News
NPP calls for new Constitution: ‘13 no solution to any problem’
By Saman Indrajith
Sri Lanka needs a new Constitution that protects the rights of all citizens, and implementing 13A or 13+ is not a solution to the problems faced by the people, National People’s Power (NPP) leader Anura Kumara Dissanayaka, addressing Parliament, has said. A referendum should be held, on the new Constitution to be made, so that the people would be able to decide its fate, Dissanayake said.
“We propose a new Constitution to solve people’s issues but we know the political elite won’t support such a move. You cannot tolerate unity between ethnicities. These people want racism and racist violence. Who brought in anti-Muslim hate? Racism is your only political tool. Now you are talking about equality and rights?” he said.
He also commended the Supreme Court over its decision on holding the local council elections. NPP leader Dissanayaka told Parliament that the government took various steps to prevent the local council elections from happening.
“Some of these measures were constitutional. Some were mass scale misinformation campaigns. They even sent their henchmen to Court to petition against the election. The Supreme Court that had been giving landmark verdicts to protect democracy and people’s rights recently has thwarted all these efforts,” he said.
President Ranil Wickremesinghe is also undermining independent commissions in a bid to postpone elections, he said. “Look at what they are trying to do to the Elections Commission”.
Dissanayaka said that some government MPs have accused the NPP of receiving money through illegitimate means and that the NPP leaders have various nefarious connections.
“Now, if I was the government, I would carry out an investigation. I will see if someone is making money through illegal means and if they are evading taxes. There is no point in making ludicrous accusations in Parliament. These people are using Parliamentary privileges,” he said.
He also said that the NPP is ready to debate about the economy with Ranil Wickremesinghe, Mahinda Rajapaksa and Basil Rajapaksa, who are the most recent Ministers of Finance.
“Ranil has addressed the nation six times, in the last few months. Made two policy statements in Parliament. And several times more in Parliament. The man has a mania for sitting in the Speaker’s chair and addressing Parliament. Recently, he went to Kandy and made Ambassadors and High Commissioners go there. The bill to feed the Ambassadors, at Ambepussa, was over 300,000 rupees. It was just the same with Independence Day,” he said.
Sri Lanka decided not to pay external debt in April 2022. If Sri Lanka had serviced the debt, it would have had to pay five billion U.S Dollars.
“This gave us time. We used the money, we would have used to service debt, to buy fuel, gas and some medicine and claim that the economy is back on track. We have a breathing space because we are not paying back the debt. Ranil and his gang have not done anything for the economic recovery,” he said.
The other plan is to shrink the economy, the NPP said. For this the interest rates were increased and now the purchasing power of the people have declined, Dissanayaka added.
“As a result, the industries are on the verge of collapse. Construction sector has collapsed and a large number of factories have closed down. What recovery when you are shrinking. The other plan, they have, is unfair taxation. In 2020, when the economy had some semblance of normalcy, Gotabaya Rajapaksa reduced taxes, created inflation and brought the economy down. Increasing, or reducing taxes, depends on the overall context of the economy,” he said.
Out of the Sri Lankan workforce, only 15 percent are professionals. These professionals have to be protected but by imposing unfair taxation, the government is encouraging the brain drain.
“It is natural for someone to adjust his or her life based, on the salary. Suddenly, the government decided to take a chunk off the salary. This has affected people adversely and they are leaving the country in droves. At least increase the taxable threshold to 200,000 rupees,” he said.
The government has been making contradictory statements about 13A, he said. The NPP has no problem if the northern people are given back their land, currently held by government agencies. In countries like Sri Lanka, land is not just an exchangeable commodity. It represents people’s link to the land, he said.
“Why are two different opinions being expressed? Ranil and Mahinda may have different ideas. So please talk among yourselves and give us your written proposal on implementing 13A. Give us a base document signed by the President, Prime Minister and Mahinda Rajapaksa. These three people are saying different things. In recent decades, Sri Lankan politics were driven by racism. At a time when elections are near, the establishment is using the same tactics,” he said.
The Maldives Coast Guard Ship Huravee which arrived in Sri Lanka for replenishment purposes, departed the island on 04 Mar 26.
In accordance with naval tradition, the Sri Lanka Navy extended a customary farewell to the departing ship at the Port of Colombo
A day after a US submarine sunk an Iranian Navy warship off the coast of Sri Lanka, the Foreign Minister of Iran, Sayed Abbas Araghchi, has warned that the US would “pay bitterly” for targeting a ship in international waters, The Tribune has reported.
Araghchi posted on social media platform X on Thursday saying, “The US has perpetrated an atrocity at sea, 2,000 miles away from Iran’s shores.”
The frigate IRIS Dena, a guest of India’s Navy carrying almost 130 sailors, was struck in international waters without warning, said the Iran Foreign Minister, adding, “Mark my words: The US will come to bitterly regret the precedent it has set.”
US Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, on Wednesday confirmed that a US submarine fired a torpedo and sank the Iranian Navy vessel IRIS Dena west of Sri Lanka.
In a way, the Iran and US-Israel conflict has reached close to the Indian coast. The strike today at sea was almost 4,000 kms away from Iran, significantly expanding the radius of war. Already, fearing Iranian missile strikes, several US warships have moved eastward towards India.
