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SL needs a comprehensive solution, not selective justice: NPC
The UK government’s decision to impose sanctions on four Sri Lankan individuals, including three former military commanders, has ignited significant debate. This move comes at a time when large-scale violence continues unchecked in other parts of the world, raising concerns about the application of different standards to different countries. The National Peace Council (NPC) is of the view that the pursuit of truth and accountability must be universal and free from political motivations. Justice cannot be applied selectively. It is needed as much in Mullivaikkal and Batalanda where the violations took place 16 to 37 years ago, as it is in Palestine and Ukraine where they are taking place today.
The UK has stated that it is working through the UN Human Rights Council to advance accountability in Sri Lanka. It has affirmed its commitment to supporting Sri Lanka’s human rights reforms. The National Peace Council recognises that unresolved human rights issues have lasting consequences. The recent resurgence of the Batalanda controversy, from the JVP insurrection era, demonstrates that historical injustices do not simply fade away. Moreover, Sri Lanka risks further economic and political fallout if it fails to address human rights concerns in a comprehensive manner. The potential loss of the European Union’s GSP Plus trade concessions due to human rights concerns threatens the country’s economic stability, highlighting the urgent need for credible action.
However, accountability measures alone cannot resolve the country’s longstanding challenges. Sri Lanka also requires a political solution that addresses the deep-rooted causes of its ethnic conflict. The ethnic war and past mass violence were not merely criminal acts but part of a larger political struggle. Addressing these issues requires moving beyond legalistic measures to a broader political consensus that lays the foundation for long-term stability. Without a negotiated political framework that ensures fair power-sharing and inclusivity, efforts at accountability will be incomplete and risk deepening divisions rather than healing them.
NPC urges the government to take necessary action by prioritising a negotiated political settlement.
A truth commission that is built on transparency and broad participation and independent of political manipulation would be a vital step, but it must be part of a wider reconciliation process rooted in political consensus. The longer the process is delayed, the more scepticism will grow among victims and the broader public about the government’s commitment to justice and be seen as deliberate attempts to evade accountability. We believe that a well-structured truth commission, integrated within a larger political reform process, would not only bring justice to victims but also pave the way for lasting peace, reconciliation, and national unity.
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Payment of Compensation to the people who have lost their cultivable lands in implementing the Uma Oya Multipurpose Development Project
Approval has been granted at the Cabinet meeting held on 27-06-2012 to provide cultivable agricultural lands from the lower Uma Oya valley to 276 farming families in Hali-Ela, Walimada, and Uva Paranagama Divisional Secretariat Divisions who have lost their cultivable lands due to the acquisition of lands for the
Uma Oya Multipurpose Development Project.
However, the aforementioned proposal could not be implemented due to the encroachment of a large portion of the identified lands by unauthorized persons, heavy forest cover, the threats posed by wild elephants, remoteness from their original settlements, and difficulties in adapting to other environmental conditions and social anomalies.
Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers has approved the resolution furnished by the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Land, and Irrigation to pay an estimated compensation of Rs. 12 lakhs for each of these 276 farming families, based on the
recommendations submitted by the Cabinet Sub-Committee appointed to provide solutions for the issues arising in the implementation of the Uma Oya Multipurpose Development Project.
Policy approval was granted at the Cabinet meeting held on 07.04.2025 to prepare a draft bill to establish the Chartered Institute of Media Professionals of Sri Lanka in order to accomplish the requirement of a training institution to carry out studies in order to create chartered media professionals and mould intelligent media personalities with skills in order to enhance the quality and standard of the media society.
Clearance of the Attorney General has been received for the final draft prepared by the Legal Draftsman for the purpose.
Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers granted approval to the resolution furnished by the Minister of Health and Mass Media to publish the draft bill of Chartered Institute of Media Professionals of Sri Lanka in the Government Gazette Notification and thereafter submit the same for the concurrence of the House.
The Telecommunication Levy Act No. 21 of 2011 has enabled provisions to impose telecommunication levy. The budget 2026 has proposed to introduce amendments for the act including changes imposed from time to time regarding the telecommunication levy.
Accordingly, the Legal Draftsman has formulated a draft bill for
amending the Telecommunication Levy Act No. 21 of 2011 including provisions to extend applicable to envisage all the tax amounts applicable from the year 2015 along with the telecommunication levy existing at present, applicable of taxes on unrecovered revenue (bad debts) and to extend the provisions of that act to cater the telecommunication suppliers.
The Cabinet of Ministers approved the resolution furnished by the President in his capacity as the Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development to publish the said draft bill in the Government Gazette Notification and subsequently to submit the same for the concurrence of the House.
Payment of Compensation to the people who have lost their cultivable lands in implementing the Uma Oya Multipurpose Development Project
Draft Bill of the Chartered Institute of Media Professionals of Sri Lanka to be Gazzated
Telecommunication Levy Act No. 21 of 2011 to be amended
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