Hon. Rishad Bathiudeen, M.P.

Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB)· Vanni

Profession: Civil Engineer

Roster profile ↗

Speeches 55 #90 of 225·#28 in party

Attendance 4/8 days present (of recorded)

Speech history

55 speeches

12 November 2025 AI summary Rishad Bathiudeen began addressing the Deputy Minister of Defence, but the provided excerpt contains no substantive remarks, questions, proposals, or references to specific defence matters or policy issues. Appropriation Bill, 2026 - Second Reading Debate Security & Defence Read →
12 November 2025 AI summary Hon. Rishad Bathiudeen rose on a point of order. No substantive argument, proposal, or question was recorded in the provided excerpt. Appropriation Bill, 2026 - Second Reading Debate Parliamentary Procedure Read →
12 November 2025 AI summary Hon. Rishad Bathiudeen rose to a point of Order. No substantive argument, proposal, or policy issue was stated in the provided excerpt. Appropriation Bill, 2026 - Second Reading Debate Parliamentary Procedure Read →
22 October 2025 AI summary Hon. Rishad Bathiudeen urged the Government, in the context of Orders under the Special Commodity Levy Act, to align import levies and import timing with local harvest seasons to prevent depressed prices for farmers, citing past coordination through the Cost of Living Committee. He raised the case of Muthunagar farmers in Trincomalee being prevented from cultivating long-used lands and requested either the return of the land or prompt allocation of nearby alternative land, noting ongoing protests and deadlines from the President’s Office. He also called for payment of salary arrears to 91 locally recruited workers at Lanka Mineral Sands Limited in Pulmoddai, and proposed reopening closed Sathosa outlets to buy and sell farm produce at fair prices. Debate: Rules under Excise Ordinance and Special Commodity Levy Order (Session 2) AgricultureCost of LivingEmployment Read →
11 September 2025 AI summary Rishad Bathiudeen denied responsibility for the matter being referenced, stating that it was not carried out by him or his side. No further details, proposals, or demands were provided in the excerpt. National Audit (Amendment) Bill Second Reading and Supplementary Estimates Debate Parliamentary Procedure Read →
22 August 2025 AI summary Rishad Bathiudeen urged the Government to appoint qualified people from all ethnic and religious communities to committees and task forces, without political or sectarian bias. He said national progress depends on peace, justice, functioning courts, human rights protection, and ethnic and religious harmony, which he argued are necessary to attract tourism and investment. He called for action against human rights violations regardless of the offender’s background. Adjournment Motion: Human Rights Issues Faced by the Tamil Community in the North, East and Hill Country Corruption & Governance ReformEthnic Reconciliation & DevolutionJustice & Human Rights Read →
22 August 2025 AI summary Rishad Bathiudeen asked whether an appointment would be made. No further context, position, or policy detail was provided in the quoted intervention. Adjournment Motion: Human Rights Issues Faced by the Tamil Community in the North, East and Hill Country Parliamentary Procedure Read →
22 August 2025 AI summary Hon. Rishad Bathiudeen briefly queried whether a referenced appointment had been made yet, seeking clarification on the status of that appointment. Adjournment Motion: Human Rights Issues Faced by the Tamil Community in the North, East and Hill Country Parliamentary Procedure Read →
22 August 2025 AI summary Hon. Rishad Bathiudeen urged the Government to complete stalled projects regardless of their association with the previous administration, citing a Qatar Government offer of Rs. 600 million for a building project that he said had not progressed due to official inaction. He asked Ministers to investigate officials who refuse available grants and warned that such conduct harms the Government and the country. He also called for fair action on disappearances and crimes by security personnel, stating that the law should apply equally to all institutions and political actors. He further raised concerns about Muslim representation in public administration and policymaking, including the absence of Muslim District Secretaries and Muslim academics on the Education Reforms Committee. Adjournment Motion: Human Rights Issues Faced by the Tamil Community in the North, East and Hill Country Justice & Human RightsEthnic Reconciliation & DevolutionCorruption & Governance Reform Read →
