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NO attempts to scrap Buddhist Temporalities Ordinance- Sabry

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By Rathindra Kuruwita

Justice Minister Ali Sabry yesterday said that he had no intention of amending the Buddhist Temporalities Ordinance.

The Minister said that a number of people were accusing him of comparing that ordinance to a personal law and had equated it to the Muslim Marriages and Divorces Act (MMDA.)

“On 10 February 2021, Ven. Athuraliye Rathana Thera asked me in Parliament whether I agreed that Article 16.1 of the Constitution needed to be changed. This Article stipulates that all existing written and unwritten law shall be valid and operative notwithstanding any inconsistency with the Fundamental Rights Chapter of the Constitution.”

Sabry said that in his response to the Thera, he had highlighted that if Article 16.1 was changed in an ad hoc manner a number of special laws would be affected. Among such laws was the Buddhist Temporalities Ordinance.

“Not only will personal laws be affected. If Article 16 is changed in a hurry a number of special laws won’t be valid anymore and when that happens the same people will blame me. Sri Lanka has a 2,500-year-old Buddhist heritage and there are many special laws that don’t cause any harm to others. Such laws don’t need to be changed.”

Therefore, there needed to be a careful study and lengthy discussions before article 16 was repealed, the Minister said, adding that amending laws took time and that was why there were delays in amending the MMDA.

“We all agree that marrying 12-year-old girls is bad and that 18 should be the minimum age of marriage. I believe that Muslim women should also sign in the marriage registry and that there should be gender equality in the MMDA. I have also proposed that face covering must not be allowed in public spaces. These have been sent to the Cabinet. But it takes time. We are working on amending the MMDA by a lot. That process is ongoing.”



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SF claims thousands of police and military personnel leaving

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By Saman Indrajith

Thousands of police and military personnel had left the services recently as they did not want to carry out illegal orders, Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka told Parliament yesterday. According to the war-winning army commander 200 policemen have resigned during the past two months and 25,000 soldiers have left the army during the last two years.

“We urged the law enforcement and military officials not to follow illegal orders. We will reinstate them with back pay,” he said.

Fonseka also urged the President and the government MPs not to take people for fools.

“Sri Lanka owes 55 billion dollars to the world. Ranil’s plan is to borrow another seven billion during the next four years. So, in four years we will owe 62 billion to the world.

Ranil and his ministers ask us what the alternative to borrowing is. These are the people who destroyed the economy and society. They must leave. Then, we will find an alternative and develop the country,” he said, adding that the IMF loans had made crises in other nations worse.

“Ranil says that by 2025, we will have a budget surplus as in Japan, Germany and South Korea. These countries are economic power houses, and this comparison is ludicrous.”

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CEB hit by exodus of technical staff

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By Shiran Ranasinghe

At least five technical personnel of the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) resigned daily for overseas employment, a senior CEB official said.They included electrical engineers, electricians and foremen, he added.

“Most of them are quitting due to the economic crisis while others are simply disillusioned. Trained and experienced technical staff are in high demand in many countries,” he said.

CEB United Trade Union Alliance President Ranjan Jayalal said that the CEB had lost about 2,000 employees in recent times due to the above reasons.

“We had about 24,000 such personnel a few months ago. Now the number has come down to 22,000. A number of people had to retire on 31 December, 2022.

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Sajith questions sudden decision to charge Rs. 225,000 from students following NDES

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By Saman Indrajith

The government had decided to charge Rs 225,000 from those enrolling at the Institute of Engineering Technology, Katunayake under the National Apprentice and Industrial Training Authority (NAITA), Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa said yesterday in Parliament.

Premadasa said that the institute awards the National Diploma in Engineering Sciences (NDES) and no fee was charged from students until 2023.The IET awards the National Diploma in Engineering Sciences under the three major fields of civil, electrical and mechanical engineering, and eight sub-fields.

“This is an institute that has created over ten thousand tier two engineers. NDES is a four year programme,” he said.

The opposition leader said that the sudden decision to charge 225,000 rupees from students at a time when the average Sri Lankan family is facing significant economic challenges is unfair.

“This institute offered free tuition. We should continue this tradition. A large number of engineers are leaving the country and we need to ensure that we have a continuous supply of engineers to ensure we can maintain our essential technical services,” he said.

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