INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Terrorism that began with the Easter Sunday's suicide attacks should be eliminated, TNA MP Dharmalingam Siddarthan said.He said that this
attack had not been made targeting a particular race, religion or creed and it is mere terrorism
He added that the majority Muslims against terror complain that they face difficulties after this attack
"We faced difficulties like this during the time when the LTTE held sway," MP Siddarthan said
"So we request you all to take measures to eradicate extremism and terrorism,"
Joining the adjournment motion debated for the third day on
the Easter Sunday suicide bomb attack,MP Siddarthan said that the government in 1983 did not attempt to deal with the Thirunelveli Bomb
Blast incident politically
It resulted in the 1983 Black July riot which later turned into a three decade bloodshed
He said however the government is handling the matter politically in this incident and he hoped that the matter will come to an end
soon.
COPE will probe ‘Sharia University& project - Handunnetti
Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) MP Sunil Handunnetti said he will summon
the Board of Investment (BOI), the University Grants Commission (UGC), the Vocational Training Authority (VTA) and all the other
institutions which have links with the controversial ‘Sharia University& project in Batticaloa on 21 May before the Committee on Public
Enterprises, as COPE Chairnman,
Handunnetti urged not to mention the said educational establishment as a &training centre& or a
&university& and referred to it as &a business&.
&This institute tries to register as a University these days
Now the government tries to escape from this problem by saying that this controversial project was started during the former government
Let us say that it is true
But then, why is the current government letting the project to continue without any investigation& Handunnetti questioned.
&Leader of the
House Lakshman Kiriella earlier today made some remarks about leasing 35 acres to Sri Lanka HIRA Foundation (SLHF) for building this so
called University in 2013.That land was owned by the Mahaweli Development Authority
How is it possible for a state department to hand over its lands to a Non-Government Organization like that The Leader of the House forgot
The other thing which Kiriella forgot to mention the owner of this HIRA Foundation and who owns the shares of this ‘Sharia University&
Is he scared to say that this HIRA Foundation is owned by none other than Eastern Province Governor M.L.A.M Hizbullah& he further
questioned.
&We should investigate these things thoroughly
That is why I hope to summon all the relevant institutions related to this project at the COPE
I am doing it within the power I have as the COPE Chairman
Everyone related to this project should be questioned,& he added.
****
Opposition will assist Govt to combat terror - Opposition
Leader
The Opposition will assist the government to combat Islamist extremism in the country, Opposition Leader Mahinda Rajapaksa said
yesterday.
He added the Opposition will not attempt to take petty political advantage from this incident.
He made these observations
joining the adjournment motion debated for the third day on the Easter Sunday suicide bomb attacks by the Islam extremists and its impact on
tourism industry and other related industries.
He said all citizens live in fear in the aftermath of the Easter Sunday terrorist attacks
and this new form of terrorism is totally different from what the country experienced for three decades
He sought public assistance to defeat extremist forces bent on committing destruction.
He requested the government not to open schools
until the situation was brought back to normal heeding the advice of His Eminence Cardinal Ranjith and the Most Venerable Maha Nayaka Theras
who requested to do so.
He also said that all members in the government should only have one view on this issue
He said however the President, the Prime Minister and other members held different views and the public stand to lose the confidence on
national security.
The Opposition Leader also requested the Police and security forces be allowed to handle this situation.
He said not
all Muslims are terrorists
He said that as all object to the Counter Terrorism Act measures to amend the Prevention of Terrorism Act to include the other required
amendments should be done without delay.
****
All Minority laws should be brought under the Fundamental Rights chapter - Jayampathy
All
Minority laws should be brought under the Fundamental Rights chapter and the Supreme Court should be allowed to take the decision on what
complies with the Fundamental Rights laws and what does not, said UNP MP Jayampathy Wickramaratne.
Joining the debate on the current
security situation in the country, he commented on the views expressed regarding various laws in the country such as the Desavalamai law,
Kandyan law and the Muslim law
&I was one who always said that all other laws of various segments of society should come under the Fundamental Rights chapter.&
Focusing
on the Kandyan laws, he said it has certain of these laws are unfair to females but some are very progressive
&It is the same with the Muslim laws and many Muslim women complain to us that it is unfair to them
But this does not mean that all these laws must be abolished as they are issues pertaining to their relevant cultures.&
He warned that
despite the desire of some to do so, these minority laws will never be abolished in this Parliament.
&Therefore, if all private laws are
incorporated into the Fundamental Rights laws, then the decision on such matters falls under the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court
The Supreme Court will decide on which sections of these minority laws are in line with the Fundamental rights laws and what are not
Then even Parliament will accept its decision
But, if we try to do it in Parliament, it will never happen,& he said.
