News
UNHRC concerned about constitutional jugglery to suppress Opposition: GL
By Shamindra Ferdinando
Dissident SLPP MP Prof. G. L. Peiris, yesterday (04) said that the ongoing attempts by the Wickremesinghe-Rajapaksa government to suppress the Opposition had attracted the attention of the Geneva-based United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC).
Referring to the recent declaration made by Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights at the 55th session of the HRC, the former External Affairs Minister said that regardless of what the state controlled media reported, the UN had issued a very clear warning over the brazen manipulation of parliamentary process to intimidate the Opposition.
Addressing the media at his residence at Kirula Road, Prof. Peiris dealt with the Opposition decision to move a No-Confidence Motion (NCM) against Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena over the authorisation of the Online Safety Act, sans mandatory Supreme Court recommendations, the Speaker’s controversial role in the appointment of Deshabandu Tennakoon as the IGP and preposterous salary increase granted to CBSL employees.
Declaring that the Opposition would hand over its NCM today (05), Prof. Peiris said that Volker Türk expressed concern over the introduction of laws with potentially far-reaching impact on fundamental rights and freedoms, the rule of law and democratic governance. Prof. Peiris quoted the UN official as having said these included the Online Safety Act, the Anti-Terrorism Bill, the Electronic Media Broadcasting Authority Bill and the NGO Supervision and Registration Bill.
The UN official also questioned the new IGP’s appointment in spite of the Supreme Court’s finding that he was responsible for torture of an individual in 2010.
Prof. Peiris said that contrary to earlier reports regarding the vote at the Constitutional Council in respect of the IGP’s appointment, the Opposition could now confirm that Speaker Abeywardena never exercised his right to vote at the CC but in a letter addressed to President Ranil Wickremesinghe declared his support to Deshabandu’s appointment.
Pointing out that the Speaker as Chairman of the Constitutional Council couldn’t, under any circumstances, either support or oppose a particular proposal in a letter to a third party, Prof. Peiris alleged that the Galle District MP had turned the Parliament upside down.
The former minister said that there had never been a NCM move against a Speaker since Sri Lanka gained independence. “We had no option but to take action against him to prevent the government repeating the same strategy in respect of the Anti-Terrorism Bill,” Prof. Peiris said, adding that the Opposition was united on this particular issue. The retired top law academic explained that manipulation of the Constitutional Council was a very serious matter, as bad as the disregarding of SC recommendations in respect of the Online Safety Bill.
He alleged that the government was busy undermining the parliamentary system. Though there had been issues with regard to passage of laws previously, the Parliament never witnessed such an outright manipulation, Prof. Peiris said, pointing out that the Speaker chose to conveniently remain silent even after the Human Rights Council, in a letter dated Feb 8, pointed out glaring omissions.
In a swift search and rescue (SAR) operation, the Sri Lanka Navy on 22 Jun 2026 rendered assistance to a one-day fishing trawler that had failed to return to its intended destination.
Reportedly, the fishing trawler and its 02 crew members ran into trouble due to adverse weather conditions off the north coast of the island. The rescue mission was launched
immediately following an alert from the Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources regarding the overdue trawler.
Responding to the distress call, the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) Colombo, coordinated the deployment of naval craft for the SAR operation.
During the operation, naval personnel located the distressed trawler and its 02 fishermen in the seas off the Analaitivu Island and they were brought to safety.
Maintaining a round-the-clock vigil, the Sri Lanka Navy, through the coordination of MRCC Colombo, remains constantly prepared to deploy assets and extend vital lifesaving assistance to the naval and fishing communities facing perils within the Sri
Lankan Search and Rescue Region.
The NPP government has not taken a final decision regarding filling of the vacancies in the judiciary.
A group of Opposition MPs, led by SJB leader Sajith Premadasa, on 12 June, requested Speaker Dr. Jagath Wickremeratne to take up the issue of judicial vacancies with President Dissanayake. Opposition sources said that there were four vacancies, each in the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court, and the inordinate delay had adversely affected the judiciary.
Government sources indicated that there was no change in the status quo as regards filling of vacancies. Referring to the government proposal to extend the retirement age of judges, authoritative sources said that no final decision had been taken yet.
SJB lawmaker Dayasiri Jayasekera told The Island that they would raise the issue in Parliament this week.
He said that the deliberate delay in making appointments to superior courts and the move to extend the retirement age couldn’t be taken separately.
The MP noted that the Bar Association of Sri Lanka, the Lawyers’ Collective, the Colombo High Court Lawyers’ Association, Colombo Magistrate’s Court Lawyers’ Association and the Bar Association of Badulla had opposed the government move.
There hadn’t been any public statements in support of the government move, MP Jayasekera said, urging the government to end uncertainty in the judiciary.
by Shamindra Ferdinando
SJB leader Sajith Premadasa has invited the UNP and other political parties to join his party. Premadasa, who is also the leader of the Opposition, has emphasised that the UNP and the SJB could reach a consensus on policies but his party wouldn’t, under any circumstances, accept whatever formula to share positions. Premadasa said so, speaking to the media over the weekend, after meeting the Mahanayaka Thera of the Malwatta Chapter of the Siyam Nikaya Most Venerable Thibbatuwawe Sri Siddhartha Sumangala Thera.
A statement issued by the Opposition Leader’s Office quoted MP Premadasa as having extended an invitation to all political parties to give up extremist policies and join the SJB.
The SJB leader alleged that the NPP government feared facing elections and that was the reason for the inordinate delay in holding Provincial Council polls. PC polls were last held in 2012, 2013 and 2014, on a staggered basis. Premadasa said that if PC polls were held his party would definitely win the majority of PCs.Premadasa also urged the government to reduce electricity tariffs and fuel prices.
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