These ships are in international waters. India has denied that any US Navy assets were using Indian ports. The Iranian ship, hit on Wednesday, was returning after participating in the international fleet review and exercise Milan hosted by India at Visakhapatnam.
The Iranian ship went down with almost 130 sailors on board missing. The Sri Lankan Navy, acting on a distress call, rescued 32 of the Iranian sailors. Hegseth confirmed the act by the US forces, saying the ship was hit in the Indian Ocean, stating, “an Iranian warship that thought it was safe in international waters. .. Instead, it was sunk by a torpedo”.
Hegseth did not name the Iranian ship that was attacked. But earlier, the Sri Lankan Navy reported the distress call from IRIS Dena when it was some 40 kms west of Galle, located on the south-western part of the island country. On February 16, the Iranian ship had sailed into the port of Visakhapatnam, where seventy-four nations participated.
Warships from Australia, Japan, South Korea, Russia, and dozens of others were anchored alongside the now-sunk Iranian vessel. Iran’s Navy Commander, Rear Admiral Shahram Irani, held talks with India’s Chief of Naval Staff on strengthening maritime security cooperation.
The theme was “United through Oceans.” Notably, the US Navy was supposed to send the guided-missile destroyer USS Pinckney to the exercise Milan; however, the ship was diverted to Singapore on February 15. The US did not field its warship in Milan, which had ships from Russia and Iran.
The exercise ended on February 25. Three days later, on February 28, the United States and Israel launched Operation Epic Fury. The IRIS Dena was transiting home. This morning at 5:08 a.m. local time, the IRIS Dena issued a distress call. Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister, Vijitha Herath, informed parliament that two navy vessels and an aircraft were deployed. Thirty crew members were rescued and admitted to Karapitiya Hospital in Galle.
The Straits Times reported 32 critically wounded survivors. Reuters reported 101 missing and 78 wounded. The Sri Lankan Navy spokesman said the operation was conducted in line with the International Convention on Maritime Search and Rescue.
The Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) has warned of a possible risk of power cuts due to the use of inferior quality coal affecting generation capacity at the Lakvijaya Power Plant, according to a recent commission report.
The commission said the risk to the continuous electricity supply was assessed based on the peak demand forecast submitted by the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) for 2026.
According to the report, the analysis assumed that hydropower plants could contribute up to 1,300 MW to meet the night peak demand, while the Lakvijaya Power Plant (LVPS) would be able to contribute only up to 690 MW due to a capacity shortfall, assuming a 40 MW generation capacity reduction from each unit.
The PUCSL said the assessment was carried out taking into account the planned maintenance schedule submitted by the CEB. Under the schedule, Unit 1 of the Lakvijaya plant is due to undergo maintenance checks and repairs in June for a period of 25 days, while Unit 2 is scheduled for maintenance in July for another 25 days.
The report also noted that the 270 MW West Coast Power Plant is scheduled to undergo maintenance in April for 10 days, while the 150 MW Kelanitissa Combined Cycle Power Plant (KCCP 2) is expected to undergo maintenance during May, June and July.
Under normal conditions, the report said, there is a potential risk of a generation capacity shortage if electricity demand reaches 3,030 MW in April, 3,070 MW in June and 3,000 MW in July.
The highest recorded night peak demand so far in 2026 was 2,949 MW on February 25.
The PUCSL further warned that if one coal unit or any major power plant becomes unavailable from the existing generation mix, there would be a significant risk of a generation capacity shortage to meet the night peak demand, particularly during April, June and July.
Energy sector analysts said the use of substandard coal could further aggravate operational challenges at the Norochcholai plant, potentially affecting generation efficiency and reliability if corrective measures are not taken promptly.
By Ifham Nizam
‘No deal with Iran except unconditional surrender,’ Trump says
Tiny possum and glider thought extinct for 6,000 years found in remote West Papua
Maldives Coast Guard Ship Huravee departs island
Cost to US for war on Iran is $3.7bn in first 100 hours, says think tank
More than 120 killed in Israel’s Lebanon attacks as Beirut, south, east hit
Hungary confirms it is holding seven Ukrainian bank workers and $80m
‘Dates have the highest sugar content to fight Coronavirus’
Sunday Island 27 December – Headlines
#SundayIsland 17th December – Headlines
Sunday Island – 28th March
Sunday Island Headlines – 21 March
Sunday Island – 21st February – Headlines
-
Features5 days agoBrilliant Navy officer no more
-
Opinion5 days agoSri Lanka – world’s worst facilities for cricket fans
-
Features5 days agoA life in colour and song: Rajika Gamage’s new bird guide captures Sri Lanka’s avian soul
-
News2 days agoLegal experts decry move to demolish STC dining hall
-
Business2 days agoCabinet nod for the removal of Cess tax imposed on imported good
-
Features6 days agoOverseas visits to drum up foreign assistance for Sri Lanka
-
Features6 days agoSri Lanka to Host First-Ever World Congress on Snakes in Landmark Scientific Milestone
-
Latest News2 days agoAround 140 people missing after Iranian navy ship sinks off coast of Sri Lanka