He pointed out that the LTTE had international connections to some
extent, but the current threat faced by the country is several folds greater than what the country faced during the war
It seems like the IS has given a franchise to this group in Sri Lanka.
&We would like to urge the Muslim leaders not to make the same
mistake that was made by the Tamil leaders earlier
They referred to the acts of these LTTE members at the time as acts of young boys
I met a Tamil priest at a conference overseas who asked me why we were so worried about certain small human rights violations by young
boys.
I told him there are no small human rights violations and that they are all violations
Hence, the Muslim leaders should not make the same foolish mistakes that the Tamil leaders did at the time.
Hence, they have a huge
responsibility to prevent extremism and educate those concerned
We too have a responsibility not to fuel extremist sentiments,& Wickramaratne said.
He expressed sadness regarding the manner in which
certain social media sites are being used to spread hatred against the Muslims
&When Muslim youths read these derogatory posts, it only served to push them towards extremism and violence.
Then it becomes harder to get
them back on track.
There were many requests to boycott Muslim businesses
If this happens and these businesses close down, the owner will manage to invest elsewhere, but what happens to those who lose their jobs
This could pave the way for them to move towards the extremists,& he said, urging the people to act very responsibly without aggravating the
situation.
****
Hira Foundation permitted to set up only vocational training center - Kiriella
Leader of the House Minister Lakshman
Kiriella yesterday revealed that the controversial vocational training center in Batticaloa had several discrepancies pertaining to its
establishment.
Kiriella said 35 acres of land was leased to Hira Foundation in 2013 to set up a training center in 2013, for an estimated
Taxes amounting to this were also paid, he added.
However, Minister Kiriella pointed out that it was later discovered that the said Hira
Foundation was registered in 2014, despite it getting 35 acres of land to establish the training center in 2013.
&This is why we are saying
both parties need to take responsibility of this and move on.& Minister Kiriella said.
He made these observations when the Opposition
demanded the government to take over the said 'Sharia University' and said the government should be responsible in turning the training
center into a university.
According to the Minister, the said 'training center' is not a &university& as claimed by many
He pointed out that Yahapalana government refused the request proposal to accept the said training center as a &university& which was
forwarded by then Higher Education Minister Sarath Amunugama, in July 3, 2015.
****
Minister Rishad wants Select Committee to probe
allegations
Industry and Commerce, Resettlement of Protracted Displaced Persons, Vocational Training and Skills Development Minister Rishad
Bathiudeen requested the Speaker to appoint a Select Committee to probe into allegations against him by MPs and others.
Joining the
adjournment motion debated for the third day on the Easter Sunday suicide bomb attack, he added that when he went abroad for official work,
the media and Opposition members said that he fled the country.
"As far as it is wrong, allegations that I am involved with this extremism
"So I request the Speaker to set up a Select Committee to investigate allegations levelled against me," Minister Bathiudeen said.
He added
that the Islam never promotes terrorism but peace.Islam never accepts the terrorist activities that were commenced by the extremists
Nabi never accepted terrorism
He requested not to misinterpret the Quran
"We condole with the relatives of those who died in the attack and those who were injured," Minister Bathiudeen said.
He said MP S
Dissanayake made false allegations as he did not join 52 day government.
"Muslims are ready to support to eradicate terrorism
All Muslims are not terrorists," he said.
****
Search operations must be more productive - Dinesh
Mahajana Eksath Peramuna Leader MP
Dinesh Gunawardena yesterday questioned what the government position was on the extension of the state of emergency declared in the
country.
Gunawardena asked as to why the government had not listed the extension of the State of Emergency in the activity list of
yesterday session.When would Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe make a statement on the government stance, Gunawardena questioned
The gazette on declaring the State of Emergency needs to be extended, if the government is considering such, he pointed out.
&We have not
listed the extension of the State of Emergency
Why have you not We do have some reservations on it, but we are supporting the extension of the state of emergency because the country has
not been properly brought under security that we want
Day to day life has to be restored
Until it is restored and all the conspirators are brought before justice, they have to be taken into custody, they have to be questioned,
links have to be established
That is why you need state of emergency extended.& MP Gunawardena pointed out.
Speaking at the adjournment debate on the prevailing
situation in the country following the Easter Sunday carnage, Gunawardena pointed out that the door-to-door search operations need to be
intensified and more structured
He urged that security forces should be assisted by security committees working together with the public to make these search operations
more productive.
&There are certain areas which are not yet properly searched
I won&t speak about which police stations or which areas
Some places where extremists are meeting have not being searched as yet
Intelligence reports should give this information
I don&t want to criticize any individual in the government
You all have been criticized enough
But you have to do your duty,& he said.
