Columns

• Launches several projects to fulfil campaign vow to develop the north
• His landmark Kachchativu stop sends strong message to Tamil Nadu politicos
• UNP delays convention over Ranil’s health; signs of opposition unity talks faltering
• UNHRC chief presents report on Lanka tomorrow; concerns over threats to free speech

By our Political Desk

With only three weeks to go until he completes his first year in office, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake chose to kick off September with a visit to Northern Sri Lanka. It was an extensive and busy programme that saw him attend several events. He spent the first day of his visit in Jaffna, taking part in a number of public events, including the launch of the third phase of the Myliddy Fishery Harbour, the opening of the Jaffna Regional Office of the Department of Immigration and Emigration, the launch of the e-library programme at the Jaffna Public Library and the laying of the foundation for the Jaffna International Cricket Stadium.

He was just as busy on the second day: Events he attended included the launch of the ‘Ratama Saru Karai Nirathuru – Kapthuru Saviya’ Northern Coconut Triangle project in Puthukudiyiruppu to coincide with World Coconut Day. The programme, launched with the objective of initially cultivating 16,000 acres of coconut in the Northern Province by the end of this year, is expected to expand to 50,000 acres by 2027. The President also inaugurated the first model coconut garden in Palai and opened a coconut-product exhibition organised by the Coconut Development Authority at a venue near Puthukkudiyiruppu Central College.

Another major project which began under the patronage of the President was the renovation of the Vadduvakal Bridge in Mullaitivu District. The bridge is located along the Paranthan–Karachchi-Mullaitivu Road near the Nandikadal Lagoon—scene of the final defeat of the separatist LTTE in May, 2009. The bridge carries over 3,000 vehicles on a daily basis. It had become extremely unsafe owing to the lack of maintenance over many years. It is due to be reconstructed as a new two-lane bridge under the Road Development Authority at a cost of Rs. 1.4 billion.

President Dissanayake hands over a new passport to an applicant at the new passport office opened during his visit to Jaffna

Schedule of the visit kept secret

The full itinerary of the two-day official visit to the North by President Dissanayake was kept secret—known only to those in the senior positions of the Presidential Security Division—as it was decided that the presidential convoy will travel by road on Sunday.

Even local intelligence personnel on the ground were unaware as to where the President was going to stay the night (Sunday) as his security detail passed through Elephant Pass at midnight.

Located in the suburbs of Jaffna city, President Dissanayake stayed in a hotel in Thavadi, some eight kilometres from the city. Despite his busy schedule, he managed to visit the residences of his supporters both in Jaffna and in Puthukkudiyiruppu on the following day as well.

When leaving Jaffna on Tuesday morning along the A 9 road towards Puthukudiyirruppu, the presidential convoy briefly slowed down near Chemmani junction—where, a couple of metres away, excavation activities were going on at the mass grave site under the judicial orders of the Jaffna Magistrate Court.

Earlier, local National Peoples’ Power (NPP) supporters circulated the story that President Dissanayake might visit the mass grave site where at least 240 skeletons have been exhumed by Friday. Later, the same circles said the President avoided the visit, lest it be interpreted as the Executive interfering in judicial matters.

Local and international significance
of Northern visit

President Dissanayake’s decision to undertake a visit to the Northern Province to begin the month, where he is set to complete one year in office, has two main objectives. One is to reassure the people of the North that his NPP Government intends to carry through with its promise to develop the Northern Province. The President is mindful that a large segment of Northern voters cast their ballots for him at last year’s presidential election, while an even larger segment gave the NPP an unprecedented number of votes for a Southern-based political party during the general election that followed. There is no doubt that the Northern visit was undertaken with one eye also on the upcoming 60th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volter Türk is due to formally present his report on the human rights situation in Sri Lanka tomorrow. As such, the other objective of the Northern visit is to point out that the Government is very much committed towards uplifting the lives of people in the province while also looking at resolving lingering issues regarding land and language rights, protecting the livelihoods of Northern fishermen and providing answers to families of missing persons.

