• IMF’s 6th tranche disbursement if Sri Lanka complies with expected prior action; focus on Budget
• WB says recent economic performance strong, but recovery, growth still incomplete, poverty elevated
• Public Debt Management Office says SL has to repay $ 37 b foreign loans and Rs. 19.6 t domestic loans
• Speculation over removing Ports and Aviation from Bimal; controversial containers, Indian projects blamed
• AKD appoints 2 full-time JVPers for Urban Development; complaints received on senior UDA officials
• Bimal was first to hint of reshuffle; Lalkantha says Cabinet appointments still within pledged numbers
• Govt. gathers flak over fresh resolution on SL at UNHRC; Vijitha says won’t waste public funds like earlier
• Tilvin admits Pelawatte office comm. interferes in governance; a steering comm, no individual, says Tilvin
• Dayasiri raises privileges issue over Bimal’s intervention at CC on CIABOC DG appointment, urges action
• Speaker says CC is not under House purview or Privileges Act; no action against CC members’ actions
• Udaya claims AG’s Dept.’s Madhawa scored highest, but lost to Ranga following Bimal’s intervention
• Shanakiyan concerned over CIABOC’s selective action; Chamara probes CIABOC DG’s action on Arjuna
• Govt. and Opposition political leaders throng to book fair; JVP/NPP suffers defeats at co-op polls
• RW pushes joint Opposition rally on 11/11, asks Namal to join; Tiran, Wimal, Udaya key organisers
• Organisers asked to bring 10,000 to Colombo, Namal asked to bring highest number; some concerned
• Several Opposition members feel rally is too early, propose alternatives; RW adamant on holding rally
• Main Opposition SJB not part of rally discussion; SJB decides to form joint political prog. with UNP
• Wajira says decision at UNP Convention for all parties to form coalition, says UNP will decide after talks
• Sajith advises 3-member comm. Head Kabir on SJB leading joint prog.; Kabir to submit report to SJB
• RW informs MR of plan to form joint Opposition coalition; MR gifts curd and treacle to RW during visit
• Ananda says Govt. ready to provide vehicles, security to ex-Prezs; MR decides to write letter to AKD
• Monk launches hunger strike seeking security for ex-Prezs; CID finds Kajja was employed by MR earlier
• SF slams MR over corruption, betrayal, misuse of State property, and controversial actions during war
• SLPP hits back at SF, calling him a traitor who betrayed the armed forces with ‘white flag’ story, etc.
• Namal, Sagara, Johnny, Sanjeewa meet Thissa to resolve controversial statement on ‘unofficial prez’
• Maithri seeks more time to shift to Battaramulla; CBK to move to rented house in Colombo shortly

The pressure is now building on the 2026 Budget to be presented by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake (AKD) next month, with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) announcing a prior action to be fulfilled by the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP)-led National People’s Power (NPP) Government to receive the sixth financial disbursement to Sri Lanka by the IMF.

The IMF announced last week that, following a 15-day programme with Government authorities, it had reached a Staff-Level Agreement (SLA) on the Fifth Review under Sri Lanka’s Extended Fund Facility (EFF) arrangement.

However, the IMF, this time around, has placed a prior condition to disburse the sixth tranche. “We have one prior condition this time. It is about the Budget. And it is about ensuring that the budget parameters are in line with our programme,” IMF Mission Chief for Sri Lanka Evan Papageorgiou told the media while announcing the SLA. 

The parameters include a primary fiscal surplus target of 2.3% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as well as the quality of the spending problems that will go into the budget. Hence, the IMF will disburse the sixth tranche if Sri Lanka complies with the expected prior action. 

President AKD meanwhile has reaffirmed that the IMF remains a vital partner in Sri Lanka’s accelerated journey from crisis to recovery and that the Government regards IMF support not merely as external assistance, but as an integral element of its comprehensive strategy for sustainable economic progress.

While the IMF has placed a prior condition on Sri Lanka’s sixth EFF tranche, the World Bank issued a startling report on the country’s economy.

The World Bank has stated that while Sri Lanka’s recent economic performance has been strong, the recovery remains incomplete, with growth still below pre-crisis levels and poverty significantly elevated. The bank has noted that strengthening the recovery will require continued macroeconomic stability, urgent structural reforms, and more efficient, better-targeted public spending.

