News

‘UNHRC missive exposes UK duplicity in grave accountability matters’

Published

5 years ago

2021/04/16

By Shamindra Ferdinando

Wartime Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama says that the leader of Sri Lanka Core Group at the Geneva–based United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) the United Kingdom’s policy of double standards has been challenged by no less a person than UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet.

Bogollagama said that the Bachelet warning couldn’t have been issued at a better time as the UK stepped up pressure on Sri Lanka over accountability issues. The former FM was responding to Bachelet’s declaration on April 12 that the proposed new Overseas Operations (Service Personnel and Veterans) Bill, in its current form, would undermine key human rights obligations that the UK has committed itself to respect.

The UK is a member of the UNHRC. Bogollagama pointed out that Bachelet had called for amendments to the proposed Bill to ensure that it didn’t protect British personnel deployed overseas for acts of torture and other serious international crimes.

The Bill is now reaching its final stages in the legislative process, and will shortly be debated again by the House of Lords, the UK’s upper chamber, where amendments may still be made.

In the run-up to the Geneva vote on a resolution spearheaded by the UK on March 23, SLPP Chairman and former External Affairs Minister Prof G.L. Peiris questioned the rationale in British actions. Prof Peiris asked how the UK sought protection for its armed forces deployed outside their territory whereas it sought punitive measures against Sri Lanka for fighting terrorism in its own land.

Bogollagama said that British double standards should be examined taking into consideration the UK’s current membership in the UNHRC as well its role as the leader of Sri Lanka Core Group. The Core Group members include Germany and Canada.

Bogollagama who served as the Foreign Minister during the fourth phase of the war (2007-2010) alleged that the UK adopted an extremely hostile position primarily because of domestic political reasons. Wikileaks disclosed the true extent of Tamil Diaspora influence on the British political establishment, Bogollagama said. So much so, the UK allowed the Global Tamil Forum (GTF) to announce its formation in the House of Commons in early 2010, the former Minister said. Would the UK accept Geneva advice as regards the proposed Bill, Bogollagama asked, those who voted for the resolution moved against Sri Lanka and abstained to realise that the UK’s stand in respect of Colombo was political.

The UK succeeded the US as Sri Lanka Core Chair in 2018 after the latter quit the Geneva body in a huff calling it a cesspool of political bias.

The purpose of the controversial British Bill is stated as being “to provide greater certainty for Service personnel and veterans in relation to claims and potential prosecution for historical events that occurred in the complex environment of armed conflict overseas.” British Forces played significant roles in the invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan. The Bill seeks to achieve this, in particular, by introducing new preconditions for the prosecution of alleged offences covered by the Bill.

“As currently drafted, the Bill would make it substantially less likely that UK service members on overseas operations would be held accountable for serious human rights violations amounting to international crimes,” the UNHRC statement dated April 12 quoted Bachelet as having said.

It stated that in its present form, the proposed legislation raises substantial questions about the UK’s future compliance with its international obligations, particularly under the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT), as well as the 1949 Geneva Conventions. These include obligations to prevent, investigate and prosecute acts such as torture and unlawful killing, and make no distinction as to when the offences were committed.

Responding to another query, Bogollagama said that Bachelet’s statement exposed the British hypocrisy. While demanding accountability on the part of Sri Lankan military on the basis of unsubstantiated war crimes accusations, the British deprived Geneva of wartime dispatches (January-May 2009) from its High Commission in Colombo in a bid to facilitate the campaign against Sri Lanka, former minister Bogollagama said.

The British exposed their hostile intentions when London turned down Sri Lanka’s request to hand over those dispatches to Geneva, the ex-lawmaker said, urging the government to continuously highlight the need for examination of all available evidence by the proposed new Geneva inquiry unit appointed at a cost of USD 2.8 mn.

Bachelet’s request to the UK was interesting, Bogollagama said. The former minister was referring to Bachelet’s appeal: “I urge UK legislators in both Houses of Parliament, and the Government, to take these concerns fully into account when reviewing the Bill, and to ensure that the law of the United Kingdom remains entirely unambiguous with regard to accountability for international crimes perpetrated by individuals, no matter when, where or by whom they are committed.”

