News
Mano signs petition seeking pardon for Duminda to highlight Tamil prisoners’ plight
… laments absence of consensus among Tamil parties regarding ex-LTTE cadres in custody
By Shamindra Ferdinando
Democratic People’s Front (DPF) leader Mano Ganesan, MP, has strongly defended signing a petition initiated by SLPP (Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna) seeking a presidential pardon for former UPFA Colombo District lawmaker Duminda Silva currently serving a life sentence for 2011 killing of ex-MP Bharatha Lakshman Premachandra.
Addressing the media in Colombo, Ganesan, who is also the leader of the Tamil Progressive Alliance (TPA) explained how he sought to draw public attention to approximately 100 Tamil political prisoners languishing in jail by backing the move to secure presidential pardon for Silva.
MP Ganesan claimed he felt quite confident that the media coverage generated by the petition signed by nearly 150 lawmakers could help his longstanding cause to have the detained Tamils released.
Alleging that Tamil political prisoners issue hadn’t received sufficient public attention, Ganesan said that he believed the high profile initiative could help them as well.
At the successful conclusion of the war in May 2009, the government held over 12,000 LTTE cadres, the vast majority taken prisoner on the Vanni east front. In addition to them, there had been several hundred arrested during the conflict, some of them convicts. Of the total, approximately 100 remain in custody over a decade after the conflict.
Ganesan revealed that having signed the petition, he proposed to the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) to submit a separate petition seeking the release of Tamil political prisoners to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. The DPF leader alleged that the TNA refrained from providing the required backing for his initiative.
The Lawmaker quoted Jaffna District MP M.A. Sumanthiran, PC as having told him that the time was not opportune for such an initiative. Vanni District MP Selvam Addaikalanathan had said that the matter would be considered later, Genesan told the media, while acknowledging the right of colleagues to take a different stand.
Both Sumanthiran and Addaikalanathan didn’t respond to telephone calls.
The Chief Government Whip Johnston Fernando’s Office circulated the petition in Parliament on behalf of Duminda Silva. Minister Fernando, too, didn’t respond to telephone calls.
Genesan said that those who had ignored his genuine intentions flayed him over social media and other forums. The former National Co-existence, Dialogue and Official Languages Minister said that some sections of the Tamil community found fault with him for linking Tamil political prisoners issue with that of the former UPFA lawmaker. Ganesan pointed out though they called those in prison political prisoners, the majority community still considered them terrorists. The Tamil community should realize ground realities, the former Minister said.
Pointing out that those the Tamil community described as fighters were criminals for the global community, MP Ganesan said that difficulties experienced by both Tamils and Muslims could be resolved by bringing their plight to the notice of the Sinhalese.
TPA contested the August 2020 parliamentary election on Samagi Jana Balavegaya (SJB) ticket.
MP Ganeshan said that his political career couldn’t be derailed by those exploiting the signing of the petition by him in support of former MP Silva’s release.
He wouldn’t give up efforts to secure Tamil prisoners’ release through legitimate measures and he would withdraw his signature from Silva’s petition to prevent interested parties from exploiting the situation, the former minister said.
At the onset of the briefing MP Ganeshan said that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa granted presidential pardon for Staff Sergeant Sunil Ratnayake found guilty of Dec 2000 Mirusuvil massacre. Ratnayake was sentenced to death in 2015 for the killing of eight persons. Ganesan further pointed out that former President Maithripala Sirisena pardoned Jude Jayamaha sentenced to death for killing teenager Yvonne Jonsson, a dual national whose mother was Sri Lankan. She was beaten to death after an earlier argument with Jayamaha, in the stairwell of posh Royal Park apartment complex, where her family was living in 2005.
Jayamaha was initially given 12 years in prison. His subsequent appeal against his jail term was rejected and he was sentenced to death instead, a sentence upheld by the Supreme Court in 2014.
MP Ganesan said that President Sirisena hastily released Jayamaha shortly before he left office.
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
