There have been 28 incidents of shooting, out of which 16 were carried out by organised criminal groups during the past three months, Police Media Spokesman, SSP Buddhika Manathunga says.SSP Manathunga said that the police had solved 10 of those attacks carried out by the organised criminal groups and arrested 57 suspects, along with three firearms.

He added that underworld groups clashed with each other often, and the intensity of those clashes remained a concern.

“When one compares shooting incidents in 2023 and 2024, there is a slight decrease. There were 120 incidents of shooting in 2023, out of which 65 were carried out by organised gangs. In 2024, the number is 99 so far, criminal gangs were involved in 55 of these,” he said.

People talk about an increase in violent criminal activities during the past few years. This is mainly due to increased media coverage, he said.

“However, we must admit that the brutality of these crimes has intensified. Think of the killing of five people in Tangalle in early 2024 and the killing of a Buddhist monk in Malwathuhiripitiya a few days later,” he said.

There is a lot of violence between armed gangs because they compete against each other for territory and higher stakes in the drug business. “Whenever the police or security forces carry out large raids, criminal groups think that we are acting based on a tip-off by a rival group. In recent weeks we have uncovered a lot of drugs, and criminal groups believe that their drugs were detected because of tip-offs by rival gangs,” he said.

SSP Manathunga said they had secured 188 Interpol red notices on people who had skipped bail and fled the country. Out of these 63 are members of organised crime gangs, he said.

The SJB alleges that the government has launched a campaign to politicise the public service as never before, with a view to influencing the outcome of the upcoming elections.

SJB General Secretary and Member of Parliament Ranjith Madduma Bandara has, in a media statement, expressed serious concerns over the future of government servants.

“There are credible reports of a systematic plan to arbitrarily transfer public officials across various sectors without justifiable reasons. This includes key divisional-level positions such as Assistant Commissioners of Local Government bodies, Secretaries of Local Government institutions, and Assistant Cooperative Development Commissioners. These actions are disrupting both administrative efficiency and field operations,” Madduma Bandara has said.

“With the long-delayed local government elections and ongoing cooperative society elections, it is apparent that this sudden wave of politicisation is part of a calculated strategy to target these polls. These transfers are not only compromising the delivery of services but are also causing significant personal difficulties for the affected officials,” Madduma Bandara has added.

The SJB also announced the establishment of a special unit to investigate these incidents. Members of the public have been encouraged to provide information, either anonymously or otherwise, regarding such activities.

“While transfers within the public service can sometimes be necessary, they must be conducted transparently and on legitimate grounds. It is the duty of the opposition to challenge politically motivated actions. We call on the government and provincial authorities to immediately halt all arbitrary transfers and ensure that the public service remains free of political interference,” the statement concluded.

The shortage of medicinal drugs would be resolved by 2026, Deputy Minister of Health Dr Hansaka Wijemuni announced on Wednesday (25).

Speaking in Kandy, Dr Wijemuni noted that certain segments within the health sector benefit from perpetuating drug shortages.

“It takes nine months to complete the drug procurement process, thus there is no immediate solution to address various glitches in the system,” he said.

He emphasised the importance of tackling the root causes of the issue and introducing a comprehensive plan to address it. “We have to study the problem, identify the factors that sustain it, and present a clear plan for its resolution. If the public sees that we are genuinely working on solutions and we communicate a plan, they will support it,” he said.

Dr Wijemuni also outlined short-term measures to address shortages expected to arise until the long-term plan is fully implemented in 2026. “We cannot simply ask people to wait for the long-term plan to take effect. We are committed to ensuring there are no severe shortages in 2025,” he assured.