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Honorary Chair of The Nippon Foundation, pays courtsey call on PM

Published

10 mins ago

2025/11/8

Priyan

Mr. Yohei Sasakawa, Honorary Chair of The Nippon Foundation, paid a courtesy call on Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, at Temple Trees on 06 November.

The Prime Minister extended a warm welcome to Mr. Sasakawa and expressed her appreciation for his second visit to Sri Lanka. Mr. Sasakawa briefed the Prime Minister on the Leprosy Conference held earlier that morning, which was also attended by the President. He outlined The Nippon Foundation’s ongoing projects in Sri Lanka, highlighting initiatives that support persons with disabilities, especially students with special needs.

Mr. Sasakawa discussed the work of the Sri Lankan School of Prosthetics and Orthotics and proposed upgrading the institution to university level with government assistance. Prime Minister Dr. Amarasuriya responded positively, noting that she would instruct the Ministry of Education to assess the feasibility of this proposal.

The Prime Minister commended The Nippon Foundation’s “100 Schools Project” in the Northern Province and reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to improving educational and social inclusion for students with disabilities. She also acknowledged the resource limitations faced by some programmes and expressed appreciation for Japan’s continued support in addressing these challenges.

Akio Isomata, Ambassador of Japan to Sri Lanka, reiterated Japan’s commitment to enhancing bilateral cooperation with Sri Lanka, particularly in promoting inclusivity and social welfare.

Both sides concluded the meeting by expressing their shared commitment to strengthening collaboration between Sri Lanka, Japan, and The Nippon Foundation in advancing education, accessibility, and social inclusion.

The meeting was attended by Yohei Sasakawa, Honorary Chair of The Nippon Foundation; Akio Isomata, Ambassador of Japan to Sri Lanka; Ryo Takaoka, Second Secretary, Embassy of Japan; and Shota Nakayasu, Secretary to the Chairman, The Nippon Foundation.

Representing the Sri Lankan side were Pradeep Saputhanthri, Secretary to the Prime Minister; Ms. Sagarika Bogahawatta, Additional Secretary to the Prime Minister; Ms. Savitri Panabokke, Director General, East Asia & Oceania Division, Ministry of Foreign Affairs; and Ms. Gayanga Dias, Assistant Director, East Asia & Oceania Division, Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

[Prime Minister’s Media Division]

News

Govt. corrals many more into tax net by lowering VAT threshold from Rs. 60 Mn to Rs. 36 Mn

Published

12 hours ago

2025/11/8

Thilina Walpola

Projected revenue at Rs. 5.3 Bn, budget deficit 1.75 Bn

Rs. 6,500 Mn allocated for Clean Sri Lanka initiative

Estate wages hiked to Rs. 1,750 from Rs. 1,350 per day

Rs. 1 Bn allocated to address human-elephant conflict

Rs. 342 Bn for road development programmes

The government has decided to reduce the annual turnover threshold for the registration of Value Added Tax and Social Security Contribution Levy from Rs. 60 million to Rs. 36 million.

The proposal will be implemented with effect from 01 April, 2026.

The new tax system has been proposed with the view of broadening the tax base, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said during his 2026 Budget speech in Parliament yesterday.

He said that the total number of registered taxpayers in Sri Lanka has increased by 300,000 as of 30 September, 2025, compared to 2024.

The President made this revelation while delivering the 2026 Budget speech.

President Dissanayake also confirmed that the Simplified VAT System (SVAT) has been abolished with effect from 01 October, 2025, and has been shifted to an approved refund process to improve tax compliance and reduce misuse.

Presenting the Budget Proposals for the year 2026 commenced at 1.30 pm and continued till 5.57 pm.

According to the 2026 Budget proposal delivered by the President, the government’s expected revenue for 2026 is set at Rs. 5,300 million while the expenditure has been projected to be Rs. 7,057 million.

