News
Ratnapura, particularly Kiriella, turning into Wild West?
Authorities turning blind eye to mechanised gem mining
By Rathindra Kuruwita
Some powerful businessmen in Ratnapura were engaged in unauthorised mechanised gem mining with the backing of powerful politicians, and their illegal operations caused severe environmental damage and affected the lives of many people, Sajeewa Chamikara of the Movement for Land and Agricultural Reform (MONLAR) alleged yesterday.
Chamikara told The Island that those businessmen only cared about raking in profits. “However, thousands of people are suffering because they face a serious shortage of water, threat of landslides. There is nothing they can do because politicians and businessmen have suppressed their voice.”
Chamikara alleged that the Police and the Gem and Jewellery Authority had refused to carry out their duties. Officers did not raid the illegal mining sites.
“There has been an increase in the number of licences issued for gem mining. This has encouraged illegal mechanical mining. Gems are expensive but the long-term damage to the environment and the society will be greater.”
Many places along the Ve Ganga were being dug up with backhoes, bulldozers and extractors, and mechanical excavation, was damaging the water sources of the area, he said.
“When the excavated soil is cleaned, a large volume of sediment gets mixed with the river water. Mechanical mining also damages riverbanks, deepens the rivers and affects underground water levels. Because of this, many people are not able to use their wells or to supply water to their farms,” he said.
Chamikara said that there were many adverse social and environmental effects even when mechanical gem mining was done legally. Most of the authorised mechanical mining operations were done in paddy fields, in the Kiriella Divisional Secretariat area, he said. Approval of the Department of Agrarian Services was needed for gem mining in paddy lands and department officials had authorised the mining of some of the most fertile paddy lands in Ratnapura although excavation makes it impossible for these paddy fields to be used again.
“The Gem and Jewellery Authority only allows mechanical mining in sites over an acre. There are many such sites in the district now. Those engaged in this practice, pump out water from the paddy fields to make it easy to dig the mine. However, when they do this, it becomes impossible for nearby paddy fields to operate as well because there is no water. Then there is the depositing sediment in nearby lands when excavated soil is cleaned. This has made hundreds of acres of paddy land uncultivable, but the Department of Agrarian Services has allowed the practice to go on.”
The Labour Ministry has rejected the interpretation that Sri Lanka currently ranks 120th globally in terms of minimum wages, saying the ranking was based on 2024 data and does not reflect subsequent increases in the country’s minimum wage.
The Ministry said the comparison, published by Visual Capitalist, was not an International Labour Organisation (ILO) report. The ILO has confirmed that it was not involved in preparing or publishing the ranking, according to the Ministry.
The ILO has indicated that the comparison may have drawn data from ILOSTAT, its publicly available database of internationally comparable labour statistics. The Ministry noted that purchasing power parity (PPP) adjustments can facilitate international comparisons but cautioned that such rankings should be interpreted carefully, as minimum-wage systems differ in their geographical, sectoral and occupational coverage.
Sri Lanka’s national minimum wage stood at Rs. 12,500 a month at the beginning of 2024 and was increased to Rs. 17,500 from September 11 that year. Workers were also entitled to a mandatory Budgetary Relief Allowance of Rs. 3,500, bringing total minimum monthly remuneration to Rs. 21,000.
The Ministry said it was unclear whether the 2024 comparison had used the old or revised minimum wage and whether the allowance had been included. It stressed that the minimum wage has since been raised to Rs. 27,000, from April 2025, and Rs.,30,000, from January 2026, with the previous allowances incorporated into the new wage.
The Ministry said the current minimum wage is, therefore, more than 87% higher than at the beginning of 2024 and urged that the reported 120th ranking not be interpreted as a reflection of Sri Lanka’s current wage levels.
By SK Samaranayake
Two inmates, serving prison sentences at the Pallekele Open Prison Camp in Kundasale, escaped from the facility, on Saturday, police said.
The escapees were identified as a 53-year-old man from Negombo, who was serving a sentence for cannabis trafficking, and a 38-year-old man from Parakumpura, in Kahatagasdigiliya, who was serving a sentence for housebreaking and theft, according to the Kandy Police Headquarters.
Officials of the Pallekele Open Prison Camp reported the escape to police, prompting an investigation to locate and apprehend the two inmates.
The Pallekele Open Prison Camp falls within the Pallekele Police Division in Kandy.
The Kandy Police Headquarters, together with prison officials, is conducting further investigations into the escape and efforts are under way to trace the two men.
Police said further action would be taken following their apprehension.
Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will undertake a three-day official visit to Sri Lanka from September 8 to 10, India’s Ministry of Defence announced.
Singh is expected to hold discussions with Sri Lankan leaders on a range of bilateral and regional issues during his visit and will also interact with members of the Indian community in Colombo.
He will be accompanied by a high-level delegation comprising senior officials from India’s Ministry of Defence and Ministry of External Affairs.
According to the Indian Defence Ministry, the visit is expected to further strengthen bilateral defence ties, with particular emphasis on maritime security and defence cooperation.
New Delhi described its relationship with Sri Lanka as being rooted in longstanding civilisational ties and encompassing cooperation in regional security, defence, trade and economic affairs, as well as strong people-to-people links.
The ministry also highlighted India’s assistance to Sri Lanka during its recent economic crisis and its support following Cyclone Ditwah in 2025 as examples of its “Neighbourhood First” policy.
Singh’s visit comes amid efforts by India and Sri Lanka to further expand their defence and maritime cooperation in the Indian Ocean region, where both countries share longstanding security interests.
The visit is expected to provide an opportunity for the two sides to review existing defence cooperation and discuss avenues for closer collaboration on regional maritime security.
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