Executive Summary
Context: Sri Lanka’s Tenth Parliament elected Hon. Asoka Sapumal Ranwala as Speaker, Dr. Rizvie Salih as Deputy Speaker, and Hemali Weerasekara as Deputy Chairperson of Committees.
Sri Lanka’s new cabinet, led by Dr Harini Amarasuriya, was officially sworn in on November 18, 2024, with 22 members and 29 deputy ministers.
Sri Lanka has appointed Justice Murdu Fernando as its new Chief Justice, becoming the second woman in the country’s history, having previously served as Senior Additional Solicitor General and President’s Counsel.
The Human Rights Watch letter to Sri Lanka’s President, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, addresses key human rights issues and provides recommendations for the new government. It calls for progressive tax policies, increased spending on health and education, investigations into enforced disappearances, reform of the Office of Missing Persons, repeal of the Prevention of Terrorism Act, and the establishment of a Directorate of Public Prosecutions. The letter also calls for the end of the Yukthiya Meheyuma campaign, reformed Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act, and decriminalisation of same-sex relations and abortion.
Manoharan Kajendraroopan, from Inuvil West, Chunnakam, was arrested by the Terrorism Investigation Division for uploading a photo of LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran on Facebook.
Former Vedukkunarimalai Adilingeswarar Temple President Sasikumar and former Secretary Tamilchelvan are being summoned by the Counter-Terrorism Investigation Department for interrogation, requiring his rehabilitation documents.
The Vavuniya High Court acquitted three Tamil individuals, Periapuliangulatha Seranda, Sirisubramaniam Krisa, and Kanthapu Kayendran, under the Prevention of Terrorism Act, citing insufficient evidence and a chemical analysis report.
The Maaveerar Naal event in Thirukovil, Ampara district was hampered by strict police surveillance, leading to frustration among the crowd and a brief confrontation between MP Gajendrakumar Gangaser Ponnambalam and the police.
The Mannar Magistrate Court dismissed Murunkan Police’s Section 106 application for a restraining order to prevent Maaveerar Naal commemorations in their jurisdiction, and a similar case has been filed by Vavuniya police.
Dr. Asanga Wickramasinghe confirmed that legal plans to compensate patients affected by substandard medicines are being implemented under the current government.
Sri Lanka’s President Anura Kumara Dissanayake appointed Retired General Aruna Jayasekara as Deputy Defence Minister. Jayasekara was involved in a Sri Lankan peacekeeping mission in Haiti from 2004 to 2007, where 134 Sri Lankan peacekeepers were accused of sexually exploiting minors, including children as young as nine.
The IMF has agreed to review a US$3 billion loan arrangement with Sri Lanka, subject to IMF approval. The agreement could result in a total disbursement of US$1.3 billion. Sri Lanka’s economy has shown positive growth, with fiscal reforms strengthening public finances. The IMF emphasises governance reforms to address corruption and foster sustainable growth.
Two Palaly Police Station officers are accused of threatening a Tamil woman with intimate photos and demanding a ransom of 1.2 million rupees. The woman filed a complaint, leading to their arrest.
A family in Chunnakam, Jaffna was assaulted by police after a motorcycle collision. The woman and her husband were beaten, and their child was thrown into a bush. The woman’s brother was also attacked. The Jaffna DIG suspended four police officers following an investigation, including a police inspector, sergeant, and two constables from the Chunnakam Police.
The full report can be accessed via INFORM website https://www.inform.lk/