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Final decision on billions of plastic pellets washed ashore due to ship disaster awaited

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A part of pellets collected on the Western coast (file photo)

By Ifham Nizam

The final decision on billions of plastic pellets washed ashore following the Singapore-flagged MV X-press Pearl disaster would be taken on the instructions of the Attorney General and the committee appointed in this regard, Environment Minister Mahinda Amaraweera said yesterday.

Amaraweera said via ZOOM that a large stock of plastic pellets had been collected and stored under the supervision of the Central Environmental Authority.

He said so while attending a progress review meeting yesterday on the ecological damage caused by the X-Press Pearl.

CEA officials said a stock of nearly 1400 tons of plastic pellets had been deposited in about 40 containers and kept in a yard in the Hendala area.

During the discussion, the Minister said that the stock of pellets could be used for plastic production and some manufacturing companies had offered to buy them.

However, he stressed that a final decision on the stock of plastics would be taken only on the recommendation of the Attorney General and the committee appointed by the President to look into the damage caused by the X-Press Pearl.

Amaraweera said the plastic stockpile was important as a court production in the ongoing legal proceedings over the damage caused by the X-Press Pearl. He said that he had instructed the CEA to ensure the safety of the stock, and that the officials were doing a very good job.

Justice Minister, Ali Sabri PC chaired the Progress Review Meeting. The programme also had the input of various stakeholders, including the Ministry of Fisheries, National Aquatic Resources Agency, the Marine Environment Protection Authority and the Central Environmental Authority.

According to Friends of Earth, Chairman, Hemantha Withanage,  some 39 containers of oil (lubricant oil, gear oil and brake oil), one container of batteries, one container of nitric acid and 349 containers of epoxy resin were on board the ill-fated vessel.

Nearly 9,800 metric tonnes of toxic epoxy was also on board. According the UN Environment Programme: “The ship’s cargo included 25 tonnes of nitric acid, 348 tonnes of lubricant oil and, according to independent estimates, up to 75 billion small plastic pellets known as nurdles that has created a pollution crisis – one that could plague Sri Lanka for years.”

MEPA has mobilised the Navy, Air Force and the coast guard and they have so far collected more than 53,000 bags of pellets, burnt plastic and other debris mixed with sand. This is around 40 per cent of the plastic nurdles transported on the ship.

According to the cargo list, 46,980 (25 kg) bags and unknown quantities of 20 containers of low density and high density polyethylene nurdles were on the ship. Plastic nurdles were found from the Vankalai Ramsar Wetland to the Rekawa turtle sanctuary, which is almost 700 km of the coastal belt.



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Landslide Early Warnings issued to the districts of Kalutara, Kandy, Nuwara Eliya and Ratnapura

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The National Building Research Organisation [NBRO] has issued landslide early warnings to the districts of Kalutara, Kandy, Nuwara Eliya and Ratnapura effective from 0400hrs on 12th June 2026 to 0400hrs on 13th June 2026

Accordingly,
LEVEL I [YELLOW] landslide early warnings have been issued to the Divisional Secretaries Divisions and surrounding areas of Palindanuwara in the Kalutara district, Doluwa in the Kandy district, Ambagamuwa in the Nuwara Eliya district and Pelmadulla, Ayagama, Ratnapura, Godakawela, Kalawana and Nivitigala in the Ratnapura district

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Wife, counsel seek regular access to ex-Spy Chief Sallay held under President’s detention order

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Suresh Sallay

Wife of former State Intelligence Chief Maj. Gen. (Retd.) Suresh Sallay has asked CID Director retired SSP Shani Abeysekera to allow her, her family members and lawyers to visit her husband in the National Hospital, Colombo. Sallay’s counsel has also written to Abeysekera, asking for permission to visit the former spy held on a detention order signed by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.

The text of Manori’s letter: “I respectfully request your assistance in granting me, and my daughter or alternatively my son, permission to visit my husband, Rtd. Major General Suresh Sallay, who is currently at the National Hospital, Colombo.

“As you are aware, my husband is presently engaged in a fast-unto-death campaign. His physical condition and emotional well-being are of deep concern to our family. During this difficult period, the presence and support of his immediate family are extremely important to him.

“I firmly believe that regular visits from me with our daughter or our son would help uplift his spirits, provide him with much-needed emotional strength, and may encourage him to reconsider continuing this course of action. Family support can play a vital role in preserving his mental and emotional health while he remains hospitalised.

“In view of these exceptional circumstances, I kindly request that permission be granted for either me and my daughter or my son to visit him daily during the period of his hospitalisation.

“I would be most grateful for your compassionate consideration of this request.”

“The text of the counsel’s letter: “I write in my capacity as Counsel for Rtd. Major General Suresh Sallay, who is presently under detention and admitted to the National Hospital, Colombo.

As you are aware, Major General Sallay has embarked on a fast-unto-death campaign, giving rise to serious concerns regarding his physical and mental well-being. In these circumstances, it is imperative that I be granted reasonable and regular access to my client during his hospitalisation.

As his legal representative, I have a professional obligation to monitor his condition and obtain instructions from him so that I may accurately apprise the relevant courts of his health status and any developments affecting his rights and welfare. Effective legal representation requires continuous communication with my client, particularly in light of the grave circumstances presently confronting him.

I also wish to respectfully highlight that Major General Sallay has placed explicit trust and confidence in me as his counsel. Indeed, I was the first person he contacted following his arrest.

Given the trust he reposes in me, I believe I am uniquely positioned to engage with him constructively and persuade him to discontinue this campaign and instead place his confidence in the legal remedies and judicial processes available to him.

For these reasons, I respectfully request that I be granted permission to visit my client on a daily basis during the period of his hospitalization.

Such access would not only facilitate the discharge of my professional responsibilities but may also contribute meaningfully towards safeguarding his health and encouraging a resolution through lawful and institutional means.

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CIABOC summons Yoshitha over his participation in British Navy training programme

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Yoshitha

Yoshitha Rajapaksa, who served as a Lieutenant in the Sri Lanka Navy, has now been summoned to the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption next Tuesday (16) for questioning over his participation in a Royal Navy training programme in the United Kingdom outside established procedures.

The Commission is expected to record statements in relation to several complaints received regarding his recruitment and subsequent service in the Navy after he enlisted on December 14, 2006.

According to sources, the investigation focuses on allegations concerning the educational qualifications considered at the time of his enlistment, as well as foreign training opportunities he is said to have received while in service, which are suspected to have been granted in violation of due process.

The Bribery Commission has launched the inquiry under the provisions of the Anti-Corruption Act, officials said.

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