News

Marikkar accused of misleading parliament

Published

6 years ago

2020/12/4

By Saman Indrajith

Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, yesterday, accused Colombo District SJB MP S. M. Marikkar of misleading Parliament and asked him behave without wasting the time of the House.

MP Marikkar during the question time got up raising a point of order and said that 28 Sri Lankans who had arrived at the Bandaranaike Airport, Katunayake were stranded because officials had asked them to pay for quarantine at luxury hotels. “Authorities are not releasing them until they make the payments,” MP Marikkar said.

Speaker Abeywardena stopped the MP from speaking further warning him not to abuse the privilege of raising point of order and to raise any questions the MP had separately following due process.

Later, when he was given the microphone, the MP said the government should give orders to its officials not to exploit the people coming home after serving abroad to nurture the local economy. “They are to be sent back to Oman. This is very unfair.”

The Chair prevented the MP proceeding and asked him to use the microphone for the given purpose.

Chief Government Whip Highways Minister Johnston Fernando:

I need time to make a clarification because MP Marikkar is misleading the House. Either he is telling lies deliberately or someone is feeding him with lies and he repeats them here. This amounts to misleading the House. After his allegation I made inquiries. There is no such incident at the Katunayake International Airport. What actually happened was that Oman Airline had brought down 28 Sri Lankans and the Airline had not paid for PCR tests for 22 passengers. As per the guidelines in place, it is the responsibility of the Airline to pay for the PCR tests of the passengers. The delay has been caused by that. Now, the government has decided to pay for the tests and submit the results to the airline. You should not mislead the House.

MP Marikkar:

Yes. There are only 22 passengers because others have been permitted to leave the airport. The airline is not paying for the PCR tests.

Minister Fernando:

You knowingly misled the House. I do not say you are lying. But either you are telling lies or someone else is feeding you with lies.

Speaker Abeywardena:

MP Marikkar should have raised the question in an appropriate manner without wasting the time of the House.

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

Published

15 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

15 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

15 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.