“While Sri Lanka’s recent economic progress is encouraging, the recovery is uneven and incomplete,” World Bank Division Director for the Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka David Sislen has stated. “To build a stronger, fairer economy that benefits all households, in a fiscally constrained environment, Sri Lanka needs the private sector to invest and create jobs and ensure that every rupee of public money is well spent.”

The World Bank has further noted that although recent growth has been strong with inflation low and external inflows robust, food prices have remained high, reserve accumulation has slowed, and economic output is still below 2018 levels. The report has pointed out that poverty, although declining, remains twice as high as in 2019 while the labour market has been slow to recover, and many households have yet to regain livelihoods lost during the crisis. “An additional 10% of the population lives just above the poverty line, and malnutrition remains a serious issue, especially among vulnerable groups.”

As the World Bank report issued a strong warning on Sri Lanka’s economic situation, the Public Debt Management Office (PDMO) had reportedly informed the Committee on Public Finance (COPF) that Sri Lanka still has to repay foreign loans amounting to $ 37 billion and domestic loans totalling Rs. 19.6 trillion.

Officials from the PDMO had revealed these details after they were summoned before the COPF to discuss the current amounts of foreign and domestic loans obtained by Sri Lanka.

The messaging therefore is clear to President AKD and his JVP/NPP Government; while Sri Lanka is still riding the successes of the policy decisions made from 2023 onwards, it is still not sufficient to tide the country to safety from the still persistent economic storm. 

First hint from Bimal

Be that as it may, the political discussion in the past two days has been dominated by the reshuffle of several Cabinet and deputy ministerial portfolios by President AKD on Friday (10) morning. The Government has maintained that the changes in portfolios as well as new appointments to Cabinet and deputy ministerial portfolios are aimed at further enhancing the Government’s capacity for better deliverance.

As to whether it was a sudden decision to make certain changes to the portfolios, several senior Government Ministers noted that it was not a sudden decision and that it had been discussed for a while. In fact, it was senior Minister Bimal Rathnayake who hinted several months earlier that there could be a Cabinet reshuffle and that his portfolios could also be subjected to a change.

Senior Minister K.D. Lalkantha noted that when President AKD appointed the Cabinet of Ministers last year, there had been several slots kept vacant to enable the appointment of new members to the Cabinet. “I hope you remember that we stated that there is a cap of 25 members in the Cabinet of Ministers and we are still within this number. There’s a lot of work to be done and in some instances, certain portfolios require a dedicated individual to meet the workload,” he explained.

Meanwhile, there was much speculation among the Opposition benches in Parliament that the removal of the Ports and Aviation portfolio from Rathnayake was due to several reasons, ranging from the release of the 323 controversial containers from the Colombo Port without proper Customs checks to objections raised by India over the continued delays in Indian-funded projects in the ports sector. These facts were raised by several Opposition parliamentarians in the House.

However, it is learnt that the appointment of two full-time members of the JVP, Rathnayake and Eranga Gunasekara, as the Cabinet and Deputy Minister for Urban Development, respectively, was a political move. 

One of the key reasons has been attributed to complaints being received about irregular activities of a senior Urban Development Authority (UDA) official appointed by the incumbent Government and the need to rein in the official while also moving ahead with the many projects lined up at the Urban Development Ministry. This fact was also confirmed by Rathnayake when he said there was a lot of work to be done at the Urban Development Ministry.

Govt. gathers flak

The JVP/NPP Government, meanwhile, is gathering flak over its handling of the fresh resolution that was adopted on Sri Lanka at the 60th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) and for failing to push for a vote for the resolution at the council.

Resolution A/HRC/60/L.1/Rev.1 on promoting reconciliation, accountability, and human rights in Sri Lanka was adopted without a vote at the UNHRC during the 41st meeting of the council session. Sri Lanka however had rejected the resolution.

Sri Lanka’s Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva had criticised the extension of the external evidence-gathering mechanism of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), deeming it unprecedented and counterproductive to genuine domestic reconciliation efforts. 

Sri Lanka had emphasised its commitment to national institutions to address past violations, calling for the resolution’s rejection. “We appreciate the Core Group’s engagement on language amendments proposed by Sri Lanka. We, however, regret that we couldn’t find agreement on certain key concerns for us.”

