News
Tamil nationalism triumphs over ‘Anura Wave’ – Sumanthiran
Ilankai Tamil Arasu Katchi (ITAK) Secretary and President’s Counsel M.A. Sumanthiran has said the results of the just concluded local government elections have dispelled the myth of an “Anura wave” and reaffirmed the enduring strength of Tamil nationalism in the North-East.
Speaking at a press briefing held recently at the Jaffna Press Club, Sumanthiran extended his gratitude to the voters across the North and East, who supported ITAK, allowing it to emerge victorious in several of the contested local councils.
Despite intense propaganda about a sweeping wave of change, he said, the results showed a clear commitment from the Tamil people to their nationalist aspirations.
ITAK contested in 58 local councils across the North-East and secured administrative control in 40 of them—a result Sumanthiran described as both significant and decisive. The outcome, he asserted, underscored the community’s continued faith in Tamil nationalist politics, even amid strong attempts by southern parties, such as the ruling National People’s Power (NPP), to make inroads into Tamil-majority areas.
The so-called “Anura wave”—a reference to Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and the NPP’s campaign strategy—had been heavily promoted in recent months, particularly in the Tamil North and East, where NPP representatives had attempted to position themselves as allies of the Tamil people. However, the local election results reflect that such messaging failed to gain meaningful traction.
Sumanthiran acknowledged that while ITAK secured a majority of council presidencies, collaboration with other Tamil political actors would still be necessary in certain areas where no single party had achieved a clear majority.
In the current political climate, I believe our allied Tamil parties will understand the mandate of the people and offer their support accordingly, he said.
The Cabinet of Ministers has approved the proposal presented by the Minister of Transport, Highways, and Urban Development to award the contract for printing and supplying vehicle number plates for the Department of Motor Traffic for a period of five (5) years to M/s South Asian Technologies based on the recommendations of the High-Level Standing Procurement Committee and the Procurement Appeal Board.
The National Lotteries board has been established subject to the Finance Act No. 11 of 1963. Having identified the requirement of amending that act which was imposed around 62 years to cater the current requirements of the lottery market, the Cabinet of Mnisters at their meeting held on 14.02.2017 granted approval to draft a new bill for the purpose.
Accordingly, the National Lotteries Board has recognized further amendments to be performed to the fundamental draft bill prepared by the Legal Draftsmen.
Therefore, the Cabinet of Ministers granted approval for the
resolution furnished by the President in his office as the Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development to direct the Legal Draftsmen to finalize the formulation of the draft bill for the National Lotteries Board as soon as possible including the proposed new amendments as well.
The Werahara office of the Department of Motor Traffic performs issuance of temporary driving licenses in this country based on the driving licenses issued overseas, and measures have been initiated to render the service from a service window of the Department of Motor Traffic established at the Bandaranayake International Airport from 03.08.2025.
The fees charged for issuing temporary driving licenses have been published in Motor Vehicles (Driving License Levy) Regulations No. 3 of 2022 prepared under the provisions of the Motor Traffic (Authority 203) Act.
But, as the fee of Rupees 2,000/- charged for the service is not sufficient, the requirement of amending the regulations has been recognized.
The regulations for introducing the revised fees have been published in the government extraordinary gazette
notification No. 2463/04 dated 17.11.2025. Therefore, the Cabinet of Ministers granted approval to the resolution furnished by the Minister of Transport, Highways and Urban Development to
submit the regulations to the Parliament for its concurrence.
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M/s South Asian Technologies awarded contract to supply vehicle number plates
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Motor Vehicles (Driving License Levy) Regulations No. 3 of 2022 to be amended
Mrs. P. K. L. S. Panduwawala appointed to the post of Surveyor General
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