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DIFFERENT PRIORITIES IN THE SINHALA AND TAMIL PRESS |
Tamil Headlines
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Virakesari: “What has happened in three months?” – Questions SJB MP Harsha de Silva | Pictorial: The last rites of Mavai Senathirajah Thinakaran: 1,556 metric tonnes of expired food items discovered | Funds allocated for Sri Lanka in the India’s budget, increased | Pictorial: The last rites of Mavai Senathirajah |
Thinakkural: Mavai’s body cremated. Tributes from party leaders, MPs, politicians and the public | New coalitions to defeat the government at the local government elections | Pictorial: The cremation of Mavai Senathirajah Thamilan: “An injustice that was caused to a Tamil judge. Delayed justice is equal to denied justice. That is what happened to me. Bureaucratic delays sent me to retirement. A situation where I can’t go anywhere to seek justice” – Former High Court Judge Ilanchelian | The body of Mavai cremated |
Sinhala Headlines
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Lankadeepa: Import restrictions relaxed after five years; vehicle import taxes tripled| “We did not take over the government intending to leave it; politicians who illegally imported vehicles will be jailed; February is a good month for the people, but not for certain others; Mahinda will not keep the Wijerama house“ – A fiery speech from the president Divaina: “You will be taken to court if you don’t accept complaints” – A circular to high-ranking police officers from the acting IGP | “I’m saying this to Mahinda for the last time—leave the official residence. If you have nowhere to go, we will provide a house. I thank Ranil, Gota and Hema for returning the official residences” – The president in Kurunegala Ada: 1,556 metric tonnes of rice, lentils and dates meant for impoverished families and schoolchildren found expired; a complaint filed with the CID over non-distribution; “We’re investigating whether it can be used as animal feed” – MP Ruwan Mapalagama |
Mawbima: The vehicle import gazette causes confusion by setting timelines based on the manufacturing date; importers seek urgent amendments | A list of principals who took bribes for Grade One admissions; the Ministry of Education to take legal action Dinamina: 1.5 million kilograms of rice, dates and lentils found rotting in a warehouse; [they were] a 2023 donation from the World Food Programme | The president thanks Gota, Ranil and Hema Aruna: 1,556 metric tonnes of rice and dates meant for poor families left to rot; a stock of lentils among them Anidda: This paper is published on Fridays only |
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TAMIL PRESS PRIORITIES |
Photo credits: IBC Tamil
Mavai’s body cremated. Tributes from party leaders, MPs, politicians and the public
Thamilan, Thinakkural, Thinakaran, Virakesari
The last rites and cremation of former MP and ITAK Leader Mavai Senathirajah took place in Mavattipuram, Jaffna yesterday (2nd). The last rites were attended by many including party leaders, current and former MPs, politicians and members of the public.
Prominent individuals who attended it include the Leader of the People’s Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE) Dharmalingam Siddharthan, Leader of the Tamil Progressive Alliance (TPA) Mano Ganesan, General Secretary of the Ceylon Workers’ Congress Jeevan Thondaman, Leader of the All Ceylon Makkal Congress (ACMC) Rishad Bathiudeen, UNP Chairperson Wajira Abeywardana, current ITAK MPs including Sivagnanam Shritharan, Gnanamuththu Srineshan and Kathiravelu Shanmugam Kugathasan and former MPs M.K. Shivajilingam, Suresh Premachandran and Nallathamby Srikantha.
Meanwhile, an article in Virakesari noted that prominent members of the ITAK including acting Leader C.V.K. Sivagnanam, acting General Secretary MP P. Sathyalingam, former MP and Media Spokesperson M.A. Sumanthiran and MPs Shanakiyan Rasamanickam and Thurairasa Ravikaran were not in attendance for the final rites. However, the article noted that some politicians who did not attend the last rites had attended the funeral beforehand. Virakesari also noted that a banner was displayed at the cemetery featuring photographs of some ITAK members, including Sumanthiran and Rasamanickam, referring to them as “ITAK traitors responsible for the death of Mavai”.
