News
TNA insists on federalism
The TNA last week issued a statement clarifying its position with regard to the political solution for the Tamil National Question, the 13th amendment to the constitution, the conduct of the long delayed provincial council elections and the All Party conferences convened by President Ranil Wickremesinghe.
The text of the statement signed by Jaffna District MP MA Sumanthiran reads:
“The Tamil People have, since 1956, consistently given the Tamil political parties a mandate to work towards a political solution to the Tamil National Question by means of a federal arrangement in the North-East, which was recognized as the ‘historical habitation’ of the Tamil speaking people in the Indo-Lanka Accord that was signed on July 29, 1987, which provided for a measure of devolution to the provinces, including land and police powers.
“The Government of India has actively engaged in this pursuit for the past 40 years after Sri Lanka accepted its good offices consequent to the 1983 July violence against the Tamils.
Most recently too, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi conveyed to President Ranil Wickremesinghe, India’s hope that the Government of Sri Lanka will fulfill the aspirations of the Tamils and drive the process of rebuilding for Equality, Justice and Peace.
“He also hoped that Sri Lanka will fulfill its commitment to implement the 13th amendment and conduct the Provincial Council’s Elections ; and will ensure a life of respect and dignity for the Tamil community of Sri Lanka. Later, at the press briefing the Foreign Secretary of India reiterated:
‘Nothing could be more explicit in terms of what discussions took place, what we put forward, the fact that India continues to look forward to a political solution that addresses the aspirations of the Tamil community, of course aspirations for equality, Justice and self – respect within the framework of united and prosperous Sri Lanka. Prime Minister also clearly said that… expressed our belief that a meaningful devolution of powers and the full implementation of the 13th amendment are essential components of addressing and facilitating the reconciliation process in Sri Lanka. This has been our consistent position and this was put forward during the meeting between the two leaders.’
“Our position is that power sharing must be in a federal structure, consistent with the aspirations of the Tamil People expressed at every election since 1956. The 13th amendment to the constitution is part of the constitution of Sri Lanka, and not a separate appendage. The President and all of us have taken an oath to uphold and defend it. Thus the non – implementation of any part of the constitution is a violation of the whole. To that extent, we insist on the full implementation of the devolution arrangement currently extant in our constitution. That however will not mean with the legitimate aspirations of the Tamil People. “That we need to make power sharing arrangement meaningful has been recognized both locally through various processes from Mangala Moonesinghe Select Committee until the Constitutional Assembly 2016 – 2019, under then Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, and in at least three separate joint statements made with India, during President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s tenure.
“Nine Provincial councils that were functioning, albeit with deficiencies, have ceased to be due to a legal snag in the process of changing the electoral system. The select committee on electoral reform under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena in its Report submitted to this Parliament last year has stated that the provincial council elections which has been stalled for more than three years negates the democratic right of the people, and has recommended to hold the election under the PR system that existed previously.
“It also recommended that suitable legislation be enacted to enable this. I have presented a private member’s Bill in line with this recommendations, the first reading of which is over. This Bill was challenged in the Supreme Court and the Court has ruled that it can be enacted by a simple majority if recommended changes are made to some clauses in the Bill.
“The Tamil National Alliance unequivocally conveyed to the President at the very first All Party Conference on December 10, 2022 that Provincial Council elections must be held without further delay. We also discussed measures necessary to make devolution meaningful. Several discussions were held with the President and at the second All Party Conference on January 26, 2023 again we reiterated our position.
“It was the same position that was conveyed at the last All Party Conference that was held on July 26, 2023. There was absolutely no change of positions by the Tamil National Alliance; nor is there any contradiction between calling for immediate provincial council elections and enhanced and meaningful devolution. In fact one without the other is meaningless.”
State coffers suffered huge losses
A probe conducted by the Auditor General’s Department and the Parliamentary watchdog committee, COPA (Committee on Public Accounts) has revealed that a large number of luxury cars and SUVs have been imported with the help of forged documents that declared them as tractors.
During a recent COPA investigation into the Department of Motor Traffic (DMT), it was disclosed that the files related to the registration of those vehicles had gone missing.
COPA Chairman Aravinda Senaratne pointed out that BMWs and Mercedes-Benz cars had been declared as tractors. A total of 158 such cases had been specifically identified, the COPA said.
At the last COPA meeting, the DMT was instructed to provide details regarding those instances, but the Department has not yet done so. Some officials had already been identified and charged with the fraudulent registration of vehicles, Senaratne said.
