News

Prez takes defence

Published

5 years ago

2020/08/13

Sahan Weerasooriya

SLPP bags lion’s share of ministries

Ex-president Sirisena an ordinary MP

Newcomer Sabry receives justice portfolio

Four members of Rajapaksa family in Cabinet

Wijeyadasa rejects state ministry

Former TNA MP now a state minister

Several Viyathmaga members made ministers

By Shamindra Ferdinando

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who is also the Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces yesterday (12) took the defence portfolio although the 19th Amendment to the Constitution bars the President from holding any portfolio.

The 19th Amendment enacted in early 2015 repealed Article 44 (2), which enabled the President to hold any number of portfolios.

President Rajapaksa refrained from assuming defence portfolio when he appointed a smaller interim Cabinet last November in the run-up to the Aug 5 parliamentary election.

Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa was among 25 ministers who took oaths before President Gotabaya Rajapaksa at the Magul Maduwa of Dalada Maligawa. In addition to them, 40 received appointments as State Ministers.

The President’s Office on Monday (10) issued a gazette notification with a list of 28 ministries and 40 state ministries.

Of those who had received cabinet portfolios, 17 represent the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP). Other ministries were shared by SLFP 2 (Nimal Siripala de Silva and Mahinda Amaraweera), MEP (Dinesh Gunawardena), EPDP (Douglas Devananda), NFF (Wimal Weerawansa), DLF (Vasudeva Nanayakkara) and PHU (Udaya Prabath Gammanpila).

Among the Cabinet of ministers were two members SLPP National List members, Prof. G. L. Peiris, Chairman of the party and Ali Sabry, PC.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa accommodated Sabry in his Cabinet as the Justice Minister.

The Cabinet includes four Rajapaksas, the President (Defence), the Prime Minister (Finance, Buddha Sasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs and Urban Development and Housing), Chamal Rajapaksa (Irrigation) and Namal Rajapaksa (Youth Affairs and Sports). In addition to them, Shasheendra Rajapaksa received appointment as State Minister of Paddy and Cereals, Organic Food, Vegetables, Fruits, Chillies, Onions and Potatoes, Seed Production and High Tech Agriculture.

Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapaksa, PC, declined to accept post of a State Minister as he expected a Cabinet portfolio. Wijeyadasa Rajapaksa contested the recently-concluded general election from Colombo on the SLPP ticket after switching his allegiance to President Rajapaksa. He entered Parliament on the UNP ticket at the previous general election.

One-time Justice Minister was not available for comment.

Chamal Rajapaksa, in addition to being the minister of irrigation, took oaths as State Minister for Internal Security, Home Affairs and Disaster Management. The police come under him. One-time Speaker was the only one to hold both State and cabinet portfolios.

Many an eyebrow was raised when the swearing in ceremony concluded without former President and leader of the SLFP Maithripala Sirisena, who had arrived at the swearing-in ceremony a bit late, not receiving a portfolio. Having contested the general election on the SLPP ticket except Jaffna and Kalutara, the SLFP obtained 13 seats. In addition to the elected, the SLFP secured one National List slot (Dr. Suren Raghavan). The SLFP on its own won one seat in the Jaffna electoral district (Angajan Ramanathan).

In addition to the two Cabinet ministries received by the SLFP, SLFP General Secretary Dayasiri Jayasekera and two others, Duminda Dissanayake and Lasantha Alagiyawanna were sworn in as State Ministers.

Deputy Leader of the NFF Jayantha Samaraweera, who contested from Kalutara on the SLPP ticket was among the State Ministers. Sons of former Prime Ministers, the late Ratnasiri Wickramanayaka and the late D. M. Jayaratne, Vidura and Anuradha, respectively, too, received appointments as State Ministers.

President Rajapaksa accommodated several elected Viyathmaga members among the State Ministers and Chairpersons of District Coordinating Committees. Eight out of nine candidates fielded by the civil society group Viyathmaga entered Parliament. Of them, retired Rear Admiral Sarath Weerasekera, Dr. Nalaka Godahewa and Prof. Channa Jayasumana were named State Ministers. In addition to them, two Viyathmaga National List members, former Central Bank Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal and Dr. Seetha Arambepola were accommodated among the group of State Ministers.

Three other Viyathmaga members, Dr. Upul Galappaththi (Hambantota), Nalaka Bandara Kottegoda (Matale) and Gunapala Ratnasekera (Kurunegala) were named Chairpersons of District Coordinating Committees.

Former Tamil National Alliance dissident Sadasivam Viyalendran (Batticaloa) was sworn in as State Minister for postal services development and mass media.

Jeewan Thondaman, son of the late Arumugam Thondaman, CWC leader, was named estate housing and community infrastructure facilities state minister.

Nipuna, son of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s sister was among 23 Chairpersons of District Coordinating Committees.

Former ministers and State Ministers, LSSP Chief Prof. Tissa Vitharana, S. B. Dissanayake, Susil Premjayantha, Ranjith Siyambalapitiya Anura Priyadarshana Yapa, Mahinda Samarasinghe, Jihn Seneviratne, Chandima Weerakkody, Dilan Perera, Rohana Dissanayake, Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, K.K. Masthan, Angajan Ramanathan and Dushyantha Mithrapala were among those left out. Communist Party National List MP, too, wasn’t accommodated in the Cabinet.