The statement had also noted that, as Sri Lanka had indicated from the beginning to the Core Group, the country’s fundamental issue with the text was the reference to Resolution 51/1 of 2022, denoting the external evidence-gathering mechanism on Sri Lanka within the OHCHR, which, in its view, was an unprecedented and ad hoc expansion of the council´s mandate.

On 10 September, the Sri Lanka Core Group, comprising Canada, Malawi, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and the United Kingdom, had tabled a resolution at the UNHRC, urging Sri Lanka to take concrete steps towards reconciliation, accountability, and the protection of human rights.

On 1 October, a coalition of 30 countries – including Albania, Austria, Canada, Costa Rica, Croatia, Estonia, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malawi, Malta, Montenegro, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom – had jointly presented a revised draft resolution at the UNHRC focused on promoting reconciliation, accountability, and human rights in Sri Lanka.

However, several Opposition politicians questioned the Government’s failure to call for a vote at the UNHRC, with Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) Member of Parliament (MP) Namal Rajapaksa asking: “If the Government objects to it orally, does it not have a backbone to take a vote? If a vote was taken, the majority of the countries in the world are willing to support Sri Lanka. Who is the Government going to please? Is it the Tamil diaspora?”

Vijitha responds

However, Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath made a special statement in the House outlining Sri Lanka’s strategy at the UNHRC and the reason for not calling for a vote.

Herath, while accusing previous governments of politicising national issues and human rights for political gain, defended the Government’s decision to not request for a vote when the latest resolution on Sri Lanka was adopted at the UNHRC.

The Minister also explained that calling for a vote at the UNHRC, given Sri Lanka’s record and circumstances, would create an unnecessary problem. “Previous governments did this, fully aware that the vote would be defeated, wasting both public money and time. This is not our Government’s policy,” he said.

Herath further noted that the Government was committed to replacing the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) with new legislation and establishing a public prosecutor’s office, while also emphasising that safeguarding human rights remained a Government priority and would not be politicised.

The Pelawatte operation

Meanwhile, JVP General Secretary Tilvin Silva has admitted to the role played by the JVP/NPP Headquarters in Pelawatte in governance work. Since President AKD and the JVP/NPP Government assumed office in September and November 2024, respectively, there has been much talk about the magnitude of interference by officials at the JVP Headquarters in Pelawatte in the Government’s decision-making process led by Silva. 

This mechanism has been continuously criticised by Opposition parties claiming that the President and his ministers were merely following Silva’s dictates and those from the Pelawatte office. 

Silva, however, responded to these claims during a television interview saying that there was no individual who issued directives to the Government from the Pelawatte office, but that there was a steering committee that met frequently to discuss mechanisms and strategies the Government could follow when implementing decisions taken by the President and Government.

“This steering committee, as well as the NPP Central Committee, meets at Pelawatte. The President, Prime Minister, several ministers, and several NPPers who are not holding posts in the Government are in these committees. I too am at these meetings. We discuss shortcomings and what needs to be done. In a broader sense, considering these facts, Pelawatte is also connected to governance work. But there is no single individual who issues directives from Pelawatte,” Silva explained.

Spotlight on Ranga’s appointment

Meanwhile, the alleged issues related to the appointment of Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) Director General Ranga Dissanayake were raised in Parliament by MP Dayasiri Jayasekara on Tuesday (7) while former Minister Udaya Gammanpila also raised the issue during a news briefing held in Colombo the same day.

Gammanpila alleged during a news briefing in Colombo that the appointment of the CIABOC Director General had not taken place in a transparent manner. 

“On 13 October 2024, Dissanayake had applied for the post of CIABOC Director General. However, he did not possess the experience of filing a criminal case. It is also surprising that he was called for an interview for the post. There were 16 applications received for the post and only 10 of the applicants were called for an interview. However, Ranga Dissanayake was included among these 10 applicants although he had not fulfilled the criteria. 

“The Constitutional Council (CC) had decided that three of its members who were not MPs should serve as the interview board. It had also been decided that 70% of the marks would be given by the interview board and the remaining 30% would be given by the other members of the CC,” the former Minister explained regarding the process. 

He went on to say: “It is Madhawa Tennakoon from the Attorney General’s Department who had scored the highest marks at the interview and High Court Judge Ranga Dissanayake scored the second-highest marks.”

