The Hon. Bimal Rathnayake - Leader of the House
Hon. Bimal Rathnayake stated that the matter raised by Hon. Harsha de Silva under Standing Order 31 was important but did not fall within the scope of that provision, which applies to matters under specific ministerial responsibility. He also said the Prime Minister had addressed Hon. Rishad Bathiudeen’s concerns on humanitarian and international law grounds, and that the Navy had acted properly in response to a recent boat arrival. He noted that UNHCR is not operating in Sri Lanka as it had previously and urged Members to work within the Government’s stated position.
Verbatim record (translated)
Machine-translated from Sinhala / Tamil / English¶ 01 Hon. Deputy Speaker, first, on the question raised by Hon. Harsha de Silva under Standing Order 31: while the issue is important, that Standing Order does not apply in the circumstances it was invoked. SO 31 concerns matters within the responsibility of particular Ministers to whom subjects are assigned by the Prime Minister or President, not any general matter at any time.
¶ 02 Second, regarding Hon. Rishad Bathiudeen’s concerns, the Hon. Prime Minister gave a full reply, including the humanitarian aspect and compliance with international law. Regarding the recent boat arrival, I personally contacted the security services; the Sri Lanka Navy rendered exemplary service, acknowledged by ambassadors and others. UNHCR is not currently operational here as in the past. Therefore, please work with the Government’s stated position.
Provenance
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- Hansard, Thursday, 9 January 2025 ·No. 1738229262040729 ·English daily/uncorrected Hansard
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Cite as: The Hon. Bimal Rathnayake - Leader of the House. 10th Parliament, Parliament of Sri Lanka. Hansard, 9 January 2025. No. 1738229262040729. Politick, https://staging.politick.io/lk/speeches/23745