News
Kiriella asks President to apologise to people for the mess
By saman Indrajith
Chief Opposition Whip and Kandy District MP Lakshman Kiriella yesterday speaking in parliament called on President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to learn from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and tender an apology to the public for the mess he created by driving people to stage street protests.
“The present crisis has been created by none other but by President Rajapaksa. He should take a cue from Indian Prime Minister Modi. Modi introduced an Act in Parliament to give farmers’ lands to companies. Farmers with the support of people held protests all over India. That resulted in Modi losing four provincial states. Thereafter he withdrew the particular Act and apologized to farmers. President Rajapaksa should do the same.
“We have been trying for three days to find solutions for the crises. This is not a crisis of our making. The Speaker warns of a looming food crisis. The reason for the food crisis is nothing but an arbitrary decision made by the President to go organic and banning chemical fertilisers that resulted in 50 per cent loss of harvest.
Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena: I said that there would be a food shortage if action was not taken to prevent it. The government has decided to permit import of chemical fertiliser.
Chief Opposition Whip: What I am asking is whether Parliament was consulted before making that decision. It is an arbitrary decision. As per the Article 27 of the Constitution the President is bound by the responsibility to provide people with sufficient food, clothing and housing. There is a list of such needs. When the President took the oath, he pledged to uphold and protect the constitution. Now, he has violated that. People have no food, clothing and housing. A bag of cement now costs more than Rs. 3,000. Prices of clothes have increased by 300 per cent.
“Soon after he assumed office as President he amassed all the powers given to the Prime Minister, the Speaker and Parliament by the 20th Amendment to the Constitution. He weakened the powers of parliament. Now, he is asking for solutions from parliament that has been rendered invalid. Suppose we found a solution for these crises, this president can decide not to implement them.
“It is not us in this parliament who should be held responsible for the crises. It was not us who conducted talks with India on Trinco oil tank farm. Parliament was not informed of those talks and agreements. A section of the port was given to China. We still do not know what exactly had been given to them. We boast that parliament has supremacy over all public finances, yet the finance minister has not spoken a word to parliament since Dec 10,” Kiriella said.
A group of Tamil Progressive Alliance (TPA) members, including its Leader Mano Ganesan, met President Anura Kumara Dissanayake on Thursday (02) morning at the Presidential Secretariat.
Extensive discussions were held on the issues faced by the Malayagam communities, particularly in relation to education, housing and land, as well as on the urgent measures required to address these concerns. The President paid special attention to all these matters.
Attention was also drawn to the recruitment of qualified Tamil-medium teachers to address the teacher shortage in estate sector schools and this too was discussed at length.
Members of Parliament P. Digambaram and V. Radhakrishnan, along with several other party members, were present at the meeting.
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Vijitha Herath, held talks with Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia Andrey Rudenko at the Foreign Ministry, in Colombo, on Thursday (02), with both sides reaffirming their commitment to strengthening bilateral relations.
The Sri Lanka Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the visiting Russian Deputy Minister noted that Russia regarded Sri Lanka as a long-standing friend.
Rudenko assured that Russia stood ready to support Sri Lanka when required, including in the swift supply of Russian oil to help address the current energy challenges, encouraging Russian investors to explore new opportunities in the country and promoting increased tourist arrivals.
He also expressed Russia’s readiness to provide compensation for Sri Lankan war veterans who had lost their lives in the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
Minister Herath welcomed Russia’s willingness to assist, emphasising that Sri Lanka valued the support extended by its “old friend”, particularly at a time when the country was facing pressing energy needs.
He noted that the two countries shared nearly seven decades of diplomatic relations and said the present moment provided an opportunity to further strengthen ties, including through long-term trade agreements.
The discussions focused on enhancing cooperation in the fields of energy, investment, tourism and diplomacy, with both sides reiterating their commitment to further deepen the longstanding friendship between Sri Lanka and Russia.
Police yesterday arrested 157 foreign nationals in connection with an alleged organised online financial scam, conducted from a hotel in the Iranawila area in Chilaw.
The suspects were taken into custody during a raid carried out by the Police while they were staying at the hotel in Iranawila.
Police said the arrested group included 143 nationals from China, 13 from Bangladesh and one from Vietnam.
Investigators suspect the group had been involved in a coordinated online financial scam, targeting victims through digital platforms.
The suspects are being detained for further questioning while investigations are continuing to determine the full extent of the operation and whether additional individuals were involved.Police said further inquiries are underway.
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