President Dissanayake spoke of these issues directly while addressing a number of events during his visit. Speaking at the inauguration of the third phase of the Myliddy Fisheries Harbour Development Project in Jaffna, the President stressed that his Government is committed to building a prosperous nation for the people of both the North and the South. He acknowledged that Northern voters played a key role in elevating him to the presidency and the NPP Government to power. Stating that the 2024 general election was a decisive moment that united both the North and the South, which had been distant and divided, the President emphasised the need to strengthen these bonds to ensure that future generations in the country are never divided.

Turning to the subject of land rights, the President acknowledged that a large portion of land in the Northern Province had been taken over during the war to set up military camps. “There is no longer a danger of war breaking out in the country. We don’t need to keep holding onto these lands with the destructive expectation that another war will come. Although some governments acted with the expectation of war, the present government is working with the aim of ensuring that no form of war will ever recur in the country and building peace and harmony within the nation. As such, wherever possible, we will take steps to give back to the people every road and every plot of land that had been acquired during the war,” the President added.

He also commented on the Chemmani mass grave, saying the Government was committed to conducting a thorough and transparent investigation, and insisted that his Government had nothing to hide.

In his speech at the inauguration ceremony of the Northern Coconut Triangle in Puthukkudiyiruppu, the President addressed pressing issues, such as the missing persons case and uplifting war-shattered livelihoods.

Following are excerpts from his speech:

“We know that the Puthukkudiyiruppu area had in the past been one of the regions most severely affected by conflict. As a result of those battles, the people here lost everything. During the last election, I had the opportunity to meet with the people of this region. It is clear that both the area and its people need to be rejuvenated. In particular, during the last election, the people living in these areas placed their trust in us and took a significant step forward. It is our expectation to carry that trust forward towards success.

“To achieve this, we have already begun work in several areas. Firstly, we must ensure the rights of these people. We recognise land rights, language rights, cultural rights and the right to know about their missing loved ones as their fundamental rights. We have therefore launched a series of measures to safeguard these rights.

“Secondly, we must strengthen their economy. As a government, we take responsibility for restoring the economic opportunities they lost and creating a robust economy for them. For this, too, we have already taken a number of steps.

“Among them are the establishment of new industrial zones in the North, the development of tourism as a sector with fresh potential, the provision of essential facilities such as water for agriculture and the coconut cultivation project launched today.”

It is also noteworthy that during many of his speeches at events in the North, the President repeatedly warned of attempts by various elements in both the North and the South to whip up communal politics. He urged the public not to be misled by such communal politics and racism. He further pledged to ensure that the administrative framework was devolved to the maximum possible extent and to shift that administration from Colombo to the villages.

President makes unprecedented
visit to Kachchativu

With elections for the Tamil Nadu State Assembly due in April next year, the issue of Kachchativu has again become a talking point in the South Indian state. India relinquished any claim over the island in 1974, but most Tamil Nadu political parties have, for years, demanded that India reclaim sovereignty over the islet given its importance for Indian fishermen. Several prominent Tamil Nadu politicians have called on Indian Premier Narendra Modi in recent weeks to intervene to reclaim the islet. Actor-turned politician Vijay was the latest to do so when he spoke on the issue during his party’s state conference in Madurai. Addressing a massive crowd of supporters, he demanded the islet be retrieved by India’s Central Government as a solution to the ongoing fisheries conflict between the two countries.

President Dissanayake referred to the matter on Monday during his speech at the Myliddy Fishery Harbour. He observed that an extensive dialogue has again emerged regarding the island. He stressed that the sea, islands, land and sky in Sri Lankan territory belonged to the Sri Lankan people and that he would not surrender them in the face of any external pressure. That same evening, the President took a boat to Kachchativu, making history as the first Head of State to visit the uninhabited islet since the bilateral agreements between India and Sri Lanka finalised in 1974, reaffirming the ownership of the island to the country.

