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DIFFERENT PRIORITIES IN THE SINHALA AND TAMIL PRESS |
Tamil Headlines
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Virakesari: “Prepare Somaratne for international investigation” – MP Shritharan urges | President Anura Kumara congratulates Virakesari for fulfilling social responsibility | “Virakesari’s work in establishing harmony is immense“ – Prime Minister Harini hails Thinakaran: 177 MPs support motion to remove suspended IGP Tennakoon | Australian governor general to visit today |
Thinakkural: Evidence found in the Chemmani excavation: Nothing was identified despite 200 people having a look | “Ministry of Justice is blatantly interfering; is it an attempt to stop the excavation of the mass grave?” – Gajendrakumar | “We will not put hurdles, but ensure justice for Chemmani” – Bimal Rathnayake | Six new skeletons identified at Chemmani mass grave; total number to reach 150 | Australian senators call [for justice and accountability] as international community shocked by Chemmani mass grave Thamilan: Deshabandu removed by parliament! Motion to remove IGP from office passed by majority vote | Australian governor general to visit Sri Lanka |
Sinhala Headlines
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Lankadeepa: “Foreign scholarships worth Rs. 200 million given: 72 relatives of politicians have gone abroad using the President’s Fund” – Minister Anura Karunathilaka reveals in parliament | Parliament unanimously agrees: 177 votes; Deshabandu dismissed Divaina: Proposal to dismiss Deshabandu passed with majority vote: 177 in favour and zero votes against; SJB votes in favour Ada: Proposal to dismiss Deshabandu from the post of IGP passed with a 177 vote majority
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Mawbima: “1,000 signatures [related] to case filed against Keheliya – regarding negligent conduct concerning Rs. 98 million – to the government analyst” – CIABOC tells the High Court; hearing postponed to September 10 | Proposal to dismiss Deshabandu passed Dinamina: Deshabandu removed as IGP with 177 votes in favour and zero votes against; Ravi, Namal, Dilith, Madduma Bandara and Hakeem avoid the vote. IGP dismissed for the first time in Sri Lankan history Aruna: Members of 7,000 youth clubs to Maharagama today against the politicisation of youth clubs | Riot control unit ready with water cannons Anidda: This paper is published on Fridays only |
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TAMIL PRESS PRIORITIES |
Photo credits: Daily Mirror
“Prepare Somaratne for international investigation” – MP Shritharan urges
Virakesari, Thamilan, Thinakkural
In a parliamentary debate on Tuesday (5th), ITAK MP S. Shritharan urged the government to facilitate an international investigation into the Chemmani mass graves. He revealed that Somaratne Rajapaksa, a death row inmate and the main convict in the Krishanthi Kumaraswamy case, is prepared to testify before an international tribunal. Shritharan tabled a letter from Rajapaksa’s wife to the president stating her husband’s readiness to provide evidence. While supporting the motion against the IGP, the MP argued that justice must also be served for the atrocities against Tamils, citing the discovery of 155 skeletal remains in Chemmani, and demanded the government clarify its stance on Rajapaksa’s offer, while calling on it to prepare Rajapaksa for the international probe.
“Ministry of Justice is blatantly interfering; is it an attempt to stop the
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“We will not put hurdles, but ensure justice for Chemmani” – Bimal
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“The UN stands ready to support all efforts that advance the rights of the families of the disappeared” – UN resident coordinator
Thamilan, Virakesari
UN Resident Coordinator in Sri Lanka Marc-André Franche has praised the decision to seek public assistance in identifying personal belongings found at the Chemmani and Kokkuthuduwai mass grave sites. Calling the move noteworthy and long-awaited, he emphasised its importance for truth, justice and reconciliation. Franche stated that the UN stands in solidarity with the families of the disappeared, and commended their resilience in their decades-long search for answers. He urged the Sri Lankan government and the Office on Missing Persons to fulfil their mandate with transparency, urgency and meaningful
consultation with these families.
SINHALA PRESS PRIORITIES |
Photo credits: Tamil Guardian
“During Mahinda’s tenure, Rs. 190 million taken from the President’s Fund for foreign education of politicians’ children and relatives; no details on degrees to be found” – Minister Anura Karunathilaka states while tabling the name list in parliament
Lankadeepa, Divaina, Ada, Dinamina, Aruna
During Mahinda Rajapaksa’s tenure as president from 2005 to 2014, a total of Rs. 195.7 million has been spent from the President’s Fund for the overseas education of 263 individuals, including children, relatives and associates of politicians. This was revealed in parliament yesterday (5th) by Minister of Urban Development, Construction and Housing Anura Karunathilaka. The disclosure once again brought to light the misuse of the President’s Fund, which was originally established to provide assistance for the healthcare and other essential needs of underprivileged citizens, by ministers for personal gain. The minister stated that the Presidential Secretariat does not possess any information regarding the individuals who received these funds, including information on whether they returned after completing their postgraduate studies or failed to return. He further noted that steps will be taken in the future to investigate the matter and take necessary action.
