News
Warning over public comments: Explanation sought from police
By Shamindra Ferdinando
The Human Rights Commission has asked police headquarters not to interfere with people’s freedom of expression.
HRC Chairperson retired Supreme Court Justice Rohini Marasinghe has sought an explanation from Police Spokesperson SSP Nihal Thalduwa as regards a recent warning issued by him.
A senior spokesperson for the HRC yesterday (11) told The Island that justice Marasinghe called Attorney-at-Law Thalduwa regarding a statement attributed to him in the media.
Following a recent incident reported from Mirihana, where some people allegedly said something demeaning about President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, SSP Thalduwa warned that legal action would be taken against those who defamed the President via social media platforms or other media.
The HRC spokesperson said that SSP assured justice Marasinghe that the media had misinterpreted his statement. “We received an assurance from the Police Spokesperson that he would furnish an affidavit soon stating their stand. SSP Thalduwa denied issuing a warning to the public over the Mirihana incident.”
The HRC intervened after the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) had recorded a statement from a woman Asha Dilrukshi Perera who had shared a Facebook post. She later told the media: “They (the CID) told me that the post could pose a threat to the President’s life. It was not a post created by me. It was just one I had shared about somebody hooting at the President. They asked whether I had shared it responsibly. They copied everything on my phone and kept my phone with them for about two hours.”
HRC spokesperson explained that the police shouldn’t hastily issue statements. Over the past several weeks, politicians had commented on various incidents where politicians were hooted at, the official said. Therefore, the police appeared to have intervened to rein in social media users, the official said.
The official noted that the ongoing shortage of essential items and runaway cost of living resulted in an explosion of social media posts.
News
Karu argues against scrapping MPs’ pension as many less fortunate members entered Parliament after ’56
Former Speaker of Parliament Karu Jayasuriya has written to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake expressing concerns over the proposed abolition of MPs’ pensions.The letter was sent in his capacity as Patron of the Former Parliamentarians’ Caucus.
In his letter, Jayasuriya noted that at the time of Sri Lanka’s independence, political participation was largely limited to an educated, affluent land-owning elite. However, he said a significant social transformation took place after 1956, enabling ordinary citizens to enter politics.
He warned that under current conditions, removing parliamentary pensions would effectively confine politics to the wealthy, business interests, individuals engaged in illicit income-generating activities, and well-funded political parties. Such a move, he said, would discourage honest social workers and individuals of modest means from entering public life.
Jayasuriya also pointed out that while a small number of former MPs, including himself, use their pensions for social and charitable purposes, the majority rely on the pension as a primary source of income.
He urged the President to give due consideration to the matter and take appropriate action, particularly as the government prepares to draft a new constitution.The Bill seeking to abolish pensions for Members of Parliament was presented to Parliament on 07 January by Minister of Justice and National Integration Dr. Harshana Nanayakkara.
Five suspects, including former Minister Johnston Fernando and his two sons, who were arrested by the Financial Crimes Investigation Division (FCID), were further remanded until 30 January by the Wattala Magistrate’s Court yesterday.
The former Minister’s , sons Johan Fernando and Jerome Kenneth Fernando, and two others, were arrested in connection with the alleged misuse of a Sathosa vehicle during Fernando’s tenure as Minister.
Investigations are currently underway into the alleged misuse of state property, including a lorry belonging to Lanka Sathosa, which reportedly caused a significant financial loss to the state.
In connection with the same incident, Indika Ratnamalala, who served as the Transport Manager of Sathosa during
Fernando’s tenure as Minister of Co-operatives and Internal Trade, was arrested on 04 January.
After being produced before the Wattala Magistrate’s Court, he was ordered to be remanded in custody until 09 January.The former Sathosa Transport Manager was remanded on charges of falsifying documents.
The Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) yesterday informed the Colombo Magistrate’s Court that indictments had been filed in the Colombo High Court against former Minister and NDF Badulla District MP Chamara Sampath Dassanayake over a corruption allegation.
The Bribery Commission notified the court when the case, in this regard, was taken up yesterday before Colombo Chief Magistrate Asanga S. Bodaragama.
At the hearing, the CIABOC notified the court that indictments had been presented before the Colombo High Court against the accused.
Accordingly, concluding the proceedings before the Magistrate’s Court, the Magistrate ordered MP Dassanayake to appear before the High Court once a notice was issued.
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