The Hon. Thurairasa Ravikaran

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, on VAT: taxation is necessary, but taxes on essential food — rice, sugar, flour, dhal — must be reduced through policy.

¶ 02 I also raise pressing issues from the Northern Province, especially my district. We support the Government’s Clean Sri Lanka program, but in contrast, in the North fisheries are plagued by banned practices: purse seine “surukku” nets and light-luring are continuing. There is public suspicion that some high officials in the Ministry encourage these by accepting bribes. This must stop.

¶ 03 In Mullaitivu, narcotics like kasippu, cannabis, ice and heroin are trafficked via sea; yet Clean Sri Lanka has not been implemented along that coast. Who is responsible for allowing banned methods? The Minister must intervene fully; otherwise the people will take to the streets. The Hon. Deputy Prime Minister and our District Coordinating Committee Chair, Hon. Upali Samarasinghe, knows this too.

¶ 04 Our fishers in Mullaitivu, Mannar, Kilinochchi and Jaffna face grave hardships. In Mullaitivu there is one federation, 34 cooperative societies, 3,847 fishing families, 4,642 fishers, 215 female-headed fishing families, 1,435 registered boats and 720 unregistered. In Mannar there are over 15,000 fishing families, 4,620 boats and over 5,000 female-headed families. In Kilinochchi’s three federations (Poonakary, Kandawalai, Palai) there are 25 societies, 4,199 families, 5,194 fishers, 1,691 boats, and 482 female-headed families. In Jaffna there are 11 federations, 126 societies, 23,798 families, 26,110 fishers, 9,169 boats and over 5,000 female-headed families.

¶ 05 Indian trawler incursions and bottom trawling have devastated our fishers. Marine environmental damage destroys sea grass beds, coral reefs and breeding grounds, eliminating livelihoods. Cross-border attacks and gear damage prevent free fishing. Eighteen illegal fishing methods not recognized in Sri Lanka are now rampant, pushing traditional fishers out. Past irresponsible governments, ministries and some officials enabled this by issuing permits for illegal methods, undermining our economy and resources. Under the guise of development, coastal mineral sand mining and aquaculture have displaced fishers from their lands, destroyed landing sites, and harmed the environment, eroding women’s leadership and household livelihoods. Are these anti-people projects necessary? We must reconsider. Thank you.