Topic
Foreign Affairs
874 speeches · 189 speakers
Party share
By the speaker's party · counts only, no scoring. "Unattributed" = speeches not resolved to an MP.
Most active on this topic
| # | Member | Speeches |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hon. Ravi Karunanayake, M.P. NDF | 68 |
| 2 | Hon. Vijitha Herath, M.P. JJB | 45 |
| 3 | Hon. Sajith Premadasa, M.P. SJB | 42 |
| 4 | Hon. Arun Hemachandra, M.P. JJB | 33 |
| 5 | Hon. (Dr.) Anil Jayantha, M.P. JJB | 26 |
| 6 | Hon. Mujibur Rahman, M.P. SJB | 21 |
| 7 | Hon. (Prof.) Ruwan Ranasinghe, M.P. JJB | 20 |
| 8 | Hon. Dayasiri Jayasekara, Attorney at Law, M.P. SJB | 19 |
| 9 | Hon. (Dr.) Harsha de Silva, M.P. SJB | 19 |
| 10 | Hon. M. Nizam Kariapper, PC, M.P. SJB | 19 |
Speeches
874 on this topic- 19 November 2025 The Hon. Mujibur Rahuman SJB AI summary Mujibur Rahuman called on the Government to table in Parliament the defence agreement signed on 14 November between Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Defence and the Montana National Guard, disputing a statement by the US Ambassador that it had already been tabled. He rejected the President’s claim that the Opposition feared Ravi Seneviratne and Shani Abeysekara, saying SJB MPs had defended them when they faced reprisals under the previous Government. He further alleged that the two officers were being obstructed by the Public Security Ministry and questioned the promotion or appointment of officials whom he said had previously hindered or harassed them. Debate: Appropriation Bill 2026 - Committee Stage (Ministry of Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government; Ministry of Labour) Read →
- 18 November 2025 The Hon. Major General (Rtd.) Aruna Jayasekera JJB AI summary Major General (Rtd.) Aruna Jayasekera addressed recent discussion about the Memorandum of Understanding signed on 14 November 2025 between the Ministry of Defence, the Montana National Guard, and the US Coast Guard. He stated that it was signed transparently with Cabinet approval and legal advice, and tabled the MoU for Members to examine. Committee Stage Debate: Appropriation Bill 2026 - Defence and Public Security Expenditure Heads Read →
- 18 November 2025 The Hon. Ravi Karunanayake NDF AI summary Ravi Karunanayake urged the Government to use the forthcoming CSC meeting, expected in late November or December, to maximize gains. He noted that the Government is already pursuing the four areas he had referred to, and called for the opportunity to be seized effectively. Question by Private Notice: Proactive Utilization of Opportunities Provided by Colombo Security Conclave Read →
- 18 November 2025 The Hon. Ravi Karunanayake NDF AI summary Ravi Karunanayake asked the Minister of Defence, under Standing Order 27(2), to outline Sri Lanka’s actions and future plans under the Colombo Security Conclave following the signing of its Charter and the establishment of its Secretariat in Colombo. He sought details on intelligence sharing with India and other members, joint maritime operations, integration of CSC platforms into national security systems, and a national strategy covering areas such as counter-terrorism, cyber security, humanitarian assistance, maritime monitoring and narcotics interdiction. He also asked about expanding maritime domain awareness with CSC and Indian assistance, Secretariat appointments, the next scheduled CSC engagements, and whether visa or fast-track facilitation would be provided for authorized CSC officials and Sri Lankan counterparts. Question by Private Notice: Proactive Utilization of Opportunities Provided by Colombo Security Conclave Read →
- 17 November 2025 The Hon. Vijitha Herath - Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism JJB AI summary Minister Vijitha Herath responded to issues raised during the debate, stating that passports are issued abroad only to legally resident applicants and that foreign employment deployments, including to Israel, are now handled transparently without political interference. He reported record tourism and remittance performance for 2025, with tourist arrivals reaching two million and remittances expected to exceed USD 7.5 billion, while explaining pending measures on free visas, e-gates, and airport expansion, including required legal amendments and JICA-supported development. He also outlined tourism and infrastructure initiatives in the North and East, efforts to manage Yala jeep operations within wildlife limits, and noted that the Ministry had promptly condemned the September attack in Qatar. Debate - Appropriation Bill 2026 Committee Stage Continuation (Foreign Affairs, Justice and National Integration) Read →
