Author: TELO Admin

Private Member’s Bill to be tabled to amend PC Elections Act

Posted on | by TELO Admin

A Private Member’s Bill is scheduled to be tabled in Parliament to amend the Provincial Councils Elections Act (No. 2 of 1988).

The motion is scheduled to be tabled by Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK) Batticaloa District Member of Parliament Shanakiyan Rasamanickam.

The bill is expected to eliminate the existing impediments to hold the delayed Provincial Council Elections.

Parliamentarian Shanakiyan Rasamanickam stated that the relevant bill will be presented in the forthcoming in parliamentary session.

Posted in Uncategorized

Controversy over LG appointments: SJB Faces Wave of Resignations

Posted on | by TELO Admin

The recent resignation initiated by MP Chaminda Wijesiri on Saturday (24) has escalated into a broader exodus within the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), with five more electoral organisers stepping down by the evening of Sunday (25).

The resignations come amid growing dissatisfaction with the Party’s handling of appointments to local government bodies following the recent Local Government Elections. Those who have tendered their resignations include: MP Chaminda Wijesiri, organiser for the Bandarawela electorate; Anura Buddhika, organiser for Horowpothana; Attorney-at-Law Champaka Wijerathna, organiser for Dambulla; Ranjith Aluvihare, organiser for Rattota and Deputy National Organiser; Anagipura Ashoka Sepala, co-organiser for Nuwara Eliya District; and Bandulal Bandarigoda, organiser for Galle.

The organisers cited concerns over what they describe as a problematic and opaque selection process for local council representatives, which they believe has intensified existing internal tensions within the Party. Their resignation letters have reportedly been submitted to Party Leader Sajith Premadasa and General Secretary Ranjith Maddumabandara.

Internal conflicts within the SJB have been simmering for months, and the controversy over local government appointments is seen as a continuation of these unresolved disputes. Party sources indicate that dissatisfaction is widespread among other electoral organisers, suggesting that further resignations may follow in the coming days.

Responding to the situation on Saturday (24), SJB General Secretary Ranjith Maddumabandara emphasised that all party members are expected to adhere to the party constitution and internal regulations.

During the party’s daily media briefing on Sunday (25), MP S.M. Marikkar, Deputy National Organiser and a founding member of the SJB, addressed the issue.

“I am one of the original members who founded the SJB.

We will not abandon the party we created.

The resignations stem from issues related to list nominations during the Provincial Council Elections.

The party established a clear procedure to allocate percentages to candidates who secured first and second places in those elections, and this was communicated in writing to all electoral organisers.”

“Additionally, the party has implemented criteria to ensure women’s representation, and appointments to many LG bodies have followed these guidelines.

In a democracy, those with majority public support should be given opportunities, but this process has caused difficulties for seat organisers, preventing some activists from securing appointments,” Marikkar said.

“While criteria for appointments are necessary, disputes over list nominations remain. Not everyone can become a member.

Personally, I believe it is better if electoral organisers do not resign. These organisers have made significant sacrifices for the party.

Politics requires patience and persistence.

We must protect those who dedicate themselves to the party,” he said.

178 LG bodies are without clear winners – election chief

Posted on | by TELO Admin

Members will not be able to attend the inaugural sessions of local government bodies as scheduled on 02 June due to parties and independent groups failing to furnish details of their appointed members at non-division levels.

Only the gazetted members can attend the meetings, to be chaired by the local government assistant commissioners, where the administrations of the LG bodies will be formed.

When contacted, commissioner general of elections Saman Sri Ratnayake said no party or independent group has gained a winning majority in 178 LG bodies.

This issue will not arise for the LG bodies in which there are clear winners, and either the mayors or the chairmen will preside at their inaugural meetings.

Certain parties and independent groups had not submitted details of their appointed members by 22 May, he said.

The 60 percent of winners at division level, whose names are with the commission, and the appointed members already named were to be gazetted by 23 May.

However, their names will practically be declared in the week starting on 26 May, added Ratnayake.

Govt. has no intention of acquiring lands from people in North and East under any circumstances – PM

Posted on | by TELO Admin

Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya stated that the government has no intention of acquiring the lands owned by the people of the Northern and Eastern provinces and that the aim of the government is to promptly return land ownership to those who rightfully own them.

