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Archaeological sites in North and East have to be protected against govt.- Gammanpila
By Anuradha Hiripitiyage
Archeological sites in the North and East had to be protected from the government and not from extremists or separatists, Pivithuru Hela Urumaya (PHU) leader Udaya Gammanpila said yesterday in Colombo.
Gammanpila said that there were a large number of archeological sites in the North and East.
“According to a letter sent to the UNESCO, in 1983, by the late Minister Cyril Matthew, there were 276 identified sites with an archeological importance. More sites have been identified by 2023. We are going to hand over a proposal to the Speaker on 19 June asking him to appoint a parliamentary select committee on the destruction of archeological sites in the North and East,” he said.
Gammanpila said that former ministers Sarath Weerasekera, and Channa Jayasumana, as well as former State Minister Jayantha Samaraweera have also signed this proposal.
“The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MPs who met President Ranil Wickremesinghe recently made a number of false claims about the Kurundi Temple. On 21 June, a PHU team will visit the Kurundi Temple premises to investigate these claims made by TNA MPs. The TNA can’t obstruct our visit. Article 14 (1) of the Constitution guarantees our freedom of movement,” he said.
Gammanpila said that at this rate, President Ranil Wickremesinghe might appoint MP Shanakiya Rasamanickam as Director General – Archaeology, and MP MA Sumanthiran as the Minister of Culture.
“In other countries, people urge the government to protect archeological sites. In Sri Lanka we have to protect archeological sites from the government. Archaeological sites in the North and East have always faced danger when Ranil Wickremesinghe held power. So we have no option but to write to the UNESCO, urging it to protect out archaeological sites,” he said.
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UPDATE: Seven killed and 23 missing after boat capsizes off northern Cyprus, says Turkish Cypriot PM
Seven people have died after a passenger boat capsized near northern Cyprus, the Turkish Cypriot PM says. Search and rescue operations are under way to find 23 people missing, says Ünal Üstel, the prime minister of the self-declared territory
He says 267 people were on board the vessel when it capsized, and 237 have been rescued
[BBC]
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]
Latest News
Sun directly overhead Mannar, Periyamadu, Puliyankulam, Welioya and Pulmoddai about 12.11 noon today (30)
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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