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Civil society intervenes on behalf of Muslim Covid-19 victims

Published

5 years ago

2020/12/23

Sahan Weerasooriya

Karu: Extremists may exploit govt. stand

By Shamindra Ferdinando

Two civil society groups -NMSJ (National Movement for Social Justice) and Purawesi Balaya yesterday (21) urged the government to allow the burial of Muslim victims of Covid-19 in keeping with the WHO guidelines.

Former Speaker and one-time UNP Deputy Leader Karu Jayasuriya and Gamini Viyangoda, on behalf of the NMSJ and Purawesi Balaya respectively, threw their weight behind the ongoing campaign to have the controversial ban on burials lifted.

They pointed out that the UN, too, backed Sri Lankan Muslim community’s demand for burial rights.

These civil society groups took up a stand on burial issue in the wake of Samagi Jana Balavegaya (SJB) leader Sajith Premadasa attacking the government for not adhering with specific UN and WHO instructions in this regard.

Alleging that the government was acting contrary to international norms in respect of final rights of Covid-19 victims, Jayasuriya pointed out that internationally acclaimed virologist Prof. Malik Peiris recently set the record straight. He suggested that burials should be allowed with bodies wrapped in impermeable material.

Responding to another query raised by The Island, the former lawmaker emphasized that continuing prohibition on burials couldn’t be justified under any circumstances as the entire world allowed burials.

Pointing out that there had been a series of discussions among various stakeholders in that regard over the past couple of months and the issue at hand also figured during parliamentary proceedings, the former Speaker drew the government’s attention to a recent court directive that a body should be kept in cold storage until expert committee decided on the matter.

Jayasuriya urged the government to take a decision without further delay. The former Speaker warned that the failure on the part of the government to respond positively to reasonable request could be exploited by extremist elements. The NMSJ Chief said that the government should not turn a blind eye to public protests in various parts of the world demanding the Muslims given burial rights.

Muslims protested both in and outside parliament with Thowheed Jamaat displaying placards at Galle Face against the government.

Purawesi Balaya spokesperson Viyangoda said that the government bid to bury Sri Lankan Muslim dead (corona victims) in the Maldives revealed the bankruptcy of the SLPP lot. Viyangoda said that the Maldives turned down Sri Lanka’s request on the basis it could cause unrest there.

Regardless of UN and WHO assertions that burial of those who died of Covid-19 didn’t pose health risk, Sri Lanka prohibited burials but allowed unrestricted import of foreign garbage, including hazardous materials during the last regime, Viyangoda said.

The civil society activist asked whether anyone of those who had been responsible for importing container loads of British garbage were hauled up before courts.

Having imported garbage from Europe, Sri Lanka now wanted to export bodies to Maldives because it was a Muslim country, Viyangoda said.

Viyangoda said that the government decision was certainly not fair by both Muslims and Catholics as both communities buried their dead.

Referring to a plethora of recent claims that burial of Covid-19 victims posed a grave danger as the groundwater could get contaminated, Viyangoda said that no less a person than Prof. Malik Peiris recently declared scientific opinion on the issue at hand. Once Prof. Peiris stated his opinion there couldn’t be an issue over resumption of burials, Viyangoda said.

Viyangoda said that only China and Sri Lanka carried out compulsory cremations contrary to the stand taken by the UN and WHO.

Both Jayasuriya and Viyangoda pointed out that UN Resident Representative in Colombo Hanaa Singer in early last month made representations to Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa in this regard.

Viyangoda said that Justice Minister Ali Sabry, PC, recently explained why burials should be allowed as the practice didn’t pose a health risk. Appreciating the stand taken by Minister Sabry on this particular issue, Viyangoda said that the National List MP looked at the issue at hand as a member of the community affected by an extremely unfair government stance. However, Minister Sabry took a very different stand on other issues, Viyangoda said. A case in point, he said was the President’s Counsel’s stand on the 20th Amendment to the Constitution.

Viyangoda said that Minister Sabry’s 50 minute video on social media should be watched by both those for and against burials.

Viyangoda said that lawmaker Prof. Tissa Vitharana, too, expressed a view contrary to that of the SLPP as he was no longer a member of the cabinet. The civil society activist said that Prof. Vitharana wouldn’t have uttered a word contrary to the government stand if he was accommodated in the cabinet.

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PM participates in special Shiva Pooja held at the Thirukedeswaran Temple in Mannar

Published

4 hours ago

2026/02/17

Priyan

The Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya participated in the special Shiva pooja held on at the Thiruketheeswaran Kovil in Mannar, in observance of Maha Shivaratri, a day celebrated with deep devotion by Hindu devotees

Latest News

“Sri Lanka Set to Become the First South Asian Country to Enter the Global Charter on Children’s Care Reform”

Published

5 hours ago

2026/02/17

Priyan

Today (17), Sri Lanka officially expressed its Intent to Enter into Global Charter on Children’s Care Reform at the United Nations Compound, Bauddhaloka Mawatha, Colombo 07.

