News

Govt. heeds religious leaders’ advice – Johnston

Published

5 years ago

2020/12/31

The Opposition seems to be rejoicing when religious leaders, led by Maha Sangha, become critical of some decisions and actions of the government, but the fact remains that the incumbent government will not always respect the advice of religious leaders, Highways Minister Johnston Fernando says.

Following an inspection tour to review the progress of the construction of the Marine Drive’s section from Dehiwala Bridge to Hill Street, Minister Fernando said that the government would never forget the fact that it had been voted in by the majority of Sinhala Buddhist and Catholic electors and the government was dedicated to safeguarding their inspirations.

“We are in the process of preparing a new Constitution. It is our policy to hold the elections without delay. That is why we have started the process of holding elections for the Provincial Councils. Some members of the Maha Sangha have expressed their opinion that elections should not be held at this time. When that difference of opinions came up the Opposition seemed to have rejuvenated as if they got a boost.

“We respect the religious leaders’ opinion and advice which we never challenge. We work in a democratic framework. We also have a policy and practice of giving priority to the advice of religious leaders when making decisions. I assure you that there would be no clash between their wishes and our actions. So the Opposition’s delight would be proven to be very-short-lived sinister joy.”

Minister Fernando said that those who were in the Opposition today used to deploy water cannon and police anti-riot squads to smash the heads of bhikkhus who took to the roads against social injustices prevailing then. “The bhikkhus have stated their opinion with regard to the cremation of bodies of COVID-19 victims and I, as the Chief Government Whip, am happy that their standpoint is in accordance with the government policy.”

Minister Fernando said that during the five-year period of the yahapalana government there had been no development of the Marine Drive extension project, which had been launched to ease congestion on the Galle Road. “We have expedited its extension. It is our intention to finish the 1.2 km long section from the Dehiwala Bridge to Hill Street within 70 days. This would solve the traffic congestion near the Ramakrishna Road, Dehiwala. We intend to develop the two-lane Dehiwala Bridge into a four-lane bridge.”

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Minimum purchasing price of Samba and Kiri Samba paddy incresed

Published

4 mins ago

2026/01/13

Priyan

The Cabinet of Ministers approved the decision of the Food Policy and Security Committee to maintain the minimum purchasing price of 1 kg of Nadu paddy of prescribed standard at Rs. 120 and to increase the minimum purchasing price of 1 kg of Samba from Rs. 125 to Rs. 130 and the minimum purchasing price of Kiri Samba from Rs. 132 to Rs. 140.

News

Govt. extends ban on LTTE

Published

10 hours ago

2026/01/13

Sahan Weerasooriya

The NPP government has issued a new extraordinary gazette renewing and extending Sri Lanka’s long-standing ban on the LTTE and several Tamil diaspora organisations and individuals, continuing to designate them as “terrorists”.

The gazette, published recently, replaces a previous gazette issued in May 2025 and reaffirmed the proscription of a wide range of Tamil political and advocacy bodies operating around the world, alongside dozens of named individuals. The government alleged both the organisations and individuals listed are involved in “terrorism-related activities”.

The organisations blacklisted by the Sri Lankan government include:

• Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)

• Tamil Rehabilitation Organisation (TRO)

• Tamil Coordinating Committee (TCC)

• World Tamil Movement (WTM)

• Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE)

• World Tamil Relief Fund (WTRF)

• National Council of Canadian Tamils (NCCT)

• Tamil Youth Organisation (TYO)

While the majority of the designations mirror those contained in the May 2025 gazette, the latest document updates identification details and addresses for a number of individuals and introduces at least one additional organisation to the list. All entries have been reissued under new reference numbers for 2026, though the underlying allegations and framing remain unchanged.

Successive governemnts have maintained a sweeping proscription regime against Tamil diaspora groups and individuals. A ban can make it a criminal offence for Sri Lankan citizens to maintain contact with these organisations or their members, severely restricting political engagement and stifling links between the diaspora and the Tamil homeland.

The original mass listings were introduced in 2014 under the administration of Mahinda Rajapaksa. Despite repeated outcry, subsequent governments have continued to uphold and renew the proscription regime, even after the Rajapaksas were voted out of power.

News

Police obtain court order banning Wimal’s protest

Published

10 hours ago

2026/01/13

Sahan Weerasooriya

National Freedom Front (NFF) leader Wimal Weerawansa addresses a gathering outside the Education Ministry on Monday before launching a protest demanding the immediate resignation of Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya as Education Minister over the inclusion of a link to an adult content website in the Grade 06 English module. (Pic by Thushara Atapattu)

Police yesterday (12) obtained an injunction order from the Kaduwela Magistrate’s court against the protest launched by National Freedom Front (NFF) leader and former Minister Wimal Weerawansa opposite the Education Ministry, Isurupaya, at Battaramulla.

Police informed Weerawansa of the court order. In line with the court order, the police informed Weerawansa that the road near the Ministry should not be obstructed and that no sound amplification equipment be used while the GCE Advanced Level (A/L) examination is in progress. The examination, put off due to Cyclone Ditwah, recommenced yesterday.