DIFFERENT PRIORITIES IN THE SINHALA AND TAMIL PRESS |
Tamil Headlines
|
Virakesari: “Extend the mandate for two years” – International human rights organisations jointly appeal to member countries of the UNHRC regarding accountability | Matter of ‘ice’ raw material container: Manamperi is prepared to surrender to court Thinakaran: Another discovery of ‘ice’ (methamphetamine) production chemicals and equipment in Hambantota | “Famous private media institution on state land in Colombo” – shocking revelation by Minister Samantha Vidyaratna |
Thinakkural: “TNA and JVP responsible for the postponement of provincial council elections; they supported the Good Governance government” – SLPP accuses | Prime Minister Harini’s security increased following Modi-style protection measures Thamilan: Commemoration of 38th year anniversary of Thileepan commences | “Plans are underway to establish 15 multimodal transport centres in Colombo by 2026” – Bimal Rathnayake |
Sinhala Headlines
|
Lankadeepa: 524 women jailed with possession of ‘ice’ within eight months: 882 others caught with other drugs Divaina: “There was a plan to kill ‘Harak Kata’ by bombing the prison bus with a claymore mine” – Lieutenant Colonel reveals Padme’s and Salintha’s plan Mawbima: Individuals from Iran have arrived to work in the ‘ice’ factory at the Hambantota Hotel | “Let us admit [our children] to the same national school we teach at” – Teachers in a continuous strike at Isurupaya |
Dinamina: ‘Dream Destination’ initiative launched: 50 multimodal transport hubs to be built; modernisation of the Pettah bus station and Maradana Railway station begin; Ruhunu Kumari becomes new Sinhala computer font; “public transport is a part of the country’s economy” – Bimal Rathnayake | Middeniya ‘ice’ container incident: “I will tell the court everything” – Sampath Manamperi; “ready to surrender” – Manamperi’s lawyer informs the court Aruna: Woman who vandalised Sigiriya Mirror Wall with a hairpin remanded: suspected of writing six English letters Anidda: This paper is published on Fridays only |
[paywall layout_id=”1906″ service_tags=”TMA,FP” preview=”true”]
TAMIL PRESS PRIORITIES |
Photo credits: Tamil Guardian
38th year anniversary of Thileepan commemorated
Virakesari, Thinakkural, Thinakaran, Thamilan
Events commemorating the 38th anniversary of ‘Thiyaga Deepam’ (Lamp of Sacrifice) Rasiah Partheepan alias Thileepan began on Monday (15th) at his memorial site in Nallur, Jaffna.
Thileepan died after a 12-day hunger strike without food or water.
The memorial included the lighting of a public flame, the garlanding of Thileepan’s statue, and the laying of flowers.
Thileepan’s hunger strike was based on the following five key demands: Stopping new settlements in the Northern and Eastern provinces under the guise of resettlement, releasing all Tamil political prisoners held in prisons, army, and police detention camps, completely repealing the Emergency Regulations, disarming the Home Guards and halting the establishment of new police stations in Tamil areas.
Virakesari and Thamilan published a pictorial of the commemoration.
“Extend the mandate for two years” – International human rights organisations jointly appeal to member countries of the UNHRC regarding accountability
Virakesari
International human rights organisations have jointly requested UNHRC member and observer countries to extend the mandate of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Office for at least another two years. In a joint statement, international human rights organisations, including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and the International Commission of Jurists, stated that although the establishment of an independent prosecutor’s office by the Sri Lankan government is a welcome step, it may take months or years to fully operationalise. The statement added that despite the establishment of at least ten different commissions to date, accountability for war crimes and human rights violations has not been ensured. The organisations emphasised that a standalone domestic accountability mechanism would not be able to secure the support of the victims and their families, who have lost faith in internal mechanisms designed to protect perpetrators. They further claimed that the media has reported that the Sri Lankan government is prepared to proceed with an accountability mechanism with the technical assistance of the UNHRC. |
“Domestic mechanism request is a deception; must sign the Rome Statute” – Sumanthiran saysVirakesari
ITAK’s General Secretary M.A. Sumanthiran stated that the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka and the UN Human Rights High Commissioner have, for the first time, recommended that Sri Lanka ratify the Rome Statute. Sumanthiran said that ITAK views this as a very important matter, and their position is that member countries should continuously pressure the Sri Lankan government on this issue. He added that ITAK has requested the government to hold the Provincial Council elections without delay. He also said that for a complete political solution to the Tamil national question, a new constitution based on a federal system with maximum devolution of power in the North and East should be created. He said that ITAK has been in continuous contact with the UK and other co-sponsoring countries regarding the draft resolution to be presented at the 60th UNHRC session. |
“TNA and JVP responsible for the postponement of provincial council elections; they supported the Good Governance government” – SLPP accuses
Thinakkural
SLPP General Secretary Sagara Kariyawasam asserts that the former Yahapalana government (Government for Good Governance) is responsible for the postponement of the provincial council election.
Kariyawasam claimed that the JVP and TNA had fully cooperated with the Yahapalana government to deliberately postpone the election.
He further stated that the election was delayed to prevent a victory by the SLPP, which had secured a major win in the 2018 local government elections.
Kariyawasam adds that if the public supports the current government, it should immediately hold the provincial council election.
