News

JVP urges youth not to leave country, but to stay and fight

Published

4 years ago

2022/11/11

By Saman Indrajith

JVP has called on youth to join its campaign to make Sri Lanka a better place to live in.Addressing the JVP-led NPP’s electorate organisation at Ambalantota recently, party leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake said that the youth had to fight for their righst instead of leaving the country.

“It could be done. You should not live as second class citizens in other countries. Instead, you must make this country a liveable place. For that purpose we must launch a struggle to change this system.

Once this political culture is changed, this country could be taken up to the level on par with other developed nations. None of those countries in the developed world had rulers similar to the thieves that we had been putting up with for the past 74 years. We must get rid of them and work to save this nation,” Dissanayake said.

He said that system changes should be introduced to all sectors to make them assets rather than liabilities on people. “One such is the state sector that should be made more efficient. Over the years, politicians have used the state sector to provide employment to their supporters. Out of every Rs. 100 coming into the treasury, Rs. 58 is spent on salaries and pensions of State sector employees. Every election application is accepted to provide employment opportunities,” he said recalling the manner the SLPP asked its supporters to fill out application forms for jobs at the Hambantota Port during the election period.

The state sector institutions are not organisations existing to merely provide employment to supporters of a particular political party. “Take the University of Sri Jayewardenepura for example. Political party supporters have been provided employment in excess of the requirement for entry-level jobs. There are 600 academic staff members at the university while it has over 4000 non-academic staff. Another example is Colombo Harbour. Five buses leave Matara daily with workers bound for the Colombo harbour after they have been employed by a politician who was from Matara while he was the Ports Minister,” Dissanayake said.

As it has been seen during the recent protests and agitations, people are demanding a system change. “However, nothing has really changed as far as the Government is concerned. The Government was still following the same old policies and corruption was rampant as before. Therefore the government should be sent home as a precursor of all other changes,” Dissanayake said.

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

Published

6 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

7 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

7 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.