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Don’t blame Constitution for grave lapses of Ranil and Maithripala -JVP

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By Saman Indrajith

The country’s failed socio-economic-political situation should not be blamed on its Constitution, JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake told Parliament yesterday (22). 

Participating in the second reading debate on the 20th Amendment, Dissanayake said that the failure of the yahapalana regime should not be equated with the 19th Amendment. “The 19th Amendment to the Constitution came into force under the weakest political leaders in recorded political history of the country––Ranil Wickremesinghe and Maithripala Sirisena. Otherwise, the 19th Amendment would not have been seen to be a failure.

“Most of the amendments to the 1978 Constitution have been brought in by governments that had a two-thirds majority in Parliament. Every Opposition voted against those amendments. However, there are two amendments brought in by governments which had only a simple majority. One was the 17th Amendment to the Constitution and the other the 19th Amendment. It is noteworthy that they received the highest number of votes in favour. Only one MP voted against both amendments.

Thus, this government is able to present the 20th Amendment not because there is a consensus among different political parties, but because it has a two-thirds majority.”

 Dissanayake said: “We do agree that the 19th Amendment to the Constitution had its own shortcomings. However, its core intention was to strengthen democratic governance. If we are getting rid of the loopholes of the 19th Amendment, we need to orient our attempt towards a more comprehensive democratic framework. For example, Professor G.L. Peiris pointed out that members of the Constitutional Council cannot be removed. So, an amendment should be brought in to allow the removal of such a CC member. But if you are removing the whole of CC, that is not an act of strengthening democracy. The 19th amendment would have been a success if it had come into effect under a responsible political leadership. Blaming the failure of two horrible political leaders upon the 19th Amendment to the Constitution is not fair. Failure of the rulers should not be blamed upon the country’s Constitution. It is politically incorrect. Problems this country has faced are not constitutional; the political rulers are responsible for them. It was the executive presidency that has a destructive power vested in it. That is how J. R. Jayewardene expelled trade union activists, prohibited political parties, opted for an open economy with serious flaws. So, this socio-economic-political chaos has not been created by the Constitution. We as a political party believe in partial centralisation of power, but that should be done not to vest more powers in an individual but to strengthen institutions.

Dissanayake was also critical of a new provision introduced by the 20th Amendment concerning the appointment of ministry secretaries. According to Dissanayake the new provision enables a ministry secretary appointed by the executive presidency to be absorbed into the government service after concluding his or her service as the ministry secretary. “For example, if a military person is appointed as a ministry secretary by the Executive President, the appointment becomes legal. Now, this new provision allows this appointed person, at the end of his service, be appointed as the Director General of the same institution. This is absorption to the government service.”



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UN asks govt. to vacate ‘remaining lands still occupied and used economically by the military’

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Volker Türk

Military-held land down to 9% in North and East

The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has said that the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk, during discussions with the Sri Lankan government, stressed the importance of releasing the remaining lands still occupied and used economically by the military.

OHCHR has included updated information provided by the government on land releases in its reports to the Human Rights Council, the OHCHR said.

OHCHR team member Jeremy Laurence said so in response to The Island query regarding the HC’s call for release of land which both serving and retired officers considered unfair.

The Island posed the following question to the HC’s office: “At the conclusion of the UNHRC Chief’s visit to Sri Lanka recently, one of the issues he raised was the failure on the part of the armed forces to vacate public and private property held in the Northern and Eastern provinces. However, the military insists that approximately 91% of the total land held at the time of the conclusion of military operations, in May 2009, had been released. We would like to know whether the UNHRC Chief hadn’t been briefed by the government of Sri Lanka or the UN Mission in Colombo on the vacation of approximately 91% of the land held by the military in 2009.

The Island contacted OHCHR as suggested by the UN Mission in Colombo.

The military pointed out that of over 24,000 acres held in the Jaffna and Kilinochchi sectors in 2009, less than 2,500 acres remained in their hands. “We are down to the bare minimum. Further reductions will pose major challenges,” one retired officer said.

By Shamindra Ferdinando

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Need to attend to sick wild elephants promptly discussed at high-level meeting

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A high-level discussion on the urgent treatment of sick wild elephants was held on Monday (July 7) at the Ministry of Environment under the patronage of Minister of Environment Dr. Dhammika Patabendi and Deputy Minister Anton Jayakody.

Senior veterinary officers representing the Wildlife and Zoological Parks Veterinary Officers’ Association participated in the discussion alongside Secretary to the Ministry of Environment Rohitha Udawawala and Director of Veterinary Services of the Department of Wildlife Conservation Dr. Tharaka Prasad.

The focus of the meeting was to streamline rapid response measures to treat elephants suffering from illnesses in the wild and to ensure timely access to life-saving antibiotics and medical resources.

Commenting on the need for swift intervention, Environment Minister Dr. Dhammika Patabendi said:

“We cannot allow delays when it comes to the treatment of our wild elephants, especially those suffering from life-threatening conditions. These majestic creatures are an integral part of our natural heritage, and it is our duty to act fast. We are committed to providing our veterinary officers with the tools, resources, and policy support necessary to carry out this responsibility efficiently.”

Discussions also focused on identifying infected elephants promptly, administering treatment without delay, and addressing any shortages in medical supplies such as antibiotics. The officials explored avenues to ensure logistical and infrastructural support for veterinarians working in the field.

Significant attention was drawn to the existing cadre shortages within the Department of Wildlife Conservation’s veterinary and technical teams. Plans were discussed to address these gaps with the approval of the Department of Management Services and the Ministry of Public Administration.

Additionally, the need to provide field veterinarians with appropriate technical facilities and mobility support was emphasized as a key priority in enabling effective on-ground operations.

The meeting concluded with an understanding that urgent procedural and administrative steps would be taken to fast-track recruitment, supply of medication, and operational improvements necessary to protect the health of Sri Lanka’s wild elephant population.

By Ifham Nizam

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Navy seizes contraband pesticides and seeds in Puttalam and Kalpitiya

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The Navy detected a significant haul of smuggled pesticides and seeds during operations conducted in Puttalam and Kalpitiya from 20 to 30 June, 2025. The separate operations also resulted in two dinghies and a lorry also being taken into custody, Navy Headquarters said.

In a search operation on 20 June, the Northwestern Naval Command’s SLNS Vijaya inspected a suspicious lorry near Alankuda Beach, Puttalam, resulting in the vehicle, along with 32 sacks of pesticide materials and seeds suspected to have been smuggled into the country, being taken into custody.

On 28 June, during another search near Ippantivu Island, Kalpitiya, naval personnel spotted and took into custody two dinghies carrying 15 sacks of pesticide materials intended for smuggling.

It is suspected that the smugglers abandoned the contraband, along with the lorry and dinghies, due to heightened naval surveillance. The seized items were handed over to the Katunayake Customs Preventive Office for further investigation and legal action.

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