The prime Minister made these remarks while addressing a discussion held yesterday (23) in the Committee Room No. 1 of Parliament in regards to resolving the issues related to land ownership faced by the people of the Northern and Eastern provinces, according to the Prime Minister’s Media Division.

Members of Parliament representing the North and East pointed out that there is a prevailing suspicion among the public due to the procedures followed by previous governments in clarifying land ownership in these regions and that many rightful landowners lack proper documentation to prove ownership while emphasizing the need for a structured process that regains public trust.

They further stated that some individuals have fraudulently taken possession of lands and expressed that the people trust the current government to deliver a fair solution to the issue, the statement said.

Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya reiterated that the government has agreed the granting of the land ownership to the people should be conducted in a legal and verified manner through a proper mechanism that eliminates public doubts and further emphasized that the government has no intention in acquiring the lands from the people under any circumstances.

Accordingly, the Prime Minister informed officials that the government will engage in discussions with the people and relevant sectors to find an appropriate solution and will take necessary future steps in this regard, it added.

The event was attended by Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Lands and Irrigation K.D. Lalkantha, Deputy Minister Susil Ranasinghe, and Secretary to the Ministry D.P. Wickramasinghe, Additional Solicitor General Vikum De Abrew, Secretary to the Prime Minister Pradeep Saputhanthri, public representatives from the Northern and Eastern provinces, and officials representing government institutions including the Department of Land Registration and the Department of Survey, as well as District Secretaries and other participants.

Indian delegation visits Sri Lanka’s key mining sites, meets top officials

Posted on | by TELO Admin

An Indian delegation led by the Ministry of Mines, comprising representatives from leading Indian public sector mining companies, visited Sri Lanka’s key mining sites and met the island nation’s top officials as it explored potential collaborations in the mines and minerals sector.

The delegation met Sunil Handunnetti, Minister of Industries and Entrepreneurship Development.

The members of the delegation also held discussions with the Chairpersons of key Sri Lankan mineral sector State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs), including Kahatagaha Graphite Lanka Ltd., Lanka Mineral Sands Ltd., Geological Survey and Mines Bureau (GSMB), and Lanka Phosphate Ltd., among others, the Indian High Commission in Colombo said in a statement.

They also met with the Director General of the Board of Investment (BOI) and other senior government officials.

“The purpose of the visit was to explore investment and collaboration opportunities, promote technical cooperation in advanced mining technologies, and discuss joint initiatives for value addition in the mineral sector,” it said.

The visit was after the initial meeting between India’s Union Minister of State for Coal & Mines Shri Satish Chandra Dubey and Handunnetti held on 15 February 2025 in New Delhi on enhancing cooperation in the minerals sector.

“The Indian delegation also undertook site visits to key mining locations in Sri Lanka, gaining valuable insights into the operational landscape and exploring areas for future collaboration.”

According to the state-run Board of Investment (BOI) data, Sri Lanka has 7.5 million metric tons (MT) of Ilmenite/Rutile/Zircon deposits in both Eastern coastal town of Pulmudai in Trincomalee district and Northwestern coastal town of Puttalam, 45,000 MT of graphite, and 60 million MT of Apatite.

Both India and Pakistan are given market access to the deposits with duty concession under Indo-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement (ISLFTA) and Pakistan-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement (PSLFTA) with 100 percent duty free for any machinery related to the mining business.

The previous government attempted to finalize 10 mining companies which have been looking to invest in the island nation’s mining for a long time with some changes to the mining regulation, but it could not complete the process before its electoral defeat in September 2024.

Former President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s Cabinet in August 2023 approved several proposals aimed at promoting foreign and local investment in the country’s mineral industry to boost revenues in a sector which has been long dragged by corruption.

The previous government changed a key regulation which said companies given mining approval should start value addition from day 1.

The regulation changed to allow mining companies to export the minerals either for 24 months or a maximum 30 percent of the grids without value addition. The licensee then could put up a value addition plant.

Sri Lanka exports the minerals to the United States, United Kingdom, China, India, and Pakistan. The island nation earned around $25 million in 2024, less than half it exported in 2022, Central Bank data showed.

India has been eyeing Sri Lanka’s mineral resource rich port district for decades.

