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Parliament appoints members to committees including COPE, COPA

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Parliament has announced the names of legislators appointed to a number of committees, including the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) and the Committee on Public Accounts (COPA).

A statement from parliament citing Deputy Speaker Ajith Rajapaksa said on Thursday February 22 that 19 members have been appointed to COPE.

These are, namely: Jagath Pushpakumara, Janaka Wakkumbura, Lohan Ratwatte,  Indika Anuruddha Herath,  Shantha Bandara,  Mahindananda Aluthgamage,  Duminda Dissanayake,  Rohitha Abegunawardhana,  Nimal Lanza,  U K Sumith Udukumbura,  Sanjeeva Edirimanna,  Jagath Kumara Sumithraarachchi,  (Major) Sudarshana Denipitiya,  Premnath C Dolawatte,  Upul Mahendra Rajapaksha,  M Rameshwaran,  (Mrs) Rajika Wickramasinghe,  Madhura Withanage, and  (Prof) Ranjith Bandara.

Members nominated for COPA are Mohan Priyadarshana De Silva,  Lasantha Alagiyawanna,  Prasanna Ranaweera,  K Kader Masthan,  (Mrs) Diana Gamage,  Chamara Sampath Dasanayake,  Wajira Abeywardana,  A L M Athaullah,  Wimalaweera Dissanayake,  Jayantha Ketagoda,  (Dr) Major Pradeep Undugoda,  Karunadasa Kodithuwakku,  Isuru Dodangoda,  Premnath C Dolawatte,  (Mrs) Muditha Prishanthi,  M W D Sahan Pradeep Withana,  Madhura Withanage,  D Weerasingha,  and (Mrs) Manjula Dissanayake.

The committees are expected to elect their chairpersons at their first meetings.

The rest of the committees are as follows:

Committee on Ethics and Privileges

(Mrs.) Pavithradevi Wanniarachchi,  (Dr.) Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe, PC,  Vijitha Berugoda,  Tharaka Balasuriya,  Anuradha Jayaratne,  Chamal Rajapaksa,  Johnston Fernando,  Mahindananda Aluthgamage,  Jayantha Ketagoda,  Madhura Withanage, and  Samanpriya Herath

Committee on Public Petitions

Jagath Pushpakumara,  S. Viyalanderan,  Ashoka Priyantha,  A. Aravindh Kumar,  (Mrs.) Geetha Samanmale Kumarasinghe,  Gamini Lokuge,  Wajira Abeywardana,  (Dr.) Gayashan Nawananda,  Jayantha Ketagoda,  U. K. Sumith Udukumbura,  Mayadunna Chinthaka Amal,  Nipuna Ranawaka,  (Mrs.) Rajika Wickramasinghe,  M. W. D. Sahan Pradeep Withana,  and Yadamini Gunawardena

Ministerial Consultative Committee on Defence

Chamal Rajapaksa,  (Dr.) Sarath Weerasekera, and (Dr.) Major Pradeep Undugoda

Ministerial Consultative Committee on Finance, Economic Stabilization and National Policies

Mahindananda Aluthgamage,  M. W. D. Sahan Pradeep Withana, and (Prof.) Ranjith Bandara

Ministerial Consultative Committee on Women, Child Affairs and Social Empowerment

Jagath Kumara Sumithraarachchi,  (Mrs.) Rajika Wickramasinghe,  and (Mrs.) Manjula Dissanayake

Ministerial Consultative Committee on Investment Promotion

A. Aravindh Kumar,  Dhammika Perera, and Yadamini Gunawardena

Ministerial Consultative Committee on Education

Anupa Pasqual,  Wimalaweera Dissanayake, and Gunathilaka Rajapaksha

Ministerial Consultative Committee on Mass Media

S. M. M. Muszhaaraff,  Jayantha Ketagoda,  and Sanjeeva Edirimanna

Ministerial Consultative Committee on Health

Kanaka Herath,  (Dr.) Gayashan Nawananda, and (Dr.) Major Pradeep Undugoda

Ministerial Consultative Committee on Agriculture and Plantation Industries

Udayakantha Gunathilaka,  Kulasingam Dhileeban,  and Upul Mahendra Rajapaksha

Ministerial Consultative Committee on Wildlife and Forest Resources Conservation

Chamara Sampath Dasanayake,  Kapila Athukorala, and Kumarasiri Rathnayaka

Ministerial Consultative Committee on Justice, Prisons Affairs and Constitutional Reforms

Sisira Jayakody,  Premnath C. Dolawatte, and Sagara Kariyawasam

Ministerial Consultative Committee on Industries

Premalal Jayasekara,  U. K. Sumith Udukumbura, and Lalith Varna Kumara

Ministerial Consultative Committee on Urban Development and Housing

(Mrs.) Kokila Gunawardene,  Milan Jayathilake, and Madhura Withanage

Ministerial Consultative Committee on Foreign Affairs

S. B. Dissanayake,  Namal Rajapaksa,  and (Major) Sudarshana Denipitiya

Ministerial Consultative Committee on Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs

H. Nandasena,  Gunathilaka Rajapaksha, and Samanpriya Herath

Ministerial Consultative Committee on Power and Energy

Gamini Lokuge,  Duminda Dissanayake, and Nalaka Bandara Kottegoda

Ministerial Consultative Committee on Environment

S. M. Chandrasena,  Isuru Dodangoda, and (Mrs.) Muditha Prishanthi Ministerial

Ministerial Consultative Committee on Sports and Youth Affairs

Premitha Bandara Tennakoon,  Milan Jayathilake, and D. Weerasingha

Ministerial Consultative Committee on Irrigation

D. Weerasingha,  Yadamini Gunawardena, and Jagath Samarawickrama

Ministerial Consultative Committee on Labour and Foreign Employment

D. B. Herath,  W. D. J. Seneviratne, and Jayantha Weerasinghe, P.C

Ministerial Consultative Committee on State Plantation Enterprises Reforms

Sampath Athukorala,  Thisakutti Arachchi, and M. Rameshwaran



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Death toll 635 as at 06:00 AM today [09]

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The Situation Report issued by the Disaster Management Center at 06:00 AM today [09th December] confirms that 635 persons have died due to floods and landslides that took place in the country within the past two weeks. The number of persons that are missing is 192.

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Cyclone Ditwah leaves Sri Lanka’s biodiversity in ruins: Top scientist warns of unseen ecological disaster

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Prof Wijesundara

Sri Lanka is facing an environmental catastrophe of unprecedented scale in the wake of Cyclone Ditwah, with leading experts warning that the real extent of the ecological destruction remains dangerously under-assessed.

Research Professor Siril Wijesundara of the National Institute of Fundamental Studies (NIFS) issued a stark warning that Sri Lanka may be confronting one of the worst biodiversity losses in its recent history, yet the country still lacks a coordinated, scientific assessment of the damage.

“What we see in photographs and early reports is only a fraction of the devastation. We are dealing with a major ecological crisis, and unless a systematic, science-driven assessment begins immediately, we risk losing far more than we can ever restore,” Prof. Wijesundara told The Island.

Preliminary reports emerging from the field point to extensive destruction across multiple biodiversity-rich regions, including some of the nation’s most iconic and economically valuable landscapes. Massive trees have been uprooted, forest structures shattered, habitats altered beyond recognition, and countless species—many endemic—left at risk.

Among the hardest-hit areas are the Royal Botanical Gardens, Peradeniya, Seethawaka Botanical Garden, Gampaha Botanical Garden, and several national parks and forest reserves under the Department of Wildlife Conservation and the Forest Department. Officials describe scenes of collapsed canopies, destroyed research plots, and landscapes that may take decades to recover.

Prof. Wijesundara said the scale of destruction demands that Sri Lanka immediately mobilise international technical and financial support, noting that several global conservation bodies specialise in post-disaster ecological recovery.

“If we are serious about restoring these landscapes, we must work with international partners who can bring in advanced scientific tools, funding, and global best practices. This is not a situation a single nation can handle alone,” he stressed.

However, he issued a pointed warning about governance during the recovery phase.

“Post-disaster operations are vulnerable to misuse and misallocation of resources. The only safeguard is to ensure that all actions are handled strictly through recognised state institutions with legal mandates. Anything else will compromise transparency, accountability, and public trust,” Prof. Wijesundara cautioned.

He insisted that institutions such as the Department of Wildlife Conservation, the Forest Department, and the Botanical Gardens Department must take the lead—supported by credible international partners.

Environmental analysts say the coming months will be decisive. Without immediate, science-backed intervention, the ecological wounds inflicted by Cyclone Ditwah could deepen into long-term national losses—impacting everything, from tourism and heritage landscapes to species survival and climate resilience.

As Sri Lanka confronts the aftermath, the country now faces a critical test: whether it can respond with urgency, integrity, and scientific discipline to protect the natural systems that define its identity and underpin its future.

By Ifham Nizam

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Disaster: 635 bodies found so far, 192 listed as missing

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The Disaster Management Centre (DMC) has categorised 192 persons as missing as search operations were scaled down in flood-affected areas.

The death toll has been placed at 635, while the highest number of deaths was reported from the Kandy District. Kandy recorded 234 deaths.

According to the latest data, a total of 1,776,103 individuals from 512,123 families, in 25 districts, have been affected by the impact of Cyclone Ditwah.

The DMC has said that 69,861 individuals from 22,218 families are currently accommodated in 690 shelters established across the country.

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