Category: News

Since its resumption of international scheduled flight operations between Jaffna and Chennai after the global pandemic, Alliance Air completed its 100th flight to Jaffna International Airport (JIA) today,

Alliance Air, a wholly owned subsidiary of Air India Asset Holdings Pvt Ltd. (AIAHL), recommenced commercial flight operations from Chennai International Airport (MAA) to JIA on December 12, 2022.

At present, the airline operates four scheduled international flights a week, and is planning to increase its frequency to daily operations between Jaffna and Chennai.

Up to date in 2023 the airline has handled approximately 12,000 passengers through the Northern Gateway. The Airport & Aviation Services (SL) Limited (AASL) ground handling team has provided all ground handling services for these flights, ensuring a smooth and efficient experience for all passengers.

Considering the growing demand for air travel from the northern part of the country, Alliance Air tapped that potential, and with the support of the governments of India and Sri Lanka, this direct flight operation between Jaffna and Chennai will enormously boost the tourism industry of Sri Lanka, especially in the Northern Province, offering better connectivity to all South Indian destinations.

An overseas travel ban was imposed on MP Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam today (June 06), on the orders of the Kilinochchi Magistrate’s Court.

The Jaffna District parliamentarian, who represents the All Ceylon Tamil Congress or Ahila Ilankai Thamil Congress (AITC), is accused of his complicity in obstructing the duties of police officers and verbally abusing them during a recent event in Vadamarachchi.

Soon after the incident, MP Ponnambalam was asked to record a statement with the Maruthankerny Police on Monday (June 05). However, he has failed to appear before the police, citing a parliamentary meeting in Colombo.

Thereby, Sri Lanka Police had presented facts related to the matter to court on Monday.

Taking to Twitter this afternoon, MP Ponnambalam said the Kollupitiya Police served him a written notice, asking him again to appear before the Maruthankerny Police, which he refused to accept as he can neither read nor speak in Sinhala. “The subsequently read it to me in Sinhala saying that all they needed to do was to inform me.”

The parliamentarian says the Kollupitiya Police officers then proceeded to ask him to produce himself at the Maruthankerny Police at 10.00 a.m. on June 08.

On Sunday (June 04), Minister of Public Security Tiran Alles had called for a detailed report on the recent heated situation involving the All-Ceylon Tamil Congress leader and a group of police officers in Jaffna.

Accordingly, the minister stated that the Senior Deputy Inspector General (SDIG) of Police of Jaffna had been informed to provide a special report on the incident as soon as possible.

A recent video circulated on several social media platforms showed a heated exchange of words between the MP and several officers, believed to be attached to the Jaffna Police, while Ponnambalam was engaging with area residents.

The tense situation had ensued when the police officers asked MP Ponnambalam to call off his public meeting at the Thalaiyadi playground, in consideration of the students sitting for the Ordinary Level examination at the nearby Thalaiyadi Roman Catholic Mixed School.

Meanwhile, the female organizer of the Tamil National People’s Front (TNPF) was remanded until Wednesday (June 07) after being produced before the Kilinochchi Magistrate’s Court earlier today.

She was arrested on Monday, along with a man, on charges of obstructing the duties of police officers.

Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court has determined that a private member’s bill seeking amendments to the provincial council elections law is not inconsistent with the constitution provided that amendments are made to two of the bill’s clauses.

Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena announcing the court verdict told parliament on Tuesday June 06 that, subject to the proposed amendment to clause 3 and deletion of clause 4 of the bill, the court has determined that the bill or any of its provisions is not inconsistent with the constitution.

The bill, submitted by opposition Tamil National Alliance (TNA) legislator M A Sumanthiran as a private member’s bill, was challenged in terms of Article 121(1) of the constitution, with counsel for the petitioners claiming that the bill, if enacted, would affect the voting rights of the people.

Clause 3 of the bill reads:

The provisions of the Provincial Councils Elections Act, No. 2 of 1988, as was extant on 21st September, 2017, shall for all purposes be deemed to be and to have been in operation as if the same had not been amended by the Provincial Councils Elections (Amendment) Act, No. 17 of 2017.

Clause 4, which the Supreme Court has determined should be deleted is as follows:

Any act done or purported to have been done after 22nd September, 2017, in terms of the Provincial Councils Elections Act, No. 2 of 1988 is deemed to have been done, mutatis mutandis, in terms of the Provincial Councils Elections Act, No. 2 of 1988 as was extant on 21st September, 2017.

Opposition political parties have unanimously decided to oppose the proposal to introduce legislation to establish a Broadcasting Regulatory Commission in the country

The executive council of the opposition led by the Samagi Jana Balawegaya made a special statement unanimously to oppose and defeat the Broadcasting Authority Act to be brought by the current government with the aim of destroying the remaining part of the country’s democracy and to take the maximum possible measures to defeat it inside and outside the parliament and in the courts, said Opposition leader Sajith Premadasa said on Monday (5).

The special opposition subcommittee appointed to study the discuss the proposed Broadcasting Regulatory Commission legislation met on Monday (5).

The special opposition subcommittee led by Professor Charitha Herath also includes Imthiaz Bakeer Marker, Gayantha Karunathilake, Dr. Harsha De Silva and Eran Wickramaratne.

Minister of Justice Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe said that the proposed Broadcasting Regulatory Commission legislation that grants statutory power to imprison journalists, impose fines on them, and to even revoke the licenses issued to broadcasters, will be discussed with the media institutions on the 7th of June 2023.

