News
Deforestation in Anuradhapura has increased human elephant conflict – Environmentalist
By Rathindra Kuruwita
The escalation of human-elephant conflict is the result of mass scale deforestation over the years, Sajeewa Chamikara of the Movement for Land and Agricultural Reform (MONLAR) said, commenting on recent incidents in Kebithigollewa, where a police sergeant was killed by a group of angry villagers during a protest following a wild elephant attack.
“If you look at districts like Anuradhapura, Kurunegala and Vavuniya, there has been large scale deforestation. Large swaths of forest land have been cleared for development projects and commercial agriculture. A large number of elephants have lost their habitat. And this is the outcome of the unplanned development,” he said.
Unfortunately, most people affected by the human-elephant conflict thought that the elephants invaded their villages due to the inaction of the wildlife Department officers, and the police, Chamikara said.
“When TV crews visit villages affected by the human-elephant conflict, villages blame the Wildlife Department and the police for inaction. They need to be educated that the increased human-elephant conflict is due to deforestation. For example in the Anuradhapura District 15,000 acres are to be cleared for Lower Malwathu Oya Reservoir. The clearing of forests started in 2021. Then, there is a project to plant aloevera on 114,066 acres. This is about 20 percent of the Anuradhapura District and large swaths of forest have been cleared for this. He said.
Chamikara added that the Gotabaya Rajapaksa administration removed other state forest lands from the purview of the Department of Forest Conservation though 01/2020 and 02/2021 circulars. The administration of these lands are now under the Divisional Secretaries.
“In 2001, these forest lands were taken away from the Divisional Secretaries because they were authorising projects that ruined the environment. Deforestation increased after these forests were placed under Divisional Secretaries. An increase in the intensity of the human-elephant conflict is the result of this. While the Department of Wildlife is also responsible for the increased human-elephant conflict, politicians and state officials who authorised and encouraged deforestation must be held responsible for this catastrophe,” he said. Chamikara said that the human-elephant conflict was multifaceted and clashes between people affected and state officials closest to them were unfortunate.
The Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CEYPETCO) has announced a revision of fuel prices, effective from midnight on Saturday (May 30).
Accordingly,
the price of Auto Diesel has been increased by Rs. 15 to Rs.407 per liter,
the price of Super Diesel has been increased by Rs. 20 to Rs. 478 per liter.
the price of Petrol 92 Octane has been increased by Rs. 24 to Rs. 434 per liter
the price of Petrol 95 Octane up by Rs. 25 to Rs. 495 per liter
the price of kerosene by Rs. 20 to Rs. 285 per liter.
Former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga has called for a comprehensive reform programme within Sri Lanka’s Buddhist clergy, warning that repeated efforts to strengthen the Sasana have in the past been derailed by opposition from within sections of the Sangha itself.
In a statement addressed to the Mahanayake Theras of the three Buddhist chapters, Kumaratunga stressed that the long-term preservation of Buddhism depends on safeguarding both the Dhamma and Vinaya, or disciplinary code, and urged urgent internal reform to address what she described as deep-rooted structural weaknesses.
She noted that Buddhist history has consistently demonstrated that periods of institutional crisis were addressed through reform processes, citing precedents from the First Buddhist Council to reforms during the Kandyan era under Welivita Sri Saranankara Thera.
Referring to post-independence efforts, Kumaratunga said initiatives taken during the 1956 Bandaranaike administration to strengthen Buddhism were left incomplete following the assassination of former Prime Minister S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike.
She further stated that during her own presidency, plans to convene a Buddhist Council under the guidance of the late Madihe Pannasiha Mahanayake Thera had received government backing but were ultimately abandoned due to resistance from certain sections within the clergy.
The former President alleged that, on both occasions, vested interests benefiting from existing weaknesses within the Buddhist establishment had worked to obstruct meaningful reform efforts.
Warning that Buddhism in Sri Lanka is currently facing serious challenges, she called for a broad internal dialogue within the Sangha to identify root causes and implement both short- and long-term corrective measures.
Kumaratunga urged the Mahanayake Theras to take the lead in convening a Dharma Sanghayana, or Buddhist Council, and said she was prepared to work with senior lay Buddhist leaders to support such an initiative.
The Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court on Friday ordered the arrest of former Minister Basil Rajapaksa, Tourism Promotion Bureau Chairman Bhashwara Gunaratne, Managing Director Rumi Jauffer and several others over the alleged misuse of Rs. 7.8 million belonging to the Tourism Promotion Authority during the 2014 Uva Provincial Council election campaign.
Magistrate Pasan Amarasena directed the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to arrest and produce the suspects before court, after it was informed that they would be named under the Public Property Act on the advice of the Attorney General.
The CID told court that attempts to take the suspects into custody from their residences had been unsuccessful as they were not present.
The Magistrate also imposed an overseas travel ban on the suspects and ordered that the Controller of Immigration and Emigration be notified.
Investigations have reportedly revealed that the funds were used to print 12,000 T-shirts bearing an image of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa on one side and the name of a political party on the other.
According to the CID, the T-shirts were later distributed at a political event held in the Monaragala District.
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