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Several parties pledge to ensure rights of LGBTQ community in Sri lanka

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Marking a historic day in Sri Lankan politics, representatives from several major political parties came together to discuss their views on ensuring the rights of LGBTQ Sri Lankans.

Ceylon Workers’ Congress Leader, Minister Jeevan Thondaman, SLPP MP Premnath C. Dolawatte, SJB MP Mayantha Dissanayake and Freedom People’s Congress MP Prof. Charitha Herath shared their views during adiscussion jointly hosted by NextGenSL and the Canadian High Commission to Sri Lanka. Attorney-at-Law Aritha Wickramasinghe, Equality Director of iProbono moderated the panel discussion.

Premnath Dolawatte, who recently presented a Private Member’s Bill to Parliament seeking to decriminalise LGBTQ Sri Lankans, said he was hopeful that the majority of MPs in the House would support his Bill and join the effort to protect the rights of the LGBTQ community.

“I know the ultimate fight should be for non-discrimination and decriminalisation of the LGBTQ community is only one aspect of it. But, we must start somewhere,” Dolawatte said, sharing his views at the event.

“Minister Ali Sabry has assured that the government will support the motion. Minister Prasanna Ranatunga has also communicated to me that the ruling party will back the Bill. So, I am hopeful that the motion will secure a majority in Parliament. However, it is now with the Attorney General’s Department and those who are aware of the system know that getting a document out of the AG’s Department is no easy task. Also, getting a private member’s Bill passed in Parliament is also a time-consuming process. But, with your support, I am confident that we will be able to get this done,” Dolawatte said.

MP Mayantha Dissanayake from the Samagi Jana Balawegaya said he was in favour of the Private Member’s Bill presented by Dolawatte. “We are a progressive party and we understand the need for change. I briefly spoke to our party leader, Mr. Sajith Premadasa, and shared my views on this matter with him. We haven’t made a formal policy statement on this yet, but we are in favour of this because we want to do the right thing by the country.”

“When this is presented to Parliament, there will be stiff resistance from many quarters. That’s something we must expect. But I, as a Parliamentarian and e person who values human rights, will champion this cause within my party and within our parliamentary group. There are many countries in the world that have made progressive steps in this regard and we must follow those examples,” Dissanayake added

“Addressing the concerns of religious circles will be a critically important step and I am confident that we will be able to convince them by directly engaging with the right information. For instance, this is perfectly in line with the fundamental teachings of Buddhism such as compassion and that should be the basis our engagement with Buddhist monks,” the MP said.

“We inherited a country that needed change. We must now deliver, ” Dissanayake said, adding that his traditional upbringing in Kandy would not deter him from supporting this cause.

Joining the discussion, Freedom People’s Congress MP Prof. Charitha Herath said they would support decriminalisation of same-sex relations, if and when the Bill is presented to Parliament.

“We must engage with two domains to achieve the desired results. One is the political domain and the other is the cultural domain. We can change old-fashioned political and cultural establishments through constant engagement,” Herath explained.

“The technical approach alone will not usher in meaningful change. That is why I highlight the importance of cultural discussions as well to overcome the existing barriers. Sometimes, I feel that these cultural platforms are forgotten by the younger generation.”

“If you look at this region, India has made significant progress in the recent past while we are lagging behind. We must explore the reasons for this and address them adequately,” the MP added

Minister Jeevan Thondaman, the youngest Cabinet Minister ever to hold office in Sri Lanka, countered the argument that culture was a barrier in achieving non-discrimination for the LGBTQ community in Sri Lanka

“There is more than enough evidence from the ancient history that same-sex relations existed then and they were very much embraced many, many centuries ago. There are ancient statues, literary works and many other things to prove this point. So, where did we go wrong?” Thondaman, the Leader of the Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC), asked.

“The answer is quite clear. It is the colonialisation and westernisation of our ancient civilisations. Their beliefs and values became a dominant factor and we lost many of ours.”

“Culture has never been a barrier to us. It is the colonial mindset that has become a barrier. It is time we understand the reality,” he added.

“I am a member of a minority community and a representative of a marginalised group of people, I request you to take these little victories. It will eventually lead you to the promised land. 10 years ago, a dialogue of this nature would not have been possible. Today, we are trying to sit with you and understand the gravity of this issue,” Thondaman said pledging support to legislative reforms decriminalising same-sex relations.