“The CC had convened on 3 January 2025 and during that meeting the remaining 30% of the marks were given to the applicants. Tennakoon scored the highest marks at this meeting and Dissanayake scored the second-highest marks. However, two concerns were raised about both the highest scoring applicants. It had been raised that Tennakoon had served in the anti-corruption commission in Fiji under a military government and it had been pointed out as a reason to state that Tennakoon was not suited for the post being advertised. 

“Regarding Dissanayake, it had been pointed out that that the two people who had nominated him were governors – those of the North Central Province and Sabaragamuwa Province – appointed by the President and it was not appropriate to appoint an individual who has been nominated by two political appointees as the CIABOC Director General, as it could have an impact on serving impartially,” Gammanpila claimed.

He further claimed: “Leader of the House, Minister Bimal Rathnayake however had stated that the two Governors had nominated Dissanayake prior to them being appointed as Governors by the President. However, this statement was not true since the two individuals had made the nomination as provincial governors. 

“Since the concerns raised about Tennakoon were not resolved and Dissanayake’s issue was addressed, Dinesha Samararatne had decided to revise her marks given to Dissanayake. She had amended her marks due to her belief in Rathnayake’s explanation. It was still Tennakoon’s name that was on top. It had then been decided to send both names to the President as nominees for the CIABOC director general post. The CC had afterwards concluded its session on 3 January.”

Gammanpila had further noted: “The Prime Minister had intervened and a meeting of the CC was held on 7 January 2025 to further discuss the appointment of the CIABOC director general. Since a decision could not be reached, it was decided to hold a vote in the council. Four votes were cast in favour of Tennakoon and five votes were cast in favour of Dissanayake. The council had concluded its meeting that day by deciding to nominate Dissanayake’s name for the post of CIABOC director general.”

Meanwhile, Jayasekara claimed in Parliament that Leader of the House Rathnayake had misled the CC. He raised a privileges issue in Parliament stating that the actions had insulted not only Parliament but all MPs and called for the matter to be directed to the Parliamentary Committee on Privileges.

The Speaker of Parliament also made an observation on the points raised by Jayasekara.

No privileges issue

However, Speaker Jagath Wickramaratne announced that the Leader of the House had not breached Parliament’s privileges concerning the nomination of the CIABOC Director General to the Constitutional Council. 

The Speaker had noted that the CC had been established as a distinct and independent constitutional body and did not fall under the Parliament (Powers and Privileges) Act. “The CC functions under the Constitution itself, and not under the authority of Parliament or its Standing Orders. Therefore, any decisions or proceedings of the CC cannot be regarded as proceedings of Parliament or of a committee of Parliament,” he has explained. 

Wickramaratne has therefore stated that as the CC was not a committee of Parliament, the allegations regarding misleading the council did not fall under the purview of the Parliament (Powers and Privileges) Act or deliberation of the council. 

“Even if a MP made an incorrect statement before the council, it would not constitute a breach of privilege. The council’s decisions are final and conclusive, subject only to fundamental rights applications before the Supreme Court,” the Speaker has added.

Questioning failures

Meanwhile, Ilankai Tamil Arasu Katchi (ITAK) MP Shanakiyan Rasamanickam also raised concerns about the conduct of the CIABOC.

He noted that complaints and probes into members of the ruling party and relatives of Government ministers or MPs were not progressing with the same vigour as other probes.

Releasing Arjuna’s passport

Meanwhile, Opposition MP Chamara Sampath Dasanayake made an interesting statement about the controversial Treasury bond scam during the ‘Yahapalana’ Government and about then Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) Arjuna Mahendran, who is also accused of being involved in the scam.

Dasanayake alleged in Parliament on Wednesday (8) that CIABOC Director General Dissanayake’s wife had once worked under Mahendran. He claimed that the ruling party had promised to bring the culprits behind the bond scam to justice in addition to bringing down Mahendran, who is currently in Singapore.

Dasanayake also issued a challenge: “[Ranga] Dissanayake should clarify who served as the Colombo Fort Magistrate in 2017 and who at the time had approved the release of Arjuna Mahendran’s passport. If it is not him, he needs to state that as well. His (Dissanayake’s) first wife served at the Central Bank and his second wife also worked at the Central Bank. What role did the second wife play during Mahendran’s tenure?”

