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Prez addresses SLPPer’s concerns over new Uni and permanent land deeds to farmers

Published

3 years ago

2023/11/23

Sahan Weerasooriya

President Ranil and Sarath Weerasekara

By Shamindra Ferdinando

SLPP MP Sarath Weerasekera yesterday (22) said that he voted for the 2024 Budget after having received an assurance from President Ranil Wickremesinghe that his concerns over the proposed move to allow Provincial Councils to establish Universities on their own and the issuance of permanent deeds to farmers would be addressed.

The former Public Security Minister said so when The Island asked him what made him vote for the Budget after having had expressed serious concerns over the above mentioned issues. During the Budget debate, the former Navy Chief of Staff strongly protested against both proposals.

The Colombo District MP Weerasekera was among 122 lawmakers who voted for the second Budget presented by President Ranil Wickremesinghe, in his capacity as the Finance Minister. In Sept. 2022, the UNP leader presented an interim budget for 2023. Seventy-seven voted against whereas 26 abstained.

Lawmaker Weerasekera said that President Wickremesinghe gave him an opportunity to meet him at the Presidential Secretariat immediately after he informed Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena and Chief Government Whip Prasanna Ranatunga on Tuesday morning (21) that he was contemplating skipping the vote. The move was meant to underscore his opposition to dangerous projects, the MP said.

Responding to another query, MP Weerasekera said that he reminded President Wickremesinghe the crisis caused by the enactment of the 21st Amendment. The former Minister said that he voted against the 21st Amendment, enacted on Oct 21, 2022, primarily because it denied the Head of State the opportunity to appoint the Inspector General of Police and judges to the Supreme Court without being subject to the approval of the Constitutional Council.

Of the 225-member parliament, 179 voted for the 21st Amendment, one voted against whereas 45 abstained.

Very much appreciating the opportunity to make representations to the President, MP Weerasekera said that Provincial Councils shouldn’t be allowed to set up Universities without recommendation/approval from the University Grants Commission (UGC). Even in terms of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution enacted at the behest of India, the degree awarding institutions are in the Concurrent List and not in the Provincial Council List, the ex-Minister said.

The former Law and Order Minister has warned that if the Provincial Councils were granted the authority, they could even set up Sharia and Wahhabi universities.

MP Weerasekera said that he received an assurance from the President that opening of Universities by Provincial Councils would be only on the basis of the UGC.

The MP said that the land issue should be addressed carefully. Weerasekera told The Island that even parliamentarians haven’t really understood the implications. The former Minister said that he urged the President to keep land powers with the State. “Issuing permanent deeds can cause quite a crisis. If the government issued permanent deeds, debt ridden farmers will be able to sell their land and multinational companies will exploit the situation.”

The MP quoted the President as having said that foreigners wouldn’t be allowed to buy land and only a person in the same village could buy the available land to cultivate the same crop. The President has said that he was ready to discuss the issues at hand.

Asked whether he received instructions from the SLPP regarding the vote on the Second Reading, MP Weerasekera said that the party never took a decision on this matter. “In fact, I asked the higher-ups to give MPs an opportunity to discuss the issues at hand before taking a stand but they didn’t bother to call a meeting. Therefore, I had to inform the Premier and the Chief Government Whip of his decision to abstain.”

Except for a few, the majority of SLPP parliamentary groups voted for the Budget on their own, MP Weerasekera said. That shouldn’t have happened under any circumstances, the ex-Minister added, urging the party leadership to give MPs an opportunity to discuss the entire gamut of issues before the vote on the Third Reading of the Budget on Dec 13 at 6 pm.

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Related Topics:President Ranil Wickremesinghe SLPP MP Sarath Weerasekera

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Geneva takes up Sallay’s case and govt. ignores opportunity to answer accusations

Published

10 hours ago

2026/10/5

Thilina Walpola

Suresh Sallay

The government has chosen not to respond to questions raised by the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) regarding the detention of retired Maj. Gen. Suresh Sallay in connection with the ongoing investigations into the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks.

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) arrested the ex-official in late February this year. The Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism, the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, the Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health and the Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers have jointly raised the issue on 20 July, 2026.

Drawing attention of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to what they called alleged arbitrary detention of Sallay, former Director General of the State Intelligence Service (SIS) and former Director of Military Intelligence (DMI), under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), as well as allegations of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment while in custody, resulting in the grave deterioration of his health, and imminent risks of retaliation through further torture and ill-treatment resulting in irreparable harm, should he be released from hospital and returned to custody, the UN sought the government explanation with a 60-day period.

The UN has stated: “This communication, and any response received from your Excellency’s Government, will be made public via the communications reporting website at the 60 days mark. Should your Excellency’s Government respond within 60 days, both the communication and the response, may be published before the 60 days mark. The communications and responses

will also be made available in the subsequent periodic report to be presented to the Human Rights Council.”

In the absence of the government’s response, the UN posted the letter, dated 20 July, 2026, addressed to President Dissanayake. The full letter can be accessed https://spcommreports.ohchr.org/TMResultsBase/DownLoadPublicCommunicationFile?gId=31125

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Section of wartime KKS High Security Zone vacated to facilitate economic development in the area

Published

10 hours ago

2026/10/5

Thilina Walpola

The Army, last week, vacated an area, within the wartime high security zone in the Jaffna peninsula. The Defence Ministry said that an extent of 187.56 acres of land, belonging to the Cement Corporation in Kankesanthurai, Jaffna, has been released by the military. The released land, located in Grama Niladhari Division J/233, Kankesanthurai West, within the Valikamam North (Tellippalai) Divisional Secretariat Division, had been utilised by the Sri Lanka Army since the middle of 1997.

The release of the 187.56-acre extent forms part of the initiative to make State land available for the proposed investment zone in Kankesanthurai, thereby facilitating future investment and economic development in the area.

News

Lawyer lodges complaint against Govt. Printer, Media Ministry Secy.

Published

10 hours ago

2026/10/5

Thilina Walpola

A complaint has been lodged with the Colombo Fraud Investigation Bureau against the Government Printer and the Secretary to the Ministry of Media regarding the online release of falsified documents bearing a forged Speaker’s certificate.

Attorney-at-Law Aruna Laksiri has lodged a complaint with the Colombo Fraud Investigation Bureau requesting legal action against the Government Printer of the Department of Government Printing (No. 118, Dr. Danister de Silva Mawatha, Colombo 08), Prasanna Jayaratne, and the Secretary to the Ministry of Mass Media (Asidisi Medura, 163, Kirulapone Mawatha, Polhengoda, Colombo 05), Dr. Anil Jasinghe.

The complaint alleges the commission of offences by forging and uploading falsified documents online using a forged Speaker’s certification, failure to perform statutory duties, and misappropriation of public property.

The complaint states that a copy of the English translation of the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution was downloaded and printed from the official website of the Government Printing Department (www.documents.gov.lk), which operates under the Ministry of Mass Media. On its outer cover and on page 1, the text “certified on 25th of September, 2026” is inscribed inside brackets.

The complaint pointed out that the Speaker has certified an English translation. Under Articles 23, 79, 83, and 80 of the Constitution, Parliament enacts laws and the Speaker certifies bills strictly in the Sinhala and Tamil languages; under the Constitution, therefore the Speaker cannot apply such certification to an English translation.