News
CP alleges Prez threat to Parliament
By Shamindra Ferdinando
Dissident SLPP MP Weerasumana Weerasinghe alleges that President Ranil Wickremesinghe is behaving like a dictator in and outside Parliament.
The Matara District MP said that the sabotaging of the scheduled local government polls was just one glaring example of Wickremesinghe’s authoritarian tendencies.
Responding to The Island queries, Weerasinghe said Wickremesinghe seemed to have forgotten he was elected by Parliament to complete the remainder of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s five-year term.
The President should have fully concentrated on restoring economic stability and take whatever tangible measures required to accomplish that task, MP Weerasinghe said. Instead, President Wickremesinghe was trying to consolidate his position and that of his party, , the CP representative said.
MP Weerasinghe alleged that Wickremesinghe brazenly manipulated the Parliament and those who elected him as the President last year.
Weerasinghe said the UNP leader was hell-bent on crippling Independent Commissions including the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka.
He said that handling of the Election Commission and the Public Utilities Commission was intended to be a warning to all. “Western powers won’t intervene as long as they felt the incumbent government followed their agenda,” MP Weerasinghe said.
The lawmaker said that the much-touted claim that the Treasury lacked the wherewithal to conduct the local government elections was unacceptable. “Successive governments have conducted elections even during the northern and southern terror periods. President Ranasinghe Premadasa conducted elections despite the presence of the Indian Army in the Northern and Eastern districts,” MP Weerasinghe said.
“The Opposition will continue to push for local government polls. If Wickremesinghe succeeds in sabotaging the local government polls, he’ll do the same to the next general election as well,” MPWeerasinghe said.
Referring to President Wickremesinghe’s recent declaration, at China Bay, Trincomalee, that the only way to bring about a change of government was through a parliamentary election and not through street protests and the latter was not a viable option for the Parliament, MP Weerasinghe said that the President couldn’t be unaware his predecessor was removed through unconstitutional means. “Wickremesinghe is the beneficiary of those uprisings Having secured the presidency, the UNP leader now wants to deprive the public of their basic rights,” the MP said, urging all political parties to sink their differences to protect Parliament from what he called Wickremesinghe’s offensive.
The Indian Naval Ship (INS) Sahyadri which arrived at the Port of Colombo on a formal visit on 04 Apr 25, departed the island today (07 Apr). The Sri Lanka Navy bade customary farewell to the departing ship at the Port of Colombo, following naval traditions.
During the ship’s stay in Colombo, crew members of INS Sahyadri took part in several programmes organized by the Sri Lanka Navy, aimed at enhancing mutual cooperation. In addition, they also explored some tourist attractions in the country. Further, personnel of Sri Lanka Navy had the opportunity to visit INS Sahyadri, gaining insights into her operational capabilities.
Latest News
Advisory for severe lightning issued for Sabaragamuwa, Central and Uva provinces and in Hambanthota district
The Natural Hazards Early Warning Centre has issued an Advisory for Severe Lightning for the Sabaragamuwa, Central and Uva provinces and in Hambanthota district.
The advisory issued at 02.00 p.m. today [07 April 2025] is valid for the period until 11.00 p.m. 07 April 2025
The public are warned that thundershowers accompanied by severe lightning are likely to occur at several places in for Sabaragamuwa, Central and Uva provinces and in Hambantota district. There may be temporary localized strong winds during thundershowers. General public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimize damages caused by lightning activity.
ACTION REQUIRED:
The Department of Meteorology advises that people should:
Seek shelter, preferably indoors and never under trees.
• Avoid open areas such as paddy fields, tea plantations and open water bodies during thunderstorms.
• Avoid using wired telephones and connected electric appliances during thunderstorms.
• Avoid using open vehicles, such as bicycles, tractors and boats etc.
• Beware of fallen trees and power lines.
• For emergency assistance contact the local disaster management authorities.
The report of the “Census of Population and Housing 2024,” conducted by the Department of Census and Statistics, was officially handed over to President Anura Kumara Disanayake this morning (07) at the Presidential Secretariat.
This preliminary report has been prepared based on island wide data collected between October and December 2024.
The report provides details on Sri Lanka’s population, its growth and the distribution of the population across districts.
The information gathered through the census is vital not only for the government but also for other institutions in formulating policies and development plans essential for the country’s progress. Significantly, for the first time in the history of census-collecting in Sri Lanka, data collection was carried out using tablet computers and user-friendly mobile devices.
The event was attended by Deputy Minister of Finance & Planning, Harshana Suriyapperuma, Secretary to the President Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, Secretary to the Ministry of Finance Mahinda Siriwardana, Director General of the Department of Census and Statistics D.D.G.A. Senevirathne and several other officials.
INS Sahyadri sets sail from Colombo
Belgian prince loses bid for benefits on top of £300k royal allowance
Advisory for severe lightning issued for Sabaragamuwa, Central and Uva provinces and in Hambanthota district
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