“The people of this country have a right to know these facts. Those who hold high office must be transparent and beyond reproach before pointing fingers at others,” he added.

Selfie time at book fair

Apart from the ongoing political bickering, members of both sides of the divide were seen visiting one venue in the past few days – the annual Colombo International Book Fair at the BMICH. 

President AKD also visited the book fair and was seen talking to visitors to the fair while also posing for selfies with them.

Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya recently made a surprise visit to the book fair at the BMICH premises. No one, including the organisers of the event, had known that the Premier was planning to visit the fair. Once she had arrived at the premises, the organisers had accompanied her to several book stalls.

Amarasuriya had said she wanted to get her hands on the book ‘Kanthawanta Pamanai’ (‘For Ladies Only’) authored by Saman Athaudahetti. The fair organisers had immediately taken her to the relevant book stand. 

The publishers of the said book had presented it to the Prime Minister as a gift. Amarasuriya, however, had said that she needed to read the book at leisure and said she wanted to purchase it. She had then opened her wallet and taken out the money required for the book.

After purchasing the book, Amarasuriya had thanked the staff in the bookshop and left the venue.  

While many senior ruling party politicians as well as Opposition politicians attended the book fair, former President Ranil Wickremesinghe, Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa, and SLPP National Organiser Namal Rajapaksa were among those who had people gathering around to talk and take selfies with.

Cooperative losses

Meanwhile, the ruling JVP/NPP has recorded surprising defeats at the elections for both the Udunuwara and Galagedara Cooperative Societies recently.

The main Opposition Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) has managed to secure all the seats in both these cooperative societies while the ruling party has failed to secure even one seat in these societies.

This performance by the ruling party is undoubtedly a key talking topic of the Pelawatte steering committee since the JVP/NPP had managed to win the cooperative bodies in many areas several months back. These elections are viewed as a gauge of political sentiments at the grassroots level.

Gearing for 11/11

Amidst the ongoing political developments, especially on the side of the Government, the Opposition or certain sections of the Opposition are looking at launching a joint Opposition movement on 11 November, also being referred to as 11/11.

However, several Opposition politicians note that the joint rally might not be held on 11/11, but during mid-November.

The idea of the joint Opposition rally to be held in Nugegoda next month was mooted by former President Wickremesinghe and it is learnt that he is adamant about holding the rally with the support of other Opposition parties, especially the SLPP.

Wickremesinghe, it is learnt, has already spoken about the formation of the Opposition coalition and holding a massive rally in Colombo followed by a series of 1,000 public meetings islandwide with SLPP Leader, former President Mahinda Rajapaksa (MR), Namal, and SLPP General Secretary Sagara Kariyawasam. He has also discussed this with other Opposition members, including former MPs who are SLPP dissidents.

It is further learnt that Wickremesinghe and the Opposition members organising the November rally are targeting bringing down around 10,000 people to Colombo with the SLPP’s Namal being assigned the task of bringing down most of the crowd.

The organisation of the rally is being handled by former Ministers Tiran Alles, Wimal Weerawansa, and Udaya Gammanpila.

Concerns among some

However, there are concerns emerging among some of the Opposition members in the joint Opposition about the planned 11/11 rally. They feel that it is too early for the Opposition to launch a campaign.

It is learnt that there have been discussions among some SLPP dissidents and the party’s Namal and Kariyawasam about delaying the massive public rally for a later date and to instead proceed with grassroots-level meetings. Some of the key concerns raised during these discussions is that the ground is still not ready for such a massive anti-Government rally and that it will result in the ruling party carrying out a successful mudslinging campaign against all Opposition parties that stand on the platform of the rally. 

“With the ground not being ready for such an anti-Government campaign, holding a rally in Colombo of such a magnitude will result in the ruling party carrying out a campaign against all the parties and individuals in the Opposition coalition,” a senior Opposition member said, adding that the campaign would be labelled as a gathering of rogues to protect themselves from the ongoing anti-corruption campaign and other probes.

Another key area of concern is that the main Opposition SJB has not been a part of the ongoing discussion and has not expressed interest in being part of the proposed Opposition coalition.

