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SC ruling on economic collapse: TISL expects Parliament to act

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Nadishani

By Shamindra Ferdinando

Executive Director, Transparency International Sri Lanka (TISL), Attorney-at-Law, Nadishani Perera yesterday (15) said that it would be the responsibility of the Parliament and relevant institutions to take appropriate actions in the wake of the landmark Supreme Court judgment pertaining to the unprecedented economic crisis.

Lawyer Perera said so in response to The Island query regarding the status of Sanjeeva Jayawardena, PC, and Dr. Ranee Jayamaha, both members of the Monetary Board who had served the body during the tenure of Prof. W.D. Lakshman (Dec 2019-Sept 2021) and Ajith Nivaard Cabraal (Sept 2021-March 2022) as the Governor of the Monetary Board.

The SC found fault with the Monetary Board for the economic crisis. Jayawardena and Jayamaha continued to serve the Monetary Board whereas Samantha Kumarasinghe was replaced in the wake of the political crisis triggered by the economic collapse.

TISL is one of the petitioners among those who filed FR cases heard before the five-judge bench of the apex court. Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasuriya, PC, Justices Buwaneka Aluwihare, PC, Priyantha Jayawardana, PC, Vijith K. Malalgoda, PC, and Murdu N.B. Fernando, PC.

Lawyer Perera emphasized the need for a dialogue over the SC ruling. The SC faulted former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, former Finance Ministers Mahinda Rajapaksa and Basil Rajapaksa, former Presidential Secretary Dr. P.B. Jayasundera, former CBSL Governors Prof. W.D. Lakshman and Ajith Nivard Cabraal and former Treasury Secretary S.R. Attygalle et al.

The other petitioners were Dr. Athulasiri Kumara Samarakoon, Soosaiappu Neavis Morais, Dr. Mahim Mendis, Chandra Jayaratne, Julian Bolling and Jehan Canagaretna.

Even President Ranil Wickremesinghe, in his capacity as the Finance Minister, has been named as a respondent.

Petitioners asserted that a series of decisions taken during the relevant period, including the decisions to revise taxes, artificial control of the exchange rate, failure to maintain official reserves leading to their serious depletion, failure to seek the IMF’s intervention and the failure to make necessary adjustments to the interest rates caused the economic collapse.



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Landslide RED warnings issued to the districts of Kandy, Kegalle, Kurunegala, Matale and Nuwara Eliya extended up to 1600 hrs today [07]

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The Landslide Early Warning Center of the National Building Research Organisation [NBRO] has issued  landslide early warnings to the districts of Badulla, Colombo, Galle, Gampaha, Kalutara, Kandy, Kegalle, Kurunegala, Matale, Matara, Monaragala, Nuwara Eliya and Ratnapura effective from 16:00 hrs on 06.12.2025 to 16:00 hrs on 07.12.2025.

Accordingly,
LEVEL III RED  warnings have been issued to the Divisional Secretaries Divisions and surrounding areas of Pathadumbara, Kundasale, Pathahewaheta, Panvila, Medadumbara, Doluwa, Thumpane, Udunuwara, Deltota, Ganga Ihala Korale, Pasbage Korale, Yatinuwara, Hatharaliyadda, Ududumbara, Minipe, Udapalatha, Gangawata Korale, Akurana, Poojapitiya and Harispattuwa in the Kandy district, Thumpane, Udunuwara, Deltota, Ganga Ihala Korale, Pasbage Korale, Yatinuwara, Hatharaliyadda, Ududumbara, Minipe, Udapalatha, Gangawata Korale, Akurana, Poojapitiya and Harispattuwa in the Kegalle district, Alawwa, Rideegama, Polgahawela, Mallawapitiya and Mawathagama inthe Kurunegala district, Ukuwela, Naula, Yatawatta, Laggala Pallegama, Pallepola, Matale, Rattota, Ambanganga Korale and Wilgamuwa in the Matale district, and Hanguranketha, Mathurata, Nildandahinna and Walapane in the Nuwara Eliya district

LEVEL II AMBER warnings have been issued to the Divisional Secretaries Divisions and surrounding areas of Uva Paranagama, Badulla, Kandeketiya, Bandarawela, Soranathota, Hali_Ela, Meegahakivula, Ella, Welimada, Haputhale, Lunugala, Haldummulla and Passara in the Badulla district, Narammala in the Kurunegala district, Kothmale West, Norwood, Ambagamuwa Korale, Thalawakele, Kothmale East and Nuwara Eliya in the Nuwara Eliya district and Godakawela, Kahawaththa and Kolonna  in the Ratnapura district.

LEVEL I YELLOW warnings have been issued to the Divisional Secretaries Divisions and surrounding areas of  Seethawaka and Padukka in the Colonbo district, Elpitiya and Yakkalamulla in the Galle district, Mirigama, Divulapitiya and Attanagalla  in the Gampaha district, Ingiriya, Bulathsinhala and Horana in the Kalutara district, Pasgoda and Athuraliya in the Matara district, Bibile and Medagama in the Monaragala district, and Kuruwita, Balangoda, Eheliyagoda, Pelmadulla, Kaltota, Kalawana, Openayake, Ayagama, Nivithigala, Imbulpe, Elapatha, Ratnapura and Kiriella in the Ratnapura district.

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618 dead, 209 missing as at 2000hrs on Saturday [06]

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The Situation Report issued by the Disaster Management Center [DMC] at 2000hrs on Saturday [06] confirms that 607 persons have died due to the recent flooding and landslides while another 209 persons were missing.

The death toll in the Kandy district which one of the most affected districts has risen to 232, and 1800 houses have  been fully damaged.The number of missing persons reported is 81

100,124 persons belonging to 29,874 families were being housed at  990 safety centers established by the government.

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Opposition blames govt. inaction for severity of disaster impact

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The government’s failure to act on expert warnings, including advance forecasts on Cyclone Ditwah, had led to the worsening of disaster impact, Udaya Gammanpila, leader of the Pivithuru Hela Urumaya, said at a press conference in Colombo yesterday.

Gammanpila accused the NPP government of ignoring 14 key preventive measures, despite alerts from the Meteorology Department, foreign experts, and the media.

Gammanpila said the government had failed to lower the water levels in reservoirs, dredge estuaries, and deploy the armed forces for canal maintenance. Local government bodies were reportedly sidelined, and that led to a delay in cleaning of drains. He said the government had also failed to evacuate people in a timely manner from seven districts identified by the National Building Research Organisation as landslide-prone. It had delayed declaring emergencies or curfews and the deployment of tri-forces to evacuate people in such areas.

Gammanpila said an experienced public official should have been appointed as Secretary to the President to mobilise the state machinery swiftly during the disaster. He said the government had not convened the National Disaster Council.

“These failures worsened the disaster, causing immense hardship, disruption, and loss of life and property to the people,” Gammanpila said.

The government has denied the Opposition’s claims.

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