Among those who joined him were Fisheries Minister Ramalingam Chandrasekar, Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala and Northern Naval Area Commander Rear Admiral Buddhika Liyanagamage. The President’s Media Division (PMD) later released a statement describing it as an “inspection visit”, but it sent a clear message to Indian politicians who have been calling for Kachchativu to be reclaimed: Sri Lanka has no intention of conceding the islet.

The visit was breaking news. South Indian and New Delhi-based media interpreted it as the end of ‘claiming ownership’ of the islet by Tamil Nadu’s senior political leadership, who, during election periods, revived the controversy on the lines of retrieving it in order to “put a full stop to Indian fishermen being arrested in Sri Lanka”.

New Delhi has so far made no comment about President Dissanayake’s visit to the islet, but while campaigning for the Indian General Election last year, both Prime Minister Modi and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar accused the then Congress Prime Minister Indira Gandhi of ceding Kachchativu to Sri Lanka in 1974.

President Dissanayake also visited Kachchativu’s iconic St Anthony’s shrine and had discussions with the senior naval officers who are serving at the base on the islet.

When asked about the motive behind the surprise visit of the President to the island, Fisheries Minister Chandrasekar said the government is considering a tourism development plan consisting of the northern islands of Delft and Kachchativu.

On the following day in Jaffna, the Inter-Religious Peace Committee convened a briefing, where Rev. Fr. P.J. Jebaratnam, Vicar General of the Jaffna Diocese, told reporters that the Government should reconsider the proposal since the islet is a pilgrimage site of local and regional Catholic faithful.

Wickremesinghe’s health forces
postponement of UNP convention

While President Dissanayake was visiting the North, former President Ranil Wickremesinghe released his first message to supporters since being released on bail and leaving hospital. In a 20-second clip released on Monday, Wickremesinghe thanked those who had stood by him. “I thank all those who stood by me, including those online, during my arrest. I intend to meet all of you on a future date. Thank you again,” Mr. Wickremesinghe said. He looked tired even in that short message, and the very next day, his United National Party (UNP) released a statement announcing that the party’s 79th Convention, which had earlier been scheduled for September 6, had been postponed to a later date this month.

Mr. Wickremesinghe was to make his first public appearance since his arrest at the convention and was also set to deliver a special statement at the event. UNP sources said leaders of about 40 opposition parties and groups were also due to be invited to attend the event. Announcing the postponement of the convention, a party statement quoted party General Secretary Thalatha Atukorale as saying the decision had been taken by the party’s Management Committee after considering Mr. Wickremesinghe’s health condition.

Mr. Wickremesinghe’s doctors had been advising him to rest at home as he recovers from his stint in hospital. He had been admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the Colombo National Hospital with a rise in both his blood pressure and sugar levels after nearly 13 hours spent at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) headquarters and at the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court on August 22 with no food and little water following his arrest.

Mr. Wickremesinghe was arrested on charges of spending over Rs 16 million in public funds to finance what the CID says was a two-day private visit to the UK in September 2023 while he was president. The visit had been to attend the convocation of the University of Wolverhampton, where his wife, Prof. Maithree Wickremasinghe was accorded an honorary professorship.

Former President’s Secretary Saman Ekanayake, who had authorised the release of funds for the visit, had been issued summons to appear before the CID at 9.00am on Monday. There had earlier been speculation that he too would be arrested after his statement was recorded. Mr Ekanayake, however, was informed by the CID just hours before his appearance that he need not appear on that date and that he would be notified to appear at a future date.

No real unity between opposition
parties despite UNP efforts

Meanwhile, the UNP continues to try to build on the unity Mr. Wickremesinghe’s arrest generated among opposition parties. The most encouraging aspect, as far as both the UNP and the main opposition, Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), are concerned, is that the aftermath of the arrest has seen a thaw in relations between the two parties. Talks on a possible reunification are currently ongoing, as are wider discussions among opposition parties on forming a common programme to fight against the government. Negotiators have been keen to stress that the purpose of these talks is not to form a broad alliance to contest elections.

