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FM regrets EU adopting one-sided resolution on Sri Lanka

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Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena briefing Chargé d’Affaires of the Delegation of the European Union in Colombo Thorsten Bargfrede, and EU Ambassadors / Chargé d’Affaires from France, Italy, Romania, Germany and the Netherlands at a meeting at the Foreign Ministry on Monday. Minister of Fisheries Douglas Devananda, State Minister for Regional Cooperation Tharaka Balasuriya, and Foreign Secretary Admiral Prof. Jayanath Colombage also participated in the meeting. 

 

The Foreign Ministry yesterday expressed its regrets at the adoption of a resolution on Sri Lanka in the European Parliament on 10 June 2021.  

The resolution titled “The Situation in Sri Lanka, in particular the arrests under the Prevention of Terrorism Act”, contains factual inaccuracies, and does not take cognizance of the multifaceted progress made by Sri Lanka in reconciliation and development, the Ministry said in a statement.

The FM statement: “At the outset, the Ministry wishes to state that provisions of the Prevention of Terrorism Act have been invoked to address heinous acts of terrorism committed on its people.  In this context, it is recalled that the Easter Sunday terrorist attacks of 2019 resulted in significant loss of life, including of several EU nationals.

“It is important to underscore that the Government of Sri Lanka maintains a regular, vibrant and cordial dialogue with the European Union (EU), covering all aspects of bilateral relations.  The engagement is sustained through the close and cordial dialogue maintained with the European Commission, the Council and the Parliament by the Sri Lanka Mission in Brussels; and with the EU delegation and EU Ambassadors in Colombo by senior interlocutors of the Government.

“As part of this process, Sri Lanka has constructive engagement with the European Commission on the review of its EU GSP + compliance with the 27 core International Conventions.  Towards this end, the Third Cycle of Review of the EU GSP + Monitoring Process for 2020-2021 is ongoing.

“Sri Lanka apprised the EU on progress with regard to its wide range of cooperation at the annual EU-Sri Lanka Joint Commission, the 23rd session of which was convened in January 2021.  Further updates are provided through the relevant Working Groups and Committees functioning under the purview of the Joint Commission.

“With regard to salient points referred to in the resolution, the Ministry wishes to submit the following observations with a view to correction.

“The Government has, in accordance with its constitutional mandate and international obligations, taken steps to protect the rights of all its citizens.  Specific provision in terms of Article 12 (1) of Sri Lanka’s Constitution ensures that all persons are equal before the law and are entitled to the equal protection of the law.  Article 12 (2) of the Constitution prohibits discrimination based on race, religion, language, caste, sex, political opinion, place of birth or any such grounds.

“The government is in the process of revisiting provisions of the Prevention of Terrorism Act, in keeping with its commitments, as has been communicated to the EU. Towards this endeavour, the Government is studying existing legislation to propose necessary amendments, and will also draw on international best practices adopted by other jurisdictions. The Government rejects the claim that the PTA has been systematically used for arbitrary arrests and the detention of Muslim or other minority groups in Sri Lanka.

“It is observed that the 20th Amendment was enacted in full compliance with the procedure set out in the Constitution with a two-thirds majority of the Members of Parliament voting in its favour.  With regard to such legislation, a number of in-built safeguards relating to transparency and judicial review aimed at preventing the passage of bills that are inconsistent with the Constitution, including its Fundamental Rights chapter, have been adhered to.

“The government has regularly updated the Human Rights Council as well as EU interlocutors on the measures undertaken to address issues of accountability, and to achieve continued progress in reconciliation.  Mechanisms in place in this regard include the Presidential Commission of Inquiry headed by a Justice of the Supreme Court; the Office of Missing Persons; the Office of Reparations, the Office of National Unity and Reconciliation; the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka; and related institutional reforms aimed at non-recurrence and other confidence building measures.  With regard to sustainable development, the Inter-Ministerial Committee headed by the Prime Minister to steer SDG implementation is of significance.

