Hon. Kaveenthiran Kodeeswaran, M.P.

Illankai Tamil Arasu Kadchi (ITAK)· Digamadulla

Profession: Businessman

Roster profile ↗

Speeches 47 #99 of 225·#6 in party

Attendance 7/8 days present (of recorded)

Speech history

47 speeches

22 July 2025 AI summary Hon. Kaveenthiran Kodeeswaran welcomed the Workers’ National Minimum Wage (Amendment) Bill and the Government’s salary increases, but said wage rises must keep pace with sharp increases in the cost of goods and services, including for plantation and private sector workers. He then raised concerns about ongoing mass grave investigations, alleging widespread massacres of Tamils in the North and East from Independence to 2009, and called for investigations to be conducted to international standards with international cooperation. He argued that domestic mechanisms had failed to earn public trust and appealed for international justice for those killed. Debate: National Minimum Wage of Workers and Budgetary Relief Allowance Bills (Second and Third Readings) Ethnic Reconciliation & DevolutionJustice & Human RightsEmployment Read →
19 June 2025 AI summary Kaveenthiran Kodeeswaran addressed the Adjournment Debate on the dairy cow import audit and COPE Report, highlighting inadequate domestic milk production, unallocated grazing lands in Ampara, and losses caused by earlier imports of poor-quality cattle. He urged the Government to assess the economic impact of the Iran-Israel conflict, assist efforts to end the war, and establish a mechanism to return or compensate jewellery pledged by Tamils in LTTE-controlled areas before 2009. He also questioned what investments and employment had been provided to the North and East since the Government took office, and called for non-discriminatory coastal protection measures in Ampara and Batticaloa, warning that selective groyne construction and proposed ilmenite mining could worsen sea erosion. Adjournment Debate: Special Audit Report on Advance Payment for Import of 15,000 Dairy Cattle and COPE Report on National Gem and Jewellery Authority Foreign AffairsEnvironmentAgriculture Read →
4 June 2025 AI summary Kaveenthiran Kodeeswaran supported the regulations under the Anti-Corruption Act but called for separate legislation to investigate the sources, foreign links, and use of funds received by recognized political parties. He urged stronger action against drug trafficking targeting students, including police complicity, and requested gazette recognition of the Kataragama pilgrimage to enable public servants to obtain leave. He also asked that the State-returned Kataragama pilgrims’ rest be handed back to the Ramakrishna Mission, and proposed reforms to public recruitment practices or, alternatively, soft loans and training for graduates and non-graduates to promote self-employment. Debate: Anti-Corruption Act Regulations EmploymentEthnic Reconciliation & DevolutionCorruption & Governance Reform Read →
23 May 2025 AI summary Hon. Kaveenthiran Kodeeswaran questioned the Government’s economic direction after seven months in office, arguing that reliance on foreign and IMF borrowing is unsustainable and calling for concrete plans on productivity, investment, poverty reduction, exports, and cost-of-living pressures. He urged the Government to act against corruption without using past administrations’ failures as a substitute for current economic policy. He also raised concerns over changes to Hindu religious traditions linked to the Kataragama Pada Yatra and Aadi Vel festival, and requested action against obstruction of a temple entrance arch at the Sri Sindhayathirai Pillaiyar Temple in Veeramunai. He further called for land, housing, roads, and basic facilities for displaced families in Pottuvil and for the return of disputed lands in Sainthamaruthu/Thottachchinungivattai to documented rightful owners. Debate: Code of Criminal Procedure (Amendment) Bill and Foreign Loans (Repeal) Bill - Second Reading Cost of LivingLand & HousingReligion & Culture Read →
8 April 2025 AI summary Kaveenthiran Kodeeswaran supported the Proceeds of Crime Bill, including the vesting of illegally acquired assets in the State and the creation of an authority to manage them, and welcomed the proposed removal of Deshabandu Tennakoon as IGP. He argued that accountability mechanisms should also address alleged crimes against Tamils, citing incidents from 1956 through Black July, other massacres, disappearances, and Mullivaikkal, and called for parliamentary action and international investigations due to mistrust in domestic processes. He questioned what action had been taken against figures such as Pillaiyan and urged the Government to investigate alleged atrocities against Tamils in the same manner as proposed inquiries into 1987–89 torture camps. He also raised concerns that protesters opposing ilmenite mining were being summoned and harassed by police and security forces, and asked the Government to protect their democratic rights. Debate: Proceeds of Crime Bill – Second Reading Justice & Human RightsLaw & OrderEthnic Reconciliation & Devolution Read →
21 March 2025 AI summary Hon. Kaveenthiran Kodeeswaran called on the Government to ensure a fair price for milk, support dairy farmers, and establish dairy and milk powder plants to increase production. He requested that livelihoods in Alayadivembu and Thirukkovil not be adversely affected, and urged the Government to address unemployment among arts, fine arts, and commerce graduates through job provision and education or training aligned with technology, digital, and biotech sectors. Appropriation Bill 2025 - Committee Stage (Twenty-sixth Day) and Third Reading EducationAgricultureEmployment Read →
