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2024 presidential election: Catholic Church says it will not endorse any candidate

Published

2 years ago

2024/08/26

Thilina Walpola

Cyril Gamini

By Shamindra Ferdinando

The Catholic Church wouldn’t endorse the candidature of any contestant at the Sept. 21 presidential election, top spokesperson Rev. Father Cyril Gamini said yesterday (25).

The Church spokesman said so when The Island sought an explanation regarding major candidates meeting Archbishop of Colombo Rt. Rev. Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith and Bishop Harold Anthony Perera and other members of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference.

Rev. Father Fernando said that their stand in respect of the 2019 Easter Sunday carnage is clear. Even six years after the heinous crime, justice hadn’t been served, the spokesperson said, adding that the Church expected whoever won the Presidential Poll to address their grievances.

Near simultaneous suicide attacks claimed the lives of over 270 people while nearly 500 received injuries.

Since the handing over of nominations on Aug. 15, Anura Kumara Dissanayake (JJB), Sajith Premadasa (SJB), Namal Rajapaksa (SLPP) and Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe, PC (National Democratic Front) met the Archbishop of Colombo at the Bishop’s House whereas President Wickremesinghe called on the Catholic Bishops’ Conference over the weekend.

Responding to another query, Rev. Father Fernando asserted that the Catholic Church instead of meeting selected candidates, the Archbishop felt the need to provide an opportunity for those contestants interested in making representations depending on the availability of time.

Altogether, 39 contestants submitted nominations. The majority of them are contesting as independents.

Rev. Father Fernando emphasiSed that they didn’t have absolutely any intention of promoting the candidature of any particular contestant. “The unpalatable truth is that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa conveniently failed to implement the major recommendations of his own Commission pertaining to the Easter Sunday carnage.

His successor President Ranil Wickremesinghe, too, didn’t pay attention to their primary demand that the recommendations be implemented,” Rev. Father Fernando said.

Referring to the developing political-economic-social crisis, on behalf of the Church Rev. Father Fernando urged the electorate to be extremely cautious at to how they voted at the first post-Aragalaya national election at a time the country was at a crossroads.

In addition to the Easter Sunday issue, the Church raised several other issues with the presidential candidates, the priest said. The issues pertained to Catholic education at schools, protection of Muthurajawela wetland sanctuary, Express Pearl ship disaster, unbearable cost of living, unemployment, privatization of public assets and adherence to democratic principles had been taken up, the spokesperson said, declaring the Catholic Church remained vigilant and ever ready to intervene on behalf of the hapless people.

The Church spokesperson said that the way successive governments had addressed the Easter Sunday investigation forced them to believe the powers that be lacked the political will to punish those responsible for the attacks.

Asked to explain, Rev. Father stressed that those who deliberately or due to negligence on their part facilitated the Easter Sunday conspiracy had to be dealt with. Similarly, those who had planned and executed the terror project should be apprehended and brought to justice, Rev. Father. Fernando said.

Perhaps, the government should reveal the status of the investigations also taking into consideration the disclosure made by the UK’s Channel 4 network last September, Rev. Father Fernando said.

The spokesperson noted that the Senior DIG Nilantha Jayawardena, who had been Director of State Intelligence Service (SIS) at the time of Easter Sunday attacks, was only sent on compulsory leave last month pending the conclusion of a disciplinary inquiry. The Police Department owed the country an explanation as to why much required disciplinary investigation hadn’t been conducted so many years after the tragic incident, the priest said. In the absence of such an investigation, the officer who had been named by the Presidential Commission on Inquiry (P CoI) moved up the ladder to become the Department’s No 2 in charge of administration.

Rev. Father Fernando noted that the SJB had been part of the UNP at the time of the Easter attacks and father of two suicide bombers in the National List of the JVP at the 2015 parliamentary polls. The SLPP, too, hadn’t taken meaningful measures so far to prove its sincerity, the spokesperson said.

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Landslide Early Warnings issued to the Districts of Kurunegala and Ratnapura

Published

44 mins ago

2026/04/23

Priyan

The National Building Research Organisation (NBRO) has issued Landslide Early Warnings to the Districts of Kurunegala and Ratnapura effective from 16:00 hrs on 23.04.2026 To 16:00 hrs on 24.04.2026

Accordingly,

Level 1 landslide early warnings have been issued to the Divisional Secretaries Divisions and surrounding areas of Rideegama in the Kurunegala district and Kuruwita, Kalawana, Ratnapura, Nivithigala, Pelmadulla and Eheliyagoda in the Ratnapura district.

