Southern young politicians visit Palaly Airport and Kankesanthurai Port
03-Nov-2025.
A 16-member delegation of young politicians representing all major political parties from southern Sri Lanka visited the Kankesanthurai Port and Palaly Airport on Novmber 1 to better understand the political and economic situation and operations in the North.
The visit was organized by the NGO Coalition for Inclusive Impact in response to a request by the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Katchi (ITAK) to promote mutual understanding between northern and southern politicians.
The delegation, which left Colombo on Octobr 31, included SJB members — Chithral Fernando, Amila Prasad Sirivardhana, Samindrani Kriyella, and Chathura Kalapathi; UNP member M.I. Mohamed Aatheef; SLPP members Kasilingam Keethnath, Milinda Rajapaksa, and Samanpriya Herath; SLFP member Biyan Kuruke; PHU member Anjana Uthara; CWC member Kanishtha Michael; Sarvajana Sakthi member Rajitha Hapuarachchi; TPA member M. Chandrakumar; ACMC member A.R. Mohamed Asmi; and ITAK members Nithanshan and Mayuran.
The visit aimed to help southern politicians who are unfamiliar with ground realities in the North understand issues such as reconciliation, land rights, and economic inclusion in the context of national discourse.
Upon arrival in Jaffna, the group was welcomed by the Indian Consular Office at a cultural reception.
On November 1, a discussion was held between the delegation, ITAK General Secretary M.A. Sumanthiran, MPs P. Sathiyalingam and R. Sanakiyan, and local government representatives, coordinated by the Coalition for Inclusive Impact.
Discussions focused on issues in local governance, devolution of powers, citizen access to public services, police misconduct and surveillance, regional connectivity, and human rights.
The group later travelled by train from Jaffna to Kankesanthurai, where they visited the port and Palaly Airport and received detailed briefings from officials.
On the final day of their visit (2 Nov), they were scheduled to visit the Jaffna Public Library and participate in several other meetings and discussions.
