Category: Politics
IMF Called Upon by Human Rights Watch to Intervene in Sri Lanka’s Proposed NGO Law
Human Rights Watch (HRW) has called on the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to urge the Sri Lankan government to abandon draft legislation that could severely limit civil society and jeopardize the IMF’s program in the country. The proposed Non-Governmental Organizations (Registration and Supervision) Act is among several recent and planned measures that would curtail fundamental […]
President Calls Opposition Leaders for a Crucial Meeting on IMF Proposals
President Ranil Wickremesinghe has convened a pivotal meeting with leaders of accepted political parties to discuss the proposals put forth by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) with its high-level delegation. In a proactive move, Leader of the Opposition Sajith Premadasa, leader of the National People’s Power (NPP) Anura Kumara Dissanayake, and Tamil National Alliance (TNA) […]
Eran questions Speaker under Point of Order
Eran Wickramaratne, Member of Parliament of SJB, questioned the Speaker by raising a question under the standing orders, whether the Constitutional Assembly, which has been established as an independent institution, has approved the rules for approving Bills adhering to proper methods. He also questioned whether the Secure Transactions Bill, which was taken for debate in […]
SJB not accepting Online Safety Bill which restricts media freedom as legislation duly passed: Eran
Eran Wickramaratne said that the main opposition, Samagi Jana Balawega, did not accept the legislation on Online Safety Act as passed in Parliament as it was processed without following due process of passing a bill in the parliament. Therefore we urge the government to cancel this piece of legislation on Online safety Bill which is […]
Harsha de Silva Re-appointed as the Chair to the Committee on Public Finance
Member of Parliament Harsha de Silva has been re-appointed as the Chair to the Committee on Public Finance. The Committee of Selection had nominated Members of Parliament to serve in the Committee on Public Finance and Harsha de Silva has been Re-appointed as the Chair to the Committee. The Speaker of Parliament announce to the […]
Online Safety Act: Transparency International Sri Lanka demands corrective action
Transparency International Sri Lanka (TISL) expressed its strong disapproval regarding the Sri Lankan government’s passage of the Online Safety Act, despite it lacking crucial amendments mandated by the Supreme Court. “We are appalled by the outrageous conduct of the Government, Parliament, Attorney General and the Speaker in signing off on a version of the Online […]
Australia & Sri Lanka signed AUD 30mn subsidiary arrangement to support improved governance
On 30 January 2024, Australia and Sri Lanka signed a 10-year subsidiary arrangement that commits an initial AUD 30 million (LKR 6.3 billion) over five years to support improved governance in Sri Lanka. Through a suite of programs, the arrangement supports the Sri Lankan government, nonprofit institutions and civil society to improve evidence-based policy and […]
March 12 Movement Denounces Online Safety Bill Passage, Citing Constitutional Concerns
The March 12 Movement, a civic activist group in Sri Lanka, has strongly denounced the passage of the Online Safety Bill on January 24th, 2024, which they claim was done in an unlawful manner. The group reiterates that the Online Safety Bill poses a grave threat to the fundamental rights and democratic principles enshrined in […]
Opinion: Sri Lanka’s Proposed Internet Law Threatens Upcoming Elections
By Meenakshi Ganguly: A repressive new internet law that Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe is trying to rush through parliament this week would create broad and vague new speech-related offenses punishable by lengthy prison terms. The law would seriously threaten the right to freedom of expression as Sri Lanka prepares for parliamentary and presidential elections […]
Online Safety Bill is reminiscence of Censorship against media, civil society, says Eran
Eran Wickramarathne MP outlining the dangers of the proposed Online Safety Bill hastily proposed by the government warned that it could leave room for violating Article 12 (1) of the Constitution in different ways. This law prescribes there can be criminal liability for somebody who breaks this law. If somebody makes a false statement there […]
2023-2025 National Action Plan scheduled for Cabinet approval in February
The inaugural multi-stakeholder workshop to formulate Sri Lanka’s 3rd National Action Plan (NAP) 2023-2025 took place yesterday (10) at the Renuka Hotel, Colombo. This crucial initiative, which was initially halted in 2019 due to political challenges, the COVID-19 pandemic and economic crises, has been recommenced under the directive of President Ranil Wickremesinghe, facilitated by the […]
President Commemorates Sir Arunachalam on 100th Death Anniversary
January 10, 2024 (LBO) – President Ranil Wickremesinghe was the chief guest at the commemoration event of the 100th death anniversary of Sir Ponnambalam Arunachalam. At the event the President heralded Sir Arunachalam as a leader who championed the concept of a Ceylonese identity as opposed to today’s political rhetoric focused on division. Known as […]