21 March 2025 AI summary Hon. Kaveenthiran Kodeeswaran argued that sound financial planning and targeted investment are needed to rebuild the economy, noting that the North and East have received low allocations and that war-affected factories should be reopened to create employment. He opposed proposed mineral sand testing and extraction at Thirukkovil by the private company Damsila, warning of impacts on coastal dunes, fisheries, mangroves, coconut cultivation, paddy lands, tourism and river ecology. He also requested that the Government protect 4,000 acres of pasture land at Vattamadu from cultivation, provide additional land for cattle farmers, and establish dairy processing facilities to support milk production. Appropriation Bill 2025 - Committee Stage (Twenty-sixth Day) and Third Reading Public FinanceAgricultureEnvironment Read →
7 March 2025 AI summary Hon. Kaveenthiran Kodeeswaran raised transport, bridge, housing, and land title issues affecting Ampara District. He requested urgent rehabilitation of Kittangi Bridge and the inclusion of several other bridges in the government bridge rehabilitation programme, citing isolation of residents, student transport difficulties, and economic impacts. He also sought housing, roads, and basic infrastructure for resettled and landless families in Pottuvil–Kanagar Village. Additionally, he called for title deeds, ownership deeds, sewerage facilities, and completion of pending housing schemes in Kalmunai, Tambiluvil, Aalayadivembu, Aligambai, and Thandiyadi. Debate: Appropriation Bill 2025 - Committee Stage (Heads 117, 123, 306, 307, 309-311, 332, 336) Land & HousingInfrastructure Read →
6 March 2025 AI summary Kaveenthiran Kodeeswaran raised concerns during the Health Ministry Committee Stage debate about staffing, resource and funding shortages at Thirukkovil Base Hospital and other hospitals in Ampara District, and requested adequate supplies of medicines including Factor VII and Factor VIII. He alleged longstanding neglect of Tamil areas in health planning and called for equitable allocations and services. He also urged justice, compensation and housing support for families of murdered journalists, protections for media personnel in the North and East, and action over cases filed against journalists covering the Mayilathamadu and Mathavanai protests. He further requested expedited permanent appointments for eligible dengue eradication officers who have served for several years. Appropriation Bill 2025 - Committee Stage: Ministry of Health and Mass Media Ethnic Reconciliation & DevolutionHealthcareJustice & Human Rights Read →
4 March 2025 AI summary Hon. Kaveenthiran Kodeeswaran raised a Point of Order challenging Hon. Rauff Hakeem’s reference to land distribution between Kalmunai North and Kalmunai Divisional Secretariat divisions. He argued that the percentage of land falling within Kalmunai North, whether 70 percent or more, should not be treated as a valid objection in the matter being discussed. Appropriation Bill 2025 — Twelfth Allotted Day — Committee Stage Parliamentary Procedure Read →
4 March 2025 AI summary Hon. Kaveenthiran Kodeeswaran raised the unresolved status of the Kalmunai North Divisional Secretariat, arguing that despite a 1993 Cabinet decision upgrading it to a full Divisional Secretariat, it has been treated as an Assistant Divisional Secretariat without lawful authority. He questioned who had the power to alter or downgrade a Cabinet-approved decision, alleged administrative irregularities and land-related frauds, and requested a special committee to investigate and restore its full status. He also urged the Government to provide fair appointments for unemployed graduates in the North and East, particularly about 1,800 in Ampara, including those who passed competitive examinations. Appropriation Bill 2025 — Twelfth Allotted Day — Committee Stage Ethnic Reconciliation & DevolutionCorruption & Governance ReformEmployment Read →
27 February 2025 AI summary Hon. Kaveenthiran Kodeeswaran said families of the forcibly disappeared continue to seek truth and justice during the ongoing UN Human Rights Council session, arguing that domestic institutions such as the OMP and ONUR have not delivered meaningful accountability. He called for international criminal justice over domestic or hybrid mechanisms, citing mass Tamil civilian deaths and continuing impunity from the final phase of the war. He also urged a new Constitution with devolution beyond the 13th Amendment, fair delimitation of local government wards affecting Tamil-speaking communities, and decisive action with severe penalties against crime, narcotics and underworld activity. Debate: Committee Stage of the 2025 Appropriation Bill - Special Expenditure Heads (Heads 1-25) and Amendments Ethnic Reconciliation & DevolutionLaw & OrderJustice & Human Rights Read →
21 February 2025 AI summary Kaveenthiran Kodeeswaran welcomed several Budget proposals, including those on the digital economy, production, exports, agriculture and dairy, but said allocations and implementation plans for Tamil areas in Ampara District and the Eastern Province remain unclear, particularly regarding proposed Indian assistance. He requested that Indian-funded development address local priorities such as the neglected Thirukkovil Base Hospital, citing severe shortages of doctors, specialists, facilities and past exclusion from major health investments, and also urged implementation of pending projects such as the Kalmunai cultural hall. He called for protection of dairy farmers by restoring the 4,000-acre Vattamadu area, gazetted in 1976 as pasture land, to grazing use after its later inclusion within a forest boundary led to access restrictions, arrests and inadequate pasture for livestock. Appropriation Bill 2025: Second Reading (Fourth Allotted Day) InfrastructureHealthcarePublic Finance Read →
