News
CPA flags custodial deaths under NPP rule
Reconciliation and accountability promises remain largely unfulfilled’
The National People’s Power (NPP) government marks six months in office this May, with questions emerging on the progress with key manifesto promises. After securing a decisive electoral victory with President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s win in September 2024 and gaining 159 parliamentary seats in November during the Geneal Election, the administration now faces scrutiny on its implementation record. Recent local government election results indicate growing public skepticism as to whether the administration is able and willing to deliver on its pledges or revert to patterns linked to previous governments, the Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) said in a statement.
CPA has developed a scorecard to assess the NPP’s performance across four critical areas: accountability, reconciliation, governance, and human rights. These interconnected domains represent long-standing challenges that defined the NPP’s rise to power and serve as clear metrics for evaluating the new administration’s commitment to change.
The six month timeline also coincides when Sri Lanka mark 16 years since the end of war. Despite the passage of time and countless domestic initiatives, many questions remain unanswered, justice elusive for victims and root causes of the conflict unaddressed. In such a context, the above four areas remain central to the process of reckoning.
CPA has in the past made several comments on the actions required for a meaningful transitional justice process in Sri Lanka. CPA also notes that the NPP’s manifesto promises in this regard are limited and fails to provide the multifaceted approach required for a country facing multiple challenges of transitioning from a post war to a post conflict context and facing economic and governance uncertainties. Against such a backdrop, it is critical that the NPP government deliver on its limited manifesto promises in a timely manner. Failure to do so would cause significant erosion in public perception of the government’s good faith.
Among key promises, the NPP’s pledge to abolish the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) stands out. However, since taking power, the government has continued to employ the PTA multiple times, contradicting its electoral commitment. Similarly, land disputes continue to plague communities, with the government failing to fulfill promises to return occupied properties to their original owners, sustaining root causes of the conflict.
The NPP government also pledged to address several emblematic cases and deliver justice to victims, including a commitment to take action against perpetrators of the Easter Sunday Attack. However, six months into its term, reports of custodial deaths and torture highlight the persistence of impunity in the country. A proposed Truth and Reconciliation Commission featured prominently in the NPP manifesto, yet concrete steps toward establishing this mechanism remain absent.
Moreover, CPA’s assessment notes significant gaps in publicly available information regarding the implementation of manifesto promises. This lack of transparency itself raises concerns of the government’s commitment to open governance and a political culture they promised the change.
CPA has previously communicated its concerns directly to President Dissanayake, the Minister of Justice, and the Minister of Women and Child Affairs regarding initiatives to implement key promises. The present scorecard, capturing implementation status as of May 15, 2025, represents the first in an ongoing monitoring process to evaluate alignment between political commitments and governmental action. The scorecard can be accessed via the web-link: https://www.cpalanka.org/manifesto-tracker
The warning mentioned in the flood warning message No. 01 issued for the Aththanagalu Oya basin on 22.05.2026 at about 5.30 am will be extended for the next 48 hours.
It is requested that residents in the area and vehicle drivers running through those areas pay high attention in this regard by the . Disaster Management Authorities are requested to take adequate precautions in this regard
Heavy and persistent rains lashed several parts of Sri Lanka yesterday, triggering flooding, transport disruptions, flight diversions and multiple disaster warnings as water levels rose in key river basins and low-lying urban areas.
The worst affected situation was reported along the Colombo–Avissawella main road, where floodwaters submerged sections of the highway, bringing vehicular movement to a standstill at several points, including the Puwakpitiya-Thummodara junction, the Seethawaka Botanical Garden area, and parts of Yatiyantota. Traffic was also severely disrupted along the Delgoda–Belumahara road at Udupila, and the Gampaha–Miriswatta road, due to inundation, while movement on the Divulapitiya–Mirigama route was restricted for light vehicles, following flooding at Ullalapitiya.
In the Kelani River Valley, rising water levels, following heavy rainfall in the catchment areas, prompted warnings of possible minor flooding within the next 48 hours. The Irrigation Department cautioned that areas, including Hanwella, Seethawaka, Dompe, Padukka, Homagama, Biyagama, Kaduwela, Kolonnawa, Kelaniya, Wattala and Colombo, could be affected. The flood alert, issued at 10:00 am yesterday, remains valid for 48 hours, until Sunday morning.
Meanwhile, the National Building Research Organisation (NBRO) issued landslide warnings covering six districts—Colombo, Gampaha, Kalutara, Kegalle, Nuwara Eliya and Ratnapura. Red alerts were issued for Dehiowita, in Kegalle and Ratnapura, while amber and yellow warnings were declared for several vulnerable divisions, including Seethawaka, Padukka, Attanagalla, Ingiriya, Bulathsinhala, Ruwanwella, Kuruwita, Ayagama, Pelmadulla, Yatiyantota, Ambagamuwa, Eheliyagoda, Nivithigala and Kalawana.
In the civil aviation sector, poor visibility and heavy rain around Katunayake forced the diversion of around six inbound flights, bound for Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA), to Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport, as a precautionary measure.
The Department of Meteorology reported that the highest rainfall recorded was 336.5 mm in Pambegama, Kegalle, between Thursday morning and Friday morning, underscoring the intensity of the ongoing weather system.
Authorities have urged the public, in affected districts, to remain vigilant, avoid flood-prone roads, and adhere to disaster warnings as adverse weather conditions are expected to persist.
by Norman Palihawadane and Chaminda Silva
Twenty-one alleged underworld operatives, deported from Dubai, were taken into custody by the CID, upon their arrival at the Mattala International Airport yesterday, Police said.
The suspects, including alleged organised crime figures, known as “Mahawatta Chamara” and “Kudu Duminda,” were arrested within the airport premises, shortly after disembarking from several inbound flights that had been diverted to Mattala, due to adverse weather conditions affecting operations at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA), in Katunayake.
Police said the group had been residing overseas for an extended period while allegedly continuing to direct organised criminal activities and narcotics trafficking operations in Sri Lanka.
According to law enforcement authorities, the deportees were among a group of wanted criminal suspects linked to underworld networks and ongoing investigations into organised crime activities.
Senior Police officials stated that “Mahawatta Chamara” is expected to be handed over to the Central Crime Investigation Bureau for further investigations, while inquiries into the activities and alleged criminal links of the remaining suspects are also continuing.
Police sources said the deportees arrived in the country during the early hours of yesterday after flights originating from Dubai were rerouted to the Mattala Airport.
Authorities have not yet disclosed the specific charges pending against the suspects, but investigators believe several of them maintained operational ties to criminal syndicates involved in drug trafficking and other organised crimes, despite being based overseas.
The CID has commenced extensive investigations to determine the extent of the suspects’ alleged involvement in underworld activities and their connections to ongoing criminal operations in the country.
by Norman Palihawadane
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