Category: Featured Headlines

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.

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’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.

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.

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

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.