News

UNP blames it all on govt.

Published

6 years ago

2020/10/31

The UNP has accused the government of failing to contain the ‘second wave’ of the coronavirus.

The party has urged the government to give full priority to the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak, and do it duty of ensuring the health and safety of the citizens of the country.

The UNP has, in a media statement, expressed its concern about what it calls the government’s delayed response in combatting the fresh outbreak of COVID-19 in the country.

“Despite repeated warnings of a pending second wave from the World Health Organisation, the government chose to propagate the idea that it had defeated the virus, without taking adequate steps to protect the citizens of the country from resurgence.

“The government failed to enact relevant legislation which would have bolstered the anti-COVID efforts. The lack of proper laws has resulted in the breakdown of the prevention methods as was seen last evening (29) when the citizens of Colombo left the city in large numbers ahead of the pending lockdown.”

The UNP has said the inability of the government to curb the movement of citizens from the Western Province has now endangered the citizens of the other Provinces in the country as well.

“In April this year Leader of the UNP Ranil Wickremesinghe and TNA MP M.A. Sumanthiran, drafted a Public Health Emergency Bill which was presented to the government. They have failed to act on this legislation, which has rendered them ineffective.

“The recent breakdown of a coronavirus mass testing machine will severely impact the government’s efforts to control the spread of the virus. Currently, it takes over five days for the results of the PCR tests conducted by the government to be made known; this delay has an impact on both the health and safety of the public as well as the economic activities of the country. The unavailability of machines to conduct tests will only serve to further delay the results of the PCR tests being conducted in the country.”

The UNP has said it is the responsibility of this government to have ensured adequate testing facilities were installed around the country to prevent delays. There is also a concern regarding a pending shortage of hospital beds and ventilators. The government must make all efforts to increase the capacity at the hospitals to accommodate patients from this second wave.

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Geneva takes up Sallay’s case and govt. ignores opportunity to answer accusations

Published

2 mins ago

2026/10/5

Thilina Walpola

Suresh Sallay

The government has chosen not to respond to questions raised by the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) regarding the detention of retired Maj. Gen. Suresh Sallay in connection with the ongoing investigations into the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks.

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) arrested the ex-official in late February this year. The Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism, the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, the Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health and the Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers have jointly raised the issue on 20 July, 2026.

Drawing attention of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to what they called alleged arbitrary detention of Sallay, former Director General of the State Intelligence Service (SIS) and former Director of Military Intelligence (DMI), under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), as well as allegations of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment while in custody, resulting in the grave deterioration of his health, and imminent risks of retaliation through further torture and ill-treatment resulting in irreparable harm, should he be released from hospital and returned to custody, the UN sought the government explanation with a 60-day period.

The UN has stated: “This communication, and any response received from your Excellency’s Government, will be made public via the communications reporting website at the 60 days mark. Should your Excellency’s Government respond within 60 days, both the communication and the response, may be published before the 60 days mark. The communications and responses

will also be made available in the subsequent periodic report to be presented to the Human Rights Council.”

In the absence of the government’s response, the UN posted the letter, dated 20 July, 2026, addressed to President Dissanayake. The full letter can be accessed https://spcommreports.ohchr.org/TMResultsBase/DownLoadPublicCommunicationFile?gId=31125

News

Section of wartime KKS High Security Zone vacated to facilitate economic development in the area

Published

3 mins ago

2026/10/5

Thilina Walpola

The Army, last week, vacated an area, within the wartime high security zone in the Jaffna peninsula. The Defence Ministry said that an extent of 187.56 acres of land, belonging to the Cement Corporation in Kankesanthurai, Jaffna, has been released by the military. The released land, located in Grama Niladhari Division J/233, Kankesanthurai West, within the Valikamam North (Tellippalai) Divisional Secretariat Division, had been utilised by the Sri Lanka Army since the middle of 1997.

The release of the 187.56-acre extent forms part of the initiative to make State land available for the proposed investment zone in Kankesanthurai, thereby facilitating future investment and economic development in the area.

News

Lawyer lodges complaint against Govt. Printer, Media Ministry Secy.

Published

4 mins ago

2026/10/5

Thilina Walpola

A complaint has been lodged with the Colombo Fraud Investigation Bureau against the Government Printer and the Secretary to the Ministry of Media regarding the online release of falsified documents bearing a forged Speaker’s certificate.

Attorney-at-Law Aruna Laksiri has lodged a complaint with the Colombo Fraud Investigation Bureau requesting legal action against the Government Printer of the Department of Government Printing (No. 118, Dr. Danister de Silva Mawatha, Colombo 08), Prasanna Jayaratne, and the Secretary to the Ministry of Mass Media (Asidisi Medura, 163, Kirulapone Mawatha, Polhengoda, Colombo 05), Dr. Anil Jasinghe.

The complaint alleges the commission of offences by forging and uploading falsified documents online using a forged Speaker’s certification, failure to perform statutory duties, and misappropriation of public property.

The complaint states that a copy of the English translation of the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution was downloaded and printed from the official website of the Government Printing Department (www.documents.gov.lk), which operates under the Ministry of Mass Media. On its outer cover and on page 1, the text “certified on 25th of September, 2026” is inscribed inside brackets.

The complaint pointed out that the Speaker has certified an English translation. Under Articles 23, 79, 83, and 80 of the Constitution, Parliament enacts laws and the Speaker certifies bills strictly in the Sinhala and Tamil languages; under the Constitution, therefore the Speaker cannot apply such certification to an English translation.