- 17 November 2025 The Hon. J.C. Alawathuwala SJB AI summary Hon. J.C. Alawathuwala argued that foreign employment and tourism are critical foreign-exchange sectors and urged the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to take a more active, structured role in managing them. He questioned whether the 2025 target of sending 350,000 workers abroad is achievable, calling for stronger regulation of employment agents, engagement with stakeholders, worker and family welfare programmes, and implementation of a migrant worker pension scheme first proposed in 2015. On tourism, he noted that arrivals may recover to 2018 levels but revenue remains significantly lower, and called for analysis of tourist markets, higher-yield strategies, and better support for operators. Debate - Appropriation Bill 2026 Committee Stage Continuation (Foreign Affairs, Justice and National Integration) Read →
- 17 November 2025 The Hon. Arun Hemachandra - Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Employment JJB AI summary The Deputy Minister said the Government is improving foreign relations and reviving stalled partnerships while pursuing more transparent administration in foreign affairs and foreign employment. He reported record worker remittances, Sri Lanka’s recognition as a GCM Champion, efforts to increase the proportion of trained migrant workers, and reforms to address flawed previous agreements, including those relating to Israel. He outlined measures against foreign employment fraud, including a special police unit, an audit into SLBFE air ticketing irregularities, obtaining an IATA licence for direct ticket issuance, and work on pensions and migrant voting rights. He also noted budget savings, upgrades to consular facilities and mission transport, and the appointment of labour attachés based on service needs rather than political considerations. Debate - Appropriation Bill 2026 Committee Stage Continuation (Foreign Affairs, Justice and National Integration) Read →
- 17 November 2025 The Hon. Chathura Galappaththi SJB AI summary Chathura Galappaththi called for a consistent, non-partisan foreign policy supported by a permanent think-tank of local and international experts, and requested that the Government publish details of the reported 70 agreements and 150 investor discussions arising from recent high-level foreign visits. He questioned whether some diaspora engagements had served national interests and urged future visits to deliver clearer benefits. He also proposed expanding vocational education pathways from Grade 9 to address low-skilled migration, unemployment, and related social issues. Referring to tourism in Matara, he suggested reviewing restrictions on late-night entertainment in designated areas with sound controls, while balancing community protections. Debate - Appropriation Bill 2026 Committee Stage Continuation (Foreign Affairs, Justice and National Integration) Read →
- 17 November 2025 The Hon. (Prof.) Ruwan Ranasinghe JJB AI summary Hon. (Prof.) Ruwan Ranasinghe said the Government had restored macroeconomic stability with support from migrant remittances and tourism, and argued that current tourism performance and visitor spending should be assessed in light of exchange rate depreciation and regional comparisons. He stated that the main constraint on further tourist growth was airport capacity, not promotion, citing cancelled charter flight requests and announcing plans to commence Terminal 2 expansion next year. He also said the Government was enforcing the law against tourist harassment, regularizing beach and surf-related tourism activities, expanding tourism projects in the North and East, and using Tourism Fund allocations for training low-income youth for employment in the sector. Debate - Appropriation Bill 2026 Committee Stage Continuation (Foreign Affairs, Justice and National Integration) Read →
