Friday, June 17, 2005
P-TOMS draft coming to Parliament
By Poorna Rodrigo and Damitha Hemachandra
Thursday, June 16, 2005
The government is considering a move to bring the Post Tsunami Operational Management Structure (P-TOMS) in Parliament as a regulation under the Tsunami Special Provision Act.
The matter was discussed at a meeting presided over by President Chandrika Kumaratunga at President’s House on Tuesday night.
The meeting was attended by Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse Ministers Anura Bandaranaike, John Seneviratne Maithripala Sirisena and Deputy Minister Dilan Perera.
However the President said that there would be a problem since she had already told the TNA that she would not bring the P-TOMS before Parliament.
It was after this that the President and the senior ministers decided to bring it as a regulation under the Tsunami Act.
When the matter was brought to the notice of the LTTE, it said the government should sign the agreement with it immaterial of whether the P-TOMS goes before Parliament or not.
The issue was also discussed at length during yesterday’s Cabinet meeting and the proposal is likely to be brought before Parliament next Wednesday. The P-TOMS draft proposals were also sent to the Legal Draughtsman for final touches.
Meanwhile the JHU yesterday welcomed the government’s decision to present the P-TOMS to Parliament but stressed the government should obtain a two-thirds majority in Parliament before implementing it.
JHU frontliner Champaka Ranawaka said he believed the government’s move to present the P-TOMS draft to Parliament with several amendments was a great victory to the anti-P-TOMS protest campaign initiated by the JHU.
He warned the JHU would challenge it in the Supreme Court if the government did not abide with their demands. Mr. Ranawaka said the JHU still maintained that the country did not require a special mechanism to rehabilitate people in the the Tsunami affected areas since they could be achieved through the present government administrative structure.
The JHU also urged the President to secure the approval of the four Mahanayake Theras before presenting the P-TOMS draft in Parliament.
Thursday, June 16, 2005
The government is considering a move to bring the Post Tsunami Operational Management Structure (P-TOMS) in Parliament as a regulation under the Tsunami Special Provision Act.
The matter was discussed at a meeting presided over by President Chandrika Kumaratunga at President’s House on Tuesday night.
The meeting was attended by Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse Ministers Anura Bandaranaike, John Seneviratne Maithripala Sirisena and Deputy Minister Dilan Perera.
However the President said that there would be a problem since she had already told the TNA that she would not bring the P-TOMS before Parliament.
It was after this that the President and the senior ministers decided to bring it as a regulation under the Tsunami Act.
When the matter was brought to the notice of the LTTE, it said the government should sign the agreement with it immaterial of whether the P-TOMS goes before Parliament or not.
The issue was also discussed at length during yesterday’s Cabinet meeting and the proposal is likely to be brought before Parliament next Wednesday. The P-TOMS draft proposals were also sent to the Legal Draughtsman for final touches.
Meanwhile the JHU yesterday welcomed the government’s decision to present the P-TOMS to Parliament but stressed the government should obtain a two-thirds majority in Parliament before implementing it.
JHU frontliner Champaka Ranawaka said he believed the government’s move to present the P-TOMS draft to Parliament with several amendments was a great victory to the anti-P-TOMS protest campaign initiated by the JHU.
He warned the JHU would challenge it in the Supreme Court if the government did not abide with their demands. Mr. Ranawaka said the JHU still maintained that the country did not require a special mechanism to rehabilitate people in the the Tsunami affected areas since they could be achieved through the present government administrative structure.
The JHU also urged the President to secure the approval of the four Mahanayake Theras before presenting the P-TOMS draft in Parliament.
