News
Promise to grant police and land powers under 13 A: Udaya flays Sajith
By Shamindra Ferdinando
Pivithuru Hela Urumaya (PHU) leader Udaya Gammanpila yesterday (10) condemned Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) and Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa for declaring his intention to fully implement the 13th Amendment to the Constitution.
Attorney-at-Law Gammanpila alleged that the declaration was made by presidential candidate Premadasa with his eye on Northern Province Tamil vote.
The Presidential election is expected to be held in Sept/Oct this year.
The PHU leader was referring to SJB’s Leader’s assurance given at an event held in Kilinochchi over the weekend. MP Premadasa emphasised that unlike other leaders he wouldn’t give false promises.
Colombo District MP Gammanpila said that the fellow Colombo District lawmaker wouldn’t have said so if he realised the implications of full implementation of police and land powers in terms of the 13th Amendment forced on Sri Lanka by India.
The late JR Jayewardene enacted 13th Amendment in Nov 1987 in accordance with Indo-Lanka Agreement of July 1987 that was forced on Sri Lanka after the notorious “parippu” drop over northern Sri Lanka by the Indian Air Force uninvited.
MP Gammanpila said that during the past 37 years eight presidents, including the SJB leader’s father, Ranasinghe Premadasa (Dec 1988- March 1993) refrained from granting police and land powers as they realised the inherent danger in such a move.
Recalling the merger of the Eastern Province with the Northern Province in terms of the Indo-Lanka Accord and the subsequent de-merger in Oct 2006, MP Gammanpila said that he deeply regretted the way the Opposition Leader disregarded warnings issued by the Maha Sangha and other concerned parties in this regard.
Full implementation of the 13th Amendment meant that the Eastern province would have to be re-merged with the Northern Province at the expense of the only Muslim majority Provincial Council in the country, MP Gammanpila said.
MP Gammanpila stressed that granting of police powers to a re-merged Northern-Eastern Province would pose a significant security threat. The JHU leader warned the SJB leader not to play politics with national security in a desperate bid to secure the backing of the northern electorate.
MP Gammanpila asserted that the SJB leader wouldn’t have promised full implementation of the 13th Amendment if he was aware of the ground situation here as well as developments in various parts of the world.
MP Gammanpila told The Island that 13th Amendment should be an issue handled cautiously by all political parties. Having defeated separatism 15 years ago, it would be a grave mistake on the part of the SJB leader or any other political party chief to encourage separatism at any level.
The bottom line was that Sri Lanka couldn’t under any circumstance grant police powers to provinces without risking a major security issue, he said.
The Indian Naval Ship (INS) Sahyadri which arrived at the Port of Colombo on a formal visit on 04 Apr 25, departed the island today (07 Apr). The Sri Lanka Navy bade customary farewell to the departing ship at the Port of Colombo, following naval traditions.
During the ship’s stay in Colombo, crew members of INS Sahyadri took part in several programmes organized by the Sri Lanka Navy, aimed at enhancing mutual cooperation. In addition, they also explored some tourist attractions in the country. Further, personnel of Sri Lanka Navy had the opportunity to visit INS Sahyadri, gaining insights into her operational capabilities.
Latest News
Advisory for severe lightning issued for Sabaragamuwa, Central and Uva provinces and in Hambanthota district
The Natural Hazards Early Warning Centre has issued an Advisory for Severe Lightning for the Sabaragamuwa, Central and Uva provinces and in Hambanthota district.
The advisory issued at 02.00 p.m. today [07 April 2025] is valid for the period until 11.00 p.m. 07 April 2025
The public are warned that thundershowers accompanied by severe lightning are likely to occur at several places in for Sabaragamuwa, Central and Uva provinces and in Hambantota district. There may be temporary localized strong winds during thundershowers. General public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimize damages caused by lightning activity.
ACTION REQUIRED:
The Department of Meteorology advises that people should:
Seek shelter, preferably indoors and never under trees.
• Avoid open areas such as paddy fields, tea plantations and open water bodies during thunderstorms.
• Avoid using wired telephones and connected electric appliances during thunderstorms.
• Avoid using open vehicles, such as bicycles, tractors and boats etc.
• Beware of fallen trees and power lines.
• For emergency assistance contact the local disaster management authorities.
The report of the “Census of Population and Housing 2024,” conducted by the Department of Census and Statistics, was officially handed over to President Anura Kumara Disanayake this morning (07) at the Presidential Secretariat.
This preliminary report has been prepared based on island wide data collected between October and December 2024.
The report provides details on Sri Lanka’s population, its growth and the distribution of the population across districts.
The information gathered through the census is vital not only for the government but also for other institutions in formulating policies and development plans essential for the country’s progress. Significantly, for the first time in the history of census-collecting in Sri Lanka, data collection was carried out using tablet computers and user-friendly mobile devices.
The event was attended by Deputy Minister of Finance & Planning, Harshana Suriyapperuma, Secretary to the President Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, Secretary to the Ministry of Finance Mahinda Siriwardana, Director General of the Department of Census and Statistics D.D.G.A. Senevirathne and several other officials.
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