President Ranil Wickremesinghe delivered a special statement in Parliament today.

In his statement, the President addressed various issues in Sri Lanka, including the economic crisis, the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, the Anti-Corruption Bill, and the Provincial Council Law.

Following are the 17 key points from the President’s special Parliament statement:

1.President Ranil Wickremesinghe emphasized the necessity of implementing the 13th Amendment in a way that suits the nation’s growth and future. He stressed that achieving this requires a consensus among all parliament members through comprehensive and open-minded deliberations.

2.The President advocated a departure from the traditional view of the opposition merely criticizing the government and urged a more inclusive approach that involves considering opposition viewpoints in decision-making, promoting a more balanced and collaborative political environment.

3.President Wickremesinghe emphasized the importance of acting confidently and responsibly. He highlighted that the nation’s development relies on the joint efforts of following a fresh direction, encouraging the adoption of this new approach.

4.The President urged all members to avoid engaging in personal debates and instead focus on envisioning the nation’s future. He called for sincere unity among parliamentarians to collaboratively make decisions that prioritize the country’s long-term interests.

5.President Wickremesinghe highlighted that the 13th Constitutional Amendment, which oversees the decentralization of power to provincial councils, holds the utmost legal significance in the country. He emphasized the necessity of respecting and adhering to it, stressing that both the executive and legislature have a responsibility to uphold and implement its provisions.

6.The President introduced his plans for the 13th Amendment and devolution of powers, urging a comprehensive review of his proposals. He invited fellow parliamentarians to share their thoughts, as the ultimate decision about the role and future of provincial councils lies solely within the Parliament’s jurisdiction.

7.President Wickremesinghe stated that by reaching a consensus with universal support, the nation could protect its identity, enhance unity, and decentralize power for greater accessibility. He emphasized that provincial councils were not limited to the Northern and Eastern provinces, but were established across all nine provinces of the country.

8.The President discussed plans to revise Provincial Council laws and introduce new ones with parliamentary agreement. Proposed changes include adopting the District Proportional System for Voting, enabling Members of Parliament to join provincial council elections, and increasing women’s representation to 25% or higher.

9.President Ranil Wickremesinghe stated there are three categories of prisoners: remand prisoners, those on death row and those with other sentences, adding that the last two categories will be considered for Presidential Pardon, based on the recommendations of the Minister of Justice. Presidential approval has been granted to release 11 prisoners from the category of those with other sentences.

10.The President said efforts are underway to accelerate the formation of the National Land Commission (NLC) and a National Land Policy. A preliminary NLC law has been created and is being reviewed for crafting a policy on State land usage. A Land Commission Policy Act is anticipated by September to provide direction for NLC’s operations.

11.President Wickremesinghe mentioned that the Office of Missing Persons (OMP) has initiated efforts to locate missing individuals. Measures are being taken to speed up the data entry process, with the goal of completing it within three months. The issuance of the Certificate of Absence (COA) is also being fast-tracked.

12.The President announced that the Department of Immigration and Emigration has received a list of 2,678 Sri Lankans residing in South Indian Rehabilitation Camps. Among them, individuals possessing both Sri Lankan Birth Certificates and National Identity Cards are eligible for All Country Passports. The process for issuing this documentation is expected to take two to four weeks.

13.President Ranil Wickremesinghe highlighted that a significant portion of the land occupied by the Security Forces, Police in 2009, around 90 to 92%, has been gradually released. This includes 22,919 acres, consisting of 817 acres of state-owned and 22,101 acres of privately owned land and the occupied land area by Security Forces and Police is 3,754 acres, with 862 acres being state-owned & 2,892 acres being privately owned.

14.The President emphasized the importance of improving air and sea connectivity in the Northern region. Plans include enhancing the KKS Harbour, Vavuniya and Palali Airports, and establishing a ferry service between the Northern Province and South India. Additionally, efforts are underway to create Investment Promotion Zones in KKS, Paranthan, and Mankulam.

15.President Wickremesinghe assured that he would not engage in actions that threaten the country’s sovereignty and unity. He called on all parliamentarians to participate constructively in the pursuit of national reconciliation, emphasizing that the people’s interests are fundamental to the nation’s development.

16.The President emphasized that external entities or foreign countries cannot resolve the nation’s challenges on our behalf and encouraged unity among citizens to independently address our issues and steer the country towards rapid economic and social progress.

17.President Wickremesinghe highlighted the enactment of the Election Expenses Control Act, aimed at curbing financial abuses and irregularities during elections. He mentioned the approval of a strong anti-corruption bill that adheres to global standards, intended to address corruption and fraud issues that have negatively impacted the country’s image.

US State Department Coordinator on Global Anti-Corruption Richard Nephew has arrived in Sri Lanka on a two-day visit.

The United States Embassy in Colombo said Richard Nephew will be in Colombo till today.

