Sitting of Tuesday, 20 May 2025
Source: Hansard PDF (parliament.lk) ↗ ·No. 1749010823009957 ·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 Announcements: Code of Criminal Procedure (Amendment) Bill - Supreme Court Determination 2 speeches
- 2 Papers Papers Presented and Committee Reports 8 speeches
- 3 Petitions Petitions 5 speeches
- 4 Oral question Oral Questions: Question Nos. 1-6 34 speeches
- 5 Oral question Oral Question: Yala National Park - Safari Jeeps and Employee Issues (Q.571/2025) 10 speeches
- 6 Oral question Oral Questions: Irrigation Reservoirs and Land Settlement (Q.578/2025 and Q.3519/2025) 13 speeches
- 7 Oral question Oral Questions: Plantation Community Infrastructure and Transport Issues 4 speeches
- 8 Procedural Standing Order 27(2) Matter: Public Security and Gang Violence; Special Statement on Tamil Genocide Memorial 32 speeches
- 9 Procedural Points of Order and Privilege Matter: Death Threats to Hon. Rohana Bandara 39 speeches
- 10 Debate Debate: Order under the Excise (Special Provisions) Act - Electric Vehicle Tax Revision 4 speeches
- 11 Debate Debate: Order under the Excise (Special Provisions) Act - Electric Vehicle Tax Revision (Continued) 107 speeches
- 12 Adjournment Adjournment Motion: Land Settlement Gazette Notification 2430/2025 (Tamil Lands in North and East) 12 speeches
- The Hon. G.G. Ponnambalam ACTC
AI summary Hon. G.G. Ponnambalam moved an Adjournment Motion urging the Government to revoke Gazette Notification No. 2430/2025, which issued seven settlement notices covering nearly 6,000 acres in Jaffna, Mullaitivu, Kilinochchi and Mannar. He argued that the notice could convert private and communal lands, including beaches, roads, cemeteries and other traditionally used areas, into State land if title is not proved within three months, despite widespread loss of documents due to war, displacement and the tsunami. He rejected the Government’s reported “suspension” of the process as legally insufficient under the Land Settlement Ordinance and said only withdrawal of the Gazette would prevent the lands being declared State land. He further contended that the action was contrary to the Government’s election commitments on a constitutional settlement and land powers, and called for consultation with Tamil representatives and a people-centred mechanism to regularize land claims.
- The Hon. Sivagnanam Shritharan ITAK
AI summary Hon. Sivagnanam Shritharan supported the Adjournment Motion and argued that the Gazette of 28 March would facilitate the seizure or diversion of Tamil lands in named villages across Mullaitivu, Jaffna and Kilinochchi. He said reports that the Gazette had been suspended were contradicted by the Minister’s statement, and demanded that any suspension be formally done by a new Gazette before consultations with Tamil representatives. He linked the issue to the wider ethnic conflict, military-held lands, loss of documentation among displaced families, and delays by Divisional Secretariats, calling for the Gazette’s withdrawal as the first step toward a proper resolution.
- The Hon. Ramanathan Archchuna Independent Group 17 - Jaffna
AI summary Hon. Ramanathan Archchuna urged the Government to withdraw the 28 March Gazette, which he said would vest Tamil lands in the State and risk inflaming Sinhala-Tamil tensions. He argued that Tamils are not seeking division or others’ land, but want to continue living on their own lands in the North and East. He called for consultation and dialogue with Tamil representatives before any such measures are taken, stating they are ready to support discussions after the Gazette is withdrawn.
- The Hon. S. Sri Bavanandarajah JJB
AI summary Hon. S. Sri Bavanandarajah addressed concerns over a recent land Gazette, stating that its purpose is to identify landowners and regularize titles rather than seize land. He said owners, including those overseas through authorized attorneys, can submit evidence of ownership, residence, cultivation or use to the Land Registry. He noted that implementation has been temporarily paused and that further decisions will be taken at upcoming District Development Committee meetings with MPs and officials, including on the allocation of State lands, preferably to diaspora Tamils seeking to invest or start industries.