“Wrong information about these vehicles has been entered deliberately. Their years of manufacture have been altered. According to our records, whenever an issue is raised, officials claim that the relevant files are missing,” Senaratne stated.
Current Commissioner General of the DMT, Nishantha Weerasinghe, said that those incidents had occurred before he assumed office.
Former DMT Commissioner General Sumith Alahakoon revealed that he had lodged two complaints with the CID. “When I took office, there were about 12 container loads of files flagged for errors. Out of those, 118 files were recovered by internal auditors and submitted to the CID. Thereafter, I was removed from my post,” he said.
The COPA Chairman accused the current DMT Commissioner General and his officials of failing to follow up on the complaints lodged with the CID by his predecessor.
When asked about action taken against the prime suspect in the fraud involving the luxury cars imported as tractors, the current Commissioner General said the suspect had been released due to insufficient evidence. A system analyst had been interdicted as investigators found that the database contained wrong information about vehicle imports.
COPA member MP Chandana Sooriyarachchi remarked that COPA investigations would be meaningless if officials sought to absolve themselves of responsibility simply by claiming that files had gone missing.
Sooriyarachchi said such fraudulent actions had cost the state coffers billions of rupees.The COPA Chairman said all aspects of the case would be thoroughly investigated.
by Saman Indrajith
SLMC General Secretary Nizam Kariapper, MP, yesterday (23) said that the National People’s Power (NPP) government owed an explanation as to why it continued to ignore indiscriminate Israeli attacks on Gaza.
Parliamentarian Kariapper pointed out that a statement, dated March 21, issued by Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism Ministry, while expressing deep concern over the deteriorating conditions in Gaza, requested all sides to avoid any action that would lead to further escalation of the situation.
The government statement conveniently failed to mention that Israel killed over 400 civilians and launched a fresh ground offensive in Gaza regardless of the ceasefire in place, lawmaker Kariapper said. The top SLMC official accused the NPP government of remaining silent on US approved slaughter of civilians taking place.
“The majority of victims in the Gaza war were women and children,” MP Kariapper said. If the NPP government lacked the strength to issue a statement that properly dealt with the ground situation, Sri Lanka should have refrained from commenting on the latest developments.
The SJB National List MP said that the Jewish State also launched operations in Yemen, Syria, and Lebanon as it sought to exploit the situation to its advantage.
MP Kariapper urged the government to take a principled stand on Israeli military action that so far claimed the lives of over 60,000 people since late 2023.
Israel launched large-scale offensive action after Hamas terrorists killed over 1,200 Israeli civilians in raids carried out in early Oct 2023. Hamas abducted a large number of Israelis and a section of them have been released so far.
By Shamindra Ferdinando
There has been an increase in underworld activities and gun violence this year, and 27 shooting incidents have left 22 persons dead, and more than a dozen others injuried.The latest shooting incident was reported from Devinuwara on Friday night, when two gunmen killed two youths at point-blank range.
The shooting spree which began in early January has continued into March, with incidents reported from areas such as Mount Lavinia, Mannar, Galle, Kotahena, and Devinuwara. Victims included civilians gang members, and a former prison official.
On 19 February 19, a man and his two young children were brutally gunned down in Middeniya. On the same day, underworld figure Ganemulle Sanjeewa was assassinated inside the Aluthkade Magistrate’s Court by a suspect disguised as a lawyer. Those brazen attacks, often carried out in broad daylight, have caused serious concerns over public safety and the proliferation of firearms in criminal networks.
January saw multiple targeted attacks, including the contract killing of two men in Mount Lavinia for Rs. 1.5 million on 19 Jan. A dried fish trader narrowly escaped death outside his home in Devinuwara on 13 Jan., when gunmen opened fire on a house in Dodangoda. A shooting incident on Jan 31 in Hiniduma, Galle, claimed three lives, including that of a lodge owner.
The gun violence intensified in February, with the assassination of an alleged gang member in Kotahena on February 10 and the shooting of a man near a school in Minuwangoda on 07 Feb. Following the courtroom assassination of Ganemulle Sanjeewa on 19 Feb., the violence continued with two separate shootings in Ja-Ela and Kotahena on 21 Feb., leaving two people dead.
March saw a further escalation of gun violence, with the fatal shooting of former Boossa Prison Superintendent Siridath Dhammika at his residence in Galle on 13 March. A day later, a man known as Podi Sudda was gunned down in Ambalangoda.
by Norman Palihawadane
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