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Sri Lanka
10th Parliament· 154 sittings on record · 30,475 speeches · latest 10 June 2026

Sitting of Wednesday, 5 February 2025

10th Parliament· 19 debates· 240 speeches· 52 speakers

Source: Hansard PDF (parliament.lk) ↗ ·No. 1739175806099814 ·English daily/uncorrected Hansard

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Order of business

Speeches load per item. Summaries shown here are AI-generated and labelled; verbatim text is on each speech page.

  14. 14 Procedural Procedural: Privilege Questions and Sitting Time Motion 26 speeches
    • The Hon. Speaker procedural
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    • The Hon. (Dr.) Ramanathan Archchuna Independent Group 17 - Jaffna

      AI summary Hon. (Dr.) Ramanathan Archchuna raised a matter concerning an alleged violation of a Member of Parliament’s right to travel from Jaffna to Colombo. He indicated the seriousness of the issue and requested to continue his remarks in Tamil.

      Parliamentary ProcedureJustice & Human Rights Full speech →
    • The Hon. Speaker procedural
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    • The Hon. (Dr.) Ramanathan Archchuna Independent Group 17 - Jaffna

      AI summary Hon. (Dr.) Ramanathan Archchuna briefly stated that he is more comfortable speaking in Tamil and indicated a request to proceed in that language. No substantive policy issue, legislative matter, or proposal was raised in the quoted remarks.

      Parliamentary Procedure Full speech →
    • The Hon. Speaker procedural
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    • The Hon. (Dr.) Ramanathan Archchuna Independent Group 17 - Jaffna

      AI summary Hon. (Dr.) Ramanathan Archchuna briefly indicated difficulty proceeding in the current language and said he would try to continue, otherwise he would speak in Sinhala. He sought permission or confirmation from the Chair to do so.

      Parliamentary Procedure Full speech →
    • The Hon. (Dr.) Ramanathan Archchuna Independent Group 17 - Jaffna

      AI summary Hon. (Dr.) Ramanathan Archchuna stated that while travelling from Jaffna to Colombo to attend the Parliamentary sitting on 21 January, he was stopped or disturbed by two police officers for using a VIP light. He sought to bring this incident to the attention of the Speaker.

      Law & OrderParliamentary Procedure Full speech →
    • The Hon. Speaker procedural
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    • The Hon. (Dr.) Ramanathan Archchuna Independent Group 17 - Jaffna

      AI summary Dr. Ramanathan Archchuna referred to the same incident under discussion and requested the Speaker to read a letter he had submitted. No further details or arguments were provided in the excerpt.

      Parliamentary Procedure Full speech →
    • The Hon. Speaker procedural
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    • The Hon. (Dr.) Ramanathan Archchuna Independent Group 17 - Jaffna

      AI summary Hon. (Dr.) Ramanathan Archchuna raised a procedural question asking whether he was permitted to state matters in the same language. The intervention appears to concern language use during the parliamentary proceedings.

      Parliamentary Procedure Full speech →
    • The Hon. Speaker procedural
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    • The Hon. (Dr.) Ramanathan Archchuna Independent Group 17 - Jaffna

      AI summary Hon. Dr. Ramanathan Archchuna raised a privilege matter concerning an incident on 20 January 2025, when Traffic Division officers in Anuradhapura stopped him while he was travelling from Jaffna to Colombo and asked for identification. He stated that although he identified himself as a Member of Parliament and showed a Parliament-issued windscreen pass, the officers insisted on a specific parliamentary identity document, delaying his journey. He argued that the incident obstructed his ability to attend Parliament and amounted to a violation of his parliamentary privileges.

      Parliamentary Procedure Full speech →
    • The Hon. Speaker procedural
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    • The Hon. (Dr.) Ramanathan Archchuna Independent Group 17 - Jaffna

      AI summary Hon. (Dr.) Ramanathan Archchuna stated that a windscreen pass was issued to him on 22 January, two days after he was stopped on 20 January, and asked that the relevant signed documents be checked. He complained that officers treated the pass as forged and rejected the official seal and signature, arguing that this obstructed his travel to Parliament and amounted to a breach of his parliamentary privileges.

      Parliamentary ProcedureJustice & Human Rights Full speech →
    • The Hon. Speaker procedural
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    • The Hon. (Dr.) Ramanathan Archchuna Independent Group 17 - Jaffna

      AI summary Dr. Ramanathan Archchuna stated that no Magistrate had issued an arrest order against him and objected to public statements made without due process. He argued that such pronouncements damaged his reputation and were made without proper legal proceedings or the Speaker’s knowledge, while also questioning the procedural basis for restricting his ability to speak in the House.

