News

Abolish executive presidency and we’ll join govt.: Eran

Published

4 years ago

2022/04/10

SJB MP Eran Wickremaratne said in Parliament on Friday that if the Prime Minister agreed to the proposal to abolish the executive Presidency, as intimated in Parliament, the main opposition was ready to join an interim government at the invitation of the government and take up the responsibility of reviving the economy tomorrow.

“The SJB not only criticizes the government but also wants to make positive proposals to the government. I would like to propose that no more than two members of the same family should be appointed to the Cabinet,” he said.

Wickramaratne was speaking on the two-day debate on the current situation in the country. He said that prior to the discussion on the proposed interim government, action should be taken to eliminate distrust in the Government as the present government had lost its credibility nationally and internationally.

He urged that the Prime Minister, who applauded by thumping his table,when the Leader of the Opposition called for the abolition of the executive presidency, should submit a proposal immediately to get rid of the menace of the executive presidency. The main problem was the lack of trust in the government. If there was no international trust in the government it would not be able to solve any issues that erupts in governance.

The SJB did not participate in the All Party Conference but in Parliament it was ready to present solutions to the problems that had arisen in the country. When the President and the Prime Minister of the country did not have the necessary knowledge of economics and finance, at least a Minister of Finance with knowledge of economics and finance should be appointed.

“Moreover, there is no country in the world where three members of the same family have been appointed to the Cabinet. Therefore, the loss of confidence in this government is inevitable. We have a plan for the economy. We firmly believe that this plan will end the current era of queues in the country.”

Corruption was one of the main reasons for the loss of confidence in the government. It had been reported in a British court that a company in Britain had paid SriLankan Airlines to buy an air bus. It was reported that two million dollars had been credited to the account of the wife of the then CEO of SriLankan.

The Central Bank of Sri Lanka in 2007 had paid $ 6.5 million and the person called Zuberi who received that money was in jail now on a 12 year imprisonment, he said.

“Jaliya Wickremasuriya, the then Sri Lankan Ambassador to US , has pleaded guilty in the US court for a fraud in 2013 for embezzling more than $ 300,000 in acquiring a new building for the Sri Lankan Embassy in the United States.

Although any official accused of financial misconduct should be suspended under normal disciplinary procedures. Mahinda Rajapaksa attempt to appoint Jaliya Wickramasuriya, a Rajapaksa relative, as Sri Lanka’s high commissioner to Canada. He was unsuccessful as the Canadian government rejected the nomination to accredit a corrupt person.”

“Sri Lanka is also a signatory to the United Nations Anti-Corruption Charter, which contains a chapter on the recovery of assets accumulated through corruption. When the foreign courts punish Sri Lankans for corruption and accumulation of wealth, in Sri Lanka no inquiry or case has been filed against such persons, he said.

A Presidential Task Force on the Recovery of Assets accumulated from Corruption was appointed in 2018. The committee has drafted a bill for this purpose. Wickremaratne called on the government to present the anti-corruption bill to parliament and pass it into law.

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Geneva takes up Sallay’s case and govt. ignores opportunity to answer accusations

Published

18 hours ago

2026/10/5

Thilina Walpola

Suresh Sallay

The government has chosen not to respond to questions raised by the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) regarding the detention of retired Maj. Gen. Suresh Sallay in connection with the ongoing investigations into the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks.

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) arrested the ex-official in late February this year. The Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism, the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, the Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health and the Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers have jointly raised the issue on 20 July, 2026.

Drawing attention of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to what they called alleged arbitrary detention of Sallay, former Director General of the State Intelligence Service (SIS) and former Director of Military Intelligence (DMI), under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), as well as allegations of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment while in custody, resulting in the grave deterioration of his health, and imminent risks of retaliation through further torture and ill-treatment resulting in irreparable harm, should he be released from hospital and returned to custody, the UN sought the government explanation with a 60-day period.

The UN has stated: “This communication, and any response received from your Excellency’s Government, will be made public via the communications reporting website at the 60 days mark. Should your Excellency’s Government respond within 60 days, both the communication and the response, may be published before the 60 days mark. The communications and responses

will also be made available in the subsequent periodic report to be presented to the Human Rights Council.”

In the absence of the government’s response, the UN posted the letter, dated 20 July, 2026, addressed to President Dissanayake. The full letter can be accessed https://spcommreports.ohchr.org/TMResultsBase/DownLoadPublicCommunicationFile?gId=31125

News

Section of wartime KKS High Security Zone vacated to facilitate economic development in the area

Published

18 hours ago

2026/10/5

Thilina Walpola

The Army, last week, vacated an area, within the wartime high security zone in the Jaffna peninsula. The Defence Ministry said that an extent of 187.56 acres of land, belonging to the Cement Corporation in Kankesanthurai, Jaffna, has been released by the military. The released land, located in Grama Niladhari Division J/233, Kankesanthurai West, within the Valikamam North (Tellippalai) Divisional Secretariat Division, had been utilised by the Sri Lanka Army since the middle of 1997.

The release of the 187.56-acre extent forms part of the initiative to make State land available for the proposed investment zone in Kankesanthurai, thereby facilitating future investment and economic development in the area.

News

Lawyer lodges complaint against Govt. Printer, Media Ministry Secy.

Published

18 hours ago

2026/10/5

Thilina Walpola

A complaint has been lodged with the Colombo Fraud Investigation Bureau against the Government Printer and the Secretary to the Ministry of Media regarding the online release of falsified documents bearing a forged Speaker’s certificate.

Attorney-at-Law Aruna Laksiri has lodged a complaint with the Colombo Fraud Investigation Bureau requesting legal action against the Government Printer of the Department of Government Printing (No. 118, Dr. Danister de Silva Mawatha, Colombo 08), Prasanna Jayaratne, and the Secretary to the Ministry of Mass Media (Asidisi Medura, 163, Kirulapone Mawatha, Polhengoda, Colombo 05), Dr. Anil Jasinghe.

The complaint alleges the commission of offences by forging and uploading falsified documents online using a forged Speaker’s certification, failure to perform statutory duties, and misappropriation of public property.

The complaint states that a copy of the English translation of the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution was downloaded and printed from the official website of the Government Printing Department (www.documents.gov.lk), which operates under the Ministry of Mass Media. On its outer cover and on page 1, the text “certified on 25th of September, 2026” is inscribed inside brackets.

The complaint pointed out that the Speaker has certified an English translation. Under Articles 23, 79, 83, and 80 of the Constitution, Parliament enacts laws and the Speaker certifies bills strictly in the Sinhala and Tamil languages; under the Constitution, therefore the Speaker cannot apply such certification to an English translation.