- 17 November 2025 The Hon. (Dr.) Kavinda Heshan Jayawardhana SJB AI summary Hon. Kavinda Heshan Jayawardhana questioned delays in the Sampur solar power project, including the absence of a tender process despite its inauguration during the Indian Prime Minister’s visit, and compared it to delays in the Dambulla Cold Storage Project. He criticized the Tourism Ministry’s engagement with industry stakeholders, promotion strategy, infrastructure shortcomings, online platform leakage, low tourist spending, harassment of tourists, and the handling of LGBTQ-related promotion. He also raised concerns over a reported CID visit to London without Attorney General involvement, called for justice in the Easter Sunday attacks, and demanded action over police conduct during a Trincomalee Buddha statue-related incident involving monks. Debate - Appropriation Bill 2026 Committee Stage Continuation (Foreign Affairs, Justice and National Integration) Read →
- 17 November 2025 The Hon. G.G. Ponnambalam ACTC AI summary Hon. G.G. Ponnambalam challenged the Government’s position presented in Geneva that an Office of the Independent Public Prosecutor would address accountability concerns. He argued that alleged wartime crimes require an international investigation, asserting that a domestic mechanism is inadequate because the State was a party to the conflict and cannot credibly investigate itself. Debate - Appropriation Bill 2026 Committee Stage Continuation (Foreign Affairs, Justice and National Integration) Read →
- 17 November 2025 The Hon. Muneer Mulaffer - Deputy Minister of Religious and Cultural Affairs JJB AI summary Muneer Mulaffer emphasized national integration as essential to Sri Lanka’s recovery, linking past conflict, the Easter attacks, tourism decline, and economic hardship to the need for peace and reconciliation. He cited mechanisms such as the Office for National Unity and Reconciliation, the Office on Missing Persons, and the Office for Reparations, and argued that public representatives should reduce tensions rather than exploit communal incidents. He also highlighted foreign remittances, tourism, international agreements, and new partnerships, including a recent MoU at the Saudi Chamber Summit, as part of efforts to attract investment and rebuild the economy. He urged the Opposition to use the Committee Stage debate on Votes to raise concrete shortcomings and proposals. Debate - Appropriation Bill 2026 Committee Stage Continuation (Foreign Affairs, Justice and National Integration) Read →
- 17 November 2025 The Hon. Rauff Hakeem, Attorney-at-Law SJB AI summary Hon. Rauff Hakeem raised concerns over recurring communal and religious tensions, including disputes over temples and Shabbat houses, and proposed a race relations body with decision-making powers to handle such issues. He questioned the use of the TID and PTA-related processes against individuals commenting on these matters on social media, linking this to the Government’s pledge in Geneva to abolish the PTA. He criticized the Foreign Affairs Ministry’s response to Israel’s attack on Qatar for not naming Israel, and alleged excessive sensitivity to criticism of Israel. He also supported establishing an Independent Public Prosecutor’s Office, citing concerns about politically motivated prosecutions and the case of Hejaaz Hizbullah. Debate - Appropriation Bill 2026 Committee Stage Continuation (Foreign Affairs, Justice and National Integration) Read →
- 17 November 2025 The Hon. Dilip Wedaarachchi SJB AI summary Hon. Dilip Wedaarachchi argued that tourism lacks sufficient concrete support in the Budget despite being a major foreign exchange earner, and urged assistance for small guesthouse operators, including limited permits to sell beer to tourists through local authorities. He requested licences or a turn system for 175 safari jeep owners excluded from Yala National Park operations, saying many are village youth who bought vehicles after working for larger operators. He welcomed some allocations for Jaffna, Arugam Bay and tourism institutions but called for broader district-level engagement, and proposed converting the old Tangalle Prison into a heritage tourism site and restoring Rohana Wijeweera’s house under the Clean Sri Lanka programme. Debate - Appropriation Bill 2026 Committee Stage Continuation (Foreign Affairs, Justice and National Integration) Read →
