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Govt to introduce burial rights bill

Published

2 years ago

2024/09/8

(UCAN) Church leaders and rights activists have hailed Sri Lanka’s move to introduce a bill to decide whether a person’s body should be disposed of by burial or cremation after it caused consternation among Christians and Muslims in the Buddhist-majority nation during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Rights activist Zahid Sanaa welcomed the decision to piece together the Burial and Cremation Rights Bill to soothe the feelings of Muslims who protested against the government’s insistence on cremating Muslim and Christian pandemic victims in 2020 and 2021.

Politicians were trying to appease the Buddhist community at the expense of Muslims and Christians in the country, home to 22 million people, he said about the compulsory cremation order that drew criticism from the United Nations and Islamic nations. Cremating a dead body is forbidden in Islam.

The government exploited the Muslim population for political gain, Sanna observed. Muslims make up almost 10 percent of the total population.

“When they cremated our relatives, we felt as if we were being cremated,” Sanna told UCA News.

Muslim businesses, homes, and places of worship faced attacks in 2014, 2017, and 2018. They came in for another round of violence following the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings which were blamed on Islamic terror networks, he said.

With the controversial cremation order “Muslims in Sri Lanka found themselves unable to even die in peace,” Sanna said.

Under the new bill, “After a death, each person should have the right to decide on the manner of its disposal,” said an official statement on Sept. 3.

“In the event of the death of a person who has not expressed a preference, due consideration should be given to the deceased person’s wishes and religious, cultural, and personal beliefs,” the statement added.

Justice Minister M. U.M. Ali Sabry said the cabinet has given the nod to the bill. Sabry who was part of the government during the pandemic faced severe criticism over the compulsory cremation policy.

Politicians exploited the minority issues for votes, undermining their rights and dignity,” said an activist Catholic nun from Colombo archdiocese advocating minority rights.

“Upholding minority rights is essential for a just society,” said the nun who did not want to be named.

The current government of President Ranil Wickremesinghe has apologized to all communities affected by the compulsory cremation policy, introduced to prevent the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus through burial and rituals like washing.

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PM on inspection tour of newly renovated Colombo Central Bus Stand

Published

21 hours ago

2026/04/10

Priyan

The Colombo Central Bus Stand, which has a history of over six decades and had remained without a proper maintenance for many years, has now been renovated under the current government’s development programme and vested to the public. Following that, the Prime Minister undertook an inspection tour of the newly renovated Colombo Central Bus Stand.

Originally constructed in 1964, the bus stand was refurbished with modern facilities to meet current needs and was officially reopened to the public on April 8. The primary objective of this initiative is to provide passengers with a higher-quality and more comfortable transportation service.

During the renovation process, special attention has been given to the comfort and safety of women, which was commended by the Prime Minister. In particular, a modern rest area designed to ensure privacy for nursing mothers travelling from distant areas received special praise.

The Prime Minister also reviewed the newly introduced passenger seat reservation system and information services established to assist commuters. In addition, the modern surveillance unit and other security measures installed within the premises to ensure passenger safety were also inspected.

During the visit, the Prime Minister engaged in conversations with passengers at the bus stand and inquired about their views on the newly renovated facilities and the quality of transport services.

It was emphasized that the government’s objective is to transform public transportation into a safe, technologically advanced service that can be used with convenience by all citizens.

(Prime Minister’s Media Division)

Latest News

Sun directly overhead Nagawilluwa, Galgamuwa, Sigiriya, Palugasdamana and Mankerni about 12:11 noon today (10)

Published

21 hours ago

2026/04/10

Priyan

On the apparent northward relative motion of the sun, it is going to be directly over the latitudes of Sri Lanka from the 05th to 15th of April in this year.

The nearest areas of Sri Lanka over which the sun is overhead today (10th) are Nagawilluwa, Galgamuwa, Sigiriya, Palugasdamana and Mankerni about 12:11 noon.

News

Opposition tells Minister Kumara Jayakody to resign

Published

23 hours ago

2026/04/10

Thilina Walpola

Prof. Peiris

No-faith motion to be taken up today

Former Foreign Minister Prof. G. L. Peiris yesterday (9) said that President Anura Kumara Dissanayake should remove Energy Minister Kumara Jayakody unless the minister stepped down on his own.Prof. Peiris, addressing a press conference called by the Opposition, said that Jayakody couldn’t under any circumstance continue to serve as a minister after the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) moved the Colombo High Court against the government member over a previous financial scandal.

Pointing out that Minister Jayakody had been indicted of a corrupt deal struck during the yahapalana regime, Prof. Peiris said it was wrong for the NPP to retain him as a minister, claiming that the offence was not committed during his tenure as a Cabinet minister in the current government.

Prof. Peiris and several other Opposition members dealt with the No-Confidence Motion (NCM) against Jayakody that would be taken up today (10) with the academic calling the vote an acid test for the NPP. Having campaigned on an anti-corruption platform at presidential and parliamentary polls, the NPP couldn’t protect Jayakody though he was widely believed to be close to President Dissanayake.

As the Manager of the Procurement and Import Division of the Ceylon Fertilizer Company, Jayakody is alleged to have committed the offence of corruption, according to CIABOC.

Jayakody has been accused of causing a loss of Rs. 8,859,708 to the State by influencing and exploiting the procurement process.

Following the serving of indictments on 27 March, the judge ordered Jayakody’s release on two personal bail bonds of Rs. 1 million each. The court directed that the defendant’s fingerprints be obtained and a formal report be submitted. The case has been scheduled for a pre-trial conference on 6 May.

Prof. Peiris stressed that the CIABOC action against Jayakody is central to the NCM primarily moved over the irregularities ridden coal procurement process launched in 2025 that caused severe disruption to the power generation. Responding to The Island query after the media briefing, Prof Peiris expressed surprise that the JVP/NPP accommodated a person under investigation by the CIABOC. Having taken an utterly irresponsible decision, the JVP/NPP were now playing down the developing issue, prof. Peiris said.

The entire government parliamentary group faced the prospect of having its image tarnished by defending Jayakody, the former lawmaker said.

Prof. Peiris said that they intended to build a campaign around the issues involving the energy minister to expose the government. With yet another electricity tariff hike in the offing due to the growing demand for thermal generation as a result of coal-fired Lakvijaya power plant’s failure to meet the requirement[RA1] , the energy minister and ministry’s performances have to be examined, Prof. Peiris said.The timely release of the Auditor General’s report on controversial coal procurement should compel the government to decide on the energy minister’s fate or be prepared to face the fallout.

By Shamindra Ferdinando