Nevertheless, it is learnt that upon being informed of these concerns, Wickremesinghe has dismissed them, saying the November rally and the follow-up meetings must proceed. Wickremesinghe’s stance has made some Opposition members wonder if the former President is thinking strategically, as he is usually known to do, or whether he is acting in anger following his recent arrest.

Sajith announces decision

Meanwhile, the SJB Working Committee on Thursday (9) had unanimously approved a proposal to launch a joint political programme with the United National Party (UNP) under the leadership and guidance of the SJB.

This Working Committee decision follows decisions reached at two previous meetings of the SJB’s Management Committee. 

Opposition and SJB Leader Premadasa said that both the SJB Working Committee and the Management Committee had reached a collective agreement to work together on a common policy framework and that the initiative aimed to deliver practical, democratic, and progressive solutions to issues affecting the country and its people, while ensuring both parties retained their respective identities.

Wajira’s response irks Sajith

Nevertheless, soon after Premadasa made this announcement, UNP Chairman Wajira Abeywardena noted that it had been decided at the UNP Convention for all Opposition political parties to form a joint coalition.

Abeywardena further noted that the response of the Opposition (SJB) was a positive one and that the UNP’s Management and Working Committees would discuss and announce the party’s stance once the message was officially submitted to the party.

Sajith’s advice to Kabir

However, after appointing the three-member committee to formulate the plan for the SJB to proceed with developing a cooperative relationship with the UNP, Premadasa had personally spoken to the Head of the committee, Kabir Hashim. 

Premadasa had explained that he had forgotten all of Wickremesinghe’s harassment and eventual removal of him (Premadasa) and his group from the UNP when the former President had been remanded and that he had then supported Wickremesinghe.

“However, soon after he (Wickremesinghe) was released on bail, he was back to his old tactics and started attacking me and the party. Hence, please ask Ranil (Wickremesinghe) not to play games if he is sincere about working together with the SJB,” Premadasa had told Hashim, who in turn had said that he would explain the Opposition Leader’s concerns to Wickremesinghe.

Hashim had further noted that Wickremesinghe was now on his way out of active politics and was on the path to retirement. “We (the SJB) will gain more benefits if the two parties unite,” he had added.

Hashim, it is learnt, has been tasked with preparing a report to be handed over to the party leadership with recommendations on how to proceed with the SJB’s work plan with the UNP.

However, it is interesting that several senior SJBers like Ranjith Madduma Bandara and Tissa Attanayake, who were among the SJB members who engaged in talks with the UNP earlier, have not been included in the latest committee.

MR’s gift to RW

Meanwhile, former President MR, it is learnt, had recently given a gift of several pots of curd and bottles of treacle to former President Wickremesinghe when the latter had called on MR in Tangalle.

Wickremesinghe visited MR at the Carlton House in Tangalle on his way back to Colombo from Kataragama.

Although details of the discussion between the two leaders were not immediately known, it is now learnt that Wickremesinghe had discussed plans for the Opposition to form a joint coalition to address the emerging political challenges. Wickremesinghe had also explained that there were plans to hold a series of public meetings as a joint Opposition and had requested MR’s support to get the SLPP to join this venture.

MR, it is learnt, had agreed that there were emerging political challenges that would require a joint effort and said that he would explain the situation to SLPP National Organiser Namal Rajapaksa and General Secretary Sagara Kariyawasam.

Returning vehicles

Meanwhile, Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala told Parliament last Tuesday (7) that vehicles returned by former Presidents could be given back to them as the Presidents’ Entitlements Act, which was passed by Parliament recently, did not cover security details given to them.

The Minister noted that the Government was prepared to consider official requests made by former Presidents seeking vehicles or more security. 

MR writes to AKD

It is in such a backdrop that MR had decided to write a letter to President AKD.

The former President, it is learnt, has decided to write a letter to the incumbent President, outlining that he (MR) had taken steps to return all vehicles issued to him by the Government, including the bulletproof vehicle allocated for him, following the enforcement of the Presidents’ Entitlement Act amendments last month.

However, MR is to request AKD to be allocated a bulletproof vehicle and several vehicles for his security given the security concerns faced by him.

Hunger strike for MR

Meanwhile, Ven. Theripahala Siridhamma Thera of Rathupaswala commenced a hunger strike in Tangalle on Wednesday (8), protesting the Government’s decision to withdraw MR’s security detail.

