Category: News

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.

Ninety-two Members of Parliament including Ministers and State Ministers have reportedly met with President Ranil Wickremesinghe.

The MPs pledged their support for the President in the upcoming presidential election to ensure his victory, according to the President’s Media Division.

This was conveyed during the ruling party MPs meeting at the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo this evening (30).

Despite the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) politburo deciding to field their own candidate in the upcoming Presidential election, a group of SLPP MPs and Ministers have expressed their support for President Wickremesinghe.

Meanwhile, a group of Ministers, including those who opposed the proposal brought by the SLPP Politburo, met President Wickremesinghe last night (29). They had reportedly decided to support him in the upcoming presidential election.

Some ministers and others opposed the decision made by the SLPP politburo, which met last afternoon to present a candidate for this year’s presidential election.

The opposing ministers and others gathered at the political office of United National Party Member of Parliament Vajira Abeywardena in Flower Road, Colombo, and engaged in a discussion with President Wickremesinghe.

Deputy Speaker and Chairman of Committees of Parliament Ajith Rajapakse, Minister Kanchana Wijesekera, State Ministers Dilum Amunugama, Anupa Pasqual, Geeta Kumarasinghe, Members of Parliament Mahindananda Aluthgamage, S.B. Dissanayake, Premnath C. Dolawatte, and others had participated in this discussion and decided to support President Wickremesinghe in the upcoming presidential election.

Posting on ‘X’ (formerly Twitter), State Minister Pramitha Bandara Tennakoon stated that he will continue to support the president who saved the country, regardless of the SLPP politburo’s decision.

“Immaterial of the decision made by the political bureau of SLPP, together with the majority of parliamentary members, I will continue to support President Ranil Wickremesinghe in the upcoming presidential election, who rescued the country at the most crucial time,” Tennakoon said.

Similarly, State Minister of Finance Shehan Semasinghe also expressed his support for President Wickremesinghe on X.

“Under President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s leadership, Sri Lanka has made significant strides in overcoming the most severe crises in history. His clear and decisive leadership has guided the nation toward stability and growth. To prevent a return to such challenging times, it is essential to continue supporting President Wickremesinghe’s vision and initiatives. We need to protect the country before our political views. Together, we can build a prosperous future for our country,” Semasinghe said.

Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) General Secretary Ranjith Madduma Bandara placed the deposit on behalf of Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa to contest the Presidential election 2024.

Premadasa becomes the sixth candidate to place deposits for the Presidency.

The Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) has decided to issue a series of guidelines for government officials and government performance during the presidential election.

Its commissioner Attorney-at-Law Nimal Punchihewa says the human rights of the general public are violated as officials’ favour parties

He added that the decision was reached after considering such acts.

Human Rights Watch has called on the United Nations Human Rights Council to renew its mandate on Sri Lanka for another two years given Sri Lanka’s lack of accountability for war crimes as well as increasing incidents of Sri Lankan authorities denying the freedom of religion and the basic rights of the Tamils.

“The Sri Lankan government’s loud claims of reconciliation ring hollow in the face of increasing suppression of minority religious and cultural identities,” said Meenakshi Ganguly, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “Concerted international pressure is needed to reverse this nefarious campaign, which promotes Sinhala Buddhist nationalism at the expense of other populations.”

Elaborating on the numerous incidents that have been reported for the last few years including several that took place this year, Ganguly says Sri Lankan authorities were conducting a campaign to deny Hindu and other religious minorities access to places of worship and other property while designating these locations as Buddhist sites. She faulted that government agencies such as the Department of Archaeology, the military, and police, “have taken part in a concerted strategy assailing the culture and practices of religious minorities. They are promoting majority Sinhalese Buddhist settlement in Sri Lanka’s north and east to the detriment of the predominantly Tamil and Muslim populations’ rights to property and religious freedom.” She says there seems to be a pattern that emerges at temples throughout the North-East where authorities supported by Buddhist monks have damaged or removed Hindu idols, threatened or attacked worshippers denying them access to these locations. This she says is part of a large concentrated attempt targetting Tamil and Muslim properties in land grabs.

HRW details locations such as Thaiyiddi where the Sri Lankan army constructed a Buddhist temple on land that local residents and politicians alleged is owned by Tamils. Meanwhile at Mylanthanaimadu and Periya Maadhavanai, in Batticaloa hundreds of Tamil and Muslim dairy farmers, who say they have used area lands for grazing for generations, have been in disputes with Sinhalese arable farmers, many of them former soldiers who have been settled in the area with government support since 2010.

The Human Rights Watch details several incidents of intrusive surveillance of activist groups, suppressing dissent, and increasingly violating the right to freedom of religion. It was only earlier this week that the Terrorism Investigation Department summoned the head of the Families of the Disappeared in Batticaloa to appear before the TID to provide a statement.

“The Sri Lankan government’s deepening repression of minority communities will only end when there is genuine accountability for past war crimes and ongoing abuses,” Ganguly said. “To reduce the risk of further violations, it is crucial that the UN Human Rights Council renews its mandate on Sri Lanka for another two years.” She added that since the end of the war, international efforts to ensure justice for conflict-era crimes and address ongoing rights violations have focused on the United Nations Human Rights Council. The current resolution of the council, which mandates evidence gathering for use in future prosecutions related to the war and ongoing monitoring of human rights in Sri Lanka, is due to expire in September.