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Fresh protest in Jaffna over poaching by Indian fishermen

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Associations representing fishermen in the north today  staged a protest in front of the Indian Consulate in Jaffna demanding to stop the Indian trawler that were trespassing in the Sri Lankan waters.

They also met the Indian Consul General Sai Murali and handed over a letter.

The move came as the  government was planning to  take up the issue of poaching with the visiting Indian Foreign Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishnakar  who is due on June 20 in Colombo.

When President Ranil Wickremesinghe visited New Delhi on June 9 to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the matter was also raised in a separate meeting with Minister Dr Jaishnakar as well.

Fisheries Minister Douglas Devananda earlier told the Sunday Times that the government will take up the matter with the visiting Indian Foreign Minister this week as the government is consistent with its policy of preventing Indian fishermen from robbing billions worth of fisheries resources from the Northern Sea.

“As a nation, we have to protect our resources, interests and the livelihood of our fisherfolks. I hope to raise the issue in the next Cabinet meeting (June 19) as well,” Minister Devananda said.

Days before the annual breeding ban was lifted, a group of fishermen’s unions based in North handed over a petition on Tuesday to officials at the Indian Consulate General office in Jaffna requesting them to make immediate steps to prevent Indian fishermen coming into Sri Lankan waters at the expense of their livelihood.

The fishermen unions which formed a collective outfit as Northen Fishermen’s Allaince requested President Wickremesinghe in a petition urged authorities to “expedite their maximum efforts to monitoring and preventing the daily incursion of thousands of Tamil Nadu trawlers every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday evenings,”

The two-month-long ban came into effect from April 14 onwards and was lifted on Friday is enforced to facilitate the breeding of fish banks in the ocean and maintain the equilibrium of marine sources for sustainability.

Currently, Indian fishermen who engage in fishing in Sri Lankan territorial waters are arrested by the Navy and Coast Guard and subjected to legal action after their trawlers are seized.

Following the legal action in which the Magistrate courts hand in a suspended sentence of eighteen months for engaging in fishing without a license, fishermen are released and repatriated through the assistance of Indian diplomatic missions.

(sundaytimes.lk)

(This story, originally published by sundaytimes.lk has not been edited by SLM staff)

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NPP secures control of 200 LG bodies

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The National People’s Power has secured control of a total of 200 local councils so far.

The NPP also secured majority votes at the Balangoda Urban Council and the Thanamalvila Pradeshiya Sabha today (June 24).

At the recently concluded LG polls, the NPP secured outright victories in 151 LG bodies.

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10 J’pura students unnecessarily charged for hostel damages – CoPE

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During a meeting of the Committee on Public Enterprises (CoPE), it was revealed that ten students of the University of Sri Jayewardenepura were unjustly charged a monetary penalty in connection with damages caused to a university hostel due to a student clash.

The committee pointed out that the amount charged was three times the actual value of the damaged university property, which is the maximum amount that can be legally charged, along with an additional surcharge of 25%. Accordingly, the Vice-Chancellor of the university informed the committee that if there has been an error in the calculation of the charges, steps would be taken to rectify it.

The Chair of the committee further instructed the officials to reconsider the fairness of imposing the fine only on one party involved in the clash, and not both parties.These matters were discussed during the COPE meeting held on the 20th at the Parliament under the Chairmanship of Dr. Nishantha Samaraweera, MP, to examine the audit reports for the years 2022 and 2023 and the current performance of the University of Sri Jayewardenepura.

The committee held extensive discussions on various issues, including the composition of the university staff, the financial situation, the condition of buildings and constructions, and the relationship between the students and the university administration, emphasizing the need to maintain a student-friendly environment.

It was also disclosed during the committee meeting that the university’s full-time bursar had been released to serve as a non-executive director of a private company. Committee members raised concerns over releasing a person holding a full-time position without consulting the Ministry, describing such decisions as problematic.

Responding to this, the Registrar stated that the bursar was released in a manner that would not hinder her official duties. Nevertheless, the committee was informed of the number of leave days obtained by the bursar and that there had been 44 days in 2024 for which no arrival or departure entries had been recorded. The Chair instructed the Registrar to rectify this information.The committee also had an in-depth discussion about the recruitment of a project manager without a formal public announcement or a proper application process, which was deemed a deviation from the accepted recruitment procedures.

Accordingly, the committee chairman directed the Secretary to the Ministry to investigate and prepare a report on the problematic recruitment practices in the university’s staff appointments.

Further, the committee discussed the university’s financial deposits. It was revealed that although Rs. 10,500 had been charged per student for the 2024 external degree convocation, over Rs. 5.3 million remained unutilized after the event. The committee drew attention to this matter and instructed the officials to determine such fees in a more affordable manner for students. The university administration informed the committee that they have decided to reduce the amount charged for convocations from this year onwards.

Meanwhile, the committee also held lengthy discussions on the existing and past problematic conditions related to the university’s buildings and construction projects.Members of Parliament Dayasiri Jayasekara, Attorney at Law, Nilanthi Kottachchi. Attorney-at-Law, Ruwan Mapalagama, Asitha Niroshana Egoda Vithana, Thilina Samarakoon, Chandima Hettiaratchi, and Lakmali Hemachandra, Attorney at Law participated in this committee meeting.

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High Posts committee approves appointments of 4 chairmen

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The Committee on High Posts approved the appointment of Chairpersons of four State Institutions recently.

The approval was granted during the Committee’s meeting held on June 20, 2025, chaired by the Prime Minister, Dr. Harini Amarasuriya.

The appointments are as follows :

  • Mr. Somasiri Ekanayake – Chairman of the Employees’ Trust Fund Board (ETF)
  • Mr. B. A. P. K. R. Bamunu Arachch – Chairman of the Ceylon Fishery Harbours Corporation
  • Mr. M. R. H. Swarnathilaka – Chairman of the Development Lotteries Board
  • Mr. S. Nesarajan – Chairman of Paranthan Chemicals Limited

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