Sitting of Wednesday, 5 March 2025
Source: Hansard PDF (parliament.lk) ↗ ·No. 1742473561091594 ·English daily/uncorrected Hansard
Order of business
Speeches load per item. Summaries shown here are AI-generated and labelled; verbatim text is on each speech page.
- 1 Opening Parliament Opening 1 speeches
- 2 Papers Papers Presented: Annual Reports and Committee Reports 5 speeches
- 3 Petitions Petitions Presented by Members 5 speeches
- 4 Oral question Oral Question: Madunagala Tourist Project (Q.1/2025) 6 speeches
- 5 Oral question Oral Question: Cey-Nor Housing Scheme, Batticaloa (Q.2/2025) 6 speeches
- 6 Oral question Oral Question: Substandard Coconut Oil (Q.3/2025) 6 speeches
- 7 Oral question Oral Question: Shops Leased Out in Polonnaruwa City Center (Q.4/2025) 6 speeches
- 8 Oral question Oral Question: Nilwala River Salinity Barrier - Farmer Compensation (Q.5/2025) 4 speeches
- 9 Oral question Oral Question: Fire Service Units in Mannar (Q.27(2)/2025) 3 speeches
- 10 Debate Appropriation Bill, 2025 – Committee Stage: Heads 124, 216, 331, 151 and 290 27 speeches
- 11 Debate Appropriation Bill, 2025 – Committee Stage Continued: Heads 124, 151, 331 133 speeches
- 12 Procedural Appropriation Bill, 2025 – Committee Stage: Final Amendments and Progress Report 18 speeches
- 13 Adjournment Adjournment Motion: Jaffna - Social Impact of Drug Addiction Among Youth 17 speeches
- The Hon. Deputy Chairperson of Committees procedural
- The Hon. (Dr.) Upali Pannilage JJB
AI summary Dr. Upali Pannilage formally moved the adjournment of Parliament. The Deputy Chairperson of Committees then proposed the Question.
Parliamentary Procedure Full speech → - The Hon. Deputy Chairperson of Committees procedural
- The Hon. Rajeevan Jeyachandramoorthy JJB
AI summary Rajeevan Jeyachandramoorthy moved an Adjournment Motion highlighting rising drug addiction, drug smuggling and gang violence in Jaffna, with particular concern for youth, women, girls and schoolchildren. He said heroin and other illicit substances, inadequate rehabilitation facilities and criminal gangs were contributing to theft, robbery, violence and public insecurity. He called for investment in rehabilitation programmes, stronger law enforcement and community support systems, and proposed a long-term monitoring mechanism involving the Provincial Governor, District Development Committee Chair, District Secretary, Police and grassroots leaders to coordinate action against drug distribution and use.
- The Hon. (Dr.) S. Sri Bavanandarajah JJB
AI summary Hon. (Dr.) S. Sri Bavanandarajah supported the Motion on drug control, stating that drug distribution in the North, particularly after 2009 and the opening of the A-9 road, has severely affected youth and higher education students in Jaffna. He said the issue is also straining the health sector through rehabilitation and treatment costs, and called for action to identify and stop distributors. He urged the establishment of a rehabilitation centre in Jaffna District with vocational training and employment support, alongside village-level monitoring and coordinated action by the armed forces, Police and judiciary to prevent distribution and relapse.
- The Hon. G.G. Ponnambalam ACTC
AI summary Hon. G.G. Ponnambalam welcomed the Motion but argued that it ignored the extent of militarization in the North and East, where he said most military divisions and coastal Navy camps remain stationed on or near civilian lands. He questioned whether the drug crisis could have developed without military involvement, citing alleged links between security forces and past incidents such as the “Grease Devil” phenomenon and the “Aava group.” He urged the Government to recognize that the existing military presence and mindset toward Tamils cannot be relied upon to resolve the problem unless fundamentally changed.