Nevertheless, the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) has made a firm decision not to be involved in these talks. SLPP General Secretary Sagara Kariyawasam says that if Ranil Wickremesinghe had been arrested over charges related to the Central Bank bond scam or the Batalanda torture chambers, the SLPP would not have spoken up for him and would have joined other parties in condemning his arrest. “But this case was filed without any basis, and we decided to oppose it since the political authority tried to override the law to persecute him.”

He said Mr. Wickremesinghe had never expressly affirmed in any of his election manifestos that Sri Lanka is a unitary state, a core principle that the SLPP abides by. In contrast, Mr. Wickremesinghe is more partial towards a federal state. “Even after he became president on the back of our votes in 2022, he tried to give police and land powers to the provincial councils. We are looking at strengthening the economy and government institutions as well as safeguarding a unitary state. Our policies are different. We have no intention of uniting with the UNP to obtain power because the people who trusted us would lose faith. We don’t want to obtain power by any means. We want to obtain power by legitimate means through the ballot.”

“The SLPP will not hesitate to come together with other parties to fight against political repression when necessary, but forming alliances is something else entirely, and the party won’t participate in any such exercise,” Mr. Kariyawasam stressed.

Nevertheless, he said the party would send a representative to the UNP convention to convey the SLPP’s best wishes if an official invitation was received but added this did not mean it was ready to enter into any alliance with the UNP and SJB.

Govt weaponising problematic laws
to clamp down on freedoms

While the Government has been reiterating its commitment to repeal the Prevention of Terrorism Act, two other problematic pieces of legislation—the Online Safety Act and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights Act—are being increasingly weaponised to clamp down on the freedom of expression/freedom of association by the authorities.

Since the Government took office, several ministers and ruling party MPs have lodged complaints with the CID on rather frivolous matters, the latest being Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala, who took offence at an AI-altered image of him shared on social media after he made an airport appearance when six wanted Sri Lankan criminals were being brought back from Indonesia last Saturday.

Soon after the photograph began doing the rounds, the CID was called in, and now an inquiry is underway, the police said. Already a record number of government ministers have lodged complaints with the CID, several regarding social media/mainstream media reports. Such complaints are increasingly becoming a matter of amusement to the public. A complaint was lodged on behalf of President Dissanayake a few weeks ago also over a photograph of him and a certain lady, while Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya has lodged a complaint with the CID over a news report that she had visited former President Ranil Wickremesinghe while he was receiving treatment at the National Hospital in Colombo.

On top of this, police are looking to arrest the leader of the Pivuthuru Hela Urumaya (PHU), Udaya Gammanpila, over comments he made regarding the arrest of former Navy Commander Admiral Nishantha Ulugetenne, who is in remand custody in connection with the disappearance of a man in 2010. Mr Gammanpila addressed a media briefing after Mr. Ulugetenne’s arrest on July 28 and said this was an attempt to persecute the war veterans.

The police say some of his comments at the media conference could cause disharmony among different communities and could amount to an offence under Section 3(1) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) Act or under Section 120 of the Penal Code.

This week, Mr. Gammanpila, who is overseas, filed a petition through his lawyers before the Court of Appeal seeking an order to prevent his arrest under the provisions of the ICCPR Act.

The move to arrest him has prompted members of his party to meet with former President Wickremesinghe and Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa to raise concerns regarding the government move to suppress the freedom of expression of government opponents.

The PHU said in a statement that Mr. Gammanpila has been exposing government corruption since the NPP took office and has been threatened with arrests several times and decried the attempt to use the ICCPR in a repressive manner.

They also cited the Rabat Plan of Action of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), which sets a high threshold for defining restrictions on freedom of expression, and said Mr. Gammanpila had not violated any laws on incitement or made comments to cause racial disharmony.

According to the UNHRC, across the world, there are two extremes: on the one hand, ‘real’ incitement cases are not prosecuted, while on the other hand, peaceful critics are persecuted as ‘hate preachers’. The Rabat Plan of Action suggests a high threshold for defining restrictions on freedom of expression and incitement to hatred and for the application of Article 20 of the ICCPR, which states, ‘Any propaganda for war and any advocacy of national, racial or religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence shall be prohibited by law.’

