By Shamindra Ferdinando

Former Public Security Minister Rear Admiral (retd.) Sarath Weerasekera yesterday said that it was the responsibility of the NPP government to ensure the safety of Tissa Raja Maha Viharaya, Kankesanthurai.

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake holding the defence portfolio in addition to being the Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces should look into the developing situation, the retired Navy Chief of Staff said.

The ex-lawmaker was responding to Illankai Thamil Arasu Kadchi (ITAK) leader S. Sritharan’s threat to demolish the Tissa Raja Maha Viharaya unless the government handed over the premises to owners of the land acquired over the years to build the Viharaya.

The warning issued at a media conference held at the Jaffna Press Club recently should also draw the immediate attention of the Parliament, Weeraselera said, stressing that the ruling party as well as other political parties represented in parliament couldn’t turn a blind eye to what he called an explosive development.

Declaring that the ITAK had the backing of the north-based EPDP and TNPF, the ITAK chief has vowed to launch a protest against viharaya and to take over the premises.

Weerasekera said that Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananda Wijepala should take immediate measures to prevent build-up against Tissa Raja Maha Viharaya.

According to him, during his tenure as the Chairman of Oversight Committee on National Security he inquired into the situation therein and addressed the issues at hand. Therefore, the ITAK and other Jaffna-based political parties shouldn’t seek to trigger chaos not only in Jaffna, but in other parts as well.

Responding to another query, Weerasekera, who unsuccessfully contested the last general election on the SLPP ticket, urged the NPP as a political party to take a stand as the north was won by them. The unprecedented defeat suffered by the ITAK at the Nov 2024 general election proved that the vast majority of northerners had rejected separatist agenda pursued by the ITAK etc., and therefore it was trying to incite people, Weerasekera said.

ITAK had conveniently forgotten that it regained the right to represent Tamil speaking people again only after the military had eradicated the LTTE that was recognised by the party way back in 2001 as the sole representative of Tamil speaking people, Weerasekera said, asserting that the planned action against Tissa viharaya could be part of their strategy to regain lost ground in the northern and eastern provinces.

Weerasekera said that the ITAK’s threat reminded him of the violent Pongu Thamil campaign launched in the aftermath of 2002 Ceasefire Accord signed between the then government and the LTTE.

Asked whether he intended to push SLPP to raise the temple issue in Parliament, the former minister answered in the affirmative, saying that all right thinking MPs would oppose the ITAK’s racist move.

Police Spokesman SSP Buddhika Manatunga yesterday (11) said that all suspects involved in a money laundering case in which former first lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa’s mother Daisy Forrest Wickremesinghe was under investigation would be prosecuted under the Money Laundering Act.

The Police Spokesman said so after the Kaduwela Magistrate’s Court had imposed an overseas travel ban on Daisy Forrest Wickremesinghe, who is the grandmother of Yoshitha Rajapaksa, in connection with a money laundering case. Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s second son Yoshitha is also implicated in the case.

Speaking to the media, SSP Buddhika said that on the instructions of the Attorney General, Mrs Wickremesinghe had been named a suspect in the money laundering case. According to him, the investigations carried out into a Rs. 59 million joint account held by Yoshitha Rajapaksa and Mrs Wickremesinghe, to which Rajapaksa failed to provide a reasonable explanation on the source of earnings.

A delegation from the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) visited the Institute of Chemistry Ceylon (IChemC) at Rajagiriya, on an accreditation visit during their tour to Sri Lanka. The Vice President of IChemC, Prof. Hema Pathirana, warmly welcomed the delegation on behalf of the President of IChemC, Prof. Janitha Liyanage, who is currently attending the CRSI National Symposium in Chemistry in India.

The delegation included Prof. June McCombie, an Honorary Fellow of the University of Nottingham, UK, Prof. Zanaria Abdullah, an Honorary Professor of the University of Malaya, Malaysia and Mr. Shreyan Patel, a Professional Standards specialist attached to the RSC. They held discussions with the Acting Dean, internal and some of the visiting academics of IChemC regarding the involvement of IChemC in the advancement of chemistry and chemical education in Sri Lanka, and the role of RSC towards the betterment of the chemistry community across the world.

The delegates observed the chemical, microbiological and computational laboratory facilities of IChemC, and had constructive discussions with the students and staff members of IChemC. The representatives also held a seminar for the research students and Teaching-Assistants. Prof. Zanaria delivered a talk on her research on organic syntheses, while Prof. McCombie delivered the talk on the chemical aspects of astrophysics. Mr. Patel spoke about the membership of RSC and its opportunities to students and academics.

The representatives also visited the new building complex of IChemC, under construction at Malabe, which is scheduled to be opened later this year. Prof. Sudantha Liyanage, Chairman of the Past Presidents’ committee of IChemC and former Vice Chancellor of the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, hosted the delegates at the Malabe site, where IChemC will further expand their degree programs in the future with state-of-the-art laboratory and research facilities.