News
Parliament condemns disgraceful treatment of guest speaker at Sethsiripaya event
The Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus (WPC) and the Parliamentary Caucus for the Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities (PCIPD) have condemned the denial of rights of disabled persons on the basis that vehicle access to Sethsiripaya is exclusively for VIPs.
The following is the text of the joint statement issued by the WPC and PCIPD through the Parliament yesterday: “We strongly condemn the incident that took place on 5th April 2024 at the Sethsiripaya, where a woman with disabilities, was obstructed from using her own transport to leave the premises and was informed that vehicle access was exclusively the use of for VIPs. It has been brought to our notice that the language used by the relevant Security Officers has been highly insensitive, disrespectful and hurtful. The aforementioned incident occurred while she was an invited speaker in a workshop aimed at raising awareness about the inclusion of persons with disabilities, which was organised by the Ministry of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs.
Persons with disabilities makeup 9% of Sri Lanka’s population and often face discrimination and harassment in various spheres when they access different services, carry out their activities of daily living, and participate in their communities. Persons with disabilities also often experience difficulties due to the lack of necessary infrastructure and necessary provisions such as sign language interpretation, disability-friendly educational and employment facilities, and accessible transport.
Sri Lanka ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) in 2016, undertaking the responsibility to “promote, protect and ensure the full and equal enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by all persons with disabilities (people living with disabilities), and to promote respect for their inherent dignity”. The Sri Lankan Constitution also guarantees the right to equal access to shops, public restaurants, hotels, places of public entertainment and places of public worship of his own religion, regardless of race, religion, language, caste, sex or disability (Article 12 (3)). Therefore, the Government of Sri Lanka is obliged to ensure that persons with disabilities have comfortable access to all public buildings.
Moreover, the Constitution further states that special provisions can be made by law, subordinate legislation or executive action, for the advancement of women, children or disabled persons (Article 12 (4)). As such, Sri Lanka must uphold her promises for the advancement of the welfare of persons with disabilities, and strive to ensure that their rights are protected.
This incident highlights the intersectionality of discrimination and obstacles encountered by persons due to multiple identities. The individual concerned here is a woman with a disability rendering her particularly vulnerable to daily challenges. Therefore, it is incumbent upon the Government to factor in all these circumstances and strive to alleviate some of their burdens.
The National Secretariat for Persons with Disabilities, the Passport Office and many more Government services are regularly accessed by persons with disabilities. Since the security services to the Government offices in Battaramulla are the primary responsibility of the Urban Development Authority (UDA), we also urge the UDA to take necessary action to, inter alia, sensitise and educate the Security Officers on inclusive treatment and the use of inclusive language when dealing with women and persons with disabilities.
It is our responsibility as Sri Lankan citizens to ensure incidents like this do not occur in the future. As the WPC and the PCIPD, we strongly urge that the staff of Sethsiripaya (and other public spaces) be appropriately sensitised and informed about the rights of persons with disabilities. Moreover, we particularly urge Government officers to be aware and informed of the needs of persons with disabilities and to anticipate and make necessary provisions when conducting any future programmes.”
During an operation conducted in the dark hours of 01 Jan 26, the Sri Lanka Navy seized an Indian fishing boat and apprehended 11 Indian fishermen while they were poaching in Sri Lankan waters, off Kovilan of Kareinagar, Jaffna.
The Northern Naval Command spotted a group of Indian fishing boats engaging in illegal fishing, trespassing into Sri Lankan waters. In response, naval craft of the Northern Naval Command were deployed to drive away those Indian fishing boats from island waters off Kovilan.
Meanwhile, compliant boarding made by naval personnel resulted in the seizure of one Indian fishing boat and apprehension of 11 Indian fishermen who continued to engage in illegal fishing in Sri Lankan waters.
The seized boat (01) and Indian fishermen (11) were handed over to the Fisheries Inspector of Myliddy, Jaffna for onward legal proceedings.
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Tri-Forces donate LKR. 372 million, a day’s pay of all ranks to ‘Rebuilding Sri Lanka’ Fund
Members of all ranks from the Sri Lanka Army, Sri Lanka Navy and Sri Lanka Air Force have collectively donated a day’s basic salary to the ‘Rebuilding Sri Lanka’ Fund, which was established to restore livelihoods and rebuild the country following the devastation caused by Cyclone Ditwah.
Accordingly, the total contribution made by the Tri-Forces amounts to LKR. 372,776,918.28.
The cheques representing the financial contributions were handed over on Wednesday (31 December) at the Presidential Secretariat to the Secretary to the President, Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake.
The donations comprised LKR. 250 million from the Commander of the Army, Major General Lasantha Rodrigo; LKR. 73,963,879.71 from the Commander of the Navy, Rear Admiral Kanchana Banagoda and LKR. 48,813,038.97 from the Commander of the Air Force, Air Marshal Vasu Bandu Edirisinghe.
Secretary to the Ministry of Defence, Air Vice Marshal Sampath Thuyacontha, was also present on the occasion.
The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) has submitted a proposal to the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) seeking an 11.57 percent increase in electricity tariffs for the first quarter of 2026, citing an estimated revenue shortfall and additional financial pressures, including cyclone-related damages.
According to documents issued by the PUCSL, the proposed tariff revision would apply to electricity consumption from January to March 2026 and includes changes to both energy charges and fixed monthly charges across all consumer categories, including domestic, religious, industrial, commercial and other users.
Under the proposal, domestic electricity consumers would face increases in unit rates as well as fixed monthly charges across all consumption blocks.
The CEB has estimated a deficit of Rs. 13,094 million for the first quarter of 2026, which it says necessitates the proposed 11.57 per cent tariff hike. The utility has noted that any deviation from this estimate whether a surplus or a shortfall will be adjusted through the Bulk Supply Tariff Adjustment (BSTA) mechanism and taken into account in the next tariff revision.
In its submission, the CEB said the proposed revision is aimed at ensuring the financial and operational stability of the power sector and mitigating potential risks to the reliability of electricity supply. The board-approved tariff structure for the first quarter of 2026 has been submitted to the PUCSL for approval and subsequent implementation, as outlined in Annex II of the proposal.
The CEB has also highlighted the financial impact of Cyclone Ditwah, which it said caused extensive damage to electricity infrastructure, with total losses estimated at around Rs. 20 billion. Of this amount, Rs. 7,016.52 million has been attributed to the first quarter of 2026, which the utility said has a direct bearing on electricity tariffs.
The CEB warned that if external funding is not secured to cover the cyclone-related expenditure, the costs incurred would need to be recovered through electricity tariffs in the second-quarter revision of 2026.
Meanwhile, the PUCSL has said that a decision on whether to approve the proposed tariff increase will be made only after following due regulatory procedures and holding discussions on the matter.
By Sujeewa Thathsara ✍️
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