The monk had commenced his protest at around 1 p.m. in front of the D.S. Senanayake statue, located opposite Carlton House in Tangalle. According to reports, the hunger strike is being carried out to demand that security be reinstated for former President MR as well as other former Presidents.

The Thera has stated that the decision to remove security for a former Head of State who once served the nation is unacceptable and poses a risk to his safety, and has vowed to continue his fast until the authorities restore the withdrawn security arrangements.

Kajja employed by MR

Meanwhile, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has uncovered that Aruna Vidanagamage alias Middeniya Kajja, who is now linked to the murder of ruggerite Wasim Thajudeen, was employed as a driver at a ministry that was under the purview of MR in 2012.

However, one of the main accused in Thajudeen’s case, Tissa, who had served in MR’s staff and was accused of being linked to the attacks on members of the Inter-University Students’ Federation (IUSF), Janaka and Sisitha, is now missing.

The CID has however stated that it has uncovered many new details related to the chasing away of people who had come to douse Thajudeen’s vehicle that was on fire and that the telephone calls that had been made by the individuals have been uncovered.

Addressing Thissa’s issue

Meanwhile, Namal, Kariyawasam, and former SLPP MPs Johnston Fernando and Sanjeewa Edirimanna had met with former MP Janaka Thissa Kuttiarachchi, who has been in the spotlight over a controversial statement made by him that he would be the “unofficial president” when Namal became president in 2029.

Kuttiarachchi’s statement during a public meeting had drawn much concern and criticism from SLPP members and organisers, who had informed party seniors that such comments could pose a problem. General Secretary Kariyawasam had to then issue a warning to Kuttiarachchi, ordering him not to make such ‘controversial and irresponsible’ statements in the future. An angry Kuttiarachchi had then started to hit back claiming there was opposition to him within the party.

It is in such a backdrop that several SLPP seniors had decided to meet with Kuttiarachchi. Edirimanna had brought Kuttiarachchi for the discussion. “I have brought Kutti here for this meeting to address the ongoing issue,” he had said.

“Thissa, you can choose your line to reach out to the people, but don’t make controversial statements. Otherwise, you will be politically destroying yourself,” Namal had said.

Kariyawasam had explained that he had received hundreds of telephone calls after hearing Kuttiarachchi’s statement. “You are a good speaker. Don’t ruin yourself by making unwanted statements,” he had noted.

Finally, Fernando had said: “Thissa, I have always stood by you. We both came from the UNP. When you faced issues in Parliament, I stood by you, so don’t forget that.”

Kuttiarachchi had then said that he understood the concerns and requested the party seniors to support him in his political work in Anuradhapura.

Johnny ready for litigation

Meanwhile, Johnston Fernando says that he is prepared to take maximum legal action against those spreading false stories that Sampath Manamperi is serving as his coordinating secretary.

Fernando has made this statement in response to some reports in the media that had drawn a link between him and Manamperi. “Now they say that a person named Manamperi is one of my coordinating secretaries. Let me remind you that I appointed coordinating secretaries only from this district,” he said.

Manamperi is being detained by the Police on a detention order after being arrested when he had surrendered to court over a case related to an ongoing probe on the confiscation of raw materials used for ‘ice’ manufacturing in the Middeniya area.

Namal warns IGP

Meanwhile, Namal last Wednesday (8) issued a warning to the Inspector General of Police (IGP) during a statement in Parliament.

He called on the incumbent IGP to be mindful of what had become of his predecessors when they had allowed themselves to be manipulated by political power. 

A tense situation arose in Parliament last Wednesday over the issue of Police transfers with the Opposition moving a motion calling for parliamentary intervention to protect the independence of the National Police Commission.

Opposition MP Jayasekara stated that since 2017, Police transfers had consistently been handled by the Police Commission and that delegating this authority to the IGP at this stage would be inappropriate.

He further pointed out that 32 Senior Superintendents of Police and several Deputy Inspectors General had already been transferred outside the purview of the Police Commission.

Opposition Leader Premadasa also weighed in by stating that the primary role of the Police Commission was to ensure depoliticisation and that it should not be reduced to a puppet or tool of the Government.

SF continues slamming MR

Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka meanwhile launched a scathing attack on former President MR, accusing him of corruption, betrayal, and misuse of State property, while declaring that according to the Constitution, MR “deserves death by hanging”.

