News
Tamil parties in turmoil over ex-TNA MP’s candidature
Wigneswarn finds fault with Sumanthiran
Presidential Election:
By Shamindra Ferdinando
Thamil Makkal Thesiya Kuttani (TMTK) leader C. V. Wigneswaran, MP, yesterday (18), said they had fielded Pakkiyaselvam Ariyanethiran as an independent candidate at the forthcoming Presidential Election to draw attention of Sri Lankans, and the international community, to the problems faced by the Tamils.
Wigneswaran, a former Supreme Court judge, emphasised that a substantial number of votes for former Batticaloa District MP Ariyanethiran would help further the Tamil cause. He said so when The Island asked him why the Tamil political parties, represented in Parliament, had failed to reach a consensus on a Tamil candidate.
Ariyanethiran, widely believed to be close to the now-defunct LTTE Vanni leadership, represented the Parliament from 2004 to 2015. During the conflict Ariyanethiran was among the ITAK-led Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentary group that met LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran in Kilinochchi.
Those who were instrumental in fielding Ariyanethiran said that in spite of the refusal of the Illankai Thamil Arasu Kadchi (ITAK) to support Ariyanethiran’s candidature, the northern and eastern Tamil voters would favourably consider their efforts to highlight the post-war difficulties experienced by the Tamil speaking community.
Ten MPs represent ITAK in the current parliament.
Former Northern Province Chief Minister Vigneswaran found fault with ITAK Jaffna District MP M. A. Sumanthiran, PC, for undermining Ariyanethiran’s candidature.
“Sumanthiran’s opposition is irrelevant. We are going ahead with a planned campaign in the once merged North-East Province,” MP Wigneswarn said, declaring the first meeting was scheduled to be held in Mullaitivu on Sunday (18).
The ninth presidential election is scheduled to be held on Sept. 21. With the increase of over 1 mn new voters, the Election Commission placed the total number of eligible votes at 17,140,354.
When The Island pointed out that a section of the Tamil community vigorously campaigned for the boycotting of presidential election as a means of highlighting their grievances, particularly accountability issues, MP Wigneswaran said that Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam’s Ahila Ilankai Thamil Congress (AITC) had pushed for a poll boycott with a view to drawing both local and global attention to the national issue. However, as Ariyanethiran had expressed his desire to contest, it would be the responsibility of all to back him.
TMTK and AITC parliamentary representation consists of one (C.V. Wigneswaran), and two MPs (Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam and Selvarajah Kajendran), respectively. The Eelam People’s Democratic Party (02) and Thamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal (01) represent the current parliament; both parties have declared their support for President Wickremesinghe.
MP Wigneswaran said that a sizable vote for Ariyanethiran would send a strong message.
ITAK MP Sumanthiran said the party had initiated punitive disciplinary measures against Ariyanethiran. “We called for an explanation from him and prohibited him from attending any party activity,” MP Sumanthiran told The Island when he was asked to comment on the controversy.
Asked whether the ITAK would back a candidate from the South, MP Sumanthiran said that they would first peruse the manifestos of candidates Sajith Premadasa, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, Ranil Wickremesinghe and Namal Rajapaksha fielded by major political parties Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), Jathika Jana Balawegaya (JJB) and Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), respectively. President Wickremesinghe, largely backed by a large section of the SLPP parliamentary group, contests as an independent candidate.
“We haven’t received their manifestos yet,” MP Sumanthiran said, asserting that fielding a Tamil candidate wouldn’t benefit the community, at all. It would be as disadvantageous as boycotting the presidential poll, the Jaffna District MP opined. He questioned the wisdom of boycotting the upcoming presidential election or fielding a candidate of their own just to spite candidates from the South.
MP Sumanthiran told a recent meeting in Jaffna chaired by President Wickremesinghe the Tamil people regretted their decision to boycott the 2005 presidential election.
