News

AKD’s attention drawn to ITAK’s threat to demolish Tissa Raja Maha Viharaya

Published

2 years ago

2025/02/12

Sahan Weerasooriya

Sarath Weerasekera

By Shamindra Ferdinando

Former Public Security Minister Rear Admiral (retd.) Sarath Weerasekera yesterday said that it was the responsibility of the NPP government to ensure the safety of Tissa Raja Maha Viharaya, Kankesanthurai.

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake holding the defence portfolio in addition to being the Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces should look into the developing situation, the retired Navy Chief of Staff said.

The ex-lawmaker was responding to Illankai Thamil Arasu Kadchi (ITAK) leader S. Sritharan’s threat to demolish the Tissa Raja Maha Viharaya unless the government handed over the premises to owners of the land acquired over the years to build the Viharaya.

The warning issued at a media conference held at the Jaffna Press Club recently should also draw the immediate attention of the Parliament, Weeraselera said, stressing that the ruling party as well as other political parties represented in parliament couldn’t turn a blind eye to what he called an explosive development.

Declaring that the ITAK had the backing of the north-based EPDP and TNPF, the ITAK chief has vowed to launch a protest against viharaya and to take over the premises.

Weerasekera said that Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananda Wijepala should take immediate measures to prevent build-up against Tissa Raja Maha Viharaya.

According to him, during his tenure as the Chairman of Oversight Committee on National Security he inquired into the situation therein and addressed the issues at hand. Therefore, the ITAK and other Jaffna-based political parties shouldn’t seek to trigger chaos not only in Jaffna, but in other parts as well.

Responding to another query, Weerasekera, who unsuccessfully contested the last general election on the SLPP ticket, urged the NPP as a political party to take a stand as the north was won by them. The unprecedented defeat suffered by the ITAK at the Nov 2024 general election proved that the vast majority of northerners had rejected separatist agenda pursued by the ITAK etc., and therefore it was trying to incite people, Weerasekera said.

ITAK had conveniently forgotten that it regained the right to represent Tamil speaking people again only after the military had eradicated the LTTE that was recognised by the party way back in 2001 as the sole representative of Tamil speaking people, Weerasekera said, asserting that the planned action against Tissa viharaya could be part of their strategy to regain lost ground in the northern and eastern provinces.

Weerasekera said that the ITAK’s threat reminded him of the violent Pongu Thamil campaign launched in the aftermath of 2002 Ceasefire Accord signed between the then government and the LTTE.

Asked whether he intended to push SLPP to raise the temple issue in Parliament, the former minister answered in the affirmative, saying that all right thinking MPs would oppose the ITAK’s racist move.

All News Advertisement

News

Geneva takes up Sallay’s case and govt. ignores opportunity to answer accusations

Published

9 hours ago

2026/10/5

Thilina Walpola

Suresh Sallay

The government has chosen not to respond to questions raised by the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) regarding the detention of retired Maj. Gen. Suresh Sallay in connection with the ongoing investigations into the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks.

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) arrested the ex-official in late February this year. The Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism, the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, the Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health and the Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers have jointly raised the issue on 20 July, 2026.

Drawing attention of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to what they called alleged arbitrary detention of Sallay, former Director General of the State Intelligence Service (SIS) and former Director of Military Intelligence (DMI), under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), as well as allegations of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment while in custody, resulting in the grave deterioration of his health, and imminent risks of retaliation through further torture and ill-treatment resulting in irreparable harm, should he be released from hospital and returned to custody, the UN sought the government explanation with a 60-day period.

The UN has stated: “This communication, and any response received from your Excellency’s Government, will be made public via the communications reporting website at the 60 days mark. Should your Excellency’s Government respond within 60 days, both the communication and the response, may be published before the 60 days mark. The communications and responses

will also be made available in the subsequent periodic report to be presented to the Human Rights Council.”

In the absence of the government’s response, the UN posted the letter, dated 20 July, 2026, addressed to President Dissanayake. The full letter can be accessed https://spcommreports.ohchr.org/TMResultsBase/DownLoadPublicCommunicationFile?gId=31125

News

Section of wartime KKS High Security Zone vacated to facilitate economic development in the area

Published

9 hours ago

2026/10/5

Thilina Walpola

The Army, last week, vacated an area, within the wartime high security zone in the Jaffna peninsula. The Defence Ministry said that an extent of 187.56 acres of land, belonging to the Cement Corporation in Kankesanthurai, Jaffna, has been released by the military. The released land, located in Grama Niladhari Division J/233, Kankesanthurai West, within the Valikamam North (Tellippalai) Divisional Secretariat Division, had been utilised by the Sri Lanka Army since the middle of 1997.

The release of the 187.56-acre extent forms part of the initiative to make State land available for the proposed investment zone in Kankesanthurai, thereby facilitating future investment and economic development in the area.

News

Lawyer lodges complaint against Govt. Printer, Media Ministry Secy.

Published

9 hours ago

2026/10/5

Thilina Walpola

A complaint has been lodged with the Colombo Fraud Investigation Bureau against the Government Printer and the Secretary to the Ministry of Media regarding the online release of falsified documents bearing a forged Speaker’s certificate.

Attorney-at-Law Aruna Laksiri has lodged a complaint with the Colombo Fraud Investigation Bureau requesting legal action against the Government Printer of the Department of Government Printing (No. 118, Dr. Danister de Silva Mawatha, Colombo 08), Prasanna Jayaratne, and the Secretary to the Ministry of Mass Media (Asidisi Medura, 163, Kirulapone Mawatha, Polhengoda, Colombo 05), Dr. Anil Jasinghe.

The complaint alleges the commission of offences by forging and uploading falsified documents online using a forged Speaker’s certification, failure to perform statutory duties, and misappropriation of public property.

The complaint states that a copy of the English translation of the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution was downloaded and printed from the official website of the Government Printing Department (www.documents.gov.lk), which operates under the Ministry of Mass Media. On its outer cover and on page 1, the text “certified on 25th of September, 2026” is inscribed inside brackets.

The complaint pointed out that the Speaker has certified an English translation. Under Articles 23, 79, 83, and 80 of the Constitution, Parliament enacts laws and the Speaker certifies bills strictly in the Sinhala and Tamil languages; under the Constitution, therefore the Speaker cannot apply such certification to an English translation.