“Sri Lanka’s labour rights, including health and safety conditions, are in compliance with ILO standards.  Sri Lanka’s high labour standards maintained in production, have led to better quality products, and high value added exports, as reflected in the apparel sector.  The higher demand for ‘ethical’ products from Sri Lanka has led to increased production, subsequent investment, and improvement of the human capital in Sri Lanka.  The EU GSP + concessions have contributed significantly towards this process, thus benefiting the Sri Lankan economy, as well as the EU market.  Similarly, the fishery sector is a notable growth sector which has benefited from EU GSP + concessions.

“Sri Lanka, as one of the oldest parliamentary democracies in Asia, has a longstanding vibrant democracy.  The country’s robust foreign policy is based on the principles of neutrality, non-alignment and friendship. The Government is committed to further strengthening its democratic institutions.  As asserted by the Spokesperson of the 06th EU Election Observation Mission to Sri Lanka in November 2019, which comprised Members of the EU Parliament, the peaceful environment in which the election unfolded ‘confirms the stability of the [country’s] democratic institutions.’  These remarks remain valid.

“The COVID-19 pandemic continues to have a devastating impact globally, placing drastic limitations upon the right to safety, health, economic security, and even the right to life of millions of people across the globe.  Sri Lanka continues to face challenges in spite of consistent and concerted efforts by the Government to safeguard its entire population against the pandemic, and to provide equitable access to vaccines.  In this backdrop, the Government appreciates the commitment of global multilateral institutions and UN agencies to uphold the economic, social and cultural rights of all peoples, which are intrinsically linked to civil and political rights.  Sri Lanka’s commitment to upholding human rights continues in tandem with its current priorities of inoculating its targeted population, providing healthcare and economic revival.

“In these critical times, Sri Lanka should be supported in safeguarding the rights of its people, while taking cognizance of demonstrated progress on the ground. The Government of Sri Lanka looks forward to continuing its partnership with the EU on a broad range of issues, and reassures the EU of its continued commitment to engage proactively and productively on areas of mutual interest.

“Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena briefed Chargé d’Affaires of the Delegation of the European Union in Colombo Thorsten Bargfrede, as well Colombo-based EU Ambassadors / Chargé d’Affaires from France, Italy, Romania, Germany and the Netherlands, on the Sri Lanka Government’s position as detailed above, at a meeting convened at the Foreign Ministry on Monday 14 June 2021.  The Minister of Fisheries Douglas Devananda, State Minister for Regional Cooperation Tharaka Balasuriya, and Foreign Secretary Admiral Prof. Jayanath Colombage also participated in the meeting.”



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French Navy Ship PROVENCE arrives in Port of Colombo

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The French Navy Ship PROVENCE arrived at the Port of Colombo on a formal visit on Sunday (16 Mar 25) morning.

She was welcomed by the Sri Lanka Navy in compliance with the time-honoured naval traditions.

The 142.20m long Destroyer is Commanded by Captain Lionel SIEGFRIED and manned by a crew of 160 members.

During the stay in the island, crew members of PROVENCE will visit some tourist hotspots in the country and the ship is scheduled to depart the island on 20 Mar.

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Court of Appeal dismisses Ex-IGP’s writ petition

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The Court of Appeal this [17] morning  dismissed the writ petition filed by former Inspector General of Police (IGP) Deshabandu Tennakoon, seeking an interim injunction to prevent the execution of the arrest order issued by the Matara Magistrate’s Court against him.

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Project to distribute smart boards for 1,000 schools with the goal of enhancing education has completely failed to meet its objectives and the investment of LKR 1.7 billion has been underutilized -PM

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Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya stated that the project to distribute smart boards for 1,000 schools with the goal of enhancing education has completely failed to meet its objectives and the investment of LKR 1.7 billion has been underutilized.

The Minister of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education, Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya made these remarks in the Parliament complex on Saturday [March 15, 2025] while discussing the project to establish networked classrooms by facilitating smart boards to the school system.