- The Hon. (Dr.) Pathmanathan Sathiyalingam ITAK
AI summary Hon. (Dr.) Pathmanathan Sathiyalingam highlighted the severity of drug use in the post-war Northern and Eastern Provinces and called for strict enforcement of national laws, including alcohol age limits, regulation of liquor outlets, control of public drinking, and effective use of police powers against illicit liquor production. He noted that the Northern Provincial Administration has established medical rehabilitation centres in all five districts and urged the Minister of Health to provide staff and make them operational promptly.
- The Hon. Thurairasa Ravikaran ITAK
AI summary Thurairasa Ravikaran supported the Motion on the drug problem, warning that narcotics are destabilizing districts across the country and harming youth and young women. He urged the new Government and the Police to strengthen law and order and take additional measures, with both compassion and enforcement, to protect people from addiction and related deaths.
- The Hon. (Dr.) Ramanathan Archchuna Independent Group 17 - Jaffna
AI summary Hon. (Dr.) Ramanathan Archchuna criticized the Government for bringing an Adjournment Motion on drug abuse in the North and East while alleging that authorities have failed to act on trafficking, corruption, and criminal networks in the region. He cited claims involving pregabalin tablets sold to minors, alleged suppression of a case in Jaffna, concerns about judicial independence, a shooting near Mannar Court, and alleged links between officials, security forces, and the movement of “Kerala ganja.” He also questioned appointments and dealings involving local officials and ministers, and demanded accountability for alleged state-linked involvement in drug and criminal activity.
- The Hon. Ramalingam Chandrasekar JJB
AI summary Ramalingam Chandrasekar used a metaphor about a dog repeatedly eating its vomit to criticize recurring conduct or attitudes, suggesting that those responsible need to be “cured” of such behaviour. No specific legislation, policy proposal, or formal request was raised in the excerpt.
Parliamentary Procedure Full speech → - The Hon. (Dr.) Ramanathan Archchuna Independent Group 17 - Jaffna
AI summary Hon. (Dr.) Ramanathan Archchuna rose on a Point of Order. No substantive argument, question, or proposal was recorded in the provided text.
Parliamentary Procedure Full speech → - The Hon. Deputy Chairperson of Committees procedural
- The Hon. (Dr.) Ramanathan Archchuna Independent Group 17 - Jaffna
AI summary Dr. Ramanathan Archchuna asked how to properly raise a Point of Order, objecting to interruptions during proceedings. He indicated that debate could not continue in an orderly manner if such interruptions persisted.
Parliamentary Procedure Full speech → - The Hon. Deputy Chairperson of Committees procedural
- The Hon. Gnanamuththu Srineshan ITAK
AI summary Hon. Gnanamuththu Srineshan supported Hon. Rajeevan’s Motion, stating that drug use, distribution, illicit liquor production and the proliferation of bars have increased in the North and East after the war. He urged the Government to translate its “Clean Sri Lanka” vision into firm action through coordinated work by the Governor, civil administration, military and Police. He also called for identifying and acting against any Police or military personnel who assist drug-related activities, citing the case of former senior Police officer Deshabandu Tennakoon as an example of alleged involvement at high levels.
- The Hon. Sunil Watagala, Attorney-at-Law - Deputy Minister of Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs JJB
AI summary The Deputy Minister said the Government brought the Adjournment Motion to demonstrate its intention to act on the public mandate to combat illicit drugs, arguing that political links to drug trafficking had been removed. He outlined enforcement, prevention and treatment measures in the North and East under the Clean Sri Lanka programme, including recent seizures, training of Development Officers, Tamil-language awareness work, clinics, and plans for a rehabilitation centre in Jaffna and a Northern office of the National Authority on Dangerous Drugs. He reported increased detections and seizures in early 2025, noted a decline in heroin use alongside growth in other substances, and pledged continued coordinated action with security agencies to curb the drug problem.
- The Hon. Deputy Chairperson of Committees procedural