The Hon. Kaveenthiran Kodeeswaran

¶ 01 Hon. Deputy Chairperson of Committees, I am pleased to participate in today’s Adjournment Debate on the Special Audit Report regarding the advance payment for importing 15,000 dairy cows, and on the COPE Report.

¶ 02 Dairy is a vital sector. Domestic production meets only about one-third of consumption; two-thirds of milk and milk products are imported. In Ampara, grazing lands at Vattamadu and Mayilathamadu–Mathavanai have still not been allocated to local farmers, who are struggling. Due to prior imports of low-quality dairy cows, diseases spread to local herds, causing deaths and heavy losses to farmers.

¶ 03 It has now been seven days since the Iran–Israel war began. We must consider its impacts on Sri Lanka’s economy. We spend about USD 4.5 billion annually on petroleum imports; rising prices will heavily impact us. Both Iran and Israel supported state terror that killed thousands of Tamils in 2009 at Mullivaikkal—Tamils will not forget this. Today those nations face war themselves. Sri Lanka should join other nations to help end the Iran–Israel war and restore peace.

¶ 04 Prior to the end of the war in 2009, Hon. Minister Bimal Rathnayake told this House that a mechanism would return the jewellery pledged in the Tamil Eelam-controlled areas to their rightful owners. Based on that, many in the North gave their pledge receipts to Hon. Duraia Raja Ravikaran. Yet to date, there is no mechanism; people cannot retrieve their jewellery. The Government must urgently create a system to return such jewellery or compensate those who lost everything.

¶ 05 In the North and East—especially Ampara and Batticaloa—what investments and jobs has the Government provided in the nine months since taking office? There is a lack of production-oriented measures and investment, leaving these areas more backward.

¶ 06 In Ampara’s coastal areas, severe sea erosion continues; seawater has intruded about 100 metres. Some places have groynes built; others not—Tamil areas are often neglected. When groynes are built at Sainthamaruthu and Nintavur, seawater intrudes into the adjacent Karaithivu, causing greater erosion. In Karaithivu, dunes, coconut trees, and houses are being lost; Thirukkovil faces similar erosion. Simultaneously, mineral sand (ilmenite) exploration and excavation are being pursued; if mining proceeds, erosion will worsen. Groynes must be provided along all affected stretches, not selectively, so one community is not harmed while another is protected. Thank you.