News
Passage of 22A: Jayasumana asks Speaker to remove dual citizens from Parliament

Ex-Speaker KJ says laws of the land should be applied across the board
By Shamindra Ferdinando
Prof. Channa Jayasumana, MP, says Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena should take tangible measures to remove all dual citizens from Parliament.The Anuradhapura District rebel SLPP MP has asserted that nearly a dozen dual citizens remain in Parliament, though Basil Rajapaksa no longer serves as a member of Parliament. The then President Gotabaya, Rajapaksa in April, this year, dropped Basil Rajapaksa from the Cabinet of Ministers.Now that Parliament has overwhelmingly approved the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution, it will be the Speaker’s responsibility to ensure the removal of dual citizens, unless they resigned, voluntarily, or gave up their respective foreign nationalities, Prof. Jayasumana argues.
The Parliament ratified the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution, with a two-thirds majority, on Oct 21. of the 225 MPs, 174 members voted for the new law, while SLPP MP Rear Admiral Sarath Weerasekera voted against the 22nd Amendment. The 22nd Amendment, that reactivated key provisions in the 19th Amendment had to be implemented across the board, lawmaker Jayasumana said.
Responding to The Island queries, MP Jayasumana said that he would take up this issue with Speaker Abeywardena. The former State and Cabinet Minister said that he would write to the Speaker, in this regard, within the next few days. The Speaker couldn’t absolve himself of the responsibility of ensuring all members of Parliament complied with the provision on dual citizenship, MP Jayasumana said.
Commenting on Dr. Prathibha Mahanamahewa’s assertion that the Supreme Court should be consulted, regarding the fate of the remaining members of Parliament, MP Jayasumana said that at the time of the last parliamentary poll, in August 2020, the 19th Amendment was in place. Therefore, there couldn’t be any issue regarding their removal, Prof. Jayasumana said. “In fact, they shouldn’t have contested the last parliamentary poll as the 19th Amendment, enacted in 2015, expressly prohibited dual citizens contesting parliamentary, or presidential polls. Actually, they should be dealt with for not declaring their status as dual citizens,” lawmaker Jayasumana said.
MP Jayasumana recalled how Galle District MP Geetha Kumarasinghe had been deprived of her parliamentary seat, in early 2017, on the basis of the 19th Amendment. The former actress renounced her Swiss nationality to pave the way for her to re-contest the general election, on the SLPP ticket.
There could be dual citizens among those who voted for the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution, as well among the absentees, Prof. Jayasumana said. The MP declined to name the dual citizens in Parliament. The MP pointed out that Basil Rajapaksa had re-entered Parliament, in June 2021, after the enactment of the 20th Amendment, in Oct 2020.Prof. Jayasumana said political parties should have paid attention to the provision on dual citizenship, after the enactment of the 19th Amendment.
Former Speaker Karu Jayasuriya yesterday told The Island that laws of the land should be applied to all. Therefore, there was no harm in checking the status of all MPs, consequent to the passage of the 22nd Amendment. Jayasuriya said that during his tenure as the Speaker there hadn’t been dual citizens in Parliament apart from to Geetha Kumarasinghe, who lost her seat following a court ruling.
News
UN asks govt. to vacate ‘remaining lands still occupied and used economically by the military’

Military-held land down to 9% in North and East
The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has said that the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk, during discussions with the Sri Lankan government, stressed the importance of releasing the remaining lands still occupied and used economically by the military.
OHCHR has included updated information provided by the government on land releases in its reports to the Human Rights Council, the OHCHR said.
OHCHR team member Jeremy Laurence said so in response to The Island query regarding the HC’s call for release of land which both serving and retired officers considered unfair.
The Island posed the following question to the HC’s office: “At the conclusion of the UNHRC Chief’s visit to Sri Lanka recently, one of the issues he raised was the failure on the part of the armed forces to vacate public and private property held in the Northern and Eastern provinces. However, the military insists that approximately 91% of the total land held at the time of the conclusion of military operations, in May 2009, had been released. We would like to know whether the UNHRC Chief hadn’t been briefed by the government of Sri Lanka or the UN Mission in Colombo on the vacation of approximately 91% of the land held by the military in 2009.
The Island contacted OHCHR as suggested by the UN Mission in Colombo.
The military pointed out that of over 24,000 acres held in the Jaffna and Kilinochchi sectors in 2009, less than 2,500 acres remained in their hands. “We are down to the bare minimum. Further reductions will pose major challenges,” one retired officer said.
By Shamindra Ferdinando
News
Need to attend to sick wild elephants promptly discussed at high-level meeting

A high-level discussion on the urgent treatment of sick wild elephants was held on Monday (July 7) at the Ministry of Environment under the patronage of Minister of Environment Dr. Dhammika Patabendi and Deputy Minister Anton Jayakody.
Senior veterinary officers representing the Wildlife and Zoological Parks Veterinary Officers’ Association participated in the discussion alongside Secretary to the Ministry of Environment Rohitha Udawawala and Director of Veterinary Services of the Department of Wildlife Conservation Dr. Tharaka Prasad.
The focus of the meeting was to streamline rapid response measures to treat elephants suffering from illnesses in the wild and to ensure timely access to life-saving antibiotics and medical resources.
Commenting on the need for swift intervention, Environment Minister Dr. Dhammika Patabendi said:
“We cannot allow delays when it comes to the treatment of our wild elephants, especially those suffering from life-threatening conditions. These majestic creatures are an integral part of our natural heritage, and it is our duty to act fast. We are committed to providing our veterinary officers with the tools, resources, and policy support necessary to carry out this responsibility efficiently.”
Discussions also focused on identifying infected elephants promptly, administering treatment without delay, and addressing any shortages in medical supplies such as antibiotics. The officials explored avenues to ensure logistical and infrastructural support for veterinarians working in the field.
Significant attention was drawn to the existing cadre shortages within the Department of Wildlife Conservation’s veterinary and technical teams. Plans were discussed to address these gaps with the approval of the Department of Management Services and the Ministry of Public Administration.
Additionally, the need to provide field veterinarians with appropriate technical facilities and mobility support was emphasized as a key priority in enabling effective on-ground operations.
The meeting concluded with an understanding that urgent procedural and administrative steps would be taken to fast-track recruitment, supply of medication, and operational improvements necessary to protect the health of Sri Lanka’s wild elephant population.
By Ifham Nizam
News
Navy seizes contraband pesticides and seeds in Puttalam and Kalpitiya

The Navy detected a significant haul of smuggled pesticides and seeds during operations conducted in Puttalam and Kalpitiya from 20 to 30 June, 2025. The separate operations also resulted in two dinghies and a lorry also being taken into custody, Navy Headquarters said.
In a search operation on 20 June, the Northwestern Naval Command’s SLNS Vijaya inspected a suspicious lorry near Alankuda Beach, Puttalam, resulting in the vehicle, along with 32 sacks of pesticide materials and seeds suspected to have been smuggled into the country, being taken into custody.
On 28 June, during another search near Ippantivu Island, Kalpitiya, naval personnel spotted and took into custody two dinghies carrying 15 sacks of pesticide materials intended for smuggling.
It is suspected that the smugglers abandoned the contraband, along with the lorry and dinghies, due to heightened naval surveillance. The seized items were handed over to the Katunayake Customs Preventive Office for further investigation and legal action.
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