News

Army Chief dismisses criticism, insists on need for public cooperation to overcome corona epidemic

Published

5 years ago

2020/10/17

Sahan Weerasooriya

… latest cluster exceeds 1800; its eruption still a mystery

By Shamindra Ferdinando

Army Chief Lt. Gen. Shavendra Silva strongly defended the armed forces role in the overall government effort to bring the fresh corona eruption under control.

Those who complained of the way the war-winning military responded to the growing crisis conveniently ignored the enormity of the task and the challenges faced by them.

Acknowledging there could be some shortcomings in the wake of what the media called the ‘Brandix eruption,’ Lt. Gen. Silva, who is also the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), assured that the military and the police were doing everything possible to bring the situation under control. The Army Chief said so in response to The Island queries regarding public criticism directed at the military for being insensitive to those compelled to undergo quarantine at state-run facilities.

The wartime GoC of the celebrated 58 Division said that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa tasked the military with the daunting task early this year when corona epidemic erupted. “In spite of difficulties, the armed forces and the police assisted the health administration to bring the first corona wave under control. Now, we are battling obviously a far bigger second eruption,” the head of the national covid task force said.

The Army Chief said that those who found fault with government efforts expressed views on the social media. Lt. Gen. Silva recalled how various interested parties criticized the war effort until the very end.

“They questioned our strength and capacity to bring the war to a successful conclusion. Similarly, we are being criticized by a few but overall the vast majority of people have faith in the military,” Lt. Gen. Silva said.

A section of the civil society, too, is critical of the way, particularly garment workers were treated.

Responding to another query, the CDS said that in spite of the Brandix eruption, the government apparatus managed to sustain the covid treatment project. Since the first detection made by the Gampaha Hospital in the new eruption of the highly contagious disease , the health authorities had recorded nearly 1,800 cases, mostly Brandix workers attached to its Minuwangoda apparel manufacturing facility.

Lt. Gen. Silva said that most of the affected had been in the Gampaha district at the time of the onset of the second wave and the situation could have been much better tackled if the health administration, the military and police received the anticipated cooperation. Unfortunately, those vulnerable and stricken by corona habitually tried to deny having had contacts with other people, hesitated to divulge where they visited et al, thereby had made things difficult for the health staff and the armed forces.

Lt. Gen. Silva said that the military health staff had been fully utilized to run facilities where approximately 10,000 were accommodated so far in military run quarantine centres.

Lt. Gen. Silva explained efforts made by the Navy to thwart illegal boat movements across the Palk Straits as part of the overall measures in place to meet the covid-19 threat.

Asked whether the government intended to expand the curfew now imposed in 14 police areas in Gampaha Division (Yakkala, Pallewela, Weliweriya, Weeragula, Minuwangoda, Veyangoda, Pugoda, Nittambuwa, Mirigama, Malwathuhiripitiya, Dompe, Kiridiwela, Ganemulla and Gampaha), two police areas in Kelaniya Division (Kandana and Ja-ela) and three in Negombo Division (Divulapitiya, Seeduwa and Negombo), the Army Chief said that a lot would depend on cooperation extended by the public. “Let me tell you, there are isolated cases in many districts outside Gampaha, Kelaniya and Negombo police divisions. If people really cooperated with the government, the situation can be gradually brought under control,” the Army Commander said. But, if the situation deteriorated for want of public cooperation, the police would have no other option but to expand curfew, he said.

Commenting on successful battle against the first wave and the ongoing second, Lt. Gen. Silva said that the second was a quite a challenge as it threatened a major revenue source. Pointing out that the declaration of curfew in the Katunayake police area on Thursday (15) at 5 am, Sri Lanka’s top military officer explained determined efforts made to sustain operations at export-oriented factories.

Lt. Gen. Silva acknowledged that the ongoing operation was far bigger than the one carried out early this year.

Contrary to earlier reports and indications the 39-year-old Brandix worker tested positive on Oct 2 at the Gampaha hospital was certainly not the first to be stricken with the deadly virus at the facility. Authorities were yet to establish the cause of the Brandix eruption, the Army Chief said.

“Inquiries are continuing,” Lt. Gen. Silva said, adding that there was no better apparatus than the armed forces and police to work with health administration to overcome the danger to the entire country.

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News

Financial contributions received for ‘Rebuilding Sri Lanka’ Fund

Published

13 hours ago

2025/12/22

Priyan

The Government’s ‘Rebuilding Sri Lanka’ Fund, established to provide relief and support to communities affected by Cyclone Ditwah, continues to receive financial contributions on a daily basis.

Accordingly, the Containers Transport Owners Association made a financial contribution of Rs. 1.5 million, while the Association of SriLankan Airlines Licensed Aircraft Engineers contributed Rs. 1.35 million to the Fund.

The respective cheques were formally presented to the Secretary to the President, Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, at the Presidential Secretariat on Friday (19).

