News

MONLAR blames private rice mafia for annual exploitation of farmers and consumers

Published

6 years ago

2020/11/12

By Rathindra Kuruwita

From 2015 onwards the state had purchased only around 2% of the total paddy produced in the country and thus the government had no power to control rice prices in the market, Chinthaka Rajapakshe of the Movement for Land and Agricultural Reform (MONLAR) said yesterday.

Rajapakshe told The Island that it was the reason for the government’s failure to regulate the price of rice although it had issued four gazettes on the matter from December 2019.

“The latest gazette was published on November 04, but we know that it is impossible to buy rice at the maximum retail price set by the government. This is an indication that the Sri Lankan state has no control over the collection, storing, distribution and the sale of paddy.”

During the Maha Season around 3.2 million metric tonnes of paddy came into the market and the government only had 307 warehouses that could store around 310,000 metric tonnes, Rajapakshe said.

“We did some calculations and it is clear that the private sector buys about 90% of the paddy produced annually, and the government about 2%; the farmers keep the rest.

The government should empower farmers’ associations, cooperatives and small mill owners if it wanted to find a permanent solution to annual rice shortages and high prices experienced by the people, Rajapakshe said.

He said that the impotence of the state had been exposed a few months back during a televised meeting with large scale rice mill owners and public officials. The mill owner insisted that they had purchased paddy from farmers at Rs. 55 and that it was impossible for them to sell at the stipulated price imposed by the government.

“The government officials then asked the mill owners to take release rice to the market or they would be compelled to import rice. They also warned that they would release stocks purchased by the Paddy Marketing Board (PMB). Unfortunately, the stocks purchased by the PMB were only sufficient to meet three days’ demand. So, the government will be either compelled to pay massive sums to large rice mill owners or import. None of these are sustainable solutions.”

Rajapakshe said that the government should not accept the narrative of large mill owners that they had purchased paddy from farmers at Rs. 55 a kilo. Although the government had imposed a minimum purchase price for paddy at Rs. 55, large scale mill owners purchased paddy at between Rs. 30 and Rs. 45 a kilo. They surely can give rice at the controlled prices but they know that they can just hoard paddy and sell at higher prices. That’s why the government must empower farmers’ associations, cooperatives and small mill owners to purchase paddy at a reasonable prices and distribute rice to consumers at affordable prices.”

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News

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

Published

18 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

18 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

18 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.