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RW: Final settlement with Tamils in a few months

Published

4 years ago

2022/09/16

Sri Lanka open to all navies A final settlement with the Tamils and the Northern population of the country would be reached within the next few months, President Ranil Wickremesinghe said at the first ever graduation ceremony of the National Defence College in Colombo on Wednesday night.The President added that he was currently having discussions with the Tamil MPs to achieve that goal.Wickremesinghe also said Sri Lanka was open to the navies of all countries.

“If navies want to come, we have no problem. They helped in the anti-piracy operations. But we don’t want a level of rivalry which will affect the security and the peace of our area. Whatever it be that we will not join any big power or take sides, we will stay out of it. And that’s why we want to ensure that the big powers and the rivalry don”t need to certainly lead to conflict in the Indian Ocean. That’s one thing we can’t afford.”

President Wickremesinghe also noted that the geopolitics of the Indian Ocean had made Sri Lanka the “punching bag.” He said there were around 17 ports operated by the Chinese in the Indian Ocean and all of them were commercial ports. He stressed that Hambantota Port was also a commercial one.

The President said in the port of Darwin, Australia the Chinese ports are operating side by side with a port that Australian and the US forces used for training. “We don’t have that. We don’t allow anyone to come and train here, but we do have our southern command of the navy. We have a divisional headquarters of the army and we have a detachment of the Air Force. But none of them are involved. They only ensure that this is a commercial port and no less.”

Emphasising that Hambantota was a commercial port, and a reflection of Sri Lanka’s strategic importance, Wickremesinghe said many people had come to absurd conclusions. The President said he hoped that the next agreement Sri Lanka has with China would not cause such speculation and it was only about debt reduction for Sri Lanka. He added that the Indian Ocean region should be opened to all to ensure freedom of navigation for commercial viability, Wickremesinghe added that Sri Lanka would not join any military alliances and did not want the problems of the Pacific coming into the Indian Ocean. He urged the countries in the Indian Ocean region to come together to maintain stability of the region.

“It is important for commerce to carry on. We have to remember that bulk of the petroleum supply and energy supply to the world goes through the Indian Ocean. A large amount of shipping goes through the Indian Ocean. We don’t want this to be an area of conflict and an area of war.”

President Wickremesinghe highlighted the importance of safeguarding the security of India and other neighbouring countries. “When it comes to the security of Sri Lanka, we are of the view that in looking after the security of Sri Lanka, we must also ensure that nothing adverse happens to the security of India. That we have been committed to, and we will go ahead with it. There will be no movement out of it. That’s why we work with India on the Colombo conclave, on the trilateral security arrangements and many other fields, especially outside the military field of piracy, of human trafficking, of drugs. All those are useful ways in which we cooperate with India and the other island states. Then we also value our friendship with Maldives, those small islands, and we know how important the Maldives is.”

The President also said that Sri Lanka should not allow any other country to use it to attack third parties.

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Sun directly overhead Pomparippu, Anuradhapura, Mihinthale, Galenbindunuwewa, Agbopura and Serunuwara about 12:11 noon today (11)

Published

1 hour ago

2026/04/11

Priyan

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

The nearest areas of Sri Lanka over which the sun is overhead today (11th) are Pomparippu, Anuradhapura, Mihinthale, Galenbindunuwewa, Agbopura and Serunuwara about 12:11 noon.

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Opposition NCM against Energy Minister defeated

Published

4 hours ago

2026/04/11

Thilina Walpola

A no-confidence motion brought by the Opposition against Energy Minister Kumara Jayakody was defeated in Parliament yesterday by a majority of 104 votes.At the end of the debate, 49 members voted in favour of the motion, while 153 voted against it.

The motion, submitted to the Speaker on 19 March, was signed by Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa, SJB MPs, and other Opposition members.

It accused Minister Jayakody of failing to ensure the procurement of adequate and quality coal for the Lakvijaya Coal Power Plant in Norochcholai, alleging that such negligence amounted to a breach of ministerial responsibility over a critical national energy asset.

