DIFFERENT PRIORITIES IN THE SINHALA AND TAMIL PRESS
Tamil Headlines
Virakesari: An MoU has been signed to nominate a Tamil common candidate | Joe Biden leaves the contest; Kamala Harris gains increasing support
Thinakaran: “Government takes action to recruit 25,000 officers working in government schools into teachers’ service; a cabinet paper will be submitted by the ministry of education soon” – AG states in court during the hearing of the case filed by development officers | MoU signed at the Presidential Secretariat yesterday for interest-free loans under the agricultural modernisation programme
Thinakkural: An MoU has been signed to nominate a Tamil common candidate | 120 MPs support Ranil Wickremesinghe! 90 MPs are from SLPP | Ranil Wickremesinghe continues negotiation with the SLPP
Thamilan: “Easter Sunday attack; Anura Kumara Dissanayaka knows everything” – Venerable Gnanasara Thera reveals shocking news | Black July reaches 41 years | An MoU has been signed to nominate a Tamil common candidate | Hirunika Premachandra granted bail
Sinhala Headlines
Lankadeepa: MP (Jeevan) Thondaman has forcefully entered the factory: “Arrest (Jeevan) Thondaman immediately” – Court orders | Mother and two daughters fall victim to a quarry
Divaina: “Arrest MP Thondaman and produce him in court” – Acting magistrate of Nuwara Eliya orders the police | Large mill owners go to paddy fields and snatch the Yala season harvest: Paddy Marketing Board has no funds to purchase paddy
Ada: “All development officers currently serving as teachers to be absorbed into the teaching service” – AG informs the SC
Mawbima: Mother and two daughters who went in search of water die after falling into a quarry: A tragedy that moved all in the area due to banned quarries being left uncovered | “Arrest MP Thondaman” – An order from the court | SLPP heated up over the passing of Prasanna’s proposal; Two decisive meetings to be held
Dinamina: “Development officers who pass the interview to be absorbed into the teaching service” – AG informs the SC | The incident of a mother and two daughters falling into a quarry and dying; The (second) husband of the mother questioned | Hotel owner in Kandy who served kasippu [moonshine] in teacups, caught
Aruna: “Development officers currently working in schools to be absorbed into the teaching service” – AG tells the SC | “The presidential election will take place without fail” – President assures government MPs | “No funds for a general election” – President | “Saying that robbers will be caught by revealing their files is just big talk” – President
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TAMIL PRESS PRIORITIES
Photo credits: Newswire
“Polling will take place on a day flexible for all” – Saman Sri Ratnayake
Virakesari
Commissioner General of Elections Saman Sri Ratnayake stated that the polling for the presidential election will be conducted on a date that is possible for all to vote.
He added that this matter’s final announcement will be made this week.
He further added that the Regulation of Election Expenditure Act will be fully implemented in the upcoming presidential election.
“Postal Department is ready for upcoming presidential election” – Deputy Postmaster General
Thinakaran, Thinakkural
Deputy Postmaster General Rajitha Ranasinghe stated that the Department of Posts is fully prepared to commence its work related to the upcoming presidential election as soon as the Election Commission announces the date of the poll.
He added that all necessary arrangements are in place to ensure a smooth electoral process.
The Postmaster General further elaborated that the Postal Department is committed to the safe exchange of all postal voting materials and has deployed a workforce of 8,000 dedicated employees to ensure the efficient distribution of official election notices to every household.
“Government plans to pass the 22nd Amendment without taking a vote” – Udaya Gammanpila
Thinakkural
SLPP MP Udaya Gammanpila stated that the government is devising a plan to pass the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution without taking a vote.
He added that his party will take action to defeat such an effort and that his party will not leave room for such a move of the government.
120 MPs support Ranil Wickremesinghe; 90 MPs are from SLPP
Thinakkural
It was reported that 90 out of the 145 SLPP MPs have decided to support President Ranil Wickremesinghe amidst the controversy between the president and SLPP in terms of nominating a presidential candidate.
It was also learned that altogether 120 MPs who have presently joined the government including SLPP MPs have decided to extend their support to President Wickremesinghe and only a few MPs are to work in collaboration with former President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
SINHALA PRESS PRIORITIES
Photo credits: News.lk
“The presidential election will take place without fail” – President assures government MPs
Lankadeepa, Mawbima, Aruna
President Ranil Wickremesinghe, yesterday (22nd), informed the government party MPs that he has nothing to do with the petitions submitted to the court regarding the presidential election and that the presidential election will be held without fail.