The Budget deficit will be Rs. 1,757 million or 5.1% of the Gross Domestic Product.

The government has proposed to remove the Special Commodity Levy on imported coconut oil and palm oil and implement the general tax structure including Value Added Tax.

The new tax system on imported coconut oil and palm oil will be implemented from April 2026, President Dissanayake said.

At present, locally produced coconut oil and palm oil are subjected to Value Added Tax and Social Security Contribution Levy, while imported coconut oil and palm oil are subjected to Special Commodity Levy at Rs. 150 per kilogram and Rs. 275 per kilogram, respectively.

The new tax proposal has been proposed to ensure a level playing field, the President stated.

President Dissanayake said that a total of Rs. 6,500 million has been allocated for the Clean Sri Lanka programme for next year.

President Dissanayake said that the land acquisition process for the proposed Kurunegala-Dambulla expressway is currently underway.

Accordingly, through the 2026 Budget, the government has allocated Rs. 1,000 million to complete the land acquisition process, the President said.

The government has allocated a sum of Rs. 342 billion for road development programmes in the 2026 Budget, President Dissanakaye stated. A total of Rs. 66.1 billion has been allocated for the Kadawatha-Mirigama section of the Central Expressway through the 2026 Budget.

Furthermore, Rs. 10.5 billion for the Pothuhera-Rambukkana and Rs. 20 billion for the Rambukkana-Galagedara section of the central expressway have been allocated through the Budget.

The President said that through the 2026 Budget, a sum of 25,500 million has been allocated to develop Sri Lanka’s digital economy. He also pledged to establish a Digital Economy Council next year.

The allocation will facilitate the infrastructure needs, streamlining investment processes and fostering an innovation-friendly environment.

The government has proposed to allocate an additional provision of Rs. 1,000 million to the Department of Wildlife Conservation to expedite the completion of electric fence constructions and related projects aimed at mitigating human-elephant conflict across the country, the President said.

In addition, Rs. 10 billion has been proposed for research initiatives to identify long-term, research-based solutions beyond the construction of electric fences to reduce these elephant-human conflicts, he said.

Estate worker wages are to be hiked to a total of 1,750 rupees a day, President Dissanayake said, presenting the Budget for 2026.

“We believe that estate workers should be paid a fair daily wage, commensurate with their work,” the President said.

The current minimum wage of an estate worker is 1,350 rupees a day.

An additional 200 rupees will be given daily by the government to encourage estate workers to come to work, Dissanayake said.

“This is as an incentive for them to show up for the 25 days.” The government will allocate 5,000 million rupees for this, he said.

The Budget Debate on the Second Reading of the Appropriation Bill will commence on 08 November and continue for six days. The vote on the Second Reading is scheduled for 14 November (Friday) at 6 pm.

The Committee Stage Debate is set to begin on 15 November and will continue for 17 sitting days, including three Saturdays, until 05 December. The vote on the Third Reading of the Appropriation Bill is to be taken up at 6 pm on 05 December.

During the budget period, Parliament will meet daily, except on Sundays and public holidays. Sessions will begin at 9.30 am on Mondays and at 9 am on other days. Each day’s sittings will continue until 6 pm, with time from 6 to 6.30 pm allocated for adjournment motions, shared equally between the Government and the Opposition, except on voting days.

In addition, during the Committee Stage Debate, provision has been made for five Questions for Oral Answers and one Question under Standing Orders 27(2), apart from the regular business under Standing Orders 22(1) to (6).

News

Justice Thurairaja sworn in as Actg CJ

Published

12 hours ago

2025/11/8

Thilina Walpola

Supreme Court Justice S. Thurairaja was sworn in as the Acting Chief Justice before President Anura Kumara Dissanayake yesterday (07) at the Presidential Secretariat.

The appointment was made to discharge the duties of the position during the absence of Chief Justice Preethi Padman Surasena, who is currently overseas.

Secretary to the President, Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayaka, was also present on the occasion.