Bhavani Fonseka

The fundamental rights petition of 21‑year‑old Mawanella youth Mohamed Rifai Mohamed Suhel, who was remanded for nine months under the PTA over false allegations of harming the Israeli flag on social media, was heard before the Supreme Court today. Former Dehiwala Police OIC Herath admitted to presenting incorrect information, apologized in open court, and paid Rs. 2 million in compensation. D: newswire.lk/8mcn

Prudent fiscal management is NOT about hoarding reserves in banks. it’s about deploying them responsibly to protect our most vulnerable people. 🇱🇰 Treasury data shows govt deposits ~LKR 1.2T (Jan). We have real fiscal space, without being reckless, to strengthen safety nets. But look at reality: only ~LKR 280B for Aswesuma + 26B for Samurdhi. Meanwhile, ongoing ⬆️ VAT/taxes on food & essentials + rising energy costs are hammering families harder. This is why we need a genuine social market economy: growth WITH equity. Strong safety nets to shield those hit by policy changes, not this hardline neo-liberal neglect that leaves people behind. Prioritize people and inclusive recovery. Full clip here: youtube.com/watch?v=IJkZ6I… #EconomicPolicy #SocialMarketEconomy #FiscalResponsibility #Aswesuma #Samurdhi #SriLanka #HarshaDeSilva

ඇමෙරිකානු ප්‍රහාරක යානා දෙකක් මත්තලට එන්න ඉල්ලූ අවසරය ප්‍රතික්ෂේප කළ බව ජනපති කියයි

The Supreme Court has ruled that the arrest and detention of student activist Wasantha Mudalige under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) violated his fundamental rights. The ruling was delivered on Thursday (19) by Supreme Court Justice Sobhitha Rajakaruna, with the concurrence of Justices Arjuna Obeyesekere and Priyantha Fernando, following a petition filed on behalf of Mudalige by Attorney-at-Law Manjula Balasuriya. Mudalige, the former convener of the Inter-University Students’ Federation (IUSF), was arrested after a protest held on August 18, 2022, during the ‘Aragalaya’ period. His detention under the PTA was challenged through the petition. Delivering the verdict after prolonged hearings, the court held that the respondents had failed to present sufficient grounds to justify detaining Mudalige under the PTA. The judgment also noted that the allegations against him under the PTA were not proven before court. Accordingly, the bench ruled that the decision to arrest and detain Mudalige under the PTA could not be justified and amounted to a violation of his fundamental rights guaranteed under Articles 12(1) and 13(1) of the Constitution. The court further held that the violations were committed by the Officer-in-Charge of the Peliyagoda Special Investigation Unit, Chief Inspector W.G.A.K. Gamage. Former Inspector General of Police C.D. Wickramaratne, former Western Province Senior Deputy Inspector General Deshabandu Tennakoon, and former Criminal Investigation Department Director Kavinda Piyasekera were among those named as respondents in the petition. (NewsWire)

#SupremeCourt has decided yesterday theres no legal basis for "drastic measure of arrest & detention under #PTA" of former student leader (#IUSF) & Aragalaya activist  #WasanthaMudalige, after detailed examination of police reports. Reinforces Wasantha was never a terrorist

The Court of Appeal has dismissed the Sri Lanka Navy’s appeal against an RTI directive, affirming that details of costs and payments for former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s naval travel during the 2022 crisis must be disclosed. The judges ruled that financial transparency cannot be withheld under claims of national security, stressing that the right to information is a fundamental public right. D: newswire.lk/zwai

The Civil Society Collective for Malaiyaha Reconstruction has submitted a 15‑point demand to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, urging urgent action for Hill Country Tamil families hit by Cyclone Ditwah. Key calls include fair compensation, permanent housing with land deeds, equal land rights for women, Tamil language access, and government responsibility for rebuilding damaged estate infrastructure, to ensure dignity and long‑term transformation of plantation settlements into integrated villages. D: newswire.lk/oy5g

“Trust me, I know what I’m doing…” #FuelCrisisLK #GovernanceLK #lka

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Will the Minister step down? Or is system change in #SriLanka the same as before? ‘Jayakody’s continuity as a Cabinet Minister undermines the Government’s commitment to fight corruption as well as change the rotten system of administration’ ft.lk/ft_view__edito…

“Oops, we goofed” seems to have become the mantra of this #lka govt as well? First it was #CycloneDitwah, and now #FuelCrisisLK. Amateurism all around!! #DigitalizationLK suffers a major setback when public trust is ruined by hasty #FuelPassLk rollout.

Sri Lanka announces four-day work week to conserve its scarce fuel reserves as it prepares for a prolonged war in the Middle East u.afp.com/SLPV

Sri Lanka has a big issue with state capacity. But nobody really bothers to fix it coz it is not very visible, and does not bring short-term political popularity. It becomes very visible during crises only. Then everyone panics, tries short-term solutions and makes a mess

Coalgate update from @TimesOnlineLK: 1) The price bids for Lanka Coal Company's (LCC) emergency tender were opened last Wednesday. 2) Surprise 1: Trident Chemphar, the current supplier of problematic coal, bid again, quoting US$20.6 per MT less than the next lowest bidder.

Wednesdays declared a holiday in Sri Lanka • Government Offices • Government Schools • Universities • Courts / Judicial Services Also: • All Government events suspended • Private institutions requested to follow Exempted: • Health • Ports • Water Supply • Customs

'We Are Addressing Substandard Coal Procurement Tender With An Equally Substandard Response,'; NPP. #Coalgate #lka #NewsCurry

'Credit For The Fuel QR Code System Must Go To President Gotabaya, Without Whose Inaction It Would Not Have Existed,'; SLPP #lka #NewsCurry

Congratulations @MenakaGuruswamy 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾

The Prime Minister of #Spain "is not anti-American", writes Eldar Mamedov @RStatecraft. Spains "it's not pro-Iranian. It is simply pro-law, pro-peace and anti-war". "In a world hurtling toward wider war, that makes Pedro Sánchez the voice of sanity Europe desperately needs". Articles like the one by @EldarMamedov4, and statements from #Norway, #Sweden and #Ireland, show that Sánchez is not alone, even if he is the one making the most noise. @sanchezcastejon @desdelamoncloa @MAECgob @Defensagob responsiblestatecraft.org/spain-trump-ir…