News
Tamil grouping defends pulling down of National flag at Jaffna University
The Democratic Tamil National Alliance (DTNA) has strongly defended students of the Jaffna University who pulled down the Sri Lankan National flag and hoisted black flags on 4 February as part of coordinated protests in the Northern and Eastern Provinces.
Students, civil society organisations and families of the disappeared took part in these protests, northern sources said.
However, the University Grants Commission (UGC), which reportedly declared the protest unlawful, has called for investigations and disciplinary action against the students involved.
The Democratic Tamil National Alliance (DTNA) has defended their right to protest.
In a media statement issued by its spokesperson Suresh K. Premachandran, the DTNA stated that since Sri Lanka attained independence, Tamil people had for decades marked Independence Day as a day of mourning through black flag protests.
Premachandran noted that Sri Lanka had historically been divided into Sinhala and Tamil kingdoms, which were unified by British colonial rulers in 1833 for administrative convenience. He further asserted that governance of the island was subsequently handed over to the Sinhala majority upon independence, leaving the Tamil nation without political safeguards.
The DTNA stated that there was no legal basis to deem the hoisting of black flags unlawful within a university or elsewhere, provided that no harm is caused to persons or property. It, therefore, condemned the UGC’s call for investigations and punitive action, as well as any compliance with such demands by university authorities.
The Alliance also called on the academic community to ensure that universities remain spaces where students can pursue their education freely and without fear, including the exercise of their democratic rights.
It further noted that those who came to power through mass protests and student-led mobilisation should reflect on whether it is just to suppress the democratic expression of Tamil students today.
The protests at the University of Jaffna formed part of a broader wave of demonstrations across the “Tamil homeland” on 4 February, where black flags were raised and vigils held to mark what many Tamils continue to regard as a day of mourning rather than independence.
The Cabinet of Ministers approved the resolution forwarded by the Minister of Health and Mass Media to relocate the Deniyaya Base Hospital after constructing a new hospital with a capacity of 300 beds at an estimated cost of Rupees 6,000 million.
The Southern Provincial Department of Health has acquired a plot of land in Handford estate which is approximately 03 kilometres away from the town for this purpose.
News
Cabinet nod to legally empower methodology for implementing the ‘Praja Shakthi’ poverty alleviation national movement
The Cabinet of Ministers granted approval for the resolution furnished by the Minister of Rural Development, Social Security and Community Empowerment to instruct the Legal Draftsman to draft a bill to legally empower the implementation of ‘Praja Shakthi’ (Strength of the Community) poverty alleviation national movement
…preliminary work started on new Constitution
JVP General Secretary Tilvin Silva yesterday (17) maintained that the NPP government was not under Indian pressure to hold the long delayed Provincial Council elections.
The top JVP official said so appearing on Sirasa Pathikada, anchored by Asoka Dias. Tilvin Silva said that neither the devolution nor terrorism issues had been discussed during his meeting with External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar and Deputy National Security Advisor Pavan Kapoor, in New Delhi. This was Tilvin Silva’s first visit to India.
Declaring that politics hadn’t been on the agenda, the JVPer said that the Indian focus was entirely on economic development and technology.
The JVP General Secretary visited India under the Indian Council for Cultural Relations’ (ICCR) Distinguished Visitors Programme from 5-12 February 2026. General Secretary Silva was accompanied by Kitnan Selvaraj, MP, Ilankumaran Karunanathan, MP, JVP Central Committee Member Janaka Adhikari, JVP’s Media Unit Head Hemathilaka Gamage and Member of JVP’s International Relations Department Kalpana Madhubhashini. The delegation visited New Delhi, Ahmedabad and Thiruvananthapuram.
Responding to another query, Tilvin Silva said that Dr. S. Jaishankar had reiterated that India would always remain a true and trusted partner for Sri Lanka, in accordance with its ‘Neighbourhood First Policy’ and Vision ‘MAHASAGAR.’
Referring to the second JVP insurrection in the late 1980s, the JVPer claimed that they had not been against India but responded to the actions of the then Indian government.
Sri Lanka enacted the 13th Amendment to the Constitution in the wake of the Indo-Lanka peace accord of July 1987 to pave the way for Provincial Councils.
Tilvin Silva said that since they came to power, Indo-Sri Lanka relations had changed. “India has realised we could work together,” he said.
The JVP official said that preliminary work was underway, regarding the formulation of a new Constitution. The abolition of executive presidency and creation of an Office of President sans executive powers, too, would be addressed, he said, adding that the strengthening of the legislature was the other issue at hand.
Pointing out that the NPP had 2/3 majority in Parliament and could introduce a new Constitution on their own, Tilvin Silva said that they intended to obtain views of all and study the past processes in a bid to secure consensus. The JVP, as the party that campaigned against the introduction of executive presidency, way back in 1978, would lead the current effort to do away with the existing Constitution, he said.
Tilvin promised that they would implement what was in their manifesto.
The interviewer also raised the issue of abolishing the pensions for ex-Presidents. Tilvin Silva said that the Supreme Court, too, had approved the move to abolish pensions to ex-MPs. Therefore there was no issue with that, however, the ex-Presidents pensions couldn’t be done away with as they were made through the Constitution. That would be addressed when the government introduced a new Constitution in consultation with other stakeholders.
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