55 promotions given unlawfully in the SLBC cancelled
Lankadeepa, Divaina, Ada, Mawbima The Supreme Court yesterday (5th) ruled that the decision by the board of directors of the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC) to grant promotions and salary increments to 55 employees, who were members of the National Employees Union and worked at the corporation in 2015, is unlawful and therefore null and void. The judgement was delivered following the hearing of a fundamental rights petition filed by a group of employees challenging the granting of the said promotions and salary increments. After a lengthy hearing, the verdict was delivered by Supreme Court Justice Janaka de Silva, with the concurrence of Justices S. Thurairaja and Mahinda Samayawardhena. |
Case against Keheliya’s family postponed to September 10
Divaina, Mawbima The Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) yesterday (5th) informed Colombo High Court (HC) Judge Lanka Jayaratne that a report had been requested from the government analyst regarding nearly 1,000 signatures found on documents linked to former Minister Keheliya Rambukwella’s bank accounts and related records in connection with the ongoing money laundering case against him and his family. The case, filed by the CIABOC, alleges that the former minister and several others misappropriated approximately Rs. 98 million, in violation of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. Following the submissions, Colombo High Court Judge Lanka Jayaratne ordered the case to be adjourned until September 10. |
A presidential task force for the development of tourism
Dinamina
The Cabinet on Monday (4th) approved the establishment of a presidential task force to lead the rapid and sustainable development of Sri Lanka’s tourism industry, in line with the government’s policy declaration “A new tourism industry – An attractive destination”. Cabinet Spokesperson and Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa announced that the task force will be chaired by Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism Vijitha Herath. It will include representatives from several ministries, state agencies and key stakeholders in the tourism sector.
COMMON PRIORITIES: SINHALA & TAMIL PRESS |
Photo credits: Ada Derana
Deshabandu removed as IGP with 177 votes in favour and zero votes against; Ravi, Namal, Dilith, Madduma Bandara and Hakeem avoid the vote. IGP dismissed for the first time in Sri Lankan history
Lankadeepa, Divaina, Ada, Mawbima, Dinamina, Aruna, Virakesari, Thinakaran, Thinakkural, Thamilan
The proposal to dismiss suspended IGP Deshabandu Tennakoon from the office of the IGP, in accordance with Section 17 of the Removal of Officers (Procedure) Act, No. 5 of 2002, was taken up for debate yesterday (5th). Accordingly, the motion to remove Deshabandu Tennakoon from the post of Inspector General of Police (IGP) was approved yesterday (5th) in parliament with a majority of 177 votes. The motion received 177 votes in favour, with no votes against it. Jaffna District independent MP Archchuna Ramanathan abstained from voting. The NPP, SJB, ITAK and SLMC voted in favour of the motion, and no votes were cast against it. During the vote, members of the SLPP, the New Democratic Front and Sarva Jana Bala parties were not present in the chamber. Among those absent from the assembly were Ravi Karunanayake, Namal Rajapaksa, Dilith Jayaweera, Ranjith Madduma Bandara, Rauff Hakeem, Dayasiri Jayasekara and Kader Masthan, as well as a large number of members from the SJB. The Speaker will inform the president of this decision and action will accordingly be taken to dismiss Deshabandu Tennakoon from the post of inspector general of police.
The Rs. 1 million insurance for MPs reduced to Rs. 250,000
Lankadeepa, Ada, Mawbima, Dinamina, Aruna, Thinakaran
The Cabinet has approved a proposal to reduce the annual insurance coverage limit for Members of Parliament (MPs) from Rs. 1 million to Rs. 250,000. The proposal was submitted by the minister of public security and parliamentary affairs following President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s announcement during the 2025 Budget Speech to scale down the coverage. Previously, at the Cabinet meeting held on May 15, 2023, approval was granted for a group insurance policy with a maximum coverage of Rs. 1 million per parliamentary year. Insurance policies were issued accordingly over the past period. With the new approval, the revised coverage of Rs. 250,000 per MP will take effect from the new insurance year beginning October 9, 2025.
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Common priorities: Additional stories
1. Ranil Wickremesinghe’s secretary Saman Ekanayake also questioned for six hours by the CID – Lankadeepa, Divaina, Mawbima, Aruna, Thinakaran
2. “The Deshabandu debate is a bad mark for the court” – Namal Rajapaksa – Lankadeepa, Divaina, Thinakkural, Thamilan
3. “Deshabandu is the most disgraceful IGP of the country” – Ananda Wijepala – Lankadeepa, Thamilan
3. “Aswesuma for MPs who cannot live without a pension” – Nalinda Jayatissa – Aruna, Thinakaran
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