, when you examine the world’s economic, security power configuration, I feel that this representation of India in the UNSC must be achieved and must be promoted,” said Premadasa.

“We as parliamentarians, all 225, in this august assembly would like to propose that India be made a permanent member of the UN Security Council. I think it is long overdue and it should be implemented as quickly as possible,” the Opposition leader said, expressing his confidence that the current permanent members of the UNSC would acknowledge India’s rightful place in the global power structure.

“I am pretty sure that the five members who are there right now would have no objection to establishing this world power reality in the UN structure,” he stated. Premadasa also acknowledged the strong bilateral relationship between Sri Lanka and India and expressed gratitude for India’s significant financial support including grants, loans, and other financial aid totaling approximately six billion USD.

“We have seen the brotherly neighborhood relationship between the two countries as India is the largest single donor to Sri Lanka with around $6 billion in grants, loans and financial support.

We appreciate the support that India has provided to us when Sri Lanka has been suffering from a variety of challenges including economic bankruptcy,” said Premadasa.

Hailing his visionary leadership, practical policies, and effective governance, the SJB leader highlighted that Narendra Modi is the first Prime Minister since Jawaharlal Nehru to accomplish the feat of leading the country for the third time.

“Prime Minister Modi has been a remarkable person who commenced his work from humble beginnings. He came from a small family and didn’t have a huge family background. He did not have a power base to commence work. But during his stint as the Chief Minister of Gujarat and later as the Indian PM, he has exhibited stupendous energy, charisma, hard work and the singular determination to make India number one in the world. This is at a time when most of the countries in the region are going through sluggish economic growth,” said Premadasa while praising PM Modi’s achievement.

“We see India as a unique country that also extricated itself from the Covid-19 catastrophe.

India has been a shining example of how you get out of desperate situations, despair and economic catastrophe and how you transform and translate a bad situation into a better one. I would like to congratulate honourable PM Modi on his remarkable achievement in almost all states. Of course, there have been states where he has done very well and there are certain states where the BJP-NDA is yet to make its imprint,” he said in his speech.

The Sri Lankan Opposition leader also reiterated his commitment to maintain cooperation between the two nations to ensure mutual prosperity and benefits.

“We would like to continuously have a very close relationship with India, our great and brotherly neighbour. We would like to have a strong productive and constructive relationship with them,” he stated.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka President Ranil Wickremesinghe also congratulated PM Modi on NDA’s victory and re-election for the third term.

“I extend my warmest felicitations to the BJP-led NDA on its victory, demonstrating the confidence of the Indian people in the progress and prosperity under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi. As the closest neighbour, Sri Lanka looks forward to further strengthening the partnership with India,” President Wickremesinghe posted on X.

Modi tweeted in response: “Thank you President Ranil Wickremesinghe. I look forward to our continued cooperation on the India-Sri Lanka Economic Partnership.”

Source: IANS

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi claimed election victory for his party, set to secure a third consecutive term as Premier, although his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is projected to lose its majority in parliament after a decade.

“People have placed their faith in NDA (National Democratic Alliance) for a third consecutive time”, Modi wrote on social media platform X. “This is a historical feat in India’s history.”

With vote counting nearing completion by Tuesday evening, Modi’s alliance emerged as the victor, albeit with a surprisingly slim majority.

According to the ongoing vote count, Modi’s Hindu nationalist BJP, unlike in the previous two elections, will require the support of its alliance partners to cross the 272-seat majority threshold in the 543-seat lower house of parliament.

Modi’s target of 400 seats for his National Democratic Alliance remained unfulfilled, with his party leading in only about 290 seats, according to Election Commission data with three-quarters of the count completed.

In comparison to 303 seats won in the previous election in 2019, the BJP was in the leading position for 239 seats.

In the midst of the increased number of calls from ex-Sri Lankan soldiers who joined the Russian military to fight against Ukraine, a Sri Lankan delegation headed by State Minister of Foreign Affairs Tharaka Balasuriya will head to Russia later this month to seek repatriation of them under a plan to be implemented in stages, the Daily Mirror learns.