The event was attended by the David Lammy, Member of Parliament, Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice and Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. On behalf of Sri Lanka, the official Expression of Intent was made by the Minister of Women and Child Affairs, Saroja Savithri Paulraj.

Sri Lanka has long been a State Party to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) and remains committed under international law to protecting and promoting children’s rights. The Global Charter for on Children’s Care Reform has been developed based on existing international commitments, including the 2009 United Nations General Assembly Guidelines for the Alternative Care of Children; the 2019 UN General Assembly resolution focusing on the rights of children without parental care (A/RES/74/133); the CRPD/C/5: Guidelines on de-institutionalization, including in emergencies (2022); the 2022 Kigali Declaration of Commonwealth States; and the 2024 1st Global Ministerial Conference on Ending Violence Against Children, which called for action. To date, 34 countries around the world have endorsed this Charter.

As no South Asian country has yet joined this Charter, Sri Lanka is set to become the first South Asian nation to do so.

The primary objective of joining this Charter is to further strengthen Sri Lanka’s national child Care policies and align their implementation with international standards.

The event was collaboratively organized by UNICEF and the British High Commission in Sri Lanka. Among those present were the British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Andrew Patrick; British Deputy High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Theresa O’Mahony; UN Resident Coordinator in Sri Lanka, Marc-André Franche; UNICEF Representative to Sri Lanka, Emma Brigham; Secretary to the Ministry of Women and Child Affairs, Tharanganie Wickramasinghe; government officials; representatives of non-governmental organizations; and civil society representatives.

News

CEB seeking tariff hike while making huge profits, says opposition trade union leader

Published

16 hours ago

2026/02/17

Sahan Weerasooriya

Ananda Palitha

Convenor of the Samagi Joint Trade Union Alliance affiliated with the Samagi Jana Balawegaya, Ananda Palitha, yesterday (16) said that the Ceylon Electricity Board was seeking to raise electricity tariffs by 13.56% percent although it had earned a profit of more than Rs 22,000 mn.

The CEB recently submitted its proposal to the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) for an electricity tariff revision for the second quarter of this year – the period effective from April 1 to June 30.

Palitha alleged that the PUCSL, in spite of knowing the massive profit earned by the CEB, at the expense of the hapless public, had chosen to allow the state enterprise to propose an additional burden.

The economic, technical and safety regulator of the electricity industry, and the designated regulator for petroleum and water services industries, should exercise its powers in terms of the PUCSL Act No. 35 of 2002 and the Sri Lanka Electricity Act No. 20 of 2009 to provide relief, the veteran trade unionist said.

Palitha emphasised that the PUCSL had the right to intervene on behalf of electricity consumers but, unfortunately, chose to facilitate the CEB’s despicable strategy. “The proposal to increase tariffs by 13.56% was meant to divert attention. The real issue at hand is the percentage of electricity tariff reduction,” Palitha said. The former UNPer found fault with the Opposition for failing to expose the CEB.

Taking into consideration the Rs 22,000 millionplus profit, the PUCSL could order the CEB to grant relief to consumers, Palitha said, adding that the CEB and PUCSL, together, deprived electricity consumers tariff reduction in the first quarter of this year, too.

In January this year, the CEB asked for a 11.59% tariff increase though it was enjoying Rs 22,000 mn profit at that time, the trade unionist said.

Palitha said that as the PUCSL received all data available to the CEB it was fully aware of the finances of the state enterprise.

In January, 2025, regardless of the NPP government floating the idea regarding as much as a 37% tariff increase, the PUCSL granted a 20% tariff reduction (25% of Rs 22,000 mn profit), Palitha said.

According to him, as a result of relief granted to the consumers, the profits had been reduced to Rs 16,000 mn but by June 2025 profits had increased to Rs 18,000 mn and there was a need to grant tariff reduction. But, the NPP, having always lashed out at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in the run up to the presidential election, held in September 2024, started playing a different tune.

Responding to The Island queries, Palitha said that contrary to claims that the CEB proposed a 13.56% tariff increase to cover up losses caused by the importation of low-quality coal for the Norochcholai Lakvijaya coal-fired power plant, the current strategy seemed to have been adopted at the behest of the IMF.

Instead of granting tariff reduction for the third quarter in 2025, the PUCSL ordered an 18% increase, Palitha said. The trade unionist claimed that the Finance Ministry, at the behest of the IMF, directed both the CEB and the PUCSL to increase electricity tariffs by 20% in violation of the relevant Acts, he said.

Then in Oct, 2025, the CEB proposed a 6.8 % tariff increase at a time its profits were around Rs 22,000 mn. The CEB and PUCSL staged a drama over that proposal and finally, on the false pretext of the CEB’s failure to furnish its proposal on time, the revision was dropped, Palitha said. The SJB activist pointed out that the Opposition failed to highlight that consumers had been deprived of downward revision in spite of massive profits earned by the Board. “In fact, when Energy Minister Kumara Jayakody met trade unions, he very clearly declared that they were considering electricity power reduction, perhaps by 10%, 12% or 15%. But in the end nothing happened.”

Now the same drama is being enacted by the government, the CEB and the PUCSL, Palitha said.

By Shamindra Ferdinando