The SJB has called on the government to table in Parliament the reports of all commissions of inquiry and presidential commissions since 1994.

Addressing the media at the SJB Headquarters, in Colombo, on Tuesday, former Matara District MP Buddhika Pathirana stated that in addition to the Batalanda Commission report, many other commission reports had been withheld from the general public.

Pathirana emphasised that information about the commissions appointed after 1994, the investigations conducted, and their reports should all be presented to Parliament. This includes reports on the brutal killings of Vijaya Kumaratunga, Lalith Athulathmudali, Rohana Wijeweera, the Battalanda incidents, and all other reports that have not been tabled before Parliament. The SJB is urging the government to immediately table all these reports and move forward with the next steps.

“We demand that reports on all incidents that occurred during the administrations of J. R. Jayewardene, R. Premadasa, Chandrika Kumaratunga, Mahinda Rajapaksa, Maithripala Sirisena, and Gotabaya Rajapaksa be tabled in Parliament. The people have the right to information and we hope the government will respect it.

By Saman Indrajith

SJB MP Nizam Kariapper told Parliament that if the CID genuinely wants to capture IGP Deshabandu Tennakoon, who is evading arrest, all they need to do is locate and question the Justice of the Peace before whom Tennakoon signed his affidavit, which was submitted to the Court of Appeal, along with his writ application.

Speaking during the third reading debate of Budget 2025, under the expenditure heads for the Ministries of Science and Technology and Digital Economy, Kariapper said that following the Court’s order for his arrest, Tennakoon had submitted an application to the Court of Appeal, seeking a writ order to prevent his arrest. “This application must be accompanied by an affidavit signed by Tennakoon in front of a JP. All of these documents are with the Court of Appeal. All the CID has to do is find that JP, because he should be aware of Tennakoon’s whereabouts,” Kariapper explained.

Kariapper also demanded to know from the government to what extent it had used technology to ensure national security and public safety. “You cannot capture the IGP who is under an arrest warrant. The masterminds of several crimes are still at large. You cannot retake the presidential palaces, find those responsible for the Central Bank bond scam, or capture the killers of suspects in police custody. The question is whether this digital technology that cannot be used for public safety and national security is needed in other fields?” Kariapper asked.

He then quoted a Sinhala saying, “Yuddeta nethi Kaduwa Kos Kotannada” (Is the sword that is not available in war for chopping jackfruit?). He further remarked that this could be altered to suggest, “Digital technology not used for national security is only good for TikTok.”

By Saman Indrajith

SJB Colombo District MP Mujibur Rahuman on Tuesday raised concerns regarding the Digital National Identity Cards project, warning that it could result in India having access to the biometric data of all Sri Lankans.

Rahuman, speaking during the third reading debate of Budget 2025, under the expenditure heads for the Ministries of Science and Technology and Digital Economy, criticised the government’s handling of the initiative, particularly its ties to an Indian company.

Rahuman said that India had pledged a four-billion-rupee grant for the project, but it had also provided an Indian company to implement the initiative. “What happens is that the money given by India will find its way back to India, along with the biometric data of all 22 million Sri Lankans,” Rahman said.

The digital identity card system, which will feature biometric data, such as fingerprints, iris scans, and facial recognition, was currently being implemented in 19 countries, Rahuman said, adding that those countries have faced data leaks. “Each and every one of those countries had data leaks,” Rahuman said, citing examples of massive national-level data breaches in the US, India, and South Korea.

He said that Sri Lanka was facing difficulties in securing data, citing recent hacks of the National Medicine Regulatory Authority’s website, as well as attacks on the websites of the Police and Government Press.

“How can we, who cannot even protect the police’s official website, ensure this data would not end up in the wrong hands? Who will take responsibility for the security of this data?” Rahuman asked.

The project aims to collect biometric data, including facial recognition, fingerprints, and retinal scans, for all 22 million Sri Lankans. “Without proper security measures in place, why are we collecting this data?”

Rahman warned that in the event of a data breach, it would be disastrous for the country and its citizens.

Rahuman also raised concerns about the tender process for the project. In 2023, tenders were called for the digital identity card project, with Madras Security Printers selected as the final bidder. However, this company was embroiled in controversy over the supply of faulty revenue stickers for liquor bottles, leading to the cancellation of the tender by the previous government. “When a tender is cancelled, a new tender should be called. Has the government called a new tender for this project? As far as we know, no new tender was issued,” he said.

Rahuman also questioned the political influence in respect of the decision, alleging that the government was being pressured to award the contract to an Indian company.

Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath had earlier confirmed that the government promised to award the contract to an Indian company, tying it to the Indian grant. “On one hand, India gives a four-billion-rupee grant for this project; on the other hand, we are hiring an Indian company, ensuring that the grant, along with the biometric data, eventually finds its way back to India,” Rahuman said.