by Norman Palihawadane

Five more suspects allegedly linked to the killing of ‘Kawantissa’, considered Sri Lanka’s tallest living tusker, and other illegal activities against wildlife have been arrested.

The suspects were arrested during a special joint operation conducted by officers of the Department of Wildlife Conservation, the Walana Central Anti-Vice Strike Force and the area police.

The arrests followed investigations into the shooting of Kawantissa, who died on 16 Oct., while receiving treatment for a gunshot wound to its right foreleg in a paddy field in Galgamuwa.

The Ministry said investigations had revealed that the main suspect arrested earlier in connection with the incident had been directly involved in shooting the tusker.

The newly arrested suspects are being questioned by Wildlife officers and the Galgamuwa Police.Meanwhile, a Skills Development Officer attached to the Ehetuwewa Divisional Secretariat, who is suspected of shooting Kawantissa, was arrested yesterday by the Walana Central Anti-Vice Strike Force and the Department of Wildlife Conservation.

Police said two locally manufactured firearms and 24 rounds of ammunition were recovered from his residence. The weapons included a 12-bore firearm and a muzzle-loading firearm known as a ‘cap gun’.

Investigators are also looking into reports that the suspect had previously shot an elephant known as ‘Diana’.

Investigations have been expanded to locate the firearms allegedly used in shooting Kawantissa and determine whether an organised syndicate involved in hunting wild animals is operating in the area.

The suspect is due to be produced before court.

Kawantissa had recently received veterinary treatment for a gunshot wound to its right front leg. Although the wound had shown signs of healing, the elephant developed other problems, including not eating in the days before its death.

The death of the much-loved tusker has raised renewed concerns over the protection of Sri Lanka’s wild elephants and tuskers.

The Environment Ministry said several agencies would continue joint operations to strictly enforce the law against activities threatening the country’s wildlife and natural heritage.

The Public Utilities Commmission of Sri Lanka has cleared a rolling power-cut programme that will run nationwide until October 21.

Under the plan, the country will be divided into four groups.

Each group will lose electricity for one hour every day, with the cuts falling somewhere in the window between 4:30 p.m. and 9:00 p.m.

The National System Operator has noted that the precise moments when power goes off and comes back on for each group could shift by roughly half an hour either way within that window.

The Committee on Public Accounts (COPA) has raised serious concerns over alleged procurement irregularities, misuse of public assets and financial losses at the Southern Provincial Council (SPC), including the auctioning of an asphalt production machine without properly accounting for stocks of bitumen and diesel.

The issues came under scrutiny recently when COPA, chaired by MP Kabir Hashim, reviewed the Auditor General’s reports on the Southern Provincial Council and its current performance.

The committee examined the Auditor General’s Triennial Report for 2021–2023, reports for 2024 and 2025, and the implementation of recommendations made at a previous COPA meeting in March 2023.

Particular attention was drawn to the 2021 auction of an asphalt production machine belonging to the Southern Provincial Road Development Authority.

The machine, transferred to the Authority in 2013, had remained idle after 2018 following the decline in large-scale road carpeting projects. Officials said maintenance and security costs associated with keeping the machine idle had led to the decision to auction it.

However, COPA questioned the failure to include 21,782 litres of residual bitumen and the remaining diesel stock in determining the auction value, resulting in a financial loss to the State.

Legal action has been initiated to recover the relevant amount from the buyer, while complaints have also been lodged with the police.

Although preliminary investigations and disciplinary inquiries had been conducted and two officials had faced disciplinary action, but the loss had not been recovered from those responsible.

Officials told COPA that a fresh comprehensive investigation committee had subsequently been appointed, taking into consideration explanations submitted by the officials concerned, to determine who was actually responsible for the loss.

COPA also questioned procurement practices at the Southern Provincial Council, including the awarding of several contracts to a single supplier for plants.

The Committee was told that some supplies had not been completed despite advance payments being made, prompting authorities to take steps to acquire a parcel of land to recover outstanding amounts.

The purchase of 86 scanners at a cost of around Rs. 27 million also came under scrutiny.

The Committee questioned why the scanners had been purchased without a proper needs assessment or feasibility study and why most of them were subsequently not used for their intended purposes.

Members also raised concerns over the suspension of a digitisation programme midway through its implementation due to problems with the related software project.

COPA further questioned whether relevant circulars and financial regulations had been properly followed in granting fuel and housing allowances to officials of public institutions.

The Committee stressed that public funds and State property could not be managed without proper accountability and transparency.

It called for formal investigations into the irregularities identified, the determination of responsibility and appropriate legal and disciplinary action against those found responsible.

State Ministers Nalin Hewage, retired Major General Aruna Jayasekara and Aravinda Senarath, and MPs Sagarika Athauda, T.K. Jayasundara, Lal Premanath, Susantha Kumara Navaratne, Ruwanthilaka Jayakody, Manjula Suraweera Arachchi, Ajantha Gammaddege and Sunil Rathnasiri attended the meeting.