Latest News

Advisory for Severe Lightning issued for the Western, Sabaragamuwa, Central, North-western, North-central, Southern, Uva provinces, and Ampara and Batticaloa districts

Published

3 hours ago

2026/04/23

Priyan

Advisory for Severe Lightning
Issued by the Natural Hazards Early Warning Centre of the Department of Meteorology
Issued at 12.00 noon 23 April 2026 valid for the period until 11.30 p.m. 23 April 2026

Thundershowers accompanied with severe lightning are likely to occur in the Western, Sabaragamuwa, Central, North-western, North-central, Southern, Uva provinces, and in Ampara and Batticaloa districts after 1.00 p.m.

There may be temporary localized strong winds during thundershowers. General public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimize damages caused by lightning activity.

ACTION REQUIRED:
The Department of Meteorology advises that people should:
• Seek shelter, preferably indoors and never under trees.
• Avoid open areas such as paddy fields, tea plantations and open water bodies during thunderstorms.
• Avoid using wired telephones and connected electric appliances during thunderstorms.
• Avoid using open vehicles, such as bicycles, tractors and boats etc.
• Beware of fallen trees and power lines.
• For emergency assistance contact the local disaster management authorities.

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Compensation payments and reconstruction activities related to the Ditwah relief measures must be expedited with special attention at the district level – PM

Published

12 hours ago

2026/04/23

Priyan

Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya emphasized that compensation payments and reconstruction activities related to the Ditwah relief measures must be expedited with special attention at the district level. She further stated that all necessary allocations have already been made to Provincial Councils and instructed that the progress of disaster damage assessments and reconstruction efforts be closely monitored at the provincial level.

The Prime Minister made these remarks at a discussion held on Tuesday (21) at Temple Trees under her patronage, aimed at informing Chairpersons of District Coordination Committees and public representatives from disaster-affected districts, in order to accelerate the implementation of the “Rebuilding Sri Lanka” programme. The discussion focused on expediting disaster relief and compensation payments, as well as the swift restoration of infrastructure damaged by the disaster.

The Prime Minister emphasized that Rs. 500 billion has been allocated for damages caused by the Ditwah cyclone, and that all relevant development activities must be completed before the end of 2026. The Prime Minister also instructed officials to pay special attention to resolving issues at the local level that are causing delays in compensation payments.

Senior Additional Secretary to the President, G.M.R.D. Aponsu, stated that the estimated cost for reconstruction following the Ditwah cyclone is approximately USD 3.4 billion. Accordingly, funds have been allocated for compensation across several sectors including housing and social infrastructure, agriculture and livestock, fisheries, industry and livelihoods, and irrigation. He further noted that 99% of the Rs. 25,000 allowance has already been disbursed, while 95% of the Rs. 50,000 resettlement allowance has been paid. Compensation for fully and partially damaged houses is still ongoing, and 99% of temporary relief centres have been closed.

Additionally, attention was drawn to several other measures, including providing Rs. 25,000 to affected schoolchildren, paying Rs. 1 million as compensation for each deceased individual, compensation for children who lost one or both parents, support for persons with disabilities affected by the disaster, compensation for agricultural losses, and expediting resettlement of displaced families. Measures such as allocating land for new housing construction and accelerating the issuance of reports from the National Building Research Organization were also discussed.

Focus was also placed on the reconstruction of affected schools, hospitals, and daycare centres, improving the accuracy and speed of data collection at the local level, and accelerating infrastructure development.

The event was attended by Minister of Plantation and Community Infrastructure Samantha Vidyarathna, Minister of Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government Dr. Chandana Abayarathna, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Livestock Namal Karunaratne, Deputy Minister of Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Cooperatives R.M. Jayawardena, Deputy Minister of Education Dr. Madhura Senevirathna, Members of Parliament, Chairpersons of District Coordination Committees, Chief of Staff to the President and Commissioner General of Essential Services Prabath Chandrakeerthi, Additional Secretary to the President Jayantha Bandara; and officials of the Prime Minister’s Office.

[Prime Minister’s Media Division]