The SLPP won a staggering 145 seats out of 225-member Parliament. The breakaway UNP faction, the Samagi Jana Balavegaya secured 54 seats whereas the UNP, the TNA and the JVP led Jathika Jana Balavegaya won 01, 10 and 03 seats, respectively.

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News

Navy seizes an Indian fishing boat poaching in northern waters

Published

3 hours ago

2025/12/29

Priyan

During an operation conducted in the dark hours of 27 Dec 25, the Sri Lanka Navy seized an Indian fishing boat and apprehended 03 Indian fishermen while they were poaching in Sri Lankan waters, south of the Delft Island in Jaffna.

The seized boat and Indian fishermen (03) were brought to the Kreinagar Jetty and were handed over to the Fisheries Inspector of Jaffna for onward legal proceedings.

News

Delay in govt. response to UK sanctions on ex-military chiefs, and others causes concern

Published

14 hours ago

2025/12/29

Sahan Weerasooriya

General Silva / Admiral Karannagoda

Admiral of the Fleet Wasantha Karannagoda said that he is still waiting for the government’s response to the UK sanctions imposed on three ex-military officers, including him, and a former member of the LTTE.

The former Navy Chief said so in response to The Island query whether he was aware of the position taken by a three-member ministerial committee, consisting of Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath, Justice and National Integration Minister Harshana Nanayakkara and Deputy Defence Minister Maj. Gen (retd) Aruna Jayasekera.

The government named the committee in the wake of the UK declaration of travel bans and asset freezes in respect of Karannagoda, General Shavendra Silva, General Jagath Jayasuriya and Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan, also known as Karuna. Maj. Gen. Jayasekera said that they inquired into the issue at hand.

Karannnagoda said that he would like to know the government’s recommendations if the ministerial committee briefed the Cabinet as per a decision taken by the Cabinet of Ministers. Karannagoda said that the issue should have been taken at the highest level as various interested parties continue to humiliate the war-winning military by targeting selected individuals.

Other sources, familiar with the issues at hand, told The Island that the government was yet to announce its stand.

Sources pointed out that the Opposition has been silent on what they called a matter of utmost national importance.

Cabinet spokesman Dr. Nalinda Jayathissa is on record as having described the UK move as a unilateral move and that committee was formed to examine the developments and recommend appropriate measures to the Cabinet.

Foreign Minister Herath told The Island the government was not successful in getting the British to withdraw sanctions. Describing the UK decision as unilateral, the Miniser said that the government conveyed its concerns but the UK didn’t change its stand.

The Island raised the issue with Minister Herath and Admiral Karannagoda in the wake of British MP of Sri Lankan origin, Uma Kumaran requesting the UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper to expand on the government’s sanctions imposed on the four above-mentioned persons.

During a Foreign Affairs Committee meeting on 16 December, the MP for Stratford and Bow highlighted the lack of accountability and political will from the current Sri Lankan government to address war crimes and mass atrocities committed in Sri Lanka.

Sources said that David Lammy, who served as Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs at the time of the declaration of sanctions, had no qualms in declaring that the action taken against four Sri Lankans was in line with a commitment he made during the election campaign to ensure those responsible wouldn’t be allowed impunity. The UK government statement quoted Lammy as having said that this decision ensured that those responsible for past human rights violations and abuses were held accountable.

By Shamindra Ferdinando

News

Sri Lanka outlines seven key vectors of international cooperation at Moscow forum

Published

14 hours ago

2025/12/29

Sahan Weerasooriya

Shobini

Sri Lankan Ambassador to the Russian Federation, Shobini Gunasekera recently presented a conceptual framework of seven key vectors that defined contemporary international relations and facilitated dialogue among States. She made the presentation at XI Moscow International Financial and Economic Forum held under the theme “Building Bridges: Partnership without Borders”.

In her address, the Ambassador emphasised that these vectors represent the channels through which ideas circulate, trade expands, and peace is strengthened, serving as guiding principles for cooperation amid global uncertainties. The seven key vectors highlighted were economic ties as a foundation for long-term stability; political choice and diplomacy through dialogue and multilateral engagement; security cooperation to address cross-border threats; cultural linkages through education, tourism, and professional exchanges; technological advancement, particularly in digital systems and artificial intelligence; environmental stewardship through collective action on renewable energy and climate change; and humanitarian obligations, including disaster relief and development cooperation.

Drawing on Sri Lanka’s experience, the Ambassador illustrated the practical application of these principles by highlighting the country’s strategic location in the Indian Ocean, its role as a trade and logistics hub, and its active engagement in regional groupings such as BIMSTEC and the Indian Ocean Rim Association, where the Russian Federation serves as a Dialogue Partner.

The potential for enhanced Sri Lanka–Russia bilateral cooperation was underscored, particularly through complementarities between Russia’s technological and energy expertise and Sri Lanka’s logistical capabilities and maritime infrastructure. She noted that such synergies could support joint initiatives in trade, innovation, tourism, and logistics, while cultural and scientific exchanges would further strengthen mutual understanding between the two countries.

Concluding her remarks, the Ambassador stated that sustained progress requires dialogue, mutual respect, and forward-looking partnerships capable of shaping a shared and stable future.