The motion also cited ongoing legal proceedings against the Minister, noting that he has been indicted by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption and produced before the Colombo High Court under Section 70 of the Bribery Act, in connection with alleged acts of corruption during his tenure as Procurement Manager of the Ceylon Fertiliser Company Limited.

The motion read: Vote of No Confidence against Kumara Jayakody, Minister of Energy,— Whereas the Provision in Section 6 of the Part III of the Code of Conduct for Members of Parliament which states that: “The Members shall on all occasions act in accordance with the public trust entrusted with them and shall always behave with probity and integrity, including the use by them of any public resources.” has been violated; And whereas the following rules of conduct set out in Section 9 of the Part V of the Code of Conduct for Members of Parliament have prima facie been breached, namely:- “(a) to be conscience; (c) to act so as to merit the trust and respect of the people; (e) to hold themselves accountable for the conduct and duties for which they are responsible;” And whereas it is observed that the Minister has failed, in his capacity as a Minister of the Cabinet of Ministers, to discharge the fundamental duties incumbent upon him in accordance with Article 28 of the Constitution;

And whereas it is established that the Minister of Energy has failed to discharge his primary duty of ensuring the procurement of adequate and good quality coal for the Norochcholai Lakvijaya Coal Power Plant;

And whereas such gross negligence in overseeing a critical national energy asset constitutes a fundamental breach of ministerial responsibility;

And whereas the Minister of Energy has failed to carry out the subjects and functions vested in him by the Notification of Gazette Extraordinary No. 2412/08 of 25th November 2024 of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, including taking necessary steps to reduce the losses at the institutional management level and technical damages that occur to the electricity generation and distribution system and reduction of costs for generating electricity and removal of uncertainties during generation;

And whereas the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption has filed formal indictments before the Colombo High Court against the incumbent Minister of Energy under Section 70 of the Bribery Act (Chapter 26) for the offence of “corruption” in connection with acts of corruption allegedly committed while he was serving as the Procurement Manager of the Lanka Fertilizer Company;

And whereas, in light of the foregoing, the Minister of Energy has irretrievably forfeited the confidence of Parliament and the people of Sri Lanka by causing losses to public finances, endangering national energy security, corruptly mishandling the procurement process, being subjected to active judicial proceedings for the offence of “corruption”, and betraying the Government’s own “anti-corruption mandate”, and his continued tenure as the Minister of Energy is contrary to the public interest, the rule of law, and the principles of good governance;

That this Parliament resolves that it has no confidence in the competence of Kumara Jayakody, Minister of Energy to function as a Minister of the Cabinet of Ministers any longer.”

by Saman Indrajith

News

Chinese Ambassador assures Lanka China will not allow a fuel crisis to develop here

Published

4 hours ago

2026/04/11

Thilina Walpola

Qi Zhenhong

Chinese Ambassador to Sri Lanka Qi Zhenhong yesterday assured that China would not allow a fuel crisis to arise in Sri Lanka, under any circumstances, reaffirming Beijing’s continued support to the country.

The Ambassador made these remarks addressing the media after attending a dry ration distribution programme for 350 low-income families at Sri Chandananda Buddhist College, at Asgiriya, in Kandy.

Highlighting the longstanding ties between the two countries, Ambassador Qi said China has consistently stood by Sri Lanka and remains ready to extend assistance whenever required.

Amid concerns over global energy disruptions, stemming from the ongoing Middle East conflict, he noted that several countries are already facing difficulties, but stressed that China is prepared to support Sri Lanka at any time.

He said that any potential fuel shortage in Sri Lanka could be managed with the involvement of China’s Sinopec.

Reiterating Beijing’s commitment to Sri Lanka’s economic recovery and development, the Envoy also expressed hope that the current ceasefire in the Middle East would hold, while assuring that China stands ready to respond to any future developments and assist Sri Lanka as needed.

By SK Samaranayake