Hon. Upul Kithsiri

Hon. Sunil Rathnasiri raised the issue of Civil Security Department (CSD) officers who are set to be attached to the Police following a recent announcement. He noted that CSD officers in districts such as Polonnaruwa are currently performing important duties related to elephant threat mitigation, and requested that if the transfer to the Police proceeds, these officers be assigned to fill vacancies at stations within their existing resident districts rather than being relocated elsewhere.

Hon. Sunil Rathnasiri acknowledged a recent restoration of public confidence in the Police Department following a period of approximately 16 months marked by widespread irregularities. He raised concerns about inadequate residential facilities for police officers relocated during annual transfers, particularly in urban areas. His supplementary question asked whether a programme exists to provide sufficient housing for officers posted to new stations through the annual transfer process.

## Summary The Hon. Sunil Rathnasiri submitted Parliamentary Question No. 1174/2025 to the Minister of Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs, seeking detailed information on the operational status and integrity of the Sri Lanka Police. The question requests quantitative data on police infrastructure, including the number of police stations, total serving officers, and rank-wise vacancies, along with a commitment on whether and when those vacancies will be filled. Additionally, the member seeks figures on organized criminal arrests for the period 2024 to May 2025, and asks whether internal irregularities within the Police have been identified and what corrective measures have been implemented.

Hon. Sunil Rathnasiri concluded his remarks by highlighting two government initiatives: the release of Rs. 10,000 million to support industries affected by the "Ditva" cyclone, and the operation of the National Credit Guarantee Institution, which provides collateral-free loans. He defended the institution against Opposition criticism at the time of its establishment, noting that collateral-free loans were successfully issued last year and would continue in the current year.

## Summary Hon. Sunil Rathnasiri spoke in support of extending Emergency Regulations under the Public Security Ordinance, rebutting Opposition criticisms on multiple fronts. He defended the Emergency extension as necessary to prevent Opposition figures — particularly the Leader of the Opposition — from agitating distressed relief recipients, and rejected claims that the regulations were being used to arrest Buddhist monks, invoking historical allegations against the Opposition Leader's father regarding violence against clergy and youth. On education, he cited the 2026 Budget allocation of Rs. 25 billion for education reform — including Rs. 17 billion for school infrastructure, Rs. 6 billion for curriculum development, and funding for teacher training and administrative recruitment — to refute Opposition allegations of privatisation. He also defended the Government's swift response to an error found in one of 106 educational modules, noting that the Ministry sealed the module immediately and appointed a fact-finding committee that reported within two days.

The speech contains insufficient content to summarize meaningfully. Hon. Sunil Rathnasiri's contribution on 2026-02-06 consisted only of a brief procedural statement indicating he was posing a question, with no further detail recorded.

## Summary Hon. Upul Kithsiri spoke in support of the Bill to establish the Microfinance and Credit Regulatory Authority, arguing that the legislation is urgently needed to address exploitative lending practices in rural communities. He outlined the harms caused by unregulated microfinance, including interest rates as high as 400% annually, domestic conflict arising from loan repayment difficulties, and cases of suicide among women borrowers — particularly following the post-2019 economic crisis. Responding to Opposition criticism that the Government had merely "cleaned up files" before introducing the Bill, he countered that the Opposition had previously failed to act during their tenure, and that the delay had cost lives and destroyed families. He also briefly defended the Government's paddy price guarantee record, and acknowledged that adjustments could be made during implementation to address concerns about village voluntary associations, while affirming that the Bill must proceed without further delay.

Hon. Sunil Rathnasiri rose on a Point of Order to challenge a fellow Member's repeated assertion that fraud had occurred in coal procurement. He referenced precedents from 2014, 2021, and 2022, noting that substandard coal within accepted ranges had previously been admitted with double penalties applied. He demanded a specific and direct answer as to whose account the money from the alleged fraud was deposited into, and criticised the Member for failing to present supporting documentation — such as cheque numbers from China — before making such claims.

## Summary Hon. Sunil Rathnasiri delivered a broad defence of the Government during the microfinance regulation debate, criticising the Opposition for failing to introduce similar legislation during their time in power and attributing that failure to a lack of political integrity. On the coal procurement controversy raised by the Opposition Leader, he provided detailed procurement figures, stating that penalty deductions of USD 34.75/MT were applied to an off-spec cargo of 59,831 MT, resulting in an effective paid price of USD 50.42/MT and total additional penalties of USD 2,277,451 across subsequent vessels, and challenged the Opposition to demonstrate what action they took in comparable past instances. He refuted Hon. S.M. Marikkar's allegations regarding funds credited to a People's Bank account, demanding that the specific account details be disclosed in Parliament rather than conveyed through threats to journalists. He also highlighted the Government's increase of estate workers' daily wages to Rs. 1,750 as a concrete measure to address debt burdens, contrasting this with Opposition inaction on the issue.

Hon. Upul Kithsiri formally presented a petition to Parliament on behalf of Mr. H.M. Amarapala of Mudunmankada, Udawalawa. The speech consisted solely of the procedural act of tabling the petition, with no additional details provided regarding its subject matter or demands.