Mahishini Colonné appointed as the high commissioner to IndiaThamilan, Virakesari Sources from the Presidential Secretariat have revealed that the government is finalising the appointment of diplomats to Sri Lanka’s overseas missions. Accordingly, career diplomats Mahishini Colonné and Yasoja Gunasekera have been designated for appointment as the Sri Lankan high commissioner to India and the Sri Lankan high commissioner to Australia, respectively. Meanwhile, former Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasuriya has been designated for appointment as Sri Lanka’s permanent representative to the UN in New York. |
A Pakistan Navy ship docks at the Colombo PortThinakaran The Pakistan Navy ship Aslat docked at the Colombo Port on Saturday (1st). The visiting crew members of the Aslat were welcomed by officials from the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN), and have planned to visit several tourist attractions in the country. A Sri Lanka Navy ship and the Aslat are scheduled to conduct a passage exercise off the coast of Colombo tomorrow (4th). |
SINHALA PRESS PRIORITIES |
Photo credits: Ada Derana
Import restrictions relaxed after five years; vehicle import taxes tripled
Lankadeepa, Aruna, Mawbima
The government has granted permission to import vehicles after a five-year hiatus, effective from February 1. The president, in his capacity as the Minister of Finance, issued an extraordinary gazette notification authorising the importation of private vehicles. However, the relaxation of restrictions is accompanied by the imposition of nine conditions, and a significant increase in taxes, which have tripled. According to reports from importers, the new tax rates have led to a substantial rise in vehicle prices, with the minimum cost of a vehicle now ranging between Rs. 6-7 million.
A conflict during an anti-government protest in Kamburupitiya
Aruna, Mawbima Reports from the Kamburupitiya Police state that a group of self-identified supporters of the “people’s government” caused a disturbance at a protest staged by opposition parties in Kamburupitiya on the afternoon of February 1. The group’s riotous actions heightened tensions at the scene, and disrupted the protest, which was calling on the government to provide relief from the escalating cost of living. |
The SJB to contest as the Samagi Jana Sandhanaya
Ada, Mawbima Sources within the party reveal that the SJB will contest all future elections under the name Samagi Jana Sandhanaya and will use the telephone symbol. The party will be led by Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa. Discussions have reportedly taken place between the SJB and other opposition parties regarding this move. |
The SLBFE loses Rs. 631 million in training revenue
Dinamina, Ada
A report from the National Audit Office reveals that the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) has lost Rs. 631 million in training revenue after 28,165 domestic workers were sent abroad without receiving the mandatory residential training for first-time workers. Domestic workers traveling abroad for the first time are required to undergo a 28-day residential training (NVQ Level 3) at a cost of Rs. 22,410. However, the workers who left between January 2023 and May 2024 had not been provided with this training.
COMMON PRIORITIES: SINHALA & TAMIL PRESS |
Photo credits: Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s official Facebook page
“Politicians who illegally imported vehicles will be jailed; February is a good month for the people, but not for certain others; Mahinda will not keep the Wijerama house” – The president
Lankadeepa, Aruna, Dinamina,,Mawbima,,Divaina,Thinakaran
On February 1, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake addressed a public meeting in Kurunegala where he made several key statements. He pledged to change the political culture that favours friends and family, emphasising that politicians involved in the importation of illegal vehicles will face imprisonment. The president also called on former President Mahinda Rajapaksa to vacate the official residence and thanked former Presidents Ranil Wickremesinghe, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, and former First Lady Hema Premadasa for returning the residences they had occupied. Notably, Dissanayake discussed plans to improve the passport office, announcing that it will soon operate 24 hours a day to alleviate passport application challenges. Additionally, he revealed that the World Bank will provide unprecedented funding next year for the development of Sri Lanka’s agricultural sector.
1.5 million kilograms of rice, dates and lentils found rotting in a warehouse
Dinamina, Aruna, Ada, Thinakaran
1,556 metric tonnes of rice, lentils and dates received in 2023 from the World Food Programme (WFP) for distribution to low-income families and schoolchildren, was found rotting at the Veyangoda government food warehouse. The discovery occurred on January 31 during an inspection by Deputy Minister of National Integration Muneer Mulaffer and MP Ruwan Mapalagama, following reports of the rotting food stock. Officials confirmed that the items, which were initially intended for distribution, had become unfit for consumption due to prolonged storage.
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Common priorities: Additional stories
1. Preparations underway for the 77th Independence Day tomorrow – Dinamina, Divaina, Virakesari, Thinakaran
2. India increases aid to Sri Lanka in the 2025 budget – Dinamina, Aruna, Divaina, Thinakaran
3. “The government might increase the control price of rice by 115; even though they said they would change everything with one stroke of a pen, it seems they couldn’t even find a pen to begin with”– de Silva – Ada, Virakesari
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