News
Sumanthiran raises serious concerns over amendment to Poisons, Opium and Dangerous Drugs Ordinance
By Saman Indrajith
Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Parliamentarian M. A. Sumanthiran expressed serious concerns, on Thursday (10), about an amendment to the Poisons, Opium and Dangerous Drugs Ordinance.
He told Parliament: “There is a concern that the bail application has to now be made through the Court of Appeal instead of High Court. Now this is a very serious issue, this is not a question of making bail stringent. This is a question of access to Justice. I am saying that because the Court of Appeal sits only in Colombo, whereas now with the provincial High Courts you can go to your provincial capital. In lots of instances, the High Court sits in more than one city or town in a province, and you can make an application. Now this is very important, this is not a question of being lenient towards a possession of dangerous drugs, this is about anybody who is accused of this offence being able to go to court,” he said.
The TNA MP said that the access to justice must not be denied and that there are incidents where people are framed or various dissections take place. Therefore, suspects must be able to approach court and that must never be made difficult, he said.
“It is only after the 13th Amendment to the constitution, that the first appeal even from a District Court matter can be made to the Court in the province. Before that even if the District Judge made a small mistake in the course of proceedings, you have to come to Colombo and make an application. So devolution – we talk about executive powers and legislative powers but with regard to the Judiciary a salutary feature came in, when people can access to a justice at least in the first appeal. So I appeal to the Minister not to remove the jurisdictions to grant bail in this way to one central place in the whole country. Because that is denial of Justice to people and also it is against devolution,” Sumanthiran said.
The MP said there were concerns with proposed Prison ordinance rules as well. The amendment proposes to strip several rights prisoners have enjoyed over 100 years, he said. Sumanthiran said the new Bill is creating categories of prisoners, based on their financial status.
“There are categories, categories of prisoners, and what are the categories? Categories are those who can pay; you are creating paying wards, I heard MP Dilan Perera say this also, we can’t escape wondering whether some in the Government ranks are preparing places for them in the prison. They know that they are going to stay a lot of time in the prison, so they are creating luxurious apartments in prisons already so that when they go there they can live in comfort. It looks like that,” he said.
Sumanthiran said this goes against the fundamental principle that all citizens and particularly citizens who are under the control of the state, must be treated equally.
“The conditions in the prisons are bad, so the answer is not to alleviate those hardships for the few who can part with some money. That is wrong s- that is fundamentally wrong, and no country should ever do that, and therefore I bring it to the Minister’s notice that those ordinances that create differences in class of prisoners must be abolished,” he said.
Opposition and SJB Leader Sajith Premadasa has alleged that the current government is attempting to suppress freedom of expression and media freedom to lead the country towards authoritarian rule.
In a video message on Thursday (25), Premadasa said that in a democratic country, the four main pillars safeguarding democracy are the legislature, the executive, the judiciary, and the independent media, but, at present, the government is using the police to violate both the democratic rights of the people and the rights of police officers themselves.
He said that the government is working to establish a police state that deprives citizens of their right to access truthful information.
“For democracy to be protected, media freedom must be safeguarded, and space must be given to independent media. Instead, the government is interfering with the independent media process, using the police to suppress and intimidate independent media,” he said.
He noted that even when independent media present their views based on reason, facts, and evidence, the government attempts to suppress them. Such actions, he said, amount to turning a democratic country into a police state. “Do not suppress the voice of the silent majority, the independent media,” he urged.
Premadasa emphasised that independent media represent the voice of the silent majority in the country and must not be suppressed.
“Media repression is a step towards authoritarian rule, and the people did not give their mandate to create an authoritarian regime or a police state. If the government attempts to abolish democratic rights, the Samagi Jana Balawegaya will stand as the opposition against it,” he said.
The Opposition Leader further alleged that the government was interfering with police independence, stating, “Political interference has undermined the independence of the police, making it impossible for them to serve impartially. Suppressing freedom of expression is an attempt to lead the country towards authoritarian rule.”
Premadasa pointed out that the media has the right to reveal the truth, and interfering with that right is a violation of the rights of 22 million citizens.
Vegetable prices at the Peliyagoda Manning Wholesale Market surged to unusually high levels yesterday (26), raising concerns among consumers as the festive season drives up demand. The situation is expected to persist over the next few days, a spokesman for the Manning Market told The Island.
He said a sharp increase in the number of buyers visiting the wholesale market, ahead of upcoming festivities, had resulted in a sudden spike in demand, prompting wholesale traders to raise prices significantly. The price hikes have affected a wide range of commonly consumed vegetables, placing additional pressure on household budgets.
According to market sources, the wholesale price of beans climbed to Rs. 1,100 per kilogram, while capsicum soared to Rs. 2,000 per kilogram. Green chillies were selling at around Rs. 1,600 per kilogram. Prices of other vegetables, including beetroot, brinjal (eggplant), tomatoes, bitter gourd, snake gourd and knolkhol, also recorded unusually high increases.
The spokesman alleged that despite the steep rise in prices, vegetable farmers have not benefited from the increases. Instead, he claimed that a group of traders, who effectively control operations at the wholesale market, are arbitrarily inflating prices to maximise profits.
He warned that if the relevant authorities fail to intervene promptly to curb these practices, vegetable prices could escalate further during the peak festive period. Such a trend, he said, would disproportionately benefit a small group of middlemen while leaving consumers to bear the brunt of higher food costs.
By Kamal Bogoda ✍️
The Hakgala National Botanical Garden, which was closed in the aftermath of Cyclone Ditwah, has been reopened to tourists from yesterday, the Ministry of Environment indicated.
The Ministry said the reopening was carried out in accordance with recommendations and guidelines issued by the National Building Research Organisation (NBRO) and the DisasterManagement Centre (DMC) after safety assessments were completed.
However, due to the identification of hazardous ground conditions, several areas, within the garden, have been temporarily restricted. These include the pond area, near the main entrance, and access roads leading towards the forest park where potential risks were observed. Warning signs have been installed to prevent visitors from entering these zones.
To ensure the safety and convenience of both local and foreign visitors, the garden’s management has introduced a special assistance programme, with staff deployed to guide and support tourists.
The Hakgala Botanical Garden was closed as a precautionary measure during the disaster situation triggered by Cyclone Ditwah. The Ministry noted that the garden has now been safely reopened, within a short period, following remedial measures and inspections, allowing visitors to resume access while maintaining necessary safety precautions.
By Sujeewa Thathsara ✍️
A few showers may occur in the Northern, Eastern and Uva provinces and in Polonnaruwa, Matale and Nuwara-Eliya districts
Sajith warns country is being dragged into authoritarian rule
Wholesale mafia blamed for unusually high vegetable prices
Cyclone-damaged Hakgala Botanical Garden reopened with safety measures
Holiday travellers generate record revenue for expressways
Another casualty from underworld warfare succumbs to his injuries
‘Dates have the highest sugar content to fight Coronavirus’
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