The drafting of the legislation establishing a ‘Broadcast Authority’ was carried out by a cabinet appointed subcommittee, led by Justice Minister Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe.

What is the new piece of legislation that Sri Lanka is trying to introduce for the media?

According to the document prepared by the Cabinet-appointed Subcommittee led by Justice Minister Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe, something very serious is being prepared with regard to the media.

It proposes for the establishment of a Broadcasting Regulatory Commission consisting of five members, the commission will appoint its own investigating committee.

If reports detriment to national security, national economy, and public order, are published by broadcasters, the Broadcasting Regulatory Commission will be able to revoke and temporarily suspend the license of the broadcaster.

In addition, the Investigating Committee of the Broadcasting Regulatory Commission will have the power to obtain a court order and raid media institutions.

If the proposed legislation is passed in its original form, a complaint would not even be necessary to launch an investigation on a media institution.

Broadcasting Regulatory Commission:

The Broadcasting Regulatory Commission is to be introduced via a new piece of legislation.

The cabinet appointed subcommittee, led by Justice Minister Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe completed the drafting of the legislation establishing a ‘Broadcast Authority’ for the creation of a Broadcasting Regulatory Commission.

This document contains multiple sections on electronic media, that need to be taken seriously.

It proposes for the establishment of a Broadcasting Regulatory Commission consisting of five members.

The Secretary to the Ministry of Media, and the Director General of Telecommunication will serve as ex-officio members.

The other three members will be appointed to the Broadcasting Regulatory Commission by the President.

According to this document, the scope of the Broadcasting Regulatory Commission covers serious areas concerning the process of electronic media.

The objective of the Broadcasting Regulatory Commission shall be to ensure to carry on the broadcasting services without any detriment to national security, national economy, and public order.

In addition, the objective of the Broadcasting Regulatory Commission is also to ensure that broadcasting services shall provide people true and accurate information as guaranteed by the constitution.

Further, the Broadcasting Regulatory Commission shall issue annual licenses for broadcasting services.

In addition, another objective of the Broadcasting Regulatory Commission is to issue guidelines in respect of broadcasting to enhance the spiritual development and mental health of the people while safeguarding the social and cultural values and entertainment of the people.

The Broadcasting Regulatory Commission will also be empowered to formulate codes of conduct to be followed by the broadcasting entities or persons in consultation with the licenses broadcasters.

Investigating Committee:

The new legal framework proposed by the cabinet appointed subcommittee led by Dr. Rajapakshe proposes to appoint an investigation committee to investigate complaints and made recommendations.

The three-member committee shall be headed by the Director General of the Broadcasting Regulatory Commission, and the others two members will be those with experience in the field of law or mass media.

According to the latest document, the committee may conduct an investigation, upon its own initiative or upon the request by any interested person.

This committee may conduct an investigation, upon its own initiative or upon the request by any interested person, on any matter in which a license holder of any broadcasting service is involved in what may lead to a threat to national security, national economy, or may create any conflict among races and religions.

A serious section in this document is that for the purpose of an investigation the committee may, by notice in writing require any person or entity to produce to the committee any specified document, specified written or oral information which the committee considers relates to any matter relevant to the investigations.

It proposes that the Committee shall have the power to enter, inspect, and search the premises where the broadcasting service is being carried out with any entry warrant issued by a magistrate, and take copies of or seize and detain any relevant records or documents of such broadcasting entity.

Upon the recommendations of the committee, the Broadcasting Regulatory Commission may cancel, suspend or impose a fine to the license issued to the broadcasting entity.

In addition to the violation of any clause of the Broadcasting Regulatory Commission Act, the Commission can also take a decision on the license issued to a broadcasting entity, if it had broadcasted anything that may create a threat to national security, economy, or conflict among races or religions.

It notes that any person who fails to comply with any direction or recommendation issued to by the commission or refuses to cooperate, shall be guilty of an offense and shall on conviction after a summary trial before a Magistrate be liable to a fine or imprisonment, or both.

Any person or entity that engaged in broadcasting services aggrieved by a decision of the commission may appeal against such a decision at the Court of Appeal.

What is most interesting is that the document does not give a definition to the terms of ‘Broadcasting’, ‘Broadcasting Service Provider’, ‘License’, and ‘Licensee’.

The US Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Julie Chung, met upcountry families and discussed the economic and political obstacles they face.

She also spoke to them about their aspirations for better housing, education, and opportunities to improve their livelihood.

“This morning, I met with Hill Country families (many of whom have ties to the region going back 200 years) to hear directly about the economic and political obstacles they face and their aspirations for better housing, education, and opportunities to improve their livelihood,” the Ambassador tweeted.

The Ambassador is on a visit to Nuwara Eliya and has met several people from all walks of life.

During the visit she announced that the US Embassy in Sri Lanka will expand the US State Department’s English Access Microscholarship program to provide two years of free after-school English language instruction to youth of diverse backgrounds in Nuwara Eliya.

During her visit, she also met with prospective teachers for the program who shared the challenges they face in meeting learners’ needs and their plans to equip the next generation with the language skills to empower youth to follow their dreams.

She also spoke about the importance of equality and expanding women’s contributions to legal professions at the National Law Conference.

The Ambassador noted that the judicial sector is vital for upholding the rule of law and protecting the freedoms that sustain democracy.