- The Hon. M. Nizam Kariapper, PC SJB
AI summary Hon. M. Nizam Kariapper disputed a Government-side claim regarding land claims under the Land Settlement Ordinance, stating that without legally established title, land may be declared State land under Section 5(1). He condemned the use of the colonial-era Ordinance in Mullaitivu, arguing that development needs should instead be addressed through existing State land, eviction of unauthorized occupants under the State Lands (Recovery of Possession) Act, or acquisition with compensation under the Land Acquisition Act. He warned that the process could extend to other areas and called for the relevant Gazette to be revoked, saying suspension was not provided for under the Ordinance.
- The Hon. Bimal Rathnayake - Minister of Transport, Highways, Ports and Civil Aviation and Leader of the House of Parliament JJB
AI summary The Minister said the Government has no intention of appropriating private land or pursuing a nationalist settlement agenda, and argued that the relevant Gazette applies to all nine provinces rather than only the North. He stated that Cabinet has agreed to a programme by the Lands and Environment Ministers to address land demarcation issues, particularly in the North where traditionally occupied and cultivated lands lack proper boundaries. A joint Cabinet Paper will propose a special committee aimed at resolving disputes and returning the maximum possible extent of land to affected people.
- The Hon. Pathmanathan Sathiyalingam ITAK
AI summary The Hon. Pathmanathan Sathiyalingam supported the Adjournment Motion and said past use of Forest Department powers, including in 2014, had resulted in privately claimed lands being declared as forest, with some only now being released. He urged the authorities to allow sufficient time to verify whether affected lands are genuinely forest, release lands wrongly gazetted, and avoid issuing further forest-related Gazettes until people’s long-held lands, homesteads, tanks, and cultivated plots are properly excluded.
- The Hon. Ramalingam Chandrasekar - Minister of Fisheries, Aquatic and Ocean Resources JJB
AI summary The Minister said land disputes, particularly in Tamil areas, remain serious and require a proper process to identify, demarcate and distinguish public and private land. Referring to the relevant Gazette and past mechanisms dating from 1931 and the 1950 Settlement Boards, he argued that the exercise is intended to resolve and regularize land issues, not to seize private lands. He urged consensus among Tamil, Sinhala and Muslim Members, while acknowledging suspicion arising from past politics and the scale of disputes in the North.
- The Hon. K.D. Lal Kantha - Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Land and Irrigation JJB
AI summary Minister K.D. Lal Kantha addressed concerns that Forest and Wildlife Department demarcations in the North have included lands historically used by residents, stating that a Cabinet-appointed committee with the Environment Minister will propose measures to return verifiable lands promptly. He said a contested Gazette covering four districts and four Divisional Secretariat divisions would be reviewed, with legal and procedural decisions to be discussed on 23 May in Parliament under the Prime Minister’s leadership with the Attorney-General, North and East MPs, and officials. He emphasized that the Government has no intention of appropriating people’s lands and, if necessary, would halt the Gazette in accordance with the law.
- The Hon. G.G. Ponnambalam ACTC
AI summary Hon. G.G. Ponnambalam argued that the Government’s stated aim of resolving land documentation problems in the North-East was inconsistent with the law being used, warning that unclaimed lands could vest in the State by 28 June unless the Gazette was revoked. He urged the Minister to withdraw the Gazette, consult Tamil Members from the North-East, and instead use a committee or commission process similar to approaches for wildlife or forest lands. He said affected communities had not been adequately informed within the three-month period and pledged cooperation to address displacement- and tsunami-related land issues if the current legal mechanism was abandoned.
- The Hon. K.D. Lal Kantha JJB
AI summary K.D. Lal Kantha said the Gazette process was intended to inform relevant authorities, including Divisional and District Secretaries. He proposed that the Attorney-General, members, and officials meet the committee on the 23rd to reach a definitive decision, including whether the Gazette should be legally halted if necessary.
Parliamentary Procedure Full speech → - Hansard Reports can be purchased from the Government Publications Bureau at the Department of Government Information, No. 163, Kirulapone Avenue, Polhengoda, Colombo 5.
AI summary Hansard reports are available for purchase from the Government Publications Bureau at the Department of Government Information in Colombo. The report can also be downloaded from the official Parliament website and was printed by the Department of Government Printing, Sri Lanka.
Parliamentary Procedure Full speech →