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Hakeem, SJB appeal for burial of Muslims dying of COVID-19

Published

6 years ago

2020/12/11

By Saman Indrajith

Muslim COVID-19 victims were being cremated to appease some extremist elements, SLMC leader Rauff Hakeem told parliament yesterday.

“The issue of cremating the Muslims who die of COVID-19 will have far reaching implications which are detrimental not only to the government, but to the country as a whole. I am pleading on the floor of this House, for God’s sake, please revise this draconian policy without further delay.”

Hakeem said: Some 20 bodies of Muslims who have died of COVID-19 and not been claimed by their families are to be cremated. These bodies have not been claimed as an act of civic resistance against the government’s reluctance to change its decision to cremate COVID-19 killed persons. The civic resistance has been started by the Muslim community after pleading for months in vain. The government has not changed its policy and keeps on burning those bodies despite the fact that families of victims are suffering from severe trauma because of their action of not accepting the bodies of their loved ones.

“This policy has no scientific basis. The government could check it with scientists and epidemiologists. The government has many experts including Prof. Tissa Vitarana, who is a virologist. You can ask them. Already leading virologists have said this is unfair. “

Anuradhapura SJB MP Ishak Rahuman said that a 20-day-old child who died recently is also to be cremated and asked the government what sort of reaction they expected from the parents of the child.

All Ceylon Tamil Congress Leader Ganjendrakumar Ponnambalam, making a special statement, said that the WHO in its advice dated March 24 on infection prevention and control for the safe management of dead bodies in the context of COVID-19, had noted that people who died from COVID-19 could be buried or cremated. Dignity of the dead and their cultural and religious traditions should be respected. The Health Ministry issued guidelines on March 31, instructing that the bodies be cremated within 24 hours, preferably within 12 hours. Four UN rapporteurs have asked the government to revise that policy. UN Resident Coordinator in Colombo too has asked the government to change its policy.

The ACTC leader said: “The Constitution does not recognise the right to life explicitly but it has been held in Ratnayake Tharanga Lakmali versus Niroshan Abeykoon by the Supreme Court that Article 11 which ensuring Freedom from Torture to be read with Article 13 (4) on Freedom from Arbitrary Punishment recognized by necessary implications the right to life. The court advances this argument on the basis that the Constitution is a living document and should not be construed in a narrow and pedantic manner. The court referred to the values embodied in the constitution- one such is the dignity of the people as well as Sri Lanka’s obligations under various international treaties in reinforcing the right to life.

“In Islam fire is equal to hell. So cremating is equal to punishment in hell. There are 190 countries in the world who have allowed burying their Muslim COVID-19 victims. We request the government to revise its policy and allow the Muslims to bury their own.”

Kurunegala District SJB MP Nalin Bandara said that the government was making use of COVID-19 regulations to cremate the inmates killed at the Mahara Prison riots. “There were 11 inmates killed in the Mahara prison riots. It has been found the 10 of them were COVID-19 infected. Now the government is going to cremate them without holding a post-mortem and inquests. That is against the procedure. There should be investigations before their cremation.”

Chief Opposition Whip and Kandy District MP Lakshman Kiriella said that the government should not dispose of the bodies of the Mahara victims without proper investigations and it should follow the legal procedures.

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

Published

4 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

4 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

4 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.