News
Govt. all out to steamroller OSB through Parliament
By Saman Indrajith
The government yesterday succeeded in commencing the Online Safety Bill second reading debate amidst the Opposition’s attempts to have it postponed.
An emergency vote was taken to decide whether to consider taking up the Bill for debate. The government mustered 83 votes, and only 50 Opposition MPs voted against the debate.
The SJB, TNA, SLPP dissident MPs, JVP-led NPP voted against the debate.
Moving the Bill for the debate, Public Security Minister Tiran Alles said that he had presented the Bill to Parliament last October. “There have been many discussions with both local and foreign stakeholders. There have been petitions before the Supreme Court challenging the Bill. The Supreme Court determination suggested several amendments to the draft Bill. We agreed to include those amendments.
In addition, members of the civil society, the Asian Internet Coalition and the UN country representative, also had discussions with me in this regard. Their opinions, too, have been considered in amending the draft Bill. This Bill is brought before the House to amend laws to prevent offences against women and children using the internet. In 2023 alone there were more than 8,000 complaints of incidents of abusing the internet in this country. There were 669 complaints against sexual harassment and 506 complaints against publishing naked photos on the net. These are only the complaints.
More than 100,000 nude photos were posted on the Internet during that year alone. There have been 687 complaints of defamation, 1,961 complaints of cyber bullying, 34 instances of threats, 88 instances of posts affecting national security, 457 instances of defrauding money. In addition, there are many other offences including 547 instances of stealing data,” Minister Alles said, adding that some MPs, their wives and children had also been abused in social media.
Earlier in the day, Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena had to suspend sittings for a special party leaders’ meeting to decide whether the Bill would be taken for debate. Opposition and SJB leader Sajith Premadasa had requested that a special party leaders’ meeting be held to put off taking the Bill for debate although it was on the Order Paper for the day. Representatives of all opposition parties present at the meeting opposed taking the Bill but the government representatives insisted on commencing the debate. Finally, the Speaker decided to put the question for a vote before the House.
The Sectoral Oversight Committee on Media, Youth, Heritage and New Citizen on Monday (22) approved the Online Safety Bill, subject to the amendments suggested by the Supreme Court. Officials representing the Ministry of Public Security, the Attorney General’s Department, the Legal Draftsman’s Department, the Police and the National Secretariat of Non-Governmental Organisations attended the committee meeting. Opposition MPs Gayantha Karunathilake, Eran Wickramaratne and Chandima Weerakkody said that the Committee should put off the Bill without taking it up for debate as some of its contents needed to be further discussed. However, the Committee disregarded their opinion.
The U.S. Embassy in Colombo welcomed the U.S. Sports Envoys to Sri Lanka, former National Basketball Association (NBA) and Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) players Stephen Howard and Astou Ndiaye, from June 8 through 14.
The Public Diplomacy section of the U.S. Embassy said that it would launch a weeklong basketball program intended to harness the unifying power of sports, made possible through collaboration with Foundation of Goodness and IImpact Hoop Lab.
While in Sri Lanka, Howard and Ndiaye, both retired professional basketball players, will conduct a weeklong program, Hoops for Hope: Bridging Borders through Basketball. The Sports Envoys will lead basketball clinics and exhibition matches and engage in leadership sessions in Colombo and Southern Province for youth aged 14-18 from Northern, Uva, Eastern and Western Provinces, offering skills and leadership training both on and off the court. The U.S. Envoys will also share their expertise with the Sri Lanka Basketball Federation, national coaches, and players, furthering the development of basketball in the country. Beyond the clinics, they will collaborate with Sri Lankan schoolchildren to take part in a community service project in the Colombo area.
“We are so proud to welcome Stephen and Astou as our Sports Envoys to Sri Lanka, to build on the strong people-to-people connections between the United States and Sri Lanka,” said U.S. Ambassador Julie Chung. “The lessons that will be shared by our Sports Envoys – communication, teamwork, resilience, inclusion, and conflict resolution – are essential for leadership development, community building, equality, and peace. The U.S. Sports Envoy program is a testament to our belief that sports can be a powerful tool in promoting peace and unity.”
SJB Colombo District MP Mujibur Rahuman in parliament demanded to know from the government the reasons for CEB suspending the leave of all its employees until further notice from Thursday.
MP Rahuman said that the CEB has got an acting General Manager anew and the latter yesterday morning issued a circular suspending leave of all CEB employees with immediate effect until further notice.
“We demand that Minister Kanchana Wijesekera should explain this to the House. This circular was issued while this debate on the new Electricity Amendment Bill was pending. There are many who oppose this Bill. The Minister must tell parliament the reason for the urge to cancel the leave of CEB employees,” the MP said.However, Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena prevented Minister Wijesekera responding to the query and said that the matter raised by MP Rahuman was not relevant.
The Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (CIPM) successfully concluded the 8th Annual CIPM Symposium, which took place on 31st May 2024. Themed “Nurturing the Human Element—Redefining HRM in a Rapidly Changing World,” the symposium underscored the pivotal role of human resource management (HRM) in today’s dynamic global landscape. Since its inception in 1959, CIPM has been dedicated to advancing the HR profession through education, professional development, and advocacy, solidifying its position as Sri Lanka’s leading professional body for HRM.
Ken Vijayakumar, the President of the CIPM, graced the occasion as the chief guest. The symposium commenced with the welcome address by the Chairperson, Prof. Arosha Adikaram, followed by the Web Launch of the Symposium Proceedings and Abstract Book by the CIPM President. The event featured distinguished addresses, including a speech by Chief Guest Ken Vijayakumar, President of CIPM, and an address by Guest of Honor Shakthi Ranatunga, Chief Operating Officer of MAS Holdings Pvt. Ltd., Sri Lanka.
The symposium also featured an inspiring keynote address by Prof. Mario Fernando, Professor of Management and Director of the Centre for Cross Cultural Management (CCCM) at the University of Wollongong, Australia.
Vote of Thanks of the inauguration session was delivered by Dr. Dillanjani Weeratunga, Symposium Co-chair.
The symposium served as a comprehensive platform for researchers to present their findings across a wide range of critical topics in HRM. These included Cultural Diversity and Inclusion, Talent Development and Retention, Ethical Leadership and Corporate Social Responsibility, Adapting to Technological Advancements, Mental Health and Well-being at Work, Global Workforce Challenges, Employee Empowerment, and Reskilling and Upskilling.
The plenary session was led by Prof. Wasantha Rajapakse. Certificates were awarded to the best paper presenters during the valedictory session, followed by a vote of thanks delivered by Kamani Perera, Manager of Research and Development.
The annual symposium of CIPM was a truly inclusive event, attracting a diverse audience that spanned undergraduates, graduates, working professionals, research scholars and lecturers. This widespread interest highlights the symposium’s significance in the field of HRM, offering a unique opportunity for everyone to network and learn from scholarly brains.The CIPM International Research Symposium was sponsored by Hambantota International Port, Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology (SLIIT), E B Creasy & Co. PLC, and Print Xcel Company.
US sports envoys to Lanka to champion youth development
Rahuman questions sudden cancellation of leave of CEB employees