The occasion was attended by W. M. S. K. Manjula, Chairman of the Containers Transport Owners Association, together with Dilip Nihal Anslem Perera and Jayantha Karunadhipathi.

Representing the Association of SriLankan Airlines Licensed Aircraft Engineers were Deshan Rajapaksa, Samudika Perera and Devshan Rodrigo handed over the cheque.

News

UNICEF representatives and PM discuss rebuilding schools affected by the Disaster

Published

13 hours ago

2025/12/22

Priyan

A meeting between Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya and a delegation of UNICEF representatives was held on Saturday, (December 20) at the Prime Minister’s Office.

During the meeting, the Prime Minister explained the measures taken by the Government to ensure the protection of the affected student community and to restore the damaged school system, as well as the challenges encountered in this process.

The Prime Minister stated that reopening schools located in landslide-prone areas would be extremely dangerous. Accordingly, the Government is focusing on identifying such schools and relocating them to suitable locations based on scientific assessments.

The Prime Minister further noted that financial assistance has been provided to students affected by the disaster, enabling parents to send their children back to school without an additional financial burden. Emphasizing that school is the safest place for children after their homes, the Prime Minister expressed confidence that the school environment would help restore and improve students’ mental well-being

The Prime Minister also highlighted that attention has been given to several key areas, including the relocation of disaster-affected schools, restoration of school infrastructure, merging and operating certain schools jointly, facilitating teaching and learning through digital and technological strategies, and providing special transportation facilities. She emphasized that the Government is examining these issues and is committed to finding long-term solutions.

The UNICEF representatives commended the Government’s commitment and the initiatives undertaken to restore the education sector and assured their support to the Government. Both parties also discussed working together collaboratively on future initiatives.

The meeting was attended by the UNICEF representatives to Sri Lanka Emma Brigham, Lakshmi Sureshkumar, Nishantha Subash, and Yashinka Jayasinghe, along with Secretary to the Ministry of Education Nalaka Kaluwewa, Director of Education Dakshina Kasturiarachchi, Deputy Directors Kasun Gunarathne and Udara Dikkumbura.

(Prime Minister’s Media Division)

News

NMRA laboratory lacks SLAB accreditation

Published

15 hours ago

2025/12/22

Thilina Walpola

Dr. Sanjeewa

Drug controversy:

“Setting up state-of-the-art drug testing facility will cost Rs 5 billion”

Activists call for legal action against politicians, bureaucrats

Serious questions have been raised over Sri Lanka’s drug regulatory system following revelations that the National Medicines Regulatory Authority’s (NMRA) quality control laboratory is not accredited by the Sri Lanka Accreditation Board (SLAB), casting doubt on both the reliability of local test results and the adequacy of oversight of imported medicines.

Medical and civil rights groups warn that the issue points to a systemic regulatory failure rather than an isolated lapse, with potential political and financial consequences for the State.

Chairman of the Federation of Medical and Civil Rights Professional Associations, Specialist Dr. Chamal Sanjeewa, said the controversy surrounding the Ondansetron injection, which was later found to be contaminated, had exposed deep weaknesses in drug regulation and quality assurance.

Dr. Sanjeewa said that the manufacturer had confirmed that the drug had been imported into Sri Lanka on four occasions this year, despite later being temporarily withdrawn from use. The drug was manufactured in India in November 2024 and in May and August 2025, and imported to Sri Lanka in February, July and September. On each occasion, 67,600 phials were procured.

Dr. Sanjeewa said the company had informed the NMRA that the drug was tested in Indian laboratories, prior to shipment, and passed all required quality checks. The manufacturer reportedly tested the injections against 10 parameters, including basic quality standards,

pH value, visual appearance, component composition, quantity per phial, sterility levels, presence of other substances, bacterial toxin levels and spectral variations.

According to documents submitted to the NMRA, no bacterial toxins were detected in the original samples, and the reported toxin levels were within European safety limits of less than 9.9 international units per milligram.

Dr. Sanjeewa said the credibility of local regulatory oversight had come under scrutiny, noting that the NMRA’s quality control laboratory was not SLAB-accredited. He said establishing a fully equipped, internationally accredited laboratory would cost nearly Rs. 5 billion.

He warned that the failure to invest in such a facility could have grave consequences, including continued loss of life due to substandard medicines and the inability of the State to recover large sums of public funds paid to pharmaceutical companies for defective drugs.

“If urgent steps are not taken, public money will continue to be lost and accountability will remain elusive,” Dr. Sanjeewa said.

He added that if it was ultimately confirmed that the drug did not contain bacterial toxins at the time it entered Sri Lanka, the fallout would be even more damaging, severely undermining the credibility of the country’s health system and exposing weaknesses in health administration.

Dr. Sanjeewa said public trust in the health sector had already been eroded and called for legal action against all politicians and public officials responsible for regulatory failures linked to the incident.

by Chaminda Silva ✍️