The statement was made at a meeting of the ruling party MPs group that was held yesterday (22nd) at the President’s Secretariat under the patronage of the president.
“The 22nd Amendment will not receive a two-thirds majority in parliament; The presidential election will take place” – (Vijitha) Herath
Divaina
National Executive Committee Member of the NPP and JVP MP Vijitha Herath stated that the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution will not receive a two-thirds majority in parliament and that a referendum will therefore not be called.
Accordingly, the MP added that the presidential election will take place without fail.
Herath made this statement at a meeting held in Maskeliya yesterday (22nd).
“The presidential candidate of the Sarvajana Balaya will enter the stage on August 4” – Gammanpila
Divaina
MP Udaya Gammanpila stated that the presidential candidate of the Sarvajana Balaya Party for the 2024 Presidential Election will be announced on August 4.
Gammanpila added that the decision will be made at a nomination meeting scheduled to take place at the Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium on August 4.
Inflation increased in June
Divaina, Ada
Official data showed that consumer price inflation in Sri Lanka rose to 2.4% in June from 1.6% in May.
Additionally, the Department of Census and Statistics stated that prices of food rose to an annual 1.9% in June from 0.5% in May.
Prices for non-food items also rose to 2.7% last month from 2.4% in May.
SLPP heated up over the passing of Prasanna’s proposal; Two decisive meetings to be held
Mawbima
Sources state that the SLPP plans to hold two decisive meetings regarding the presidential candidacy of the party.
Sources further state that the meetings were called following the incident where a senior member of the SLPP, Prasanna Ranatunga proposed that President Ranil Wickremesinghe must run for the upcoming presidential election and because the group of SLPP members present at the event unanimously passed the proposal made by Ranatunga.
COMMON PRIORITIES: SINHALA & TAMIL PRESS
Photo credits: Ada Derana
A Tamil common candidate for the presidential election: Agreement reached in Jaffna; Sumanthiran and Gajendrakumar parties not in agreement
Divaina, Ada, Mawbima, Virakesari, Thinakkural, Thinakaran, Thamilan
A number of Tamil political parties and a group of representatives of civil society organisations signed an agreement to present a Tamil common candidate for the 2024 Presidential Election.
The agreement was signed in Jaffna, yesterday (22nd), by seven parties including the Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization (TELO) led by MP Selvam Adaikkalanathan, People’s Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE) led by MP Dharmalingam Siddharthan, Tamil People’s National Alliance (TPNA) led by MP C.V. Wigneswaran, Tamil National Party (TNP) led by Attorney-at-Law N. Sri Kantha and Eelam People’s Revolutionary Liberation Front (EPRLF) led by Suresh Premachandran.
The Tamil People’s General Assembly, composed of several Tamil civil society organisations, also signed the agreement.
However, the Illankai Tamil Arasu Kadchi (ITAK) of which President’s Counsel M.A. Sumanthiran is a member, and the Tamil National People’s Front (TNPF) of which Attorney-at-Law Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam is a member, did not sign the agreement.
Hirunika released on bail: banned from overseas travel; “The time spent in prison is a strength to my future political journey” – Premachandra
Lankadeepa, Divaina, Ada, Mawbima, Dinamina, Aruna, Virakesari, Thinakkural, Thinakaran, Thamilan
The Colombo High Court granted bail to former MP Hirunika Premachandra, who was sentenced to three years of rigorous imprisonment under 18 indictments in relation to the case filed over the abduction of a youth who worked at a shop in Dematagoda.
The order was issued when the bail application was called before Colombo High Court Judge Amal Ranaraja.
Premachandra was released on a cash bail of Rs. 50,000 and two sureties of Rs. 500,000 each.
The court also issued an overseas travel ban on Premachandra.
Common priorities: Additional stories
1. “Arrest MP Thondaman and produce him in court” – Acting magistrate of Nuwara Eliya orders the police – Lankadeepa, Divaina, Ada, Mawbima, Aruna, Virakesari, Thamilan
2. “The prime perpetrators behind the Easter Sunday attack is the JVP” – Ven. Gnanasara Thera – Dinamina, Thinakaran, Thinakkural, Thamilan
3. “The president and the government are using the police for their election campaigns” – SJB complains to the EC – Ada, Thinakkural