20 February 2025 AI summary Hon. Kaveenthiran Kodeeswaran seconded the motion and urged the Government to cancel liquor shop permits, particularly the bar established in Periya Nilavanai, where residents are protesting. He argued that the President has the executive authority to revoke newly issued permits through Gazette notices and said liquor outlets should not be located in poor residential areas, citing social, family, and student-related harms. He called for all unnecessarily granted liquor shop permits in both Tamil and Sinhala areas to be cancelled, noting the Government’s parliamentary majority. Adjournment: Liquor Shop Permits and Licensing Cost of LivingLaw & Order Read →
7 February 2025 AI summary Hon. Kaveenthiran Kodeeswaran supported the motion for a proper procurement programme for co-operatives and urged the Government to revive dormant multipurpose co-operative societies. He cautioned against reclaiming powers devolved under the 13th Amendment, including areas related to co-operatives, arguing that this would especially affect the North and East. He requested controlled-price goods, concessional supplies, and working capital or credit lines through local administration to strengthen co-op outlets and enable local paddy purchasing, milling, and fair-price rice distribution in areas such as Thirukkovil, Navithanveli and Karaitivu. Private Members' Motion 2: Proper Procurement Programme for Co-operatives Ethnic Reconciliation & DevolutionAgriculture Read →
7 February 2025 AI summary Kaveenthiran Kodeeswaran reminded the House that he had previously raised the issue of the Kalmunai North Divisional Secretariat on 22 January and that the Deputy Minister had undertaken to provide a response during the current week. He requested the Prime Minister to ensure that the promised answer is given in Parliament or, alternatively, that a discussion is arranged on the matter. Ministerial Statements on Justice Department, Foreign Employment, and Hydrated Lime Importation Parliamentary Procedure Read →
6 February 2025 AI summary Kaveenthiran Kodeeswaran welcomed the debate on regulations under the Intellectual Property Act but focused on agricultural policy, urging the Government to announce guaranteed paddy prices and distribute fertilizer earlier so farmers, particularly in the North and East, can benefit before harvest. He argued that the current paddy prices of Rs. 120, 125 and 130 are insufficient given cultivation costs and requested an increase to Rs. 140. He also asked the relevant Minister to intervene to return two paddy stores in Aalaiyadivembu, formerly managed by the Multi-Purpose Cooperative Society, alleging they are being retained by the Army without proper cooperative or departmental approval. Debate: Intellectual Property Act Regulations (Geographical Indications) Land & HousingAgriculture Read →
22 January 2025 AI summary Kaveenthiran Kodeeswaran argued that pending writ applications do not prevent the Government from granting relief to a Divisional Secretariat that has operated for over 30 years with Cabinet approval. He questioned why full powers cannot be granted despite unresolved boundary issues, noting that other DS Divisions function similarly, and raised concern that a permanent Accountant has not been appointed despite a cadre post being created in 2019. Oral Question: Kalmunai North Divisional Secretariat Status (Q.6/2025) Corruption & Governance ReformPublic Finance Read →
22 January 2025 AI summary Hon. Kaveenthiran Kodeeswaran challenged the Minister’s response regarding Kalmunai North, stating that it had been upgraded as a full Divisional Secretariat by Cabinet decision in 1993 and had functioned for decades with its own GN divisions, staff, Divisional Secretary, and buildings. He asked whether any Ministry Secretary or Government Agent had authority, or Cabinet approval, to downgrade it to a sub-Divisional Secretariat or place it under Kalmunai South, particularly while related court cases were pending. He also questioned why Kalmunai North alone was treated differently when other Divisional Secretariats operate without finalized boundaries, and sought clarification on whether the change was politically motivated or would deny residents administrative services. Oral Question: Kalmunai North Divisional Secretariat Status (Q.6/2025) Corruption & Governance ReformLaw & Order Read →
22 January 2025 AI summary Kaveenthiran Kodeeswaran asked the Minister of Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government about the status of the Kalmunai North Divisional Secretariat, citing its establishment and Cabinet-approved upgrading in 1993 and its operation as an independent division for over 34 years. He sought clarification on reported attempts to downgrade it to a sub-office of Kalmunai South, including whether any Cabinet decision exists, whether the relevant Cabinet Paper would be tabled, the basis and legal authority for such a downgrade, and whether officials can override a Cabinet decision. Oral Question: Kalmunai North Divisional Secretariat Status (Q.6/2025) Corruption & Governance ReformEthnic Reconciliation & Devolution Read →