The delegation comprising former Sri Lankan ambassador to Russia Dr.Saman Weerasinghe, Defence Secretary Kamal Gunaratne, MPs Dayasiri Jayasekara and Gamini Waleboda will meet with the Russian defence authorities in Moscow on June 25, 26 and 27.

A top source told Daily Mirror that the Sri Lankan authorities receive numerous telephone calls from those soldiers in the war front seeking to return to the country. It is learnt that these soldiers have been duped into believing that they will get attractive salaries and other perks.

In a move to resolve the matter without any diplomatic tussle between the two countries, Russia has afforded an official visit to discuss arrangements for the early repatriation of soldiers .

The police have arrested two retired generals for illegally acting as recruiting agents for Russian mercenary firms.

Meanwhile , the absence of a Sri Lankan mission in Ukraine has hampered the process of collecting data regarding Sri Lankans fighting there against Russia.

However, the Sri Lankan Embassy in Turkey which is concurrently accredited to Ukraine wrote to the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry last Saturday seeking details about Sri Lankans fighting there .

Earlier it was reported that one Sri Lankan died in Ukraine while fighting against the Russians and due to the lack of information, Sri Lankan authorities are unable to verify the present status of those involved in the war.

The Sri Lankan government has taken steps to freeze all funds, other financial assets and economic resources belonging to 15 entities and 210 individuals allegedly involved in terrorist and extremist activities.

It is reported that the relevant gazette notification was issued yesterday (03) by Sri Lanka’s Secretary of Defence General (Retd.) Kamal Gunaratne, acting in terms of the powers vested in him by the United Nations Regulations No. 1 of 2012.

Accordingly, the order has been issued to freeze all funds, other financial assets and economic resources belonging to or owned or held by any natural or legal person, group or entity designated and listed under regulation 4 of the above Regulations.

The 15 designated entities include the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), the National Thowheeth Jama’ath (NTJ) and the Jamathei Millathu Ibraheem (JMI).

The gazette also orders to freeze the funds and assets of 210 individuals designated for their involvement in terrorist and extremist activities.

Designated Entities:

1. Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (L.T.T. E)

2. Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (T.R.O)

3. Tamil Coordinating Committee (T.C.C)

4. World Tamil Movement (W.T.M)

5. Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (T.G.T.E)

6. World Tamil Relief Fund (W.T.R.F)

7. Headquarters Group (HQ Group)

8. National Thowheed Jama’ath (N.T.J)

9. Jama’athe Milla’athe Ibrahim (J.M.I)

10. Willayath As Seylani (W.A.S S)

11. National Council of Canadian Tamil (N.C.C.T)

12. Tamil Youth Organization ( T.Y.O)

13. Darul Adhar Ath’thabawiyya

14. Sri Lanka Islamic Student Movement (S.L.I.S.M)

15. Save the Pearls

Tempers flared during an argument between Kandy District SLPP MPs Mahindananda Aluthgamage and Gunathilake Rajapaksa over providing relief to the people affected by the inclement weather, at yesterday’s government group meeting chaired by President Ranil Wickremesinghe. Subsequently MP Rajapaksa was admitted to the Army Hospital with injuries. He had suffered leg injury and was to undergo a surgical operation.

Aluthgamage, contacted for comment, denied the allegation that he had assaulted MP Rajapaksa.

He said MP Rajapakse had levelled unfounded allegations against him in front of other MPs and officials at the group meeting. “I told him that I would not respond to those allegations at the group meeting and asked him to come out of the meeting room so that I could explain it to him. After he came out, I questioned him about the issues that he raised. At that point some MPs, led by Polonnaruwa District MP Jagath Samarawickrama, tried to separate us and dragged MP Rajapakse back. They both fell on each other because of the dragging. Everything has been recorded in CCTV and if there is an assault by me, as alleged by some, the footage could be scrutinised,” Aluthgamage told the media.