President Anura Kumara Dissanayake yesterday (13) vowed to go ahead with his government’s agenda, regardless of the destruction caused by Cyclone Ditwah.

Emphasising the responsibility on the part of all to contribute to the post-Ditwah recovery efforts, President Dissanayake said that he would have complete faith in the public service.

The President said so at the launch of the re-building Sri Lanka project at the BMICH yesterday.

The JVP and NPP leader said that he wouldn’t take advantage of the death and destruction caused by the cyclone or use the situation as an excuse to reverse their agenda or weaken it.

President Dissanayake said that in spite of many calling for amending the then Budget, in view of the cyclone, the government presented the proposals that were agreed before the disaster struck.

The United States has announced that it will provide the Sri Lanka Air Force with 10 US Navy TH-57 helicopters free of charge.

The announcement was made by outgoing US Ambassador Julie Chung, who stated, on social media, that the helicopters would be transferred under the United States’ Excess Defence Articles programme. The aircraft are Bell 206 Sea Ranger helicopters previously operated by the US Navy.

US sources said that the transfer was intended to strengthen Sri Lanka’s disaster response capabilities, following the devastating cyclone that struck the island at the end of 2025 and killed more than 600 people. US officials have framed the move as a humanitarian measure aimed at improving aerial rescue and relief operations.

A foreign couple was arrested by Wildlife officers over the alleged illegal collection and possession of insect and small animal specimens at the Horton Plains National Park, the Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC) said yesterday.

The arrest followed a routine inspection of tourists’ baggage carried out on the morning of 11 January at the entrance to the World’s End nature trail, inside the Horton Plains National Park, which comes under the Central Wildlife Zone. During the inspection, park officers discovered insect specimens preserved in chemical substances, along with chemicals and specialised equipment used for capturing small animals, inside the foreign national’s backpack.

Acting on instructions, and under the supervision of the Officer-in-Charge of the Horton Plains National Park, M.M.K. Morathenna, Wildlife officers, together with the Range Officer of the Hakgala Wildlife Office, subsequently searched a well-known accommodation facility in Nuwara Eliya, where the suspects were staying.

The search led to the recovery of additional insect specimens and chemical substances from the room occupied by the foreign couple.

The suspects were taken into custody for further investigations on suspicion of violating Sri Lanka’s wildlife protection laws, particularly provisions relating to the unauthorised collection and possession of fauna from protected areas.

The Department of Wildlife Conservation said the suspects were produced before the Nuwara Eliya Magistrate’s Court on Monday . The court ordered that their passports be taken into judicial custody and imposed an overseas travel ban. They were released on bail of Rs. 1 million each, with the case fixed to be recalled on 26 January, 2026.

A senior DWC official stressed that Horton Plains is a strictly protected national park with high levels of endemic biodiversity and that any attempt to remove biological material, without authorisation, constitutes a serious offence. “Sri Lanka has zero tolerance for biopiracy. These ecosystems are legally protected, and anyone—local or foreign—found exploiting wildlife resources will be dealt with firmly under the law,” the official said.

The raid and subsequent operation were carried out by a team, including Range Officer III P.G.T. Piyarathna, Wildlife Range Assistant P.R.L. Indrapala, Wildlife Guard U.W.W. Lakshan, Wildlife Field Assistant U.G.S. Chamara Prasanna, driver W.H.K.J. Chandralal, Public Relations Officer W.N.S.A. Wijesekera, Range Officer III of the Hakgala Wildlife Office D.M.N. Sreenath Bandara, and a policewoman from the Nuwara Eliya Police Station, P.A.P.M. Weerasundara.

Investigations are continuing.

By Ifham Nizam