A mineral sand deposit in Sri Lanka’s northern part contains Ilmenite, Rutile, Zircon, Monazite, Garnet, Sillimanite, and other heavy minerals, Export Development Board (EDB) data shows.

Posted in Uncategorized

Germany to press Sri Lanka on PTA repeal during President visit

Posted on | by TELO Admin

Germany will ask President Anura Kumara Dissanayake about steps being taken by his government for the repeal of the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), reconciliation and addressing wartime accountability issues during his upcoming visit there, the Daily Mirror has learnt.

Germany, along with other Western powers, has been pushing for the repeal of the PTA for a long time.

The President will travel to Germany on June 11, the fourth such official visit undertaken by him after becoming the Head of State. Previously, he visited India, China, the United Arab Emirates and Viet Nam. During his German visit, he will hold talks with Foreign Minister Boris Pistorius, Defence Minister Katherina Reiche.

However, the meetings with other Cabinet Ministers of the current Federal Government have not yet been confirmed, as reported to the Daily Mirror. It is learnt that the visit will open the door for talks with other Cabinet Ministers in areas such as investments, Germany as a market for Sri Lankan exports, migration of skilled workforce and vocational training.

He will also not meet German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Instead, President Dissanayake will meet the Federal President of Germany Frank Walter Steinmeier, as confirmed at the moment. In Germany, the Chancellor is the Head of Government with all executive powers, whereas the Federal President is Head of State with protocol duties.

The Chancellor has a prominent position in the government. He or she is, as it were, the “captain” of the ship of state. The Chancellor determines who will be in the government, since he or she alone has the right to form the Cabinet. The Chancellor chooses his ministers and makes a proposal that is binding for the Federal President with regard to their appointment (or dismissal). He or she determines the number of Ministers and defines their terms of reference. The Chancellor determines the general guidelines of government policy, the German government says.

The president represents the Federal Republic of Germany in matters of international law, concludes treaties with foreign states on its behalf, and accredits diplomats.

Posted in Uncategorized

No impediments to holding PC election, says Kusal Perera in letter to EC

Posted on | by TELO Admin

In a letter addressed to R.M.A.L. Rathnayake, Chairman of the Election Commission of Sri Lanka,
political analyst and columnist Kusal Perera has accused the Commission of deliberately stalling the long-overdue Provincial Council (PC) elections under the guise of legal ambiguity.

The letter, sent on Tuesday, follows a report published in The Morning (link:- PC Polls: Government yet to consult EC) on 20 May, which quoted Chairman Rathnayake as saying that the PC elections could only be held if either the delimitation process is completed or the existing election law is amended to revert to the old system.

Perera, however, contends that this interpretation misrepresents the current legal framework.
Referring to the still-active Provincial Councils Elections Act No. 02 of 1988, he argues that there is no legal void preventing the Commission from proceeding with the elections.

“This argument is an old and invalid one that was also used by your predecessor, Mahinda Deshapriya, to align with the political agenda of the ruling government. It is not the responsibility of the EC and its Chairman to intervene in making new law. Their responsibility is to deliver on existing law. That’s precisely what the EC is not doing,” he noted.

Perera pointed out that Parliament’s failure to pass amendments or conclude the delimitation process does not nullify the existing legislation. “It is common knowledge that until a new law is enacted and signed by the Speaker, the existing law remains valid,” he said.

The delay in holding PC elections has been a point of contention for years, with no elections held since the terms of the councils lapsed in 2018.

Critics argue that the postponement undermines democratic representation at the provincial level and disenfranchises millions of voters.

Calling on the Commission to act independently and uphold its constitutional mandate, Perera urged the Election Commission to announce a date for the elections without further delay. “As an ‘independent commission,’ your responsibility to the taxpayer… is to ensure his or her sovereign right is not infringed upon, on invalid arguments and for political interests.”

Political parties and ind. groups requested once again to provide details of elected LG members

Posted on | by TELO Admin

All political parties and independent groups have been requested once again to promptly provide details of all elected members for local government bodies based on the results of the recently concluded election.

Chairman of the National Election Commission R.M.A.L. Rathnayake noted that once the relevant information is received, steps will be taken to publish the names of the elected members in the Gazette according to the respective local government bodies.