He also affirmed that the SLPP will extend its full support to any decision the government makes to expedite the provincial council election.
SINHALA PRESS PRIORITIES |
Photo credits: Daily Mirror
Magampura Port Company has not paid bank Rs. 6,836 million: Lawsuit filed to recover loan; Two cases revealed at COPE committee
Lankadeepa, Mawbima, Dinamina
It was recently revealed at the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) that in 2014, the Magampura Port Management Company had obtained a loan of USD 24 million from a private bank under a corporate guarantee from the Ports Authority, and that USD 18.82 million (6,836 million rupees) of that loan had not been paid even by the year 2023.
It was also revealed that the relevant bank has filed two lawsuits against the Magampura Port Management Company and the Ports Authority to recover this loan amount.
“Let us admit [our children] to the same national school we teach at” – Teachers in a continuous strike at Isurupaya
Lankadeepa, Mawbima A group of school teachers staged a hunger strike inside the Ministry of Education, Isurupaya, Battaramulla, yesterday (15th), demanding the right to enroll their children in the schools where they teach. Representatives from the group were later invited for discussions with ministry officials. They commenced the hunger strike, stating that the discussions held with Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya in this regard were not satisfactory. |
A 4.9% economic growth reported in the second quarter of this year
Divaina, Dinamina, Aruna The Department of Census and Statistics (DCS) says that a positive growth of 4.9 per cent has been reported in the Sri Lankan economy in the second quarter of this year. In addition, the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) in the second quarter of 2025 has increased from the 2,749,504 million rupees reported in the second quarter of 2024 to 2,883,559 million rupees. |
Not paying VAT is a criminal offense; draft bill prepared
Aruna
The Department of Inland Revenue (IRD) states that preliminary drafts are currently being prepared to consider the non-payment of Value Added Tax (VAT) as a criminal offense.
A senior official from the department said that this new amendment to the VAT Act will be made in the future, and accordingly, if VAT is deliberately not paid and continuously evaded, it will be categorised as a criminal offense.
He also said that the program to consider the non-payment of VAT as a criminal offense and take related legal action is planned to be implemented from next year (2026).
COMMON PRIORITIES: SINHALA & TAMIL PRESS |
Photo credits: Daily News
Renovations of the Colombo Central Bus Terminal and the Maradana Railway Station commence under the patronage of the president
Divaina, Mawbima, Dinamina, Aruna, Virakesari, Thinakaran, Thamilan
The project to modernise the Colombo Central Bus Station, as part of the ‘Clean Sri Lanka’ programme, was inaugurated yesterday (15th) morning by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.
The modernisation project, carried out under the ‘Clean Sri Lanka’ initiative, will use a budget of Rs. 424 million.
This is in line with the government’s program to create ‘A Thriving Nation – A Beautiful Life’.
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake unveiled a commemorative plaque to mark the project’s launch and also toured the premises.
During the tour, the president gave instructions to officials regarding the project’s implementation.
Minister of Transport, Highways, Ports and Civil Aviation Bimal Rathnayake announced yesterday (15th) that the government aims to establish at least 50 multimodal transport centres across the country by 2029.
Speaking at the launch of the Colombo Central Bus Stand renovation project in Pettah, the minister said 15 such centres are expected to be set up in Colombo by 2026.
He explained that the new centres will be designed to provide bus, train and taxi services from one location, easing access for commuters.
Minister Rathnayake also said the ministry is working to upgrade several major bus stands, including those in Colombo.
“We cannot develop the nation if we don’t improve the transport sector,” he stressed.
“The jobs of the employees will not be harmed by restructuring the CEB” – Minister of Power states
Divaina, Mawbima, Aruna, Virakesari, Thinakkural, Thamilan
Minister of Energy Eng. Kumara Jayakody says that the government will not, under any circumstances, act to send Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) employees home.
The minister requested the board’s trade unions to see the restructuring of the CEB in a positive light and not to act by creating problems within the country and agitating the public.
The minister also stated that the information that any employee, if unwilling to join and serve in the institution assigned to them, has the ability to resign from service according to their will, was given only as a legal requirement.
The minister made these statements while participating in a press conference held at the Government Information Department yesterday (15th), concerning the upcoming implementation of the amendments to the Sri Lanka Electricity Act.
____________________________________________________________________________________________
Common priorities: Additional stories
1. ‘Elpitiye Suranga’ reveals information: ‘ice’ produced in a guest house in Hambantota with a group of Iranian nationals – Lankadeepa, Divaina, Mawbima, Aruna, Thinakaran
2. Case against six of the Keheliya Rambukwella family, including Keheliya: the Defence is requesting six documents that have no relevance to the case – CIABOC tells court –Divaina, Dinamina, Aruna, Thinakaran
3. Manamperi prepared to surrender to court in relation to the Middeniya ‘ice’ incident – Lawyer informs the court – Divaina, Dinamina, Virakesari
4. CEB to fall ill tomorrow and the day after – Mawbima, Aruna, Thamilan
5. Is the move to remove Karannagoda from the case legal? Supreme Court decides to hear the appeal petition – Aruna, Virakesari, Thamilan
6. “Severe repression in Parliament!” – Opposition Leader Sajith expresses concern | “You remember the farmer only during the election” – Premadasa – Dinamina, Thinakkural
[/paywall]