It outlines a six-part threshold test taking into account (1) the social and political context, (2) the status of the speaker, (3) the intent to incite the audience against a target group, (4) the content and form of the speech, (5) the extent of its dissemination and (6) the likelihood of harm, including imminence.

Meanwhile, Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa urged the Government not to use the ICCPR Act for political vendettas.

“The ICCPR was created to protect human rights, to ensure peace, unity, brotherhood and harmony among the people. Therefore, I request the Government to take action to protect human rights by utilising this convention,” Mr. Premadasa said while speaking at a meeting held on Wednesday at the Opposition Leader’s Office with members of the PHU.

UNHRC to take up Sri Lanka report tomorrow

The concerns for shrinking space for freedom of expression in Sri Lanka will be a topic of discussion at the upcoming UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.

The UN Human Rights Commissioner Volker Türk, in his report on Sri Lanka which he will present to the Council tomorrow, has said that despite the National People’s Power’s commitment to amend the Online Safety Act, the law remains in force. ”The Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka, OHCHR and United Nations human rights experts have previously raised serious concerns about its vague definition of offences, broad enforcement powers, disproportionate penalties, and lack of judicial oversight,” the report said.

It added that the combined effect of the Online Safety Act and the Prevention of Terrorism Act has created a powerfully constricting legal framework that unduly restricts the rights to freedom of opinion and expression, both online and offline, and called on the Government to repeal or amend existing laws or proposed laws that unduly restrict the rights to freedom of opinion and expression, association, and peaceful assembly, including the OSA and the ICCPR Act.

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath will leave for Geneva, where he will represent the country at the UNHRC’s 60th session.

The interactive dialogue on the comprehensive report of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on progress in reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka is scheduled to be taken up tomorrow.

A new resolution on Sri Lanka is due later this month, with the deadline for draft proposals due on September 25.

SLFP’s anniversary blues: The common man’s party in steady slide to irrelevance The Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) celebrated the 74th anniversary of its founding on Tuesday but not without the familiar drama that has plagued the party for years—infighting over the appointment of office bearers. The simple commemoration event was held at the party headquarters on Darley Road with current leader Nimal Siripala de Silva and Acting General Secretary Duminda Dissanayake presiding. Left out was the former General Secretary Dayasiri Jayasekera, who called a press conference to question the legality of Nimal Siripala de Silva and Duminda Dissanayake presiding at the meeting. A case has been filed challenging the appointments of two men to the SLFP top posts, Mr. Jayasekera pointed out, adding that once the verdict is delivered in his favour, all illegally appointed leaders and political opportunists will be removed. The Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) celebrated the 74th anniversary The once powerful SLFP is today a shadow of its former self. It was founded by S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike, its inauguration held on September 2, 1951, with the promise of ushering in a new political era. Less than five years after its founding, the SLFP won a landslide victory in the 1956 general elections and revolutionised politics in the country by ushering in the era of the ‘common man’. It dominated post-independence Lanka’s political landscape along with the United National Party (UNP) till 2015, when Maithripala Sirisena broke ranks to run for president, which in turn led to the formation of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), led by Mahinda Rajapaksa, resulting in the SLFP being relegated to a sideshow on the political scene. Over the years, the party’s leadership has changed hands, first going to Sirimavo Bandaranaike, the widow of SWRD, who was assassinated in 1959, then to Chandrika Kumaratunga, his younger daughter, and from her to Mahinda Rajapaksa. Mr. Sirisena took over its leadership after his 2015 presidential election victory, and with it began the steady decline of the party. Since then, the SLFP has been making news mostly for its internal bickering than for any other reason, with its standing among the public too steadily on the decline. Next year, the SLFP will celebrate its 75th anniversary. Instead of a show of unity, it’s likely to be dominated by news of more internal friction. “Very powerful forces are likely to arraign against us in time to come—power and influence, money, distortion and misinterpretation,” Mr. Bandaranaike said on the day the SLFP was inaugurated. His words were directed at those in the UNP and others aligned to it. But instead of external forces, it is those from within the SLFP which have caused its decline.