Meanwhile, Chairman R.M.A.L. Rathnayake also stated that all candidates, political parties, and independent groups who have not submitted their income and expenditure reports related to the local government elections should submit the relevant documents before May 27.

Top Norwegian experts warn against investment in petroleum exploration

Posted on | by TELO Admin

In the wake of the Sri Lankan government preparing for offshore petroleum exploration , a leading Norwegian expert in the field , said that it is a risky investment when the world is moving towards renewable energy sources more and more.

In an interview with Daily Mirror, he said Prof. Peter Mosby Haugan who is the Policy Director of Institute of Marine Research and University of Bergen in Norway, struck a note of caution against investment in the upstream petroleum development. He arrived in Sri Lanka to attend an international seminar organized by Pathfinder Foundation.

“It is a risky investment. It takes time. That also takes time to develop. You invest in infrastructure which only requires you to use it for a long time. If you invest in an oil platform or if you invest in a pipeline, it is very (19:48) costly. Then you are trapped a little bit. In that economy, this will still continue,” he said.

And at the same time, he said renewable energy and solar panels are becoming less expensive.

“We see solar panels and other renewable energy becoming less expensive. So, I would be careful in investing in petroleum,” he said.

Earlier, the government said that it would go for international biddings for investment in offshore petroleum exploration. The government is looking for a marketing consultant ahead of starting a new licensing round for offshore oil and gas exploration blocks in Mannar basin. Cabinet approval has also been given in this regard.

An exploration and drilling conducted by Cairn Sri Lanka (Pvt) Ltd, a subsidiary of Cairn India (Private) Company, in 2011, found 2 natural gas deposits and the existence of a viable hydrocarbon system in the M2 exploration block of the Basin.

Posted in Uncategorized

Sri Lankan Government urged to stop pretending on domestic initiatives

Posted on | by TELO Admin

The Sri Lankan Government has been urged by Human Rights Watch to stop pretending domestic initiatives are working and instead demonstrate its commitment to accountability by backing a UN resolution on Sri Lanka.

Last weekend, Tamils in Sri Lanka gathered to commemorate those who died or went missing in the country’s civil war, which lasted from 1983 to 2009. As they have for the last 16 years, they also called for justice.

“Despite overwhelming evidence gathered by the United Nations and human rights groups of war crimes and human rights abuses by state security forces, successive governments have failed to launch any credible accountability process. Meanwhile, Tamil activists and victim communities continue to face repression and other violations,” Deputy Asia Director of Human Rights Watch, Meenakshi Ganguly said.

The war between the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the Sri Lankan government was marked by widespread violations by both sides.

“As the Sri Lankan military closed in on the LTTE, eventually defeating them on May 18, 2009, soldiers committed summary executions, rape, and forcible disappearances of hundreds of surrendered combatants. The military indiscriminately shelled civilians who were trapped in the combat zone by the LTTE, which used them as human shields,” Human Rights Watch said.

In last year’s elections, many Tamils voted for Anura Kumara Dissanayake for president, hoping he would break from previous administrations and address the legacy of repression and discrimination. They have been disappointed.

The Dissanayake government has backed failed initiatives of previous governments, including the Office on Missing Persons, the Office for Reparations, and the Office for National Unity and Reconciliation, which have made little if any progress. These institutions have been rejected by many victims’ families, who see them as part of a pattern of failed promises, HRW said.

Meanwhile, the government has kept in place the abusive Prevention of Terrorism Act, long used to target Tamils. The government had pledged to repeal this draconian law, including to the European Union as a condition to keep tariff-free access to the EU market under the Generalised Scheme of Preferences (GSP+).

The UN Human Rights Council mandated that the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights report and monitor progress on accountability, and establish the Sri Lanka Accountability Project to gather evidence of international crimes for use in future prosecutions. Those mandates are due for renewal in September. Given the lack of progress in Sri Lanka, renewal is vital to hold perpetrators of international crimes accountable. The Dissanayake government has opposed the council’s intervention as “divisive and intrusive.”

HRW said that instead of pretending that discredited domestic initiatives are working, the government should demonstrate its commitment to accountability by backing the resolution to renew the Accountability Project, and work towards delivering justice at last