The Sri Lanka Telecommunications (Amendment) Bill to amend the Telecommunications Act was considered at the Committee on Public Finance to which the said approval was granted.

This was approved when the Committee on Public Finance met in Parliament on 25.06.2024 under the Chairmanship of Dr. Harsha de Silva, Member of Parliament. Officials representing the Attorney General’s Department, Ministry of Technology, Telecommunication Regulatory Commission and other institutions were present at the Committee meeting held.

The Speaker recently announced the decision of the Supreme Court regarding the petitions filed against this Bill submitted by the Minister of Technology to Parliament on 10th May 2024 to amend the Sri Lanka Telecommunications Act No. 25 of 1991.

Accordingly, the officials who were present stated that respecting the decision of the Supreme Court, they will take measures to submit all necessary amendments to the Bill. The officials also said that it is a need of the hour to amend this Act along with the technical trends of the world and although the Cabinet Sub-committees have worked for the amendment of this Bill on three previous occasions, it has not been accomplished.

The officials also stated that this Bill was prepared after extensive discussions with all stakeholders in the telecommunication sector in accordance with the accepted standards of the world. Thus, in a more competitive market, there is scope for a regulation that is fair to the consumer.

It was also disclosed that this will introduce a mechanism under a competitive system in providing telecommunication frequencies. According to this, the relevant regulations should be compiled by the Parliament and thus the opportunity to introduce the new technology to the telecommunications sector of the country will arise as well as it will be possible to properly regulate the institutions that conduct this business, the officials pointed out.

It was also disclosed that in addition to the existing telecommunication system licenses and frequency licenses, 3 other types of licenses will be introduced through these amendments. Through the said, in addition to the companies that provide telecommunication services, licenses are also given to companies that provide infrastructure. The officials also stated that the powers of the Telecommunication Regulatory Commission will be strengthened through these amendments.

Furthermore, the officials also pointed out that through these amendments, there is an opportunity to give the customer the advantage of reducing tariffs in the market competition.  It was also discussed that amendments have been submitted for the security of undersea telecommunication cables.

The Chair of the Committee emphasized that given the world is changing rapidly with advancement of telecommunication related technology, we as a country must ensure our legislation to leverage and benefit from such technology. Furthermore, the Chair of the Committee stated that these amendments will be a more positive step forward to introduce the new technology in the telecommunication sector.

Moreover, Dr. Harsha de Silva, stated that this Bill is being considered by the Committee on Public Finance to investigate matters related to public finances, market competition and transparency, consumer fairness, etc.

Sri Lanka Women’s Team Captain, Chamari Athapaththu, will flag off the Lanka Premier League (LPL) 2024 during a vibrant opening ceremony scheduled for today (July 01) at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium.

Former Australian World Cup-winning Captain Michael Clarke, who is the Brand Ambassador of the LPL, will also participate in the opening ceremony, along with players from all five franchise teams, including their captains.

Wanindu Hasaranga, Captain of the reigning champions Kandy Falcons, will hand over the trophy to the Brand Ambassador.

Among the dignitaries present at the event will be President of Sri Lanka Cricket, Mr. Shammi Silva, Mr. Samantha Dodanwela, Tournament Director of the Lanka Premier League, and other SLC Office Bearers.

One of the highlights of the event will be the launch of the Official LPL Anthem. The evening will also feature entertainment acts by artists such as Yohani, DJ Mass, Apzi, and Romain Willis.

The opening ceremony of the Lanka Premier League 2024 will start at 6:15 PM, with the first ball of the tournament to be bowled at 7:30 PM. The opening match will be between the reigning champions, Kandy Falcons, and the Dambulla Sixers.

(SLC)

Former Member of Parliament Hirunika Premachandra has filed an appeal requesting to invalidate the recent verdict issued by the Colombo High Court sentencing her to three years rigorous imprisonment and seeking her acquittal from the case.

The relevant appeal has been handed over to the Colombo High Court to forward it to the Court of Appeal, Ada Derana reporter said.

Accordingly, Premachandra’s lawyers have also filed a bail application before the Colombo High Court requesting to release her on bail, since an appeal has been filed against the relevant verdict.

The bail application has been fixed for consideration before the Colombo High Court judge Amal Ranaraja on July 04, 2024, according to Ada Derana reporter.

The former SJB parliamentarian was sentenced after being found guilty of being involved in the abduction of a youth in the Dematagoda area on December 21, 2015 using a Defender and his wrongful detention.

The sentencing was delivered by Colombo High Court Judge Amal Ranaraja on Friday (28).

Accordingly, Premachandra was found guilty of 18 charges and the court ordered that a fine of Rs. 20,000 be imposed for each charge.

The order also stated that if the payment of the fines is defaulted, an additional 06 months imprisonment will be imposed for each charge.

Accordingly, former MP Hirunika Premachandra, who was sentenced to prison, is currently in the custody of prison officials.
Premachandra had been accused of involvement in abducting, assaulting and wrongfully detaining the youth, identified as Amila Priyanka Amarasinghe, who had been employed at a shop in the Dematagoda area.

The youth had revealed that while he was employed at a textile shop in the Dematagoda area in 2015, a female named ‘Chamila Geethani’ often visited the shop, following which the two got involved in a relationship.

It was subsequent to this incident that he was abducted by individuals who had arrived in a Defender, Amarasinghe had told the court.

In 2017, seven persons identified as supporters of Premachandra pleaded guilty before the court, however, the former Parliamentarian did not plead guilty to any of the charges levelled against her.

(adaderana.lk)

(Except for the headline, this story, originally published by adaderana.lk has not been edited by SLM staff)