22 August 2025 AI summary Hon. Rishad Bathiudeen argued that Sri Lanka belongs to all communities and criticized the Ilankai Thamil Arasu Kachchi hartal slogan of a “Tamil homeland” and the demand to remove the military from the North and East, saying such actions should have been preceded by wider consultation among affected communities. He condemned past abuses against Muslims and Tamils, including massacres, Chemmani, forced COVID-19 cremations, arrests under the PTA, and obstruction of Muslim resettlement, while calling for accountability for all perpetrators. He urged the Government and President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to protect the trust placed in them by Muslim voters and to address specific grievances, including the closure of the Mahara Mosque, the Supreme Court-ordered closure of the Mannar-Puttalam road, and halted schools and cultural projects. Adjournment Motion: Human Rights Issues Faced by the Tamil Community in the North, East and Hill Country Ethnic Reconciliation & DevolutionJustice & Human RightsReligion & Culture Read →
20 August 2025 AI summary Hon. Rishad Bathiudeen raised a point of Order requesting that the mosque inside the Mahara Prison compound be reopened. He added that, if reopening is not possible, a separate place should be allocated for worship and said they were prepared to build it. Debate: Samurdhi (Amendment) Bill, Rubber Control (Amendment) Bill, Sports Law Regulations, and Judicature Act Rules Religion & Culture Read →
7 August 2025 AI summary Rishad Bathiudeen posed a brief question asking whether DCB funds had been provided. No further context, proposal, or argument was included in the recorded intervention. Adjournment Debate: Current Economic Status of the Country Public Finance Read →
6 August 2025 AI summary Hon. Rishad Bathiudeen raised concerns during the debate on the Sri Lanka Electricity (Amendment) Bill about the proposed wind power project in Mannar, saying local communities and representatives had not been adequately consulted despite ongoing protests. He said residents were not opposed to renewable energy or development, but objected to projects that affect fisheries, tourism, livelihoods and future economic prospects without providing local benefits, and requested that the project be shifted from Mannar Island to suitable mainland areas. He also criticized what he described as unequal treatment of foreign nationals, alleging preferential access for Israelis while Indian workers were deported, causing difficulties for farmers in harvesting. Debate: Sri Lanka Electricity (Amendment) Bill - Second Reading, Committee and Third Reading Foreign AffairsInfrastructureEnvironment Read →
5 August 2025 AI summary Hon. Rishad Bathiudeen argued that disputes over DS divisions, including Batticaloa and Kalmunai North, should not be addressed through ethnic or religious boundary-making or electoral politics. He said past administrative decisions had created injustice, but that lasting solutions require direct dialogue among Tamil and Muslim political and community leaders rather than reliance on commissions or government action alone. He urged both communities to compromise, avoid misleading the public, and jointly resolve land and administrative issues in Ampara, Batticaloa and the North. Adjournment Debate: Koralaipattu Central Divisional Secretariat in Batticaloa Parliamentary ProcedureEthnic Reconciliation & Devolution Read →
25 July 2025 AI summary Hon. Rishad Bathiudeen supported the condolence motion for five former Members, paying tribute to Aberatna Banda Herath Pilapitiya, W.B. Ekanayake, Lucky Jayawardena, Rajavarothiam Sampanthan, and Malini Fonseka for their public service and extending condolences to their families, districts, parties, and communities. He gave particular emphasis to Mr. Sampanthan’s role as TNA Leader and Opposition Leader, describing him as a moderate political figure who advocated through democratic means for Tamils, Muslims, Catholics, and Sinhalese. He urged contemporary politicians to learn from Sampanthan’s approach by avoiding communal blame, addressing injustices democratically, and building unity between Tamil and Muslim communities, especially in the North and East. Condolence Debate: Late Hon. Members (R. Sampanthan, A. Pilapitiya, W. B. Ekanayake, Lucky Jayawardana, Malani Fonseka) Ethnic Reconciliation & DevolutionParliamentary Procedure Read →
