The Hon. Sajith Premadasa - Leader of the Opposition

¶ 01 Hon. Deputy Speaker, the President delivered a lengthy statement today. He said he acted in a balanced manner under this wartime situation. I ask: why has he not condemned the war conducted in violation of international law—contravening Articles 2(4) and 2(7) of the UN Charter and other international norms? If he is so “neutral,” he must still clearly speak against breaches of international law. Until now, he has avoided stating that this attack violated the UN Charter. Whatever his neutrality, failing to uphold international law is regrettable. We reiterate: international law is being violated. A neutral Sri Lanka should not fear to say so.

¶ 02 He also made a serious statement that all agreements we have are for services—maritime domain awareness, cyber threats, humanitarian disasters, and emergency operations. If he admits an agreement on maritime domain awareness, did the US inform us on that basis before striking Iran’s “IRIS Dena”? Likewise, did the Government receive notification about the submarine “USS Charlotte (SSN-766)” operating near our waters under that maritime awareness agreement? If not, was that agreement breached? We request answers.

¶ 03 He also said this is not our territorial sea but our economic zone, and that within the economic zone one can do anything—cut trees, sail ships, act freely—since it is not our territorial sea. I must inform him otherwise. Under UNCLOS: there is a 12-nautical-mile territorial sea; beyond that is the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Please read UNCLOS Article 56 on coastal State rights, Article 58 on “due regard,” and Article 88 on the high seas reserved for “peaceful purposes.” The EEZ is not a warfighting zone for submarine torpedoes and ship attacks.

¶ 04 Further, consult the San Remo Manual, para 34 et seq., on rights and duties of the coastal State in and adjacent to its EEZ. One must understand the law of armed conflict at sea. Therefore, we reject the President’s claim that “anything goes” in our EEZ; that statement reflects a misunderstanding of international law.

¶ 05 He also said US sanctions on Russia prevent us from buying oil. I was the one who raised here that the US had given a 30-day temporary sanctions pause regarding Russia. Did the Government or President not know? During that pause, we urged the Foreign Minister to negotiate so Sri Lanka could be first in line to procure oil. For seven days nothing was done; only on day seven did they meet the Russian Ambassador, and then the Embassy clarified there were no issues on payment logistics. Who is misleading whom? We had a 30-day sanctions interval to transact; we did not seize it.

¶ 06 We are told this is a regional war, an external shock, and that we have resilience. But there is also an internal shock: Lakvijaya coal power has under-generated by 165 MW. On 12th it was -51 MW, on 13th -130, on 14th -135, on 15th -132, on 16th -148, on 17th -165, on 18th -176. On 18 March, a 176 MW shortfall—energy security is claimed, yet coal under-performance causes severe environmental and health harm and forces diesel generation, which diverts fuel from the public. The Public Utilities Commission and we, representing 7.5 million consumers, warn of serious threats to uninterrupted supply.

¶ 07 They once mocked the QR code—asking “what is this code, what about registrations?” Today they ask everyone to align with the QR system.

¶ 08 With these critiques, I propose solutions. As a progressive Opposition and an alternative government, we must offer remedies: - Immediately deploy excess Treasury balances to launch a special programme for tourism. In 2025, tourism earned USD 3.2 billion, but arrivals’ growth is not translating into commensurate revenue now—there is a decline that must be reversed. - Stem the brain drain. Peradeniya University indicates 50 percent of graduates intend to emigrate; in medicine, engineering, agriculture it is 80–90 percent. Reduce the tax burden promptly and raise professional salaries without delay. - Renegotiate with the IMF now; this agreement cannot take us forward as is. With a primary surplus at 2.3 percent and Gross Financing Needs at 13 percent of GDP, the country cannot withstand the present shock. - Immediately implement a structured poverty-eradication programme. Yesterday, when questioned, the Government lacked data; yet the very minister handling social protection is tasked with this crisis response. Over one-third of our population is now poor, and this global wartime situation will worsen it. Provide answers and solutions. - Suspend immediately the parate (forced sale) law against micro, small and medium enterprises. Groups such as the CUBA Trade Council and Prof. Rohan de Silva have asked to protect MSMEs—please halt parate action now.

¶ 09 On Cyclone “Ditwah,” preliminary assessments suggest a USD 4.1 billion loss—about 4 percent of GDP. Yet many victims have not received the promised Rs. 1 million support. Malnutrition is rising; food security is falling; key food prices are up 100–350 percent; 108,000 hectares of paddy damaged; 11,000 hectares of other crops; 6,600 hectares of potato affected. Fertilizer prices and supply security are worsening—Government must respond.

¶ 10 Brent crude is above USD 116—a 60 percent rise—raising our import bill by USD 400–500 million and pressuring reserves. There is risk of widening trade deficits, declining current account surplus, and cost-push inflation. Fifty-two percent of our tea exports go to the Middle East; apparel and textiles face severe blows. Air freight has doubled; Gulf carriers’ air cargo capacity has fallen; re-routing via the Cape increases costs.

¶ 11 No one speaks of remittances: over a million of our workers in the Middle East sent USD 7.8 billion in 2025—vital for exchange rate stability and covering up to 80 percent of the trade deficit. If the war escalates, what is the repatriation plan? What compensation frameworks exist? We can learn from Kuwait’s compensation measures during the First Gulf War.

¶ 12 Use the primary balance “savings” to fund a broad relief package for farmers, fishers, industrialists, workers, entrepreneurs, self-employed, transport sector and three-wheeler drivers. Do not say “processes are being designed”—the US and Israel struck Iran in June 2025; this was foreseeable months ago.

¶ 13 Finally, Oxford University’s global happiness index places Sri Lanka 134th, down from 133rd last year, scoring 4 out of 10—below Myanmar, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Pakistan; the least happy in Asia. This Government, elected on a social compact, cannot evade these challenges. The people expect solutions, and we in the Opposition will exert maximum pressure for the 22 million citizens.

¶ 14 Thank you.