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DIFFERENT PRIORITIES IN THE SINHALA AND TAMIL PRESS |
Tamil Headlines
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Virakesari: Case against bill to revoke privileges of former presidents; SLPP files fundamental rights petition | UNP Secretary Thalatha Athukorala demands that Minister Wasantha Samarasinghe resign Thinakaran: Greater focus in the 2026 Budget to enable the agriculture, livestock, land and irrigation sectors to contribute more broadly to the economy | National Youth Conference chaired by the president |
Thinakkural: “Conflict between JVP and NPP; a conspiracy to force Prime Minister Harini to resign! Plan to appoint Bimal Rathnayake as Prime Minister” – Udaya Gammanpila says | “Support the hartal on the 15th and the protest on the 13th” – Shanakiyan MP appeals | Mano supports the hartal in the North and East | Jeevan also supports the hartal Thamilan: North and East hartal: Growing support; Mano and Jeevan extend their support | “Wind turbines pose no threat to living beings” – Minister Kumara Jayakody |
Sinhala Headlines
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Lankadeepa: A project under the BOI: seven foreign investors permitted to grow marijuana; a bond of an investor at USD 2 billion; the marijuana that will be grown to be provided only for export; cultivation under strict protection; 64 acres in Mirigama already allocated | Doctor that molested a young mother imprisoned for 15 years: [the young mother] had been molested in the medical center itself Divaina: Petition filed in the SC against curbing the rights of former presidents | The knot tied to undo the problem gets tangled: journey cancelled for those that booked tickets for the Odyssey [train]; foreign tourists in deep crisis | Railways General Manager removed from post following cabinet approval Ada: Protests staged in 12 places against the Electricity Act | A referendum also requested concerning the abolishing of former presidents’ rights; Administrative Secretary of the SLPP files petition in SC
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Mawbima: Administrative Secretary of the SLPP files petition in the SC against the act of curbing former presidents’ rights | Famous doctor in Anuradhapura imprisoned for 15 years over severe abuse of a young mother who came for treatment Dinamina: Daya Gamage wreaks havoc at auction over land mortgaged to bank: Rs. 225 million taken and not paid; Thalathuoya Police launch investigation Aruna: Petition against the removal of former presidents’ privileges: SLPP demands a 2/3 vote and a referendum Anidda: This paper is published on Fridays only |
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TAMIL PRESS PRIORITIES |
Photo credits: Newswire
Mano supports the hartal in the North and East; Shanakiyan, Sumanthiran call for support
Thinakkural, Virakesari, Thamilan
The Tamil Progressive Alliance (TPA) has announced their full support for the hartal scheduled for this Friday (15th) in the Northern and Eastern provinces.
TPA Leader MP Mano Ganesan urged President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to heed the hartal’s message, which he identified as the need to reduce the military presence in the North and East and redeploy troops to development work in the South.
He stated that his party supports the ITAK’s call for a just investigation into the Muthuiyankaddu incident and has always opposed “state military terrorism.”
Virakesari: ITAK General Secretary M.A. Sumanthiran has urged public support for a hartal and requested that, as an exception, transportation services be maintained for devotees attending the Nallur Kandaswamy Temple festival and special events at the Madhu Church.
Thinakkural: ITAK MP R. Shanakiyan reiterated the call for the North and East to support the hartal.
Shanakiyan also called on the people of the Batticaloa District to support a separate protest scheduled to take place in Batticaloa on Wednesday, August 13.
“Wind power project will not harm birds” – Minister Kumara Jayakody
Thinakaran, Thamilan Minister of Energy Kumara Jayakody has rejected the claims that the wind power project established in Mannar is a threat to birds and wildlife. The minister dismissed the allegations as baseless and clarified that the project is situated on an isolated and barren plot of land. After visiting the site, he noted that the project is located in an area north of Poonakari, from Mannar. Jayakody also refuted claims made by certain groups that the windmills are destroying a “paradise,” reiterating that the area is merely barren land. |
“Conflict between JVP and NPP; a conspiracy to force Prime Minister Harini to resign! Plan to appoint Bimal Rathnayake as Prime Minister” – Udaya Gammanpila says
Thinakkural, Thamilan Leader of the Pivithuru Hela Urumaya, Udaya Gammanpila, alleged that the JVP is attempting to oust Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya and replace her with Bimal Rathnayake. Speaking at a press conference yesterday (11th), Gammanpila claimed that JVP leaders are verbally attacking the prime minister to create frustration and compel her to resign. As evidence of the JVP undermining its own prime minister, he cited an instance where a junior member corrected her statement in parliament regarding the ‘Supreme’ satellite investment, an act Gammanpila deemed unprecedented. He also challenged President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s parliamentary statement regarding the arrest of former Navy Commander Nishantha Ulugetenne, asserting the arrest was made “without a court order” and that the president was “incorrectly blaming the judiciary.” |
Public protest intensifies in Mannar against windmill project
Thinakkural, Thamilan A protest in the Mannar Bazaar area against the second phase of a wind turbine project and mineral sand mining continued for the ninth consecutive day yesterday (11th). The demonstrations, which began on Sunday, August 3, at the Thalladi junction, are supported by the Mannar Citizens’ Committee, public organisations, and local youth who are protesting day and night. Despite the opposition, components for the wind turbines were transported into Mannar town under heavy police security. Yesterday, residents from several villages, including Keeliyan Kudiyiruppu and Nadukuda, joined the protest to show their support, along with MPs Selvam Adaikkalanathan and Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam, and former MP Selvarajah Kajendren. |
“Massive protest on 14 August in Mannar against windmill project” – Adaikkalanathan
Thamilan, Thinakkural Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization (TELO) MP Selvam Adaikkalanathan has announced a large-scale protest for this Thursday (14th) in Mannar to oppose the second phase of wind turbine construction and ongoing mineral sand mining. Speaking at a media briefing on Monday (11th), he called for all political representatives from the North and East, including MPs and local council members, to unite for the demonstration themed ‘Our Land is for Us’. The protest is scheduled to begin at 9:00 a.m. in the Mannar Bazaar area. Adaikkalanathan stated the protest’s goal is to send a message to the South that the people will not allow their land to be seized, invoking the sacrifices of past armed and non-violent struggles. |
SINHALA PRESS PRIORITIES |
Photo credits: Sri Lanka Mirror
Doctor that assaulted young mother imprisoned for 15 years
Lankadeepa, Ada, Mawbima, Aruna
A doctor who had been indicted in the Anuradhapura High Court in connection with the sexual assault of a 25-year-old young mother who had visited his medical center for treatment was found guilty of the charge by the Anuradhapura High Court Judge.