Fonseka charged during a public meeting that MR’s decision to declare a ceasefire was intended to allow Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Leader Velupillai Prabhakaran to escape during the final stages of the war.

“Mahinda Rajapaksa must explain why he ordered a ceasefire during the final days of the war,” he said, adding: “If this was some other country, he would have been killed by hanging him by the feet for this act of treachery. According to our Constitution as well, the punishment he deserves is death by hanging,” he said.

Commenting on a statement issued by MR’s Spokesperson regarding delays in handing over the former President’s official residence on Wijerama Mawatha in Colombo, Fonseka has alleged that valuable State assets had been unlawfully transferred from the President’s House and Temple Trees to the private residence. “Do you believe that Mahinda Rajapaksa, who spent Rs. 500 million to repair the house, will at least bring a coconut scraper purchased out of his own money?” he has questioned.

“If I was the Justice Minister, I would have filed the first case against Rajapaksa for moving the precious items from the President’s House and Temple Trees to the Wijerama residence. He can be arrested within 24 hours,” he has further claimed.

“If there is no inventory for these items, who was there at these houses? In one there was Gotabaya and in the other one Mahinda. Then the occupants should be responsible for this. Because there is no inventory, they say the goods cannot be moved. And because they cannot be removed, they say their personal items can’t be removed. Look at this statement. This is how the Rajapaksas are,” Fonseka has added.

SLPP hits back at ‘traitor’

However, the SLPP hit back at Fonseka, claiming he was a ‘traitor’ who had betrayed the armed forces by speaking to the media about the alleged ‘white flag’ case.

MR’s Spokesperson Ravindra Manoj Gamage claimed that Fonseka had no right to call MR a traitor when he had betrayed the armed forces through his ‘white flag’ statement. “It is the person who has made claims about war crimes in Sri Lanka during the period of the war through his white flag comments who is now calling for the person who saved the country from terrorism and ended the war to be hanged,” he claimed.

Maithri to Battaramulla

Former President Maithripala Sirisena meanwhile has requested more time to hand over his official residence in Colombo. It is learnt that the former President had requested time till 1 November to hand over the official residence.

However, Sirisena had already handed over his official vehicles.

It is learnt that Sirisena is looking at shifting to a residence in the Battaramulla area. 

CBK to move out

Meanwhile, former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga (CBK), it is learnt, is expected to move out of her official residence in Colombo and hand it over to the Government within the next few weeks.

CBK is to move into a house in Colombo that has been taken on rent after moving from the official residence.

The former President had sought more time to vacate the official residence due to her health condition at present, and with her condition improving, measures are to be taken for her to shift to the rented residence.

Wimal clashes with Police

Meanwhile, former Minister Wimal Weerawansa has locked horns with the Police over a statement made by him to the Tangalle Police on Thursday (9) and the statement issued by the Police warning that legal action would be initiated against him if it was established that false or misleading information had been knowingly made public.

Weerawansa, who was summoned by the Tangalle Divisional Criminal Investigation Unit (CIU) on Monday (6), had informed the authorities that he was unable to visit the division due to an illness.

He has however requested that an alternative date be scheduled for his appearance and the former Minister finally appeared before the Tangalle CIU on Thursday.

Weerawansa was summoned by the Tangalle CIU to record a statement regarding comments made by him about an individual named Beliatte Sana, who was recently arrested along with a vessel in connection with a drug-related operation in Tangalle and is currently being questioned under a detention order.

However, the Police issued a statement noting that Weerawansa had not produced any evidence to substantiate his earlier public claims made at a media briefing on 2 October.

The Police has stated that Weerawansa had said he had never met the suspect nor known him as a member of the JVP and that his earlier comments about drug trafficking and State involvement referred to the general situation in the country and not to this specific case.

The Police has further stated that Weerawansa had added that his reference to the boat owner in the case was based on information published in the media at the time, and that he had understood the President’s visit to the area during the Local Government Elections period was to a hotel, not to the suspect’s residence.

Weerawansa meanwhile on Friday (10) accused the Tangalle Divisional CIU of deliberately altering the statement provided by him and releasing only selected portions of it to the media.

He charged that the Police had “intentionally edited and distorted” parts of his statement before releasing it to the media, omitting key sections that explained his position.