Category: News

A document presented to the Sri Lankan parliament for the very first time has revealed that there are 1,283 institutions that come under the government, including 420 institutions that are owned by the state.

This includes 29 ministries and 99 departments.

State Finance Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya produced a document listing all the government institutions to the Sri Lanka Parliament on Thursday (17).

This is the first time in Sri Lankan history that such a document was disclosed to the house.

According to the Ministry of Finance, Economic Stabilization, and National Policies, this document was presented as per a promise made by President Ranil Wickremesinghe during his recent budget speech.

The government also operates 25 District Secretariats, 9 provincial councils, 341 Divisional Secretariats and 341 local government bodies.

Minister of Justice, Prisons Affairs, and Constitutional Reforms President’s Counsel Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe, whilst noting that 95% of occupied lands had been handed over to the relevant parties, said yesterday (16) that a committee chaired by Secretary to the Ministry of Justice Wasantha Perera has however been set up to resolve land related issues in the North and East.

Speaking at a media briefing, Dr. Rajapakshe said yesterday that the remaining land-related issues in the North and the East will be resolved by the said committee chaired by Perera.

He further added that the cases of the detainees under the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act are being expedited in two High Courts, and that an advisory board had been providing recommendations regarding the same.

“Around 31 Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) prisoners have been identified, and among them, some have been convicted, while the cases of others are ongoing. Once the process is addressed, decisions will be made,” he added further.

He also noted that the Government had planned to address the issue of missing persons and end the related probes by the end of 2023.

“Only 65 files had been completed when we (the current Government) took over, but now, around 2,000 files have been completed by the Office on Missing Persons,” he elaborated.

Dr. Rajapakshe noted that 11,782 Sri Lankan refugees have returned from India and that his Ministry had taken steps to provide them with important documents such as the birth certificate, marriage certificate, etc. Accordingly, he had paid a visit to Jaffna and Kilinochchi last month to address the above issues as well as the drug menace in the Northern Province. He had also instructed the establishment of a task force in the Northern Province chaired by its Governor Jeevan Thiyagarajah to curb the drug issue.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K Stalin has promised 650 houses for Sri Lankan returnees affected by the transfer of the Tamil Nadu Tea Plantation Corporation (Tantea) to the Forest Department in Tamil Nadu.

The assurance was given during a meeting with the leader of the Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC) Senthil Thondaman.

Thondaman told Daily Mirror that he met Stalin in Tamil Nadu on Tuesday and discussed the issue concerning the Sri Lankan returnees affected by the transfer of Tantea to the Forest Department.

Tantea was established during former Chief Minister CN Annadurai’s tenure, in 1968, as a rehabilitation measure for Indian origin Sri Lankan Tamils who returned to Tamil Nadu.

The Tamil Nadu state Government had decided to close down and return part of the land of Tantea to the Forest Department.

The decision will affect a number of Sri Lankans who returned to Tamil Nadu and have been living in the area.

Thondaman said that following discussions with Stalin, the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister assured that he will provide 650 houses to the Sri Lankan returnees and a formal announcement in this regard will be made soon.

A working team of the China Development Bank (CDB), an important supporter of Sri Lanka’s development, is currently on a visit to Sri Lanka.

They have called on State Minister of Finance Shehan Semasinghe and held discussions with the Finance Ministry with regard to the debt-related issues, according to diplomatic sources.

In response to the detention for over 90 days of student leaders Wasantha Mudalige and Galwewa Siridhamma Thero, under the draconian Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), Thyagi Ruwanpathirana, Amnesty International’s South Asia Regional Researcher, said:

“The continued targeted persecution of student leaders in Sri Lanka has a chilling effect on civil society and the right to protest. The baseless terror charges against Wasantha Mudalige and Galwewa Siridhamma Thero must be immediately dropped and any extension of the detention order must be stopped.”

The baseless anti-terror charges against Wasantha Mudalige and Galwewa Siridhamma Thero must be immediately dropped and any extension of the detention order must be stopped.

Thyagi Ruwanpathirana, Amnesty International’s South Asia Regional Researcher
“The use of counterterrorism charges against protesters is excessive and disproportionate, yet they have time and again been used by the Sri Lankan authorities against critics and minorities to silence dissent. Detaining protesters under counterterrorism charges is a clear violation of the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly guaranteed by the Constitution of Sri Lanka and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Sri Lanka is a state party. International human rights law requires that counterterrorism laws must not be used to criminalize those who either organize or participate in peaceful assemblies.”

“The Sri Lankan authorities must repeal the PTA, which does not meet international human rights standards, and must uphold their already stated commitment to end its use. The authorities should immediately review the detention of all those held under the PTA, ensuring adequate access to fair bail hearings. They should also release all protesters facing similar charges that do not meet international standards.”

International human rights law requires that counterterrorism laws must not be used to criminalize those who either organize or participate in peaceful assemblies.

Thyagi Ruwanpathirana
Background:

Sri Lankan student leaders Wasantha Mudalige, the convener of Inter University Students’ Federation and Galwewa Siridhamma Thero, the convener of Inter University Bhikku Federation have been detained by the Sri Lankan authorities since 18 August 2022. They had their detention extended for 90 days on 21 August 2022 under the draconian Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) amidst an ongoing crackdown on protesters by the authorities.

Their family members and lawyer have raised concerns about their safety and deteriorating health while in detention. Amnesty International has issued an Urgent Action on the arbitrary detention of the student leaders.

Amnesty International has previously documented the crackdown by the Sri Lankan authorities on protesters who now face intimidation, harassment and arrest. The suppression of protest and the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly, movement and expression must stop and the government must protect the right to protest.