News

Gevindu opposes Karu’s move to promote Yahapalana federal proposals, points to NPP-US nexus

Published

2 years ago

2025/02/12

Sahan Weerasooriya

Gevindu

By Shamindra Ferdinando

Former SLPP National List MP and leader of Yuthukama civil society group Gevindu Cumaratunga yesterday (11) said that the public should oppose former Speaker Karu Jayasuriya’s call for the implementation of the Yahapalana government’s Orumithanadu federal proposals.

Cumaratunga said that he was quite surprised and disappointed by the former Speaker’s move made in his current capacity as Chairman of the National Movement for Social Justice (NMSJ).

The ex-parliamentarian pointed out that a National People’s Power (NPP) government wouldn’t have been a reality without the US-sponsored so-called Aragalaya and the new US administration of President Donald Trump had bared the machinations of the USAID to advance their despicable political agenda.

Karu Jayasuriya should have called for a thorough investigation into external interventions, Cumaratunga said. “Instead, the former Speaker wants the NPP government to advance the Yahapalana project that had been roundly rejected by the vast majority of people,” the civil society activist said.

Cumaratunga challenged NMSJ chief’s declaration that the Yahapalana proposals, prepared by Attorney-at-Law Lal Wijenayaka, had the backing of many parties in Parliament. The former Speaker should realize that treacherous constitutional proposals had been rejected by the people,not once but twice at the 2019 November presidential election and 2020 August parliamentary polls when the UNP was reduced to just one MP.

Referring to continuing controversy over the USAID’s sinister interventions in various parts of the world, including Asia, ex-lawmaker Cumaratunga said that actually Jayasuriya owed an explanation as to his role in finalizing an agreement with the US agency in Nov. 2016. Over the years, USAID increased its role in Parliament to such an extent it arranged foreign visits for MPs and workshops in Parliament.

Cumaratunga said that as a new MP he attended a workshop in Parliament, sponsored by the USAID, and raised a privilege issue on Aug. 30, 2020, over the US agency’s conduct. Although the then Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena assured that undue interventions wouldn’t be allowed, the whole world now knew the level of US interventions through USAID and other means, the former MP said.

There should be no holds barred investigation into US funding, the former MP said demanding that Jayasuriya’s role couldn’t be ignored.

According to him, the continuing controversy over US intervention in India underscored the gravity of the situation. The level of interventions there, as discussed in Lok Sabha, should help us to understand our vulnerability, he said, pointing out that those who ridiculed and accused them of propagating scare stories were silent today.

All News Advertisement

News

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

Published

23 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

23 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

23 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.