The Cabinet Memorandum No. AMP/24/0385/601/027 and the Cabinet decision dated March 4, 2024 has been presented for the approval of the provision of digital smart boards and other related equipment to 1,000 selected schools, with the objective of enhancing education through the establishment of a systematic network of smart classrooms within the school system funded by the Sri Lanka Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRCSL).

Subsequently, an additional Cabinet Memorandum, No. AMP/24/0978/630/009, dated May 14, 2024, was presented, proposing the implementation of this project in alignment with the project proposed by Chinese government for digitalizing Schools. Under this Chinese-funded project, plans were made to establish a centralized control center and a studio facility, along with the provision of an additional 500 smart boards. Accordingly, the integration of both projects was proposed to create a network of smart classrooms across 1,500 schools.

The cabinet decision has been presented requiring Sri Lankan Government to purchase smart boards with specifications identical to the smart boards which were proposed to be distributed by the Chinese Government.

In line with the Cabinet decision of May 14, 2024, the procurement for the 1,000 smart boards began in July 2024. However, at the time of purchase, the project proposed by the Chinese Government was still at the discussion stage, and no official agreement had been reached regarding the technical specifications of the smart boards.

However, the procurement was carried out through the Sri Lanka State Trading (General) Corporation without a competitive bidding process, relying on price quotations obtained from a single supplier based on unclear sources that were not officially verified by the Chinese government. The Sri Lanka Telecommunications Regulatory Commission incurred the full cost of LKR 1.7 billion, with an additional LKR 430 million allocated for services and installation.

The aforementioned procurement appears to have been conducted at an unusually accelerated pace when compared to the standard procedure typically followed for high-value procurements. Specifically, price quotations were requested on July 5, 2024, opened on July 15, 2024, and by July 16, 2024, the Technical Evaluation Committee had completed and submitted the report. Subsequently, the report was reviewed by the Standing Procurement Committee appointed by the Cabinet on July 17 and 18, 2024, with recommendations being provided on the same day. These recommendations were then submitted to the Cabinet on July 23, 2024, and approval was granted on July 30, 2024. Followed by this, the purchase requisition was issued to the supplier on August 5, 2024. Accordingly, the entire procurement process was completed within a span of one month.

As part of this procurement, a Letter of Credit was opened to facilitate the payment of USD 3,135,392.50 for 1,000 smart boards to Intelligent Express Limited Hong Kong, which has been identified as a representative of Huawei. While the relevant Cabinet paper indicated Huawei as the designated manufacturer supplying the smart boards under the Chinese funding project, the Chinese government has not yet confirmed the selection of such a supplier for this project.

According to aforementioned purchase requisition, the purchased smart boards and related equipment were delivered to the Ministry of Education in October 2024 and are currently stored at Pattala Gedara Teacher’s Training College. Although the procurement of the aforementioned Smart boards by the Sri Lankan Government has been finalized, the relevant project, which was intended to be implemented under the funding of Chinese government, has not yet commenced and a final agreement regarding its implementation has not been reached.

Prior to reaching a final agreement on the network integration facilities and centralized system proposed by the Chinese government, the procurement of these smart boards has resulted in the inability to utilize the equipment for the intended purpose. It is expected that the Chinese aid project is at the discussion stage, and the implementation may extend until the end of this year. Further, no official decision has been made regarding the selection of a supplier for the project.

Given this situation, if the 1,000 smart boards and other equipment currently stored in warehouses are to be distributed to schools, school principals must be provided with clear instructions on their proper use. However, due to the delay in implementing the project under the funding of the Chinese government, specific guidelines on the installation and utilization of the equipment cannot yet be issued.

Since network integration cannot be carried out at this stage, these smart boards can only be used as standalone classroom units. As a result, the objectives of the project will not be met, and the investment of LKR 1.7 billion made might be considered to be underutilized.

A formal investigation has been initiated to determine whether financial and procedural irregularities have occurred in this procurement. Additionally, discussions are currently continued with the Chinese government, and efforts are being made to secure the proposed facilities from China at the earliest convenience.

[Prime Minister’s Media Division]

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