The Hon. Amirthanathan Adaikkalanathan

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, first I thank the Government of India for allocating Rs. 600 million (Rs. 60 crore) for the Mannar General Hospital.

¶ 02 Do not dismiss as mere sloganeering the people’s protest in Mannar town for 40 days against bringing the wind power project into the town limits. It is an emotional struggle to save lives and the town — not empty slogans. Youth there are ready to mobilize en masse to protect the people and the land. The Government must understand and properly handle this, and review the project in line with public sentiment.

¶ 03 Hon. Presiding Member, the UN Resolution is very stringent on human rights violations, including the mass graves at Chemmani, and the injustices suffered by our people. While the Foreign Minister has said such issues will be handled domestically, how can you protect the one who ordered the shooting and only investigate the shooter? We cannot accept domestic investigations; they must be internationally monitored. We expect the Government to act justly.

¶ 04 Those who crushed our protests in the past, killing our people, must be punished. We appreciate India’s firm stance on human rights and on meaningful devolution through Provincial Councils. We welcome India’s position recorded on behalf of our people.

¶ 05 I commend the Government for moving swiftly against corruption. But anti-corruption should not be centred only in Colombo; it must extend to Municipal Councils and Pradeshiya Sabhas where people seek basic services, and where corruption is rampant. In Mannar Municipality, there are glaring irregularities — for example, payment for stadium renovations at Panangkattukottu without work being done; the Hon. Minister visited and promised action, but nothing has happened. Similarly, the Pallimunai ground shows no progress. These must be investigated and corrected, and those responsible punished.

¶ 06 Finally, I also met the Hon. President on these matters. Corruption probes must cover the whole country, not just Colombo. Thank you.