News
Kandakadu breakout:13 still at large
By Rathindra Kuruwita
About 13 inmates of the Kandakadu Rehabilitation Centre, who escaped on Sunday, were still at large, Commissioner General of Rehabilitation Maj. Gen. Darshana Hettiarachchi said.
Out of the escapees, 215 taken back into custody had been remanded till 17 November, he said. 14 inmates are in Pulathisipura and Serunuwara Police Stations. Four inmates, who were wounded during the clash, are still in hospital.
Hettiarachchi said addicts undergoing rehabilitation at Kandakadu had been sent there by courts of law.
“There have been clashes in the Kandakadu Rehabilitation Centre from time to time. The recent clash was over a bucket of water. Some inmates are military deserters. These are the people who tried to break into the armoury. We had to shoot one of them. There are inmates who have tried to kill their mothers. There are armed robbers and those convicted of sexual assaults. We are dealing with people like that,” Hettiarachchi said.
“There were five ex-soldiers at the centre on Sunday, he said. They are those who tried to get hold of weapons.”
“Now, we have a lot of people who are addicted to Ice (methamphetamine). They are very violent. The first few months are a very difficult time for long-term addicts. There are people who try to kill themselves,” he said.
A large number of drug addicts being rehabilitated escaped from Kandakadu on Sunday night, following a clash between two groups of inmates. One group was from Colombo and the other from Galle.
A specialists committee has been appointed by the Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Lands and Irrigation adhering to the decision of the Cabinet of Ministers dated 29.12.2025 for submitting appropriate recommendations analyzing the provisions of the draft bill formulation in regard to Animal Welfare.
Based on the recommendations of the said Committee, the Legal Draftsman has been instructed at the meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers held on 18.05.2026 to prepare the final bill on the animal welfare.
Wherefore, the Legal Draftsman has formulated the draft bill and the clearance of the Attorney General has been received in the connection.
Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers granted approval to the resolution furnished by the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Lands and Irrigation to publish the said draft bill in the
Government Gazette Notification and subsequently forward the same to the Parliament for its concurrence.
Under the legal provisions for elections in this country since 2004, it is mandatory for voters who come to mark their votes to verify their identity through a valid identity card, and it is also mandatory for all such voters to be marked with an appropriate mark using indelible ink. The dual purpose of these two functions is to prevent a voter from voting more than once in a single election.
It has been observed that having to follow two different
methods at the same time to achieve the same objective hinders the efficiency of the duties performed at the polling stations and also incurs additional costs to the government.
Therefore, it has been deemed appropriate to remove the legal provisions regarding the use of indelible ink and marking the voter with the appropriate mark from all election acts.
Accordingly, the development activities of the province, as well as national security, will benefit. Therefore, the Cabinet of Ministers has approved the resolution furnished by the
President to take necessary steps to remove the legal provisions
• Section 36 of the presidential Election Act, No 15 of 1981
• Section 38 of the Parliamentary Election Act, No 01 of 1981
• Section 36 of the Provincial Council Election Act, No 02 of 1988
• Section 53 A of the Local Government Elections Ordinance (262 Authority)
• Section 21 of the Referendum Act No 7 of 1981
News
Showers will occur in the Western, Sabaragamuwa and North-western provinces and in Galle, Matara, Kandy and Nuwara-Eliya districts
WEATHER FORECAST FOR 24 JUNE 2026
Issued at 05.30 a.m. on 24 June 2026 by the Department of Meteorology
Several spells of showers will occur in the Western, Sabaragamuwa and North-western provinces and in Galle, Matara, Kandy and Nuwara-Eliya districts. Showers or thundershowers may occur at a few places in the Uva province and in Ampara and Batticaloa districts after 2.00 p.m.
Fairly strong winds about (30-40) kmph can be expectedat times over the Western slopes of the central hills, the Northern, North-central, North-western and Southern provinces and in Trincomalee district.
The general public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimize damage caused by temporary localized strong winds and lightning during thundershowers.
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Animal Welfare Draft Bill to be Gazetted
Legal provisions on marking voters using indelible ink during elections removed
Showers will occur in the Western, Sabaragamuwa and North-western provinces and in Galle, Matara, Kandy and Nuwara-Eliya districts
Court vacancy row throws Parliament into turmoil; sittings disrupted
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