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Constitutional reforms won’t be in effect till next parliament, says Sajith

Published

4 years ago

2022/06/26

ECONOMYNEXT – The 21st amendment proposed to Sri Lanka’s constitution, if passed, will come into effect only after the current and ninth parliament and thus the president’s executive powers and the status quo will stay in tact till then, opposition leader Sajth Premadasa said.

Responding to an allegation by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe that an opposition boycott of parliament was delaying the 21st amendment, Premadasa tweeted Thursday June 23 that the proposed amendment will be of “no consequence to our current situation” regardless.

Addressing parliament on Wednesday June 22, Wickremesinghe said the amendment had already been approved by the cabinet of ministers and it was unfortunate that opposition parties had chosen this week to boycott parliament.

The Premadasa-led main opposition the Samagi Jana Balavegaya (SJB) and the opposition National People’s Power (NPP) walked out of the chamber Tuesday June 21 morning in protest of what they said was the government’s inability to present to parliament a viable plan to bring Sri Lanka out of its deepening economic crisis.

Prime Minister Wickremesinghe said boycotting parliament at a time of crisis was not befitting a responsible opposition. If the two opposition parties have alternative solutions they wish to propose, they ought to attend parliament and do that so that their proposals can be debated, he said.

Responding to Wickremesinghe’s criticism, Premadasa said: “Also for an entire year of the Rajapaksa’s rule you did not assume office, which means you never tried curtailing the Rajapaksa’s centralized powers in the past and therefore there is no faith that you will do it now.”

In an address to parliament on Wednesday, the prime minister invited the opposition to come forward with any alternatives they might have, rather than “hiding” when their assistance was required.

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“Rathuwewi Mihimadala” Book Launched with the Participation of the Prime Minister

Published

2 hours ago

2026/08/30

Priyan

The book “Rathuwewi Mihimadala”, written based on the life story of Vasudeva Nanayakkara, Leader of the Democratic Left Front, was launched on Friday [August 28] at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH) in Colombo, with the participation of Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya.

Speaking to the media afterwards about Vasudeva Nanayakkara, Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya stated:

“Vasudeva Nanayakkara is a prominent figure in Sri Lankan politics, particularly within the left-wing political movement. There were several influential figures within the left movement, and that left-wing influence also contributed to bringing the country to where it is today. Politically, there were areas where we agreed and areas where we did not. However, I have great respect for the contribution made by Vasudeva Nanayakkara to left-wing politics. When I entered Parliament in 2020, Vasudeva Nanayakkara was also in Parliament. We sat in the same row, and we spoke about many important as well as interesting moments in his political career. I believe some of these experiences have also been included in this book.”

The event was attended by members of the Maha Sangha, Minister of Justice Harshana Nanayakkara, former President Maithripala Sirisena, former Speakers Karu Jayasuriya and Chamal Rajapaksa, as well as party members, family members and friends.

[Prime Minister’s Media Division]

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Sun directly overhead Mannar, Periyamadu, Puliyankulam, Welioya and Pulmoddai about 12.11 noon today (30)

Published

12 hours ago

2026/08/30

Priyan

The sun is going to be directly over the latitudes of Sri Lanka from 28th of August to 07th of September due to its apparent southward relative motion.

The nearest places of Sri Lanka over which the sun is overhead today (30) are Mannar, Periyamadu, Puliyankulam, Welioya and
Pulmoddai about 12.11 noon.

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Lanka tracks 11 US-sanctioned Iranian tankers off coast

Published

14 hours ago

2026/08/30

Thilina Walpola

(AFP) Sri Lanka’s maritime authorities were monitoring a fleet of 11 US-sanctioned Iranian oil tankers just off the island’s southern coast, the foreign minister said Wednesday.

The tankers were spotted close to the Galle harbour where an Iranian frigate, IRIS Dena, was sunk by a US submarine in March, killing 104 sailors. Sri Lanka’s navy rescued 32 Iranian sailors from that frigate.

Iranian vessels have been in limbo, unable to return to their home port because of a US blockade.

Sri Lanka’s Foreign minister Vijitha Herath said the tankers were in international waters where they had freedom of navigation.

“These ships are away from our territorial waters… we have no hold on them, nor have we facilitated them,” Herath told AFP.

The military deployed reconnaissance aircraft and patrol boats to monitor the vessels outside Sri Lanka’s 12-nautical-mile territorial waters, a military official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

“There is no indication of any ship-to-ship transfer of oil or illegal discharge of pollutants, so there is no basis for Sri Lankan authorities to take action against them,” the official said.

Many Iranian merchant vessels moved east towards the Strait of Malacca and Singapore due to US sanctions, while several remained near Sri Lankan waters, authorities said.

Sri Lankan officials said Washington had not formally notified Colombo about sanctioned Iranian-flagged vessels