19 June 2025 AI summary Rishad Bathiudeen said wrongdoing identified in the COPE process should be punished, but cautioned against broadly branding people as corrupt while officials were jailed and politicians remained unaffected. He criticised the Government’s response to Israel’s attack on Iran, arguing that Sri Lanka should more clearly condemn Israel given Iran’s past financial assistance to Sri Lanka and ongoing debt repayments. He also rejected allegations concerning the Nintavur Pradeshiya Sabha and alleged that a supporting member in the Kalpitiya Pradeshiya Sabha chairman vote was unlawfully prevented from voting, saying his party would seek legal redress. Adjournment Debate: Special Audit Report on Advance Payment for Import of 15,000 Dairy Cattle and COPE Report on National Gem and Jewellery Authority Law & OrderCorruption & Governance ReformForeign Affairs Read →
6 June 2025 AI summary Hon. Rishad Bathiudeen paid tribute in a condolence debate to former MPs Donald Dissanayake, J. R. P. Suriyapperuma, Kosala Nuwan Jayawira, and Mavai S. Senathirajah, extending sympathies to their families and political communities. He recalled their public service, including Dissanayake’s continued district-level work, Suriyapperuma’s roles in the UNP and SLFP, and Jayawira’s brief parliamentary service and committee work. He gave particular emphasis to Senathirajah’s long association with ITAK, sacrifices during periods of detention, advocacy for Tamil-speaking people, and concern for Muslim community issues, describing his death as a loss to the country. Debate: Votes of Condolence for Four Former MPs Parliamentary Procedure Read →
21 May 2025 AI summary Hon. Rishad Bathiudeen thanked voters after the local authority elections and said the All Ceylon Makkal Congress had secured 140 local representatives, while urging reform of the local government electoral system, which he said prevents stable council administrations and encourages bargaining. He called on the Government to honour pledges to reopen the Mannar–Puttalam road through the Wilpattu corridor, arguing that its court-ordered closure was unequal compared with other roads through wildlife areas, and requested a review by a five-judge bench. He also asked that Decentralized Budget allocations be released to Opposition MPs as previously promised and urged the Speaker and Government to provide adequate police security for MPs in light of reported threats and wider concerns over violence. Debate: Finance Act Order and Notification on Luxury Tax on Motor Vehicles - Continued (Afternoon Session) Justice & Human RightsInfrastructureEthnic Reconciliation & Devolution Read →
8 April 2025 AI summary Hon. Rishad Bathiudeen stated his support for the Proceeds of Crime Bill but urged the Government to meet public expectations and avoid actions that undermine confidence. He criticized the arrest and detention of a person over an anti-Israel sticker and called for an end to unjust use of the PTA, including the immediate review and release of persons he said remain unfairly detained or prosecuted after the Easter Sunday attacks and related cases. He also requested the Attorney General’s Department to expedite or withdraw lingering cases against individuals allegedly connected to him after his acquittal. He warned that Israel’s presence and activities in Sri Lanka could create communal tension and urged the Government not to penalize Sri Lankans in order to protect Israeli visitors. Debate: Proceeds of Crime Bill – Second Reading Foreign AffairsLaw & OrderJustice & Human Rights Read →
7 March 2025 AI summary Hon. Rishad Bathiudeen raised a series of infrastructure and development requests affecting Ampara, Mannar, Vavuniya, Puttalam and surrounding areas, including rehabilitation of bridges and roads, completion of halted iRoad and RDA works, release of withdrawn repair funds for displaced communities’ camp areas, and additional funding for the Vattuvagal project. He sought the Government’s position on Oluvil Port, urged revival of the Rameswaram–Talaimannar ferry and jetty rehabilitation, and requested action to reopen the Mannar–Puttalam road at least as a motorable gravel route despite pending litigation on carpeting. He also proposed BOT-based expressway links to northern and eastern tourism areas and asked that incomplete housing projects and a partially built cultural hall in Silavathurai be funded regardless of political changes. Debate: Appropriation Bill 2025 - Committee Stage (Heads 117, 123, 306, 307, 309-311, 332, 336) Public FinanceInfrastructure Read →