The Hon. (Dr.) Pathmanathan Sathiyalingam

¶ 01 Hon. Deputy Speaker, we are debating four items today, including the Samurdhi (Amendment) Bill. I will address aspects relating to poverty alleviation.

¶ 02 Successive governments have introduced poverty-alleviation programmes—sometimes guided by manifestos, sometimes politics—spending large amounts of taxpayers’ money. Yet the core objective has not been achieved. There has been inadequate monitoring, evaluation, and mid-course correction to ensure funds are productively utilized.

¶ 03 Even the names of such programmes have often not been understandable to all three communities. For instance, “Samurdhi” now has a different name—“Aswesuma.” I do not know the meaning of that term. If beneficiaries do not understand the concept, how are they to benefit?

¶ 04 Language matters. A former President once mocked Tamil words at a rally—an insult to speakers of that language. This government must not repeat such disrespect. If you launch a programme for people, its name should be intelligible to them.

¶ 05 There have been many misuses: loans and Samurdhi payments used to buy motorbikes or satellite TV instead of strengthening livelihoods. The government has a duty to analyze whether programmes truly improve household economies, and to reform accordingly. We hope this government will do so.

¶ 06 On sports: among national athletes participating in local and international competitions, very few are from the North and East. Those who have reached higher levels often did so through innate talent despite the system, not because of it. We ask that athletes from the North and East be given the same opportunities and facilities as elsewhere. I have discussed this with the Hon. Minister.

¶ 07 During a previous administration, two large stadium projects began in the Northern Province—one in Kilinochchi and another in Vavuniya. More than ten years later, they remain incomplete; vast sums have been sunk with no benefit to the people. We urge that these stadiums be completed so our youth can compete at national and international levels. Sport is linked to health, the economy, and is a money-making industry. Provide equal opportunities across all regions.

¶ 08 I also wish to raise issues related to those displaced by the nearly 30-year war. Many fled abroad or became internally displaced. Sixteen years after the war, many have still not been properly resettled in their ancestral lands.

¶ 09 Some who fled to India decades ago—and lived as refugees acknowledged by the Indian government—have recently been returning voluntarily with UNHCR assistance. Yet people arriving on 06.08.2025 and 28.08.2025 at Palaly Airport, and on 12.08.2025 at Katunayake Airport, were arrested on grounds that they had left Sri Lanka illegally 35 years ago. This is inhumane. Even during the war, such arrests at the point of return did not occur.

¶ 10 It is the government’s responsibility to ensure the safety and dignity of voluntary returnees assisted by UNHCR. Investigate any genuine criminal background if needed, but do not jail people on arrival for historical “illegal exit” when they fled for their lives. Establish a proper mechanism and policy.

¶ 11 When I served in the Northern Provincial Council, we drafted a resettlement policy and sent it to the central Ministry, which used it to shape a policy—but it was never implemented. Sixteen years after the war, Sri Lanka still has no national resettlement policy. That is a glaring failure. People face multiple issues—education, health, livelihoods. Lands remain occupied by camps; departments have marked boundaries; people cannot access their property. Create a proper, consultative resettlement policy urgently.

¶ 12 Due to recent arrests, UNHCR has reportedly suspended repatriation of Sri Lankan Tamil refugees as of the 14th; The Hindu reported “UNHCR suspends repatriation of Sri Lankan Tamil refugees.” I table that document and urge the House to act so returnees are not deterred or humiliated.

¶ 13 Thank you.