According to the Election Commission, 593,187 people living in the Jaffna electoral district are eligible to vote. In addition, there are 306,081 eligible voters in Vanni consisting of administrative districts of Mannar, Mullaitivu and Vavuniya, 449,686 voters in the Batticaloa district, 555,432 voters in the Digamadulla district and 315,925 in the Trincomalee district.
After the conclusion of the war against the LTTE in May 2009, the ITAK backed the then General Sarath Fonsekea at the 2010 presidential poll, Maithripala Sirisena in 2015 and Sajith Premadasa in 2019. At the 2005 presidential election in the run-up to Eelam War IV, the TNA at the behest of the LTTE boycotted the election.
Ex-TNA MP M. K. Shivajilingham contested the presidential poll twice in 2010 and 2019. He polled less than one percent of the total number of valid votes.
The SJB, the JJB and independent candidate Wickremesinghe have sought the backing of the TNA. Sources pointed out that TNA representation in Parliament deteriorated over the years with the group being reduced to 10 members.
MP Wigneswaran claimed that both Mawai Senathirajah and S. Sritharan backed Ariyanethiran’s candidature.
Interdicted Deputy Director at the National Hospital, Sri Lanka (NHSL) Dr. Rukshan Bellana yesterday (29) alleged that the powers that be moved against him for seeking the CIABOC (Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption) investigation into a massive fraud at the NHSL laboratory.
Dr. Bellana said so in response to The Island query regarding the circumstances the Health Ministry interdicted him on 18 December, through a letter, as directed by the Health Committee of the Public Service (PSC) Commission. “That letter has been signed by an Additional Secretary, as Health Secretary Dr. Anil Jasinghe was overseas,” Dr. Bellana said.
Dr. Bellana stated that the government had paid for reagents, contaminated or close to expiry dates, obtained from a leading local medical supplier, since 2022. He emphasised that his complaint to the CIABOC, and subsequent complaint to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), were entirely based on the issues raised by the National Audit Office (NAO).
Responding to another query, Dr. Bellana said that the public funds, amounting to Rs. 900 mn, had been spent on chemical reagents past expiry dates. Regardless of the intervention made by the NAO, the NHSL continued to procure supplies from the same company, Dr. Bellana said, adding that he had received the unconditional support of the civil society. Among them were Dr. Chamal Sanjeewa, President of Medical and Civil Rights Professional Association of Doctors (MCPA), President of Academy of Health Professionals Ravi Kumudesh, and leader of Mage Rata Sanjaya Mahawatta.
Dr. Bellana said that he had complained about the scam to the CIABOC in June this year.
Dr. Chamal Sanjeewa, who also lodged a complaint with CIABOC, regarding the same matter, is on record as having said in September this year that the reagents had been procured over a three-year period without the proper approval of the Medical Supplies Division of the Ministry. Dr. Sanjeewa has alleged that some of the reagents were either contaminated or close to expiry dates, while contracts had been given to a single company at unapproved prices.
Dr. Bellana said that had there been a proper system for CIABOC and law enforcement authorities to act on findings made by the NAO they wouldn’t have personally intervened in the NHSL laboratory matter. “Parliament should look into this. Did Parliament take up the NHSL laboratory matter at the relevant watchdog committee or at the Sectoral Oversight Committee that handled health?” Dr. Bellana asked.
Asked whether the letter that informed him of his interdiction gave any specific reason for the action taken, Dr. Bellana said the Ministry had found fault with him for speaking to the media. The irate ex-official said that he never hesitated to take a stand against injustice. “When former Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella was accused of corruption, pertaining to medical procurement, I condemned the Minister. Lambasted those responsible for wrongdoings.”
Dr. Bellana said that the NAO had dealt with mega crime involving the public and private sector. “That is the undeniable truth. Parliament should look into this as public money is its responsibility. Having vowed to stamp out corruption, the NPP was allowing and encouraging those who had been making money at the expense of the sick, Dr. Bellana said.