- 17 November 2025 The Hon. Harshana Rajakaruna SJB AI summary Hon. Harshana Rajakaruna urged the Government to expedite investigations and prosecutions relating to the Easter Sunday attacks, media killings and attacks, Prageeth Ekneligoda’s disappearance, Lasantha Wickrematunge’s murder, and the Thajudeen case, stating that the Opposition would support efforts to accelerate justice. He also called for broader reforms to reduce long judicial delays that discourage citizens from filing cases. He questioned why recent understandings with China, India and the United States had not been fully presented to Parliament, despite earlier commitments to transparency, and asked the Tourism Ministry to address foreign nationals on tourist visas operating businesses in coastal areas to the detriment of local SMEs. Debate - Appropriation Bill 2026 Committee Stage Continuation (Foreign Affairs, Justice and National Integration) Read →
- 17 November 2025 The Hon. Dilith Jayaweera SB AI summary Hon. Dilith Jayaweera criticized the Government for, in his view, undermining Sri Lanka’s religious and cultural traditions, particularly in relation to the treatment of monks and remarks about practices such as statue and snake veneration. He argued that such practices form part of Buddhist, Hindu and wider cultural heritage and warned that the public would oppose perceived attacks on them. He also accused the Government and leftist parties of abandoning past anti-imperialist and pro-poor positions, citing alleged agreements with the United States and the imposition of VAT on small traders. Debate - Appropriation Bill 2026 Committee Stage Continuation (Foreign Affairs, Justice and National Integration) Read →
- 17 November 2025 The Hon. Shanakiyan Rajaputhiran Rasamanickam ITAK AI summary Shanakiyan Rajaputhiran Rasamanickam urged the Government to prioritize connectivity as the basis for tourism development in the Northern and Eastern Provinces, citing the need to commission KKS Harbour, upgrade Palaly International Airport, use Batticaloa International Airport, and advance the Talaimannar–Rameswaran ferry. He welcomed the concessionary airline ticket scheme for migrant workers but asked the Foreign Employment Bureau to address cases of workers travelling to the Middle East without proper visas and ending up imprisoned. He also questioned whether rising tourist arrivals are generating the projected revenue, stressing that tourism and foreign employment are major sources of foreign exchange. Debate - Appropriation Bill 2026 Committee Stage Continuation (Foreign Affairs, Justice and National Integration) Read →
- 17 November 2025 The Hon. S.M. Marikkar SJB AI summary S.M. Marikkar argued that Sri Lanka urgently needs higher dollar inflows to meet ongoing foreign debt obligations and reduce the trade deficit, noting limited reserves and only modest increases in tourism earnings and worker remittances. He urged the Government to adopt more effective measures to attract investment, expand exports, and increase tourism revenue, including improving airport capacity and temporarily reopening Ratmalana Airport until the Katunayake Airport expansion is completed. He also called for better promotion of tourist attractions, higher per-tourist spending, and a more practical approach to aviation and tourism infrastructure constraints. Debate - Appropriation Bill 2026 Committee Stage Continuation (Foreign Affairs, Justice and National Integration) Read →
- 17 November 2025 Hon. (Dr.) Harsha de Silva SJB AI summary Hon. (Dr.) Harsha de Silva argued that Sri Lanka’s foreign policy should be treated as an economic strategy focused on exports, investment, remittances, tourism and debt restructuring, noting the importance of relations with India and China during the debt crisis. He criticized the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism’s online economic diplomacy content as outdated, citing references to 2018–2020 activities and non-functional links, including a QR code for the Office for Overseas Sri Lankan Affairs. He asked the Minister to clarify whether that Office exists and urged the Ministry to update its website as a practical platform for investors, overseas Sri Lankans and exporters. Debate - Appropriation Bill 2026 Committee Stage Continuation (Foreign Affairs, Justice and National Integration) Read →
- 17 November 2025 The Hon. (Dr.) Harsha de Silva SJB AI summary Hon. (Dr.) Harsha de Silva criticized the Government for not clearly articulating its foreign policy or linking it to the Budget allocations for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism. He acknowledged references to bilateral discussions and foreign visits but argued that these did not amount to a substantive explanation of policy priorities or spending rationale. Debate - Appropriation Bill 2026 Committee Stage Continuation (Foreign Affairs, Justice and National Integration) Read →