      Justice & Human RightsParliamentary Procedure Full speech →
    • The Hon. Dayasiri Jayasekara, Attorney-at-Law SJB

      AI summary Hon. Dayasiri Jayasekara raised a point of order and privilege concerning the composition and functioning of parliamentary committees, particularly the Committee on Parliamentary Business, COPE and COPA. Citing Erskine May and Standing Order 101, he argued that the Opposition is not receiving fair representation compared with previous Parliaments and questioned whether committee appointments and expansions were made procedurally. He requested the Speaker to intervene, allow Opposition privilege matters to be presented, ensure adequate time allocation, and provide a ruling rather than directing the Opposition to negotiate with the Government.

      Parliamentary Procedure Full speech →
    • The Hon. Bimal Rathnayake JJB

      AI summary Hon. Bimal Rathnayake urged the Speaker to manage time ahead of the main business and to ensure privilege matters are confined to what was submitted in writing. He said complaints about an Opposition member being prevented from speaking were an internal Opposition matter but also affected Parliament. He defended the Government’s handling of committee appointments, stating that Opposition representation had been increased across committees, including offering the COPA chair to the Opposition, and argued that committee composition should follow Standing Orders and parliamentary traditions rather than address internal party issues.

      Parliamentary Procedure Full speech →
    • The Hon. Gayantha Karunathilleka SJB

      AI summary Hon. Gayantha Karunathilleka stated that the earlier issue concerning Hon. Archchuna’s speaking time had been addressed by agreeing to allocate him time under Opposition arrangements. He then raised concern that Opposition representation in Parliamentary Committees had been curtailed despite prior discussions with the Speaker, former Speaker and President. Citing past practice, including the 2018 COPE membership and chairmanship, he requested that Committee compositions be increased or adjusted to allow broader Opposition participation at no additional cost.

      Parliamentary Procedure Full speech →
    • The Hon. Ajith P. Perera SJB

      AI summary Ajith P. Perera raised points of order seeking immediate consideration of Privilege Questions submitted before 9.15 a.m. regarding the composition of parliamentary committees and alleged inadequate Opposition representation. He argued that, under Standing Order 29(2), such questions submitted in time should be given priority and that the Speaker should first allow them to be raised before determining whether they constitute privilege matters. He cited past committee composition ratios and examples of accommodating Opposition members, including in COPE, to support his claim that the current 9:4 ratio is unfair and should be resolved before scheduled committee proceedings continue.

      Parliamentary Procedure Full speech →
    • The Hon. Anura Karunathilaka JJB

      AI summary Anura Karunathilaka stated that the Committee on Parliamentary Business had extensively considered committee representation and that, in several committees, Opposition membership had been increased beyond the requirements of the Standing Orders. He rejected claims that the Government was reducing Opposition representation and said the changes were intended to provide the Opposition with more opportunities.

      Parliamentary Procedure Full speech →
    • The Hon. Ravi Karunanayake NDF

      AI summary Hon. Ravi Karunanayake raised a point of order concerning the composition of parliamentary committees, arguing that established practice and references such as Erskine May should guide procedure where Standing Orders are silent. He stated that Opposition representation in relevant committees had historically not been significantly reduced and requested that the Opposition be given fair space, citing an ethical and moral obligation to maintain balanced committee membership.

      Parliamentary Procedure Full speech →
    • The Hon. Sunil Handunnetti - Minister of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development JJB

      AI summary The Minister raised a point of Order regarding Privilege Questions submitted by several Members about increasing Committee membership. He urged that the matter be discussed and resolved through the appropriate process, rather than taking further time in the House.

      Parliamentary Procedure Full speech →
    • The Hon. Sajith Premadasa - Leader of the Opposition SJB

      AI summary Sajith Premadasa said the Opposition had raised Privilege Questions because repeated discussions with the Speaker, the Leader of the House and the President had not resolved concerns over parliamentary representation and procedure. He alleged that conventions were being disregarded, including in elections to friendship associations, and asked the Leader of the House to ensure adequate Opposition representation in Committees. He also cited alleged intimidation at cooperative elections, protests in Gampaha and Kamburupitiya, and restrictions on student expression at the University of Peradeniya regarding the IMF programme, describing these as anti-democratic and requesting remedial action.

      Justice & Human RightsLaw & OrderParliamentary Procedure Full speech →
    • The Hon. Bimal Rathnayake JJB

      AI summary Hon. Bimal Rathnayake requested that Parliament proceed with the main business of the day.

      Parliamentary Procedure Full speech →