News
Sumanthiran raises serious concerns over amendment to Poisons, Opium and Dangerous Drugs Ordinance
By Saman Indrajith
Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Parliamentarian M. A. Sumanthiran expressed serious concerns, on Thursday (10), about an amendment to the Poisons, Opium and Dangerous Drugs Ordinance.
He told Parliament: “There is a concern that the bail application has to now be made through the Court of Appeal instead of High Court. Now this is a very serious issue, this is not a question of making bail stringent. This is a question of access to Justice. I am saying that because the Court of Appeal sits only in Colombo, whereas now with the provincial High Courts you can go to your provincial capital. In lots of instances, the High Court sits in more than one city or town in a province, and you can make an application. Now this is very important, this is not a question of being lenient towards a possession of dangerous drugs, this is about anybody who is accused of this offence being able to go to court,” he said.
The TNA MP said that the access to justice must not be denied and that there are incidents where people are framed or various dissections take place. Therefore, suspects must be able to approach court and that must never be made difficult, he said.
“It is only after the 13th Amendment to the constitution, that the first appeal even from a District Court matter can be made to the Court in the province. Before that even if the District Judge made a small mistake in the course of proceedings, you have to come to Colombo and make an application. So devolution – we talk about executive powers and legislative powers but with regard to the Judiciary a salutary feature came in, when people can access to a justice at least in the first appeal. So I appeal to the Minister not to remove the jurisdictions to grant bail in this way to one central place in the whole country. Because that is denial of Justice to people and also it is against devolution,” Sumanthiran said.
The MP said there were concerns with proposed Prison ordinance rules as well. The amendment proposes to strip several rights prisoners have enjoyed over 100 years, he said. Sumanthiran said the new Bill is creating categories of prisoners, based on their financial status.
“There are categories, categories of prisoners, and what are the categories? Categories are those who can pay; you are creating paying wards, I heard MP Dilan Perera say this also, we can’t escape wondering whether some in the Government ranks are preparing places for them in the prison. They know that they are going to stay a lot of time in the prison, so they are creating luxurious apartments in prisons already so that when they go there they can live in comfort. It looks like that,” he said.
Sumanthiran said this goes against the fundamental principle that all citizens and particularly citizens who are under the control of the state, must be treated equally.
“The conditions in the prisons are bad, so the answer is not to alleviate those hardships for the few who can part with some money. That is wrong s- that is fundamentally wrong, and no country should ever do that, and therefore I bring it to the Minister’s notice that those ordinances that create differences in class of prisoners must be abolished,” he said.
The Ceylon Electricity Board has appealed to all rooftop solar owners across the country to voluntarily switch off their solar systems during day time hours (until 3pm each day) from April 13th to 21st to prevent partial power outages or nationwide blackouts which may occur.
The Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya stated that the people of Sri Lanka should no longer be burdened by conflict and the Government remains committed to ensuring peace and stability across the country, with the government and the public service must discharge their duties to meet the needs of the people.
The Prime Minister made these remarks while addressing public gatherings held in Velanai, Nallur, and Vadamarachchi.
The Prime Minister said that:
“There are numerous issues regarding infrastructure development in the Northern Province ranging from roads, drinking water supply, agriculture, and unemployment, to education and health sectors.
Many of these development tasks fall under the responsibility of local governments and provincial councils that represents your areas. However, these responsibilities have not been properly discharged.
While it is said that the issues raised in the North and East were caused by the war, 16 years have passed since the end of the war. What real change has taken place? Have the lives of the people in these areas has improved?
Although the central government allocates funds to provincial governing bodies, there should be a transparent mechanism in place to ensure that these funds are properly utilized for the relevant projects.
On May 6th, you will hold the decisive right to elect the local government closest to you that will work to uplift your lives and develop your communities. Elect representatives who are committed to serving the people, and free of fraud and corruption.
The government is actively participating in lifting the country from its fallen state and to overcome the current economic challenges. We accept that there is a long way to go. The prices of goods are still high but the government is currently working towards a change, and the people will receive the benefits in the near future.
Measures have been taken to increase the basic salary of public servants from this year’s Budget. The public service must commit to discharging duties with dedication. This must be not only a people’s government, but also a public service that belongs to the people.
Even after the independence, this country has seen much bloodshed and conflict. The people have suffered greatly as a result. The government is determined to ensure that such a situation never arises again. Therefore, the government is committed to fostering peace within the country.”
The event was attended by Minister of Fisheries Ramalingam Chandrasekar, along with several Members of Parliament and local representatives in the North.
[Prime Minister’s Media Division]
A meeting organized by the National Initiative for Research & Development Commercialization (NIRDC) was held on Thursday (10) at the Presidential Secretariat to streamline and commercialize research and development activities in the defence sector.
Participating institutions included the Centre for Defence Research and Development under the Ministry of Defence, the Sri Lanka Army, Navy and Air Force, the General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University and the Research and Development Division of the Sri Lanka Police.
The NIRDC Unit, established under the Presidential Secretariat, aims to accelerate national development by facilitating investment opportunities to commercially apply completed or nearing completion research projects from both public and private institutions.
Defence institutions play a critical role for the progress of technology and science in relation to national security and development. Acknowledging this importance, the meeting was chaired by Senior Advisor to the President on Science and Technology, Professor Gomika Udugamasuriya.
During the meeting, it was discussed in detail regarding the completed and on-going research and development projects within the defence sector, as well as those planned for the future. Special attention was given to identifying opportunities for collaboration among research and development units, enhancing innovation capabilities, and exploring ways to share resources effectively.
The discussion focused on identifying opportunities for collaboration between research and development units relevant to these sectors, enhancing innovation capabilities and exploring ways to share resources effectively. It also examined possible steps to strengthen coordination between civil and defence research institutions. The discussion concluded productively, with several innovations identified that have the potential for future commercialization.
The event was attended by Senior Additional Secretary to the President (Finance and Economic Affairs) . Russel Aponsu, NIRDC Director General Dr. Muditha D. Senarath Yapa, Director (Investments) . Idunil Gunathilaka along with other officials.
[PMD]
Temporally pause rooftop solar during day time from 13th to 21st April -CEB
Three rebels, one Indian soldier killed in Kashmir gun battles
Hundreds of flights cancelled in China as strong winds hit capital
-
Business6 days agoColombo Coffee wins coveted management awards
-
Features7 days agoStarlink in the Global South
-
Features2 days agoRobbers and Wreckers
-
Features4 days agoSri Lanka’s Foreign Policy amid Geopolitical Transformations: 1990-2024 – Part III
-
Features7 days agoModi’s Sri Lanka Sojourn
-
Midweek Review4 days agoInequality is killing the Middle Class
-
Features6 days agoSri Lanka’s Foreign Policy amid Geopolitical Transformations: 1990-2024 – Part I
-
Features5 days agoA brighter future …