The visiting delegation accompanying Nephew includes Dylan Aikens, Anti-Corruption Analyst for the U.S. Department of State.

While in Colombo, Nephew is scheduled to meet with government, opposition, International Monetary Fund, private sector, and civil society interlocutors.

The US Embassy said his visit aims to better understand efforts to address corruption, as well as the political and economic conditions in the country, and explore potential for future cooperation.

China has expressed interest in investing in Sri Lanka’s Northern and Eastern provinces, but any development in strategic port district of Trincomalee has to be done in consensus with India in line with the 13th Amendment of the island nation constitution, State Minister of Rural Road Development Sivanesthurai Santhirakanthan said.

Sri Lanka’s Northern and Eastern provinces are close to South Indian Tamil Nadu state and India has continuously raised security concerns over China’s increased activities in the both ethnic minority Tamils-led provinces, which has more cultural similarities to Tamil Nadu.

Santhirakanthan, an elected legislator from the Eastern district of Batticaloa, said any development in Trincomalee port, oil tank farm, and their surrounding area should happen with the consensus of Delhi government.

“The main international attraction is Trincomalee district. According to the international accord 13th amendment, the development of Trincomalee should happen in consensus with India,” Santhirakanthan told a media briefing in Colombo referring to a Sri Lankan constitutional amendment for devolution of the power of the central government to the provinces that has been opposed by ethnic majority Sinhalese.

India has been eying on Trincomalee port since late 1970s and Indian leaders were critical of former Sri Lankan president J R Jayawardena, an uncle of current President Ranil Wickremesinghe, for his moves seen as giving the strategic Trincomalee port for a US military base during that era.

Trincomalee is one of the mineral resource richest districts in Sri Lanka, A best-known mineral sand deposit is in the northern part of Trincomalee. The major minerals found in this deposit are Ilmenite and Rutile. Other associated minerals are Zircon, Monazite, Garnet, Sillimanite, and a few other heavy minerals, Sri Lanka’s Export Development Board data show.

Many Indian projects have been moving at a slower pace amid geopolitical worries of increasing Chinese-funded infrastructure projects and investment into Sri Lanka.

“Trincomalee is a sentimental issue, and it is a law as well,” Santhirakanthan said, referring to the Indian foothold in Trincomalee district.

“But there is an opportunity for anybody to come and help in investment. Specially in seafood related products like fish and crab farming, mainly (companies from) European countries and Australia have visited the east. Anybody interested can invest. Our aim is to increase production and reduce poverty among the people.”

India has repeatedly raised concerns over Chinese investments and bilateral activities coming into both Northern and Eastern provinces citing security threat to the Indian Ocean.

Sri Lanka, according to the 13A came into effect after an Indo-Lanka agreement in 1987, has to address any Indian security concerns in the island nation that are seen as a threat to the Indian Ocean region.

Sri Lanka was compelled to cancel three renewable energy projects in Northern Sri Lanka two years ago after India raised strong concerns.

“The Chinese government now has prioritized its development activities in the North and East and some companies have already discussed this,” Santhirakanthan said.

“Mainly, they have discussed cashew nut production in Batticaloa district. There is cashew cultivation in 2,000-acre state lands. They have not been using them (the lands) to their best capacity. If any country or company comes and helps us to develop them, that will be a great help. We will help any country who comes forward for these kinds of projects.”

President Ranil Wickremesinghe has received intelligence reports detailing another attempt at creating public unrest similar to that of on May 09, 2022, Minister Bandula Gunawardena says.

The lawmaker, addressing the weekly press conference to announce Cabinet decisions on Tuesday (Aug. 08), said the Head of State has briefed the Cabinet of Ministers about the information he has received from the State Intelligence Service (SIS).

Cabinet spokesman said the intelligence reports have revealed that certain groups involved in the Aragalaya movement and affiliated with the opposition were planning to rekindle the events that took place on May 09 last year on the pretext of the prevailing drought, the electricity crisis and water shortage.

He mentioned that there were attempts to surround the residences of Agriculture Minister Mahinda Amaraweera and Power & Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekera adding that special security had to be provided to prevent such anticipated attacks.

Gunawardena went on to reveal that at least two media institutions were behind this move to bring back violence onto the streets using the drought-induced water crisis and the agitation of the farmers as an excuse.

Emphasizing that this is an attempt to destabilize the country, the minister said these certain groups were attempting to initiate a gunfire retaliation from the law enforcement and use the deaths of the people for political ends.

A Chinese company has lost a tender to develop three hybrid power plants in the Delft, Nagadeepa, and Analthivu islands off the Jaffna peninsula to India, reports the Indian media.

Since India is now funding the solar and wind power project with 12 million US dollars, it only is reasonable that an Indian company got the tender, reported India’s media.

Originally, a Chinese company was given the tender in 2021 to build the solar and wind energy plants.

The Chinese Embassy in tweeted the project was suspended due to ‘security concern’ from a third party.