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President tells judiciary to keep off his turf
President Ranil Wickremesinghe on Sunday said that the judiciary should not interfere with the affairs of the Executive.
Speaking at a ceremony where freehold land deeds were distributed under the Urumaya at the Mahiyangana Public Stadium, the President said it was Parliament that had judiciary powers.
President Wickremesinghe highlighted the history of the Urumaya programme, which was initiated in 2002 and 2003 but was subsequently halted due to a court decision.
Wickremesinghe said that if the programme had been implemented 20 years back, the people could have been granted free land rights earlier.
“The Urumaya programme was launched in this country in 2002 and 2003 but it was suspended due to a court decision. I acted according to the Land Development Ordinance, which was prepared by my grandfather, C L Wickremesinghe, who served as the Government Agent in the North Central Province at that time.
“D. S. Senanayake, then the Minister of Agriculture, visited Anuradhapura to inspect the old tanks, some of which had been renovated while others, including the Parakrama Samudraya were slated for renovation. Thereafter, the focus of the government shifted to settling the people in that area.
“During this period, D.S. Senanayake informed my grandfather of the establishment of a new department called the Land Development Department and instructed him to take charge of it and draft the necessary laws. My grandfather prepared and passed those laws, became the first Land Development Commissioner, and settled the people in the area. The aim was to provide land to the landless people of the wet zone, establish villages in these areas, and develop both the wet zone and the newly established villages. This law was created to achieve that goal.
“When I reviewed his files, I discovered a significant issue: many people in Sri Lanka at that time could not read or write. Consequently, various individuals exploited them by including them in agreements one by one and attempting to seize their land through loans. To address this, the land licence system was created.
“The situation in 1935 was vastly different from today. Now, every family in this country has well-educated members, including graduates, doctors, and lawyers. Therefore, such exploitation is unlikely to happen today. However, back then, the lack of education made people vulnerable to such schemes.
“We implemented this programme when we started the Mahaweli movement.
However, after 10-15 years, it was no longer necessary as people protected their lands. I believed they would not sell their land, but eventually, people began to expect land rights. This necessitated a new law to provide these lands under the Land Development Ordinance. I presented the draft law, but the Supreme Court ruled that a referendum was necessary to pass such legislation.
“If we had been given the opportunity to implement that programme back then, we could have confirmed freehold land rights for the people 20 years ago. However, foreign investors were later given free land instead. If it was possible to allocate government land to the Shangri-La Hotel under the Land Ordinance, why can’t I, as the President, grant land rights to two million people?
“Some have warned that this matter will go to court, but it’s important to remember that the authority lies not with the court but with Parliament. I have always maintained that the judiciary should not interfere with the executive.
In 1978, Minister Gamini Dissanayake initiated the Uluhitiya project here. Today, I am here to start the programme of giving freehold land deeds to all those who came from Uluhitiya. This is your right, not a government favour,” he said.
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Showers above 100 mm are likely at some places in the Eastern and Uva provinces and showers about 50-75 mm in other areas
WEATHER FORECAST FOR 08 JANUARY 2026
Issued at 05.30 a.m. on 08 January 2026 by the Department of Meteorology
The depression over the Bay of Bengal, located to the southeast of Sri Lanka, was centered near latitude 5.3°N and longitude 86.0°E, about 490 km southeast of Pottuvil, at 11:30 p.m. yesterday (07). It is expected to move west-northwestwards and towards the eastern coast of the island during next 24 hours. This system is likely to intensify further into a deep depression during the next 12 hours.
Cloudy skies can be expected over most parts of the island.
Showers or thundershowers will occur at times in the Northern, North-central, Eastern, Uva, Central and Southern provinces. Showers or thundershowers may occur at several places elsewhere in the Island after 1.00 p.m. Heavy showers above 100 mm are likely at some places in the Eastern and Uva provinces. Fairly Heavy showers about (50 – 75) mm are likely at some places in the other areas of the island.
Strong winds about (50-60) kmph can be expected at times over the Eastern slopes of the central hills, the Northern, North-central, North-western and Eastern provinces and in Hambantota, Gampaha, Colombo and Monaragala districts.
The general public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimize damages caused by temporary localized strong winds and lightning during thundershowers.
Minister of Public Security Ananda Wijepala told Parliament yesterday that information uncovered during ongoing investigations indicated that Pulasthini Mahendran, also known as Sara Jasmine, linked to the 2019 Easter Sunday terror attacks, was not dead.
Responding to a question raised by Opposition MP Mujibur Rahuman, the Minister said there was no confirmation that Sara Jasmine was currently in India, despite speculation to that effect. He added that investigators suspected she may have fled the country and stressed that further inquiries were underway to establish her whereabouts.
“If necessary, the government will take steps to obtain a warrant,” Wijepala said, noting that legal action related to the Easter attacks had already been initiated, based on available evidence.
Minister Wijepala said the new government had launched an thorough probe to determine whether a political or other conspiracy had been behind the attacks that killed more than 270 people in 2019. However, he declined to disclose certain details in Parliament, citing the risk of hampering investigations.
Sara Jasmine, Mohammed Hashtun, who bombed St. Sebastian’s Church, in Katuwapitiya, in 2019, was long presumed to have died in a suicide blast in Sainthamaruthu, days after the attacks. Wijepala said attempts by previous administrations to establish her death had failed, with recent reports indicating that DNA tests conducted at the time were inconclusive.
During the debate, MP Rahuman recalled that senior figures, including then-Opposition MP Nalinda Jayatissa, had previously claimed Sara Jasmine was in India. He questioned why authorities had not sought an open warrant for her arrest whether the issue had been raised in talks with Indian officials.
Wijepala, responding on behalf of Deputy Minister of Defence Arun Jayasekara, said the government would not hesitate to pursue legal action, including warrants, if necessary.
By Saman Indrajith
The Chief of the Indian Army Staff (COAS), General Upendra Dwivedi arrived in Sri Lanka yesterday (07). On arrival, the COAS was accorded a Guard of Honour by the Sri Lanka Army.
The Indian HC said that: “He will engage with senior military and civil leadership, including the Commander of the Sri Lanka Army, Deputy Minister of Defence and the Defence Secretary; and hold detailed discussions on matters of mutual interest, including training cooperation, capacity building and regional security.
During the visit, the COAS will address officers at the Defence Services Command and Staff College (DSCSC) and interact with officers and trainees at the Army War College, Buttala, reflecting India’s strong commitment to defence education and professional military exchanges with Sri Lanka.
General Dwivedi will also pay homage at the IPKF War Memorial, honouring the supreme sacrifice of Indian soldiers.”
General Dwivedi arrived here from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) where he attended several events during 05 to 06 January.
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