The Hon. G.G. Ponnambalam

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, the Deputy Minister referred to points that, I believe, concern Hon. Rishad Bathiudeen. Hon. Amirthanathan Adaikkalanathan was agitated lest that matter land on his head as well. He already has many issues; he did not want another piled on him. The name should have been specified.

¶ 02 We oppose the Resolution extending the Emergency. I will call for a Division at the end and we will vote against the extension. As to why: given Tamil history, there is nothing new to add. Even now, in Thayyiddi (Tayiddy), where an illegal vihara has been established, on every Poya day, the public, affected residents, political leaders and civil society activists protest and go to court seeking orders to restrain such activities. Since the Emergency was proclaimed, the administration has cited it to say such protests should not take place during this period and has sought restraint orders to stop them. Though courts have rejected such moves, the way this administration wields such law is plain to all in the North and East.

¶ 03 Similarly, this Government came to power saying the draconian PTA would be removed, but today uses the same PTA to suppress every instance of political opposition that arises in the North and East. We categorically oppose this and will vote against the extension.

¶ 04 You justify Emergency as necessary to ensure prompt measures to address the “Ditva” cyclone damage without disruption by protests or public confusion. But this Government has been in office over a year. Since we entered this Parliament, many cyclones have caused damage in the North, especially Jaffna. In December 2020, Cyclone “Burevi” hit Neduntheevu causing Rs. 20 million in losses. We, including Hon. Sumanthiran, raised these issues here multiple times after you took office, yet not a cent was provided in relief. In 2021, Rs. 58 million was allocated for the North, but not a cent was released to Neduntheevu. These are things you should have done long ago; they do not require Emergency. We see Emergency as a tool to secure powers to suppress growing political opposition to you.

¶ 05 On Indian trawlers poaching and destroying our fishers’ property, Northern MPs have raised this monthly, including during Budget debates. After one and a half years in office, you have taken no meaningful action. In 2025, you seized only 16 trawlers; this year, so far, just six—while thousands enter Northern waters daily and destroy our fishers’ assets. Since 2013 about 500 Indian trawlers were detained; 319 were released without consequence. Today 115 remain under custody, yet only 30 cases have been filed. Of 2,871 Indian fishermen detained by the Navy, 2,779 were released without action; only 92 are linked to those 30 cases. I include former governments in this criticism. But you, who claim to be different and attuned to ordinary people’s sentiments, act no differently. If you cannot control the incursions, will you at least compensate our affected fishers? You are not even prepared to do that.

¶ 06 Finally, I wish to address an incident on 1 February in Trincomalee. The cremation of the Nayaka Thera of Gokanna Rajamaha Viharaya took place at the Municipal Council’s McHeyzer Ground, a ground almost entirely used by Tamil children. In our culture, cremation sites are sacred; people go barefoot, and afterwards avoid stepping where the dead were cremated or buried. When a venerated Bhikkhu is cremated in a public place that people regularly use, our culture suggests we then cannot go there.

¶ 07 The same sensitivity applied when military camps were placed atop former LTTE gravesites; we sought those sites back because people were walking over graves. After this incident, Mr. Rajkumar Rajeevkanth posted on Facebook asking that Tamil sentiments be understood. He did not disrespect the monk or oppose a public cremation per se; he asked that the place chosen not harm others’ sentiments. He is now being hounded. I appeal to the Government to stop that.