David Sood, Counsellor, Political and Trade from the Canadian High Commission to Sri Lanka delivered the opening remarks while Bhoomi Harendran and Kaushalya Sendanayaka Arachchi, a representative from Equal Ground shared observations from the civil society perspective.



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President and representatives of IMF discuss progress of EFF

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A comprehensive discussion regarding the progress of the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) agreed with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) took place on Thursday (06) at the Presidential Secretariat, between President Anura Kumara Disanayake and the IMF delegation.

The current government has already reached a staff-level agreement with the IMF on the third review regarding the extended arrangement under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) of USD3 billion.

The details of this review are expected to be presented to the International Monetary Fund’s Board of Directors by the end of this month. In this regard, discussions were held regarding the progress and the government’s involvement in continuing the program moving forward.

Once the approval is granted by the IMF Executive Board, Sri Lanka is expected to release the fourth tranche of the extended loan, amounting to 333 million dollars.

The discussion was also attended by IMF Executive Director Dr. Krishnamurthy Subramanian, Alternate Executive Director Dr. P. K. G. Harischandra, Deputy Minister of Economic Development Dr. Anil Jayantha Fernando, Secretary to the President Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, Secretary to the Ministry of Finance Mahinda Siriwadana, and Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe.

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New Commanders of the Tri-Forces meet the President

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The newly appointed Commander of the Tri-Forces met with Commander-in-Chief, President Anura Kumara Disanayake on Thursday (6th)  afternoon  at the Presidential Secretariat.

The meeting was attended by Lieutenant General Lasantha Rodrigo, the new Army Commander; Vice Admiral Kanchana Banagoda, the new Navy Commander and Air Marshal Vasu Bandu Edirisinghe, the new Air Force Commander.

Following tradition, the new commanders formally met with the President after assuming their duties. During the meeting, they also presented the President with a commemorative token.

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Musk reveals ‘crazy waste’ of USAID funds in Sri Lanka

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Elon Musk

USD 7.9 mn spent on teaching Lankan journalists how to avoid “binary-gendered language”

USAID has spent $7.9 million to teach Sri Lankan journalists how to avoid “binary-gendered language”, Elon Musk who heads the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) said in a post on X on Thursday.

Musk called it a “Crazy waste of your tax money!”

Musk’s criticism came with a detailed breakdown of USAID’s spending across various countries, which he argued reflects misguided priorities. According to a document Musk shared, USAID has funded a range of projects globally, including $20 million for a new Sesame Street show in Iraq, $4.5 million to “combat disinformation” in Kazakhstan, and $6 million to transform digital spaces to reflect feminist democratic principles.

The list also included $1.5 million for art projects promoting the inclusion of people with disabilities and $2 million for sex changes and LGBT activism in Guatemala. $10 million worth of USAID-funded meals, allegedly ended up in the hands of an al-Qaeda-linked terrorist group, the document states.

Other USAID programmes include $25 million for Deloitte to promote green transportation in Georgia, $6 million for tourism development in Egypt, and $2.5 million to foster inclusion in Vietnam. The documents also pointed to $5 million awarded to EcoHealth Alliance, a group linked to bat virus research at the Wuhan lab, and $20 million for an organisation tied to what Musk described as a “key player” in the Russiagate impeachment inquiry.

Further funds were allocated for various LGBT-related initiatives worldwide, including $5.5 million for LGBT activism in Uganda, $6.3 million for men who have sex with men in South Africa, $3.9 million for LGBT causes in the western Balkans, and $6 million for advancing LGBT issues globally. Additionally, $2 million was allocated to promote LGBT equality through entrepreneurship in Latin America, while $1.5 million was designated for LGBT advocacy in Jamaica.

The data also highlighted spending closer to home, with $1.2 million going to help the African Methodist Episcopal Church Service and Development Agency in Washington, D.C., build a 440-seat auditorium. A further $1.3 million was provided to Arab and Jewish photographers, while $1.1 million supported an Armenian LGBT group.

Musk criticised other expenditures as well, including $3.9 million for artisanal gold mining in the Amazon and $500,000 aimed at solving sectarian violence in Israel just days before the October 7 Hamas attack.

Attention was also drawn to USAID’s $150 billion “whole-of-agency” climate strategy, which outlines efforts to build an “equitable world” while pursuing net-zero greenhouse gas emissions.

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