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Minister accuses wildlife officers of inaction as human–elephant conflict intensifies

Published

3 days ago

2026/01/5

Minister of Public Administration, Chandana Abeyratne, has sharply criticised Wildlife officers for failing to take effective action to drive wild elephants away from villages, amid a worsening human–elephant conflict that has taken a heavy toll on both communities and wildlife.

Speaking at a special meeting of the Puttalam District Special Disaster Management Committee yesterday, the Minister alleged that officials of the Department of Wildlife Conservation often do not even respond to calls made to their office when elephants encroach upon residential areas, leaving local residents exposed to danger.

The meeting, held under the patronage of Minister Abeyratne, and attended by concerned villagers, highlighted growing frustration in communities where herds of elephants frequently enter human settlements in search of food and water.

Sri Lanka’s long-running human–elephant conflict has become one of the most persistent and tragic wildlife-related crises in the country. According to recent government figures, between 2015 and 2024 the conflict resulted in the deaths of at least 3,477 wild elephants and 1,190 people — an average of hundreds of deaths of both humans and elephants each year.

The worst-affected areas tend to be in the dry zone districts, where the island’s elephant population and rural farming communities share land. Zones such as Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, and parts of the North Central and Eastern Provinces have reported high numbers of elephant fatalities and human casualties as herds move through traditional corridors fragmented by agriculture and infrastructure development.

Experts say habitat loss, shrinking forests, and blocked wildlife corridors have forced elephants into agricultural lands and villages, where they raid crops and occasionally attack people — often with tragic outcomes. In recent years individual districts in the North Central region reported hundreds of elephant deaths attributed to human-related causes such as poisoning, electrocution and train collisions, as well as retaliatory killings by villagers.

At the Puttalam meeting, Minister Abeyratne called for more proactive engagement by wildlife authorities, including rapid response teams to deter elephant incursions before they escalate into incidents that endanger lives.

Local residents told the committee that repeated encounters have eroded confidence in current response measures, and they urged better coordination between disaster management bodies and wildlife officers to prevent future tragedies.

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Showers above 100 mm are likely at some places in the Eastern and Uva provinces and showers about 50-75 mm in other areas

Published

4 hours ago

2026/01/8

Priyan

WEATHER FORECAST FOR 08 JANUARY 2026
Issued at 05.30 a.m. on 08 January 2026 by the Department of Meteorology

The depression over the Bay of Bengal, located to the southeast of Sri Lanka, was centered near latitude 5.3°N and longitude 86.0°E, about 490 km southeast of Pottuvil, at 11:30 p.m. yesterday (07). It is expected to move west-northwestwards and towards the eastern coast of the island during next 24 hours. This system is likely to intensify further into a deep depression during the next 12 hours.

Cloudy skies can be expected over most parts of the island.
Showers or thundershowers will occur at times in the Northern, North-central, Eastern, Uva, Central and Southern provinces. Showers or thundershowers may occur at several places elsewhere in the Island after 1.00 p.m. Heavy showers above 100 mm are likely at some places in the Eastern and Uva provinces. Fairly Heavy showers about (50 – 75) mm are likely at some places in the other areas of the island.

Strong winds about (50-60) kmph can be expected at times over the Eastern slopes of the central hills, the Northern, North-central, North-western and Eastern provinces and in Hambantota, Gampaha, Colombo and Monaragala districts.

The general public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimize damages caused by temporary localized strong winds and lightning during thundershowers.

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Easter Sunday attacks: Govt. says wife of Katuwapitiya Church bomber alive

Published

5 hours ago

2026/01/8

Sahan Weerasooriya

Sara Jasmine

Minister of Public Security Ananda Wijepala told Parliament yesterday that information uncovered during ongoing investigations indicated that Pulasthini Mahendran, also known as Sara Jasmine, linked to the 2019 Easter Sunday terror attacks, was not dead.

Responding to a question raised by Opposition MP Mujibur Rahuman, the Minister said there was no confirmation that Sara Jasmine was currently in India, despite speculation to that effect. He added that investigators suspected she may have fled the country and stressed that further inquiries were underway to establish her whereabouts.

“If necessary, the government will take steps to obtain a warrant,” Wijepala said, noting that legal action related to the Easter attacks had already been initiated, based on available evidence.

Minister Wijepala said the new government had launched an thorough probe to determine whether a political or other conspiracy had been behind the attacks that killed more than 270 people in 2019. However, he declined to disclose certain details in Parliament, citing the risk of hampering investigations.

Sara Jasmine, Mohammed Hashtun, who bombed St. Sebastian’s Church, in Katuwapitiya, in 2019, was long presumed to have died in a suicide blast in Sainthamaruthu, days after the attacks. Wijepala said attempts by previous administrations to establish her death had failed, with recent reports indicating that DNA tests conducted at the time were inconclusive.

During the debate, MP Rahuman recalled that senior figures, including then-Opposition MP Nalinda Jayatissa, had previously claimed Sara Jasmine was in India. He questioned why authorities had not sought an open warrant for her arrest whether the issue had been raised in talks with Indian officials.

Wijepala, responding on behalf of Deputy Minister of Defence Arun Jayasekara, said the government would not hesitate to pursue legal action, including warrants, if necessary.

By Saman Indrajith

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Indian Army Chief here

Published

5 hours ago

2026/01/8

Sahan Weerasooriya

BIA staff welcoming Chief of the Indian Army Staff (COAS), General Upendra Dwivedi, who arrived here yesterday (07)

The Chief of the Indian Army Staff (COAS), General Upendra Dwivedi arrived in Sri Lanka yesterday (07). On arrival, the COAS was accorded a Guard of Honour by the Sri Lanka Army.

The Indian HC said that: “He will engage with senior military and civil leadership, including the Commander of the Sri Lanka Army, Deputy Minister of Defence and the Defence Secretary; and hold detailed discussions on matters of mutual interest, including training cooperation, capacity building and regional security.

During the visit, the COAS will address officers at the Defence Services Command and Staff College (DSCSC) and interact with officers and trainees at the Army War College, Buttala, reflecting India’s strong commitment to defence education and professional military exchanges with Sri Lanka.

General Dwivedi will also pay homage at the IPKF War Memorial, honouring the supreme sacrifice of Indian soldiers.”

General Dwivedi arrived here from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) where he attended several events during 05 to 06 January.