News
‘How come govt. goes ahead with deal regardless of damning reports on SLIIT’
Ex-COPE Chief questions executive decision on President’s House in KKS
By Shamindra Ferdinando
Prof. Charitha Herath yesterday (17) alleged in Parliament that leasing of the President’s House, situated at Kankesanthurai, to the Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology (SLIIT), was contrary to recommendations made by the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) in 2021.
The President’s House is situated on 29-acre land in the wartime high security zone.
Declaring that President Ranil Wickremesinghe had made a decision in this regard, the former COPE Chairman said that handing over such a public property to an enterprise, regardless of COPE recommendations, amounted to an affront to Parliament. The rebel SLPP MP said the top management of SLIIT had deprived the government of SLIIT.
In late 2021, Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe, PC, in a letter to the then President Gotabaya Rajapaksa alleged that SLIIT, established under the Mahapola Trust Fund, had been acquired by some lecturers of the University of Moratuwa in a questionable manner. MP Rajapakshe claimed that the loss to the Mahapola Trust Fund was over Rs. 40,000 million.
Rajapakshe, the current Justice Minister, named the academics involved in the alleged acquisition.
Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa is on record as having said that the Kankesanthurai facility was an International Relations Centre belonging to the Presidential Secretariat. In addition to that a similar facility was to be built at Arugam Bay, according to the former President.
Making a special statement in parliament, Prof. Herath asked whether the executive could ignore the COPE findings in respect of SLIIT.
Herath pointed out that the parliamentary watchdog in a special report released on April 06, 2021 had stated that SLIIT built with public funds on a 23-acre land in Malabe had been gradually taken over by a group of people. Regardless of several Cabinet papers submitted during different administrations, SLIIT had managed to proceed with its grab of the state property much to the dismay of parliament, the MP said.
Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena was fully aware of the situation, MP Herath said, adding that the COPE report and the AG’s recommendations couldn’t have been disregarded under any circumstances.
One-time Media Ministry Secretary said that he expected Justice Minister Rajapakshe to take up this issue. In fact, the COPE should take it up as there was no purpose in watchdog committees if the executive overrode them. Planned leasing of the President’s House in KKS is a case in point, the MP said.
Responding to The Island queries, MP Herath said that he didn’t oppose SLIIT receiving the lease of KKS facility or Jaffna student population being granted special benefits. But, the concerns raised by the AG and COPE should be addressed first and all issues at hand resolved before Jaffna President’s House, too, ended up with the same lot.
The recent IMF prerequisites for the releasing of the second tranche of the now suspended USD 2.9 bn bailout package was nothing but an indictment of both the executive and legislature, the MP said. “But we seem to have ignored the warnings,” Prof. Herath said, adding that the new much-touted Anti-Corruption drive appeared to have had no impact at all.
Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya participated in a high-level dialogue titled “Tourism as Soft Power and Diplomatic Capital” held at the Euronews Hub, Piz Buin Davos, on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum on January 20.
The session explored how tourism functions as a strategic instrument of diplomacy by strengthening international trust, cultural exchange, and regional cooperation through mobility and people-to-people engagement. The Prime Minister shared the panel with Mr. Kuban Omiraliyev, Secretary General of the Organization of Turkic States and Mr. Meshari Alnahar – CEO Aseer Investment Company, Saudi Arabia.
Addressing global trends, the Prime Minister emphasized that Sri Lanka is an example of hope, recovery and resilience in a world of conflict demonstrating how tourism can play a critical role in a changing global environment particularly amid climate shocks, geopolitical instability, and uneven economic recovery. She noted that tourism is not only an economic sector but also a vital diplomatic bridge that supports livelihoods, builds relationships and connects people.
Drawing on Sri Lanka’s recent experience, she highlighted the country’s strong tourism recovery despite multiple crises, including the impact of Cyclone Ditwah. Transparent crisis management and strategic engagement with international partners helped sustain visitor confidence, resulting in record tourist arrivals even in challenging circumstances.
The Prime Minister also underscored the importance of green and climate friendly tourism infrastructure and underlined that Sri Lanka welcomes long term investment in tourism. She pointed out that tourism supports millions of jobs worldwide and that inclusive policies are essential to ensure fair opportunities, particularly for women and vulnerable communities.
[Prime Minister’s Media Division]
During an operation conducted in the dark hours of 20 Jan 26, the Sri Lanka Navy seized two (02) Indian fishing boats and apprehended seven (07) Indian fishermen while they were poaching in Sri Lankan waters, off Kovilan, Jaffna.
The seized boats and Indian fishermen was to be handed over to the Fisheries Inspector of Myliddy, Jaffna for onward legal proceedings.
Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya participated in a series of high-level bilateral meetings on January 20 on the sidelines of the 56th Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland.
The Prime Minister attended a productive bilateral meeting with Mr. Jozef Síkela, European Commissioner for International Partnerships. During the discussion, both sides focused on strengthening Sri Lanka–EU cooperation and advancing mutual interests.
Prime Minister Amarasuriya also met with Mr. Masato Kanda, President and Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), at the WEF Congress Centre. The meeting provided an opportunity to discuss ongoing engagement and future collaboration between Sri Lanka and the ADB.
In addition, the Prime Minister held discussions with Mr. Hassan El Houry, Chairman of Menzies Aviation, where opportunities for collaboration in aviation services and connectivity were explored.
The Prime Minister also participated in a high-level dialogue at the Global Tourism Forum held at the Euronews Hub, Piz Buin, Davos, as part of the World Economic Forum engagements.
Dr. Anil Jayantha, Minister of Labour, and the Deputy Minister of Finance were also present at these meetings.
[Prime Minister’s Media Division]
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