Dr. Bellana said that as many as 10,000 tests were conducted daily at the NHSL. The racketeers had been active during Aragalaya as the NHSL and the private supplier reached agreement in 2022 and the process continued even after the last presidential election, conducted in September 2024.
Dr. Bellana said that the long delay in finalising the Auditor General’s appointment exposed the government. If those holding high political office were genuinely interested in fighting corruption, they wouldn’t have allowed that Office of AG stay vacant even for a day.
Dr. Bellana noted the tough statements issued by the Bar Association, Transparency International Sri Lanka and the Committee on Public Finance demanding the immediate appointment of AG.
Health Ministry officials were not available for comment.
By Shamindra Ferdinando
BIA unions, including those affiliated to political parties, are demanding bonuses equal to five months’ basic salaries.
A group of workers yesterday (29) protested outside BIA urging the Airport and Aviation Services Sri Lanka (Private) Ltd to increase their bonuses. They claimed that the Chairman of Airport and Aviation Services Sri Lanka (Private) Ltd., Air Vice Marshal (Retd) Harsha Abeywickrama, had assured them that they would be paid bonuses worth five times their basic salaries.
The SriLankan Nidahas Sewaka Sangamaya (SLNSS) of the airport, the Podujana Sewaka Sangamaya, the Pragathishili Sewaka Sangamaya, the Jathika Sevaka Sangamaya, and the SLNSS of SriLankan Airlines joined the protest.
The Sri Lanka Mahaweli Authority has issued an urgent safety warning to residents living along the banks of the Kotmale Oya and the Mahaweli River, as water levels in the Kotmale Reservoir are reaching maximum capacity.
According to a special weather advisory issued by the Department of Meteorology on December 26, 2025, heavy rainfall is expected in the catchment areas over the coming days.
In response, the Mahaweli Authority released a statement on December 27, warning that spill gates may have to be opened to manage the water flow.
Eng. A.M.A.K. Seneviratne, Resident Engineer and Deputy Director of the Kotmale Reservoir, stated that the opening of spill gates would lead to a significant rise in the water levels of both the Kotmale Oya and the Mahaweli River.
Areas on Alert
Residents in the following Divisional Secretariat divisions are urged to remain extra vigilant:
• Nuwara Eliya District: Kotmale West and Kotmale East.
• Kandy District: Udapalatha, Udunuwara, Doluwa, Pasbage Korale, and Ganga Ihala Korale.
Authorities have advised the public in these low-lying and river-adjacent areas to monitor the situation closely and take necessary precautions to ensure their safety and the protection of their property.
By S.K. Samaranayake
Nepal to scrap ‘failed’ Mount Everest waste deposit scheme
Trump hopes to reach phase two of Gaza ceasefire ‘very quickly’
Bangladesh’s first female prime minister Khaleda Zia dies aged 80
Ukraine denies drone attack on Putin’s residence
Showers expected at times in the Northern, Eastern, Central, North-central and Uva provinces
Dr. Bellana: “I was removed as NHSL Deputy Director for exposing Rs. 900 mn fraud”
‘Dates have the highest sugar content to fight Coronavirus’
Sunday Island 27 December – Headlines
#SundayIsland 17th December – Headlines
Sunday Island – 28th March
Sunday Island Headlines – 21 March
Sunday Island – 21st February – Headlines
-
News5 days agoBritish MP calls on Foreign Secretary to expand sanction package against ‘Sri Lankan war criminals’
-
Sports5 days agoChief selector’s remarks disappointing says Mickey Arthur
-
News4 days agoStreet vendors banned from Kandy City
-
Opinion5 days agoDisasters do not destroy nations; the refusal to change does
-
News6 days agoSri Lanka’s coastline faces unfolding catastrophe: Expert
-
News4 days agoLankan aircrew fly daring UN Medevac in hostile conditions in Africa
-
Midweek Review6 days agoYear ends with the NPP govt. on the back foot
-
Sports6 days agoLife after the armband for Asalanka