Conduct of some NGOs detrimental to national security

External Affairs Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris who expressed regret over a special statement by Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe in Parliament on Tuesday described it as an attempt to fish in troubled waters to disrupt the bilateral relations between Sri Lanka and India. The Minister responding to a series of queries raised by Wickremesinghe on the proposed Aircraft Base Maintenance Centre to be set up here categorically said that Sri Lanka would never do anything that would jeopardise the security interests of India.

Prof. Peiris drew the attention of the House to a praiseworthy comment by Indian External Affairs Minister Shrimathi Sushma Swaraj when President Mahinda Rajapaksa and he called on her while she was the Opposition Leader. What Sushma Swaraj conveyed to us at that time was " we would criticise the incumbent Government as it is the duty of the Opposition. But we would never attempt to jeopardise the good relations between India and other countries", the Minister said. Sushma Swaraj said, we also can have various arguments and disputes within the country, but we should not resort to any move which would create problems or disputes between India and other countries. Prof. Peiris said that he regretted the conduct of the Opposition Leader who failed to adhere to that fundamental principle.

Wickremesinghe said that a Sunday newspaper recently reported that the China National Aero-Technology Import-Export Corporation (CATIC) had been permitted to set up an Aircraft Base Maintenance Centre in Trincomalee at a cost of over Rs. 5 billion (US$ 40 million). It was also reported that this proposed Maintenance Centre would service all Chinese made aircraft of the Sri Lanka Air Force. The Opposition Leader said that the Government had not denied these reports so far. He said that the media had also reported this matter and it was taken up for discussion when Minister Peiris called on Indian External Affairs Minister in New Delhi.

Prof. Peiris who categorically rejected the Opposition Leader's claim told the House that Sri Lanka would not permit anything that would harm India's national security interests. As claimed by the Opposition Leader, no decision has been taken to set up an Aircraft Base Maintenance Centre in Trincomalee. The Minister said Trincomalee is only one of the names of the locations proposed. The project to set up an Aircraft Base Maintenance Centre would move forward but no decision had been taken to set it up in Trincomalee. The Government would select the best location - Katunayake, Mattala and Trincomalee where jets could land for servicing. He assured the House that this has not become an issue between India and Sri Lanka.

The role played by the NGOs was highlighted on the floor of the House following a statement by Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe who said that if the NGOs were not permitted to conduct educational programs, various Foundations set up under the names of Ministers too should not be permitted.

Wickremesinghe's argument was that preventing NGOs to carry out educational and awareness programs amounted to depriving them of the rights guaranteed to them by the Constitution. The Opposition Leader recalled that he queried in Parliament on July 11 whether the provisions of the Constitution and the Universal Charter on Human Rights were contravened by the Circular dated July 1, issued by the Director and Registrar of the National Bureau on NGOs functioning under the Defence and Urban Development Ministry.

Prime Minister D.M. Jayaratne said the report provided by the State Intelligence Service (SIS) had led to the issue of this circular. The Premier said that the SIS had perused reports from other intelligence agencies on the same matter when compiling their reports. He told the House that some NGOs while engaging in educational work are inculcating revolutionary ideas in the minds of children. He said the intelligence reports had confirmed that the conduct on the part of some NGOs was detrimental to national security.

A futile attempt by UNP parliamentarian Karu Jayasuriya was thwarted in Parliament on Wednesday when the Government denied permission to him to introduce a Bill to bring about amendments to the Strategic Development Projects Act. At the commencement of public businesses in the House, MP Jayasuriya sought permission to introduce a Bill titled "Bill to amend the Strategic Development Projects Act No 14 of 2008."

Leader of the House and Irrigation and Water Resources Management Minister Nimal Siripala De Silva expressed the Government's opposition to move such a Bill. This led Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa to seek the views of the House on the Bill. Government legislators said that they would oppose it. As the opposition parliamentarians remained silent, the Speaker ruled out permission to introduce the Bill.

A hullabaloo was witnessed in Parliament on Wednesday when Civil Aviation Minister Piyankara Jayaratne presented contradictory figures on the arrivals of aircraft to the Mattala International Airport. Responding to UNP parliamentarian Dr. Harsha de Silva, the Minister said that no flights of Mihin Lanka or Fly Dubai Airlines had visited the Mattala International Airport during May this year. However, the Minister disclosed to House that the Mattala airport had earned Rs 16,185 from Fly Dubai flights at the airport during the month. These two contradictory statements by the Minister caused an uproar in the House as the UNP MPs demanded to know as to how the airport earned that sum from an international airline when its flights had neither originated nor concluded from there. After much haggle by Opposition members demanding an answer, the Minister said that he would look into the matter and inform the House on the true situation. MP Silva told the House in lighter vein even a curd shop near the Mattala airport could earn more than Rs 16,000 a month. Minister Jayaratne said that they would convert this airport into a profit-earning venture soon.

The lack of quorum was again witnessed on the floor of the House and the sittings were suspended abruptly on Wednesday around 5.35 pm. The debate on an adjournment motion on the 1980 July strikers moved by UPFA parliamentarian Shantha Bandara was in progress when Parliamentary Affairs Minister Sumedha G. Jayasena joined the debate. UNP MP Gayantha Karunathilake said that there was no Quorum in the House. This led Presiding member, UPFA MP Mohan Priyadarshana de Silva to ring the Quorum bell thrice but it could summon only 17 members to the Chamber. Deputy Speaker Chandima Weerakkody took the Chair and the Presiding member also joined his colleagues in the Chamber. According to Standing Orders though 20 members should be there to form the Quorum, only 17 members were in the Chamber when the count was taken. Accordingly Deputy Speaker ajourned the House till 5.35 pm.

A special statement by DNA MP Anura Kumara Dissanayake on the non-payment of pensions turned into a hot topic in Parliament which led Public Administration and Home Affairs Minister W.D.J. Seneviratne to give a detailed reply to MP. Dissanayake pointing out that a large number of pensioners including 15,000 former Security Forces members are facing severe hardships as they have not been paid their pensions and pension gratuity payments for one and a half years. The MP demanded to know from the Government as to why the Director General of the Department of Pensions had issued a circular ordering to suspend the payment of pension gratuities. Public Administration and Home Affairs Minister W.D.J. Seneviratne said that paying arrears of pensions through the Divisional Secretariats has been stopped after receiving information that a huge fraud amounting over Rs 38.2 million had been committed in several Divisional Secretariats. Minister Seneviratne responding to several questions raised by the MP said that payment of pension arrears through Divisional Secretariats has been stopped by a Circular due to the facts that some officials had mismanaged those funds and an investigation by the CID is in progress to identify the culprits.