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Parliament to meet from Feb. 05 – 07

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Parliament is scheduled to meet from Feb. 05 – Feb. 07, said the Secretary General of Parliament, Mrs. Kushani Rohanadeera. 

The Parliamentary business for this week was decided at the meeting of the Committee on Parliamentary Business held on the 23rd of January under the chairmanship of the Hon. Speaker Dr. Jagath Wickramaratne.
Accordingly on Wednesday, February 5th, the time from 9.30 a.m. to 10.00 a.m. has been allotted for Business of Parliament as per (1) to (6) of Standing Order 22 of the Parliament. The time from 10.00 a.m. to 10.30 a.m. has been allotted for Questions to be asked from the Prime Minister (04 Questions).  The time from 10.30 a.m. to 11.00 a.m. has been reserved for Questions for Oral Answers (05 Questions) while the time from 11.00 a.m. to 11.30 a.m. has been set aside for Questions under Standing Order 27(2) of the Parliament. Thereafter an Order under Foreign Exchange Act and Two Regulations under Imports and Exports Control Act will be debated from 11.30 am to 3.30 pm. Subsequently, the Adjournment Debate to be moved by the Government will be held until 5.30 pm.

On Thursday, February 6th, the time from 9.30 a.m. to 10.00 a.m. has been set aside for Business of Parliament as per (1) to (6) of Standing Order 22 of the Parliament. The time from 10.00 a.m. to 11.00 a.m. has been allotted for Questions for Oral Answers and the time from 11.00 a.m. to 11.30 a.m. has been allotted for Questions under Standing Order 27(2) of Parliament. Thereafter, from 11.30 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. the Regulations under Intellectual Property Act will be debated.

The time from 5.00 p.m.  to 5.30 p.m. has been set aside for Questions at the Adjournment Time (Two Questions) to be moved by the Government and the Opposition.

On Friday, February 7th, the time from 9.30 a.m. to 10.00 a.m. has been allotted for Business of Parliament as per (1) to (6) of Standing Order 22 of the Parliament. The time from 10.00 a.m. to 11.00 a.m. has been set aside for Questions for Oral Answers and the time from 11.00 a.m. to 11.30 a.m. has been allotted for Questions under Standing Order 27(2) of the Parliament.

Subsequently, 06 private member’s motions are scheduled to be debated from 11.30 am to  5.00 pm. Accordingly, the Private Member’s Motions on the Acquisition of estate roads to the Government by Hesha Withanage , Preparation of a proper procurement program for the process of purchasing goods for cooperatives by Kins Nelson, Making arrangements for maintaining a rice reserve with the government by Rohana Bandara, Formulation of a proper methodology for the appointment of Labor Welfare Officers by Chaminda Wijesiri, Abolishing the Pension Scheme of the Members of Parliament of Sri Lanka by Ravi Karunanayake and Appointing a Select Committee of Parliament to investigate and make appropriate recommendations regarding the cremation, instead of burial, of the bodies of COVID-19 pandemic victims by Rauff Hakeem, Attorney at law will  be debated.

Thereafter, the Motion at the Adjournment Time to be moved by the opposition is scheduled to be debated from 5.00pm to 5.30pm.

Furthermore, the Committee decided that if the Supreme Court’s determination regarding the Local Authorities Elections (Special Provisions) Bill, which has been challenged before the Supreme Court, is received by the Speaker before 2025.02.05, the Second Reading Debate on the said Bill will also be held on 2025.02.06 from 11.30 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. with the business scheduled for that day.

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Tissa Attanayake withdraws from SJB-UNP discussion’s

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Tissa Attanayake, National Organiser of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), announced on Monday (16) that he has withdrawn from the committee tasked with holding discussions with the United National Party (UNP) and will no longer participate in future talks between the two parties.

 Addressing a special press conference, the former parliamentarian criticized the lack of clarity surrounding the dialogue process, stating, “Our Working Committee and Management Committee had decided to initiate these discussions.

 If there was any ambiguity regarding the process, it should have been reported.” Attanayake emphasized that if the SJB-UNP discussions are deemed unnecessary, the party should formally discontinue them rather than engage in internal blame games. 

“Blaming each other is not relevant to the matter. If the party has taken a certain stance on these discussions, I will not rejoin until the next Working Committee decides on that stance,” he asserted.   

His withdrawal marks a significant setback in efforts to foster collaboration between the SJB and UNP, both key players in Sri Lanka’s opposition politics. 

The development raises questions about the future of potential alliances ahead of critical political engagements.

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SL Army personnel ordered to surrender passports

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The Sri Lanka Army has directed all personnel below the rank of Major to hand over their passports to their respective regiments, according to the Army Spokesman.

Army Spokesperson Brigadier Waruna Gamage further revealed that this step has been taken in connection with an administrative matter. 

However, he also mentioned that passports can be reacquired for personal purposes by informing the relevant departments.

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51 ASPs to be recruited

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Fifty-one Assistant Superintendents of Police (ASPs) are to be recruited to the Police through an open examination conducted by the Examination Department.

These appointments are expected to take place shortly, Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala told the media.

He said the interviews began on February 5 and are scheduled to conclude next Wednesday.

A total of 255 candidates were called for interviews based on the results issued by the Examination Department, he said.

“According to the recruitment process rules, the number of candidates invited for interviews must be five times the number of vacancies. We are conducting these interviews in a very transparent and fair manner,” the Minister said.

Mr. Wijepala said that according to the Inspector General of Police the ongoing ASP interviews have the highest number of lawyers participating.

As the police already have a significant number of lawyers, including those currently practising and those studying to become lawyers, Minister Wijepala mentioned that there are plans to utilise their support in the future for representing the police in court cases.

“Currently, in most magistrate courts, only the police sergeant appears on behalf of the police. Instead of this, I proposed the idea of appointing lawyers who are already serving in the police,” Mr. Wijepala told The Sunday Times.

He emphasised that this is only a suggestion at this stage, and if implemented, the necessary position adjustments would be made accordingly.

(Sunday Times)
(This story, originally published by Sunday Times has not been edited by SLM staff)

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