The judge sentenced the convicted doctor to 15 years of rigorous imprisonment.
“77 more parties have requested registration: 40 among them are not qualified” – Saman Sri Ratnayake
Dinamina Commissioner General of Elections Saman Sri Ratnayake stated that out of approximately 77 applications submitted for the registration of new political parties, around 40 could not be considered due to failure to meet the basic criteria. He further stated that, out of the 77 applications received in January this year, more than 30 were processed for registration. |
730 new houses to be built in Colombo: Rs. 7.8 billion to be spent DinaminaThe government has planned to construct 730 new houses in Colombo at a cost of Rs. 7.8 billion. These constructions are planned for two housing projects that were previously halted midway in Colombo. The intention is specifically to provide houses from these two new projects to low-income earners in Colombo. |
“In the past, organised criminals got political protection” – Acting IGP states
Dinamina
Acting Inspector General of Police (IGP), Senior DIG Priyantha Weerasooriya, stated that in the past, organised criminals have received extensive political protection.
He added that, however, police were not given the opportunity to report their crimes or take action against them.
Weerasooriya added that such a situation no longer exists in the country.
He added further that, “crime is committed against the public. Therefore, the public must provide information to help prevent crime. Similarly, the police must confirm their credibility to the public. If police officers commit wrongdoings, fail to take proper action regarding crimes, or maintain connections with criminals or gangsters, public trust will not be built. When public trust is established, it will inevitably lead to public support for the police, and I believe that will happen.”
COMMON PRIORITIES: SINHALA & TAMIL PRESS |
Photo credits: Newswire
Administrative Secretary of the SLPP files petition in the SC against the act of curbing former presidents’ rights
Divaina, Ada, Mawbima, Aruna, Virakesari, Thamilan
A petition was filed yesterday (11th) by the Administrative Secretary of the SLPP, S.M. Renuka Perera, in the Supreme Court (SC).
The petition requests a ruling that the provisions of the bill, presented to parliament by the government to revoke the entitlements of former presidents, amount to a violation of Fundamental Rights (FR) guaranteed by the Constitution of Sri Lanka.
Perera, therefore, requested that if the bill is to be passed, it must be approved by a two-thirds majority in parliament and subjected to a public referendum.
“I fully support the hartal in the North and East against the army” – Jeevan Thondaman
Ada, Virakesari, Thinakkural, Thamilan
General Secretary of the Ceylon Workers’ Congress (CWC) and Nuwara Eliya District MP Jeevan Thondaman has announced his full support for the hartal scheduled for this Friday (15th) in the Northern and Eastern provinces.
Offering his support as a Sri Lankan and a Hill Country Tamil, he stated the protest is for the 32-year-old man who died in Muthuiyankaddu after being assaulted by the army.
Thondaman expressed his solidarity with the protest against the (sic) “unjust actions of the military.”
He stressed that it is (sic) “deeply regrettable and unacceptable that such inhumane acts continue to occur 16 years after the conclusion of the war.”
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Common priorities: Additional stories
1. Shooting of five in Borella: one suspect remanded until August 25; three detained for questioning – Divaina, Ada, Mawbima, Dinamina, Aruna, Virakesari
2. “Give us jobs” – Unemployed graduates protest in Pelawatta – Lankadeepa, Divaina, Mawbima, Thinakkural
3. “Minister Wasantha [Samarasinghe], who violated the collective responsibility of the cabinet, must resign” – UNP General Secretary Thalatha Athukorala – Mawbima, Aruna, Virakesari
4. “Greater focus in the 2026 Budget to enable the agriculture, livestock, land and irrigation sectors to contribute more broadly to the economy” – President – Mawbima, Thinakaran
5. Interpol support requested to catch ministers, MPs and officials who have been evading the CIABOC – CIABOC – Dinamina, Thinakkural
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