The government will appoint a committee to seek how best to integrate the Tamils of Hill Country Origin further into the Sri Lankan Society, said President Ranil Wickremesinghe.
He said further that although some of the Tamils of Hill Country Origin had integrated successfully into the Sri Lankan society, some have failed and measures would be taken to assist them to do so.
President Ranil Wickremesinghe made these observations addressing at the occasion of accepting a consignment of medicines donated by the Pondicherry Union Territory and people of India on the request of Ceylon Worker’s Congress (CWC) at the Presidential Secretariat this morning (30).
The consignment of medicines was officially handed over to the President by Secretary General of the Ceylon Worker’s Congress (CWC) and Parliamentarian Jeewan Thondaman in memory of the late Mr. Saumyamoorthi Thondaman who passed away 23 years ago on October 30th. The consignment of medicines was subsequently handed over to Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella.
The President said that he would attend to ensure the development of schools in the plantation sector while the Ministry of Health would take over the hospitals in the plantation sector. He assured development in both these areas very soon.
Now the government is also encouraging building of houses and issuing lands to the people of Tamil origin in the Hill Country because they must have their own lands and a place to live in just like other groups in the hill country, the President added.
He said further, steps would be taken to review the plantation economy that could be affected by people leaving the plantation areas after being educated. As people are being educated, more and more are leaving the plantation sector. The government has to find jobs for them as well as for other Sinhalese and Muslims who leave their areas to settle elsewhere. So, the government has to look at the future of the groups that would continue to live in the plantation sector and on how to improve the plantation economy as they cannot be allowed to live in a subsistence level.
He said further that these issues would be gradually resolved in the coming years as the government resolves the whole ethnic problem in Sri Lanka.
He assured that the government would take further measures to ensure that Tamil people of Hill Country Origin would have the same facilities as other people in the country as realized and worked on under late President J R Jayawardena’s tenure.
He also requested all leaders of the Hill Country Tamils to join in this endeavor to ensure that all benefits of Sri Lankan citizenship is enjoyed by the people in the Hill Country of Tamil Origin.
The President also appreciated the service rendered by late Thondaman and said he was one of the most outstanding leaders of the 20th century in Sri Lanka as through nonviolence he achieved citizenship for all the people of Indian Origin who stayed back after the Srima-Shasthri Pact. The President said that he got citizenship for some people who should have gone under Srima-Shastri Pact but decided to stay back in Sri Lanka.
Secretary to the President Saman Ekanayake, a representative from the Indian High Commission, several members of CWC including Senthil Thondaman were present at the occasion.
The Sri Lankan Embassy in Tehran, Iran has been relocated amid the prevailing situation, Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath told the Parliament today (June 17).
Embassy officials have also been moved due to the situation. In addition to embassy staff, eight Sri Lankan students who had been at the Embassy in Tehran have also been relocated to the northern part of Iran due to security concerns.
However, all contact numbers remain operational, the minister added.
Herath said that approximately 35 Sri Lankans remain in Iran, with those residing in Tehran currently facing heightened risks. He also pointed out that nearly 20,000 Sri Lankans are presently in Israel.
Cabinet Spokesman and Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa has assured that there is no risk of an impending fuel shortage in the country due to the ongoing Iran-Israel conflict.
Speaking during the Cabinet briefing earlier today (June 17), he assured that Sri Lanka currently has adequate fuel reserves to meet national demand for at least two and a half months and and that necessary arrangements have been made to procure upcoming fuel shipments without any issues.
He urged the public not to be misled by such claims on social media.
In line with the vision to build a transparent and corruption-free public service, the Secretary General of Parliament has taken steps to establish an “Internal Affairs Unit” in Parliament in accordance with the circular PS/SB/Circular/2/2025 issued by the Presidential Secretariat on 18 February 2025.
The newly established unit aims to achieve several key objectives, including the prevention of corruption, promotion of a culture of integrity, ensuring accountability and transparency in all institutional operations, and guaranteeing public access to information related to parliamentary activities and decisions. Additionally, the unit will work to promote ethical governance, encourage reporting of misconduct, protect whistleblowers through secure and accessible mechanisms, and assist law enforcement agencies and the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption in enforcing relevant laws.
Mr. Chaminda Kularatne, Chief of Staff and Deputy Secretary General of Parliament, has been appointed as the Head of the Internal Affairs Unit, while Mr. W.K.D.C. Vithana has been designated as the Integrity Officer. All department heads of Parliament will serve as members of the unit, supported by a dedicated team representing all departments.
The unit held its inaugural meeting on June 6, 2025, under the leadership of Mr. Kularatne. The meeting focused on discussing the implementation procedures in accordance with the directives outlined in the circular.