News

Karu: Army can help solve human-elephant conflict

Published

5 years ago

2021/01/23

Fraudster functioning as Chairman of state institution

The Army must play an active role in solving the human-elephant conflict, former Speaker, Karu Jayasuriya, Chairman of the National Movement for Social Justice (NMSJ) told the media on Thursday.

Given that 70% of the elephant habitat were located in human-inhabited areas, Sri Lanka needed a well-planned methodology to deal with the human-elephant conflict, former Speaker, Jayasuriya said.

A lot of work on the issue had been already done by Sri Lankan researchers like Dr. Sumith Pilapitiya, Dr. Prithiviraj Fernando, Dr. AW Wijeratne and Supun Lahiru Prakash, Jayasuriya said.

Jayasuriya said that successive governments had ignored the proposals made by these experts and as a result, Sri Lanka had become the country with the highest number of elephant deaths in the world. Sri Lanka also had the second highest deaths of humans caused due to the human-elephant conflict.

“Various governments have promised to end the human-elephant conflict. But the problem is only worsening. Currently, 131 Divisional Secretariats in 19 districts in eight provinces are affected by the human-elephant conflict. Meanwhile, the conflict is rapidly escalating annually at a record rate.”

The human-elephant conflict can be seen from Hambantota in the South to the Madurankeni or Vadamarachchi East Divisional Secretariat at the Jaffna District in the North, Jayasuriya said adding that the findings of many world renowned Sri Lankan scholars who were respected and studied internationally but these scholars were ignored by decision makers in Sri Lanka.

“It is important to put up permanent electric fences as well as temporary electric fences around the paddy fields to protect settlements and cultivations against wild elephants. It is also important to carry out these activities through community based projects. At the same time, compensation for physical and property damage to the public must continue to be paid. As far as we know, no compensation has been paid for crop damage. Therefore, the government has to pay appropriate compensation for this damage. Also, in order to rid the country from this problem, an action plan needs to be planned at the national level.”

The former Speaker said that all relevant ministries and departments should be involved in solving the human-elephant conflict. A solution could be evolved through the active involvement of the Army as they did in the past during various disaster situations.

“A Presidential Task Force should be set up to provide the necessary facilities and guidance and oversee the implementation of an official plan. Only through such a joint process can the people of the country as well as the elephant resource be saved. We hope the government will pay attention to this.”

Jayasuriya said that a number of large scale frauds were being brazenly committed and that these large scale fraudsters should be brought to justice and punished.

“A person who resigned from his post because he was suspected of being either involved in or aiding such a massive fraud recently is working as the chairman of another institution which comes under the purview of the President. The government is not talking about the massive fraud of Rs. 10 billion that took place with his involvement. This is clearly a serious blow to the confidence that the people of this country have in the President. It will mar his reputation. He should understand that.”

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USS Canberra departs Colombo

Published

4 hours ago

2026/06/14

Priyan

USS Canberra of the United States Navy departed the island on 14 Jun 26, following a successful replenishment port call. The Sri Lanka Navy extended a traditional naval farewell to the departing vessel at the Port of Colombo.

During the ship’s stay, the Commanding Officer of USS Canberra called on the Commander Western Naval Area at the Western Naval Command Headquarters

News

The use of local organic Agricultural products in the Bakery Industry will strengthen both local farmers and the tourism industry – PM

Published

9 hours ago

2026/06/14

Priyan

Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya stated that the use of local organic agricultural products in bakery production would provide significant support to both local farmers and the growth of the tourism industry.

The Prime Minister made these remarks while addressing the Annual meeting of the All Ceylon Bakery Owners’ Association, held at the Shangri-La Hotel, Colombo, on Friday (12 June).

The Prime Minister stated,

“At a decisive moment when the country is moving towards a new phase of economic transformation, I believe that the bakery industry has the potential to become a key driver of the national economy, rather than remaining limited to flour-based products alone.

The food production must be mainly considered the quality and safety of food. Therefore, instead of focusing solely on taste, we should introduce nutritious and healthy products to the market that are free from artificial flavourings and colourings.

By using ingredients such as rice flour, finger millet, foxtail millet, green gram, and indigenous tubers to create value-added products, the bakery industry has the opportunity to capitalize on the growing global trend towards health-conscious diets.

The use of local organic agricultural products in food prepared for foreign tourists will provide substantial benefits to local farmers while also contributing to the growth of the tourism industry. At the same time, the government remains committed to strengthening local entrepreneurs by reducing challenges related to the importation of raw materials, providing concessionary loans for new technologies, and offering the technical assistance required to meet international standards.

The government has already launched programmes through the Ministry of Industries to provide the necessary training and market linkages to help small and medium-scale bakery owners develop and expand their businesses”.

The occasion was attended by the Deputy Minister of Industries Chathuranga Abeysinghe, President of the All Ceylon Bakery Owners’ Association N.K. Jayawardana, and a number of members of the Association were also present at the event.

Prime Minister’s Media Division

News

Prime Minister meets with UNICEF delegation

Published

10 hours ago

2026/06/14

Priyan

Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya met with a delegation from the UNICEF on Friday (June 12) at Temple Trees to discuss ongoing efforts to support the recovery of the education sector following the impact of Cyclone Ditwah.

Discussions focused on the implementation of activities outlined in the report titled “Cyclone Ditwah Education Emergency Response Plan: Phase 1 Progress Updates (January–April 2026).” The meeting provided an opportunity to review the progress achieved during the initial phase of the response and to discuss future interventions aimed at supporting children and schools affected by the disaster.

The Prime Minister and the UNICEF delegation also exchanged views on strengthening collaboration to ensure the continuity of education and the well-being of affected children.

The UNICEF delegation included Emma Brigham, UNICEF Representative, Begona Arellano, Deputy Representative, and other UNICEF officials.