News
Attack on journalists in Murippu forest: Protest in M’tivu town
Protesting journalists and civil society activists plant trees in the Mullaitivu town
… scribes allege Wildlife workers involved
Text and pic by Dinasena Ratugamage
A group of journalists on Thursday (15) protested, in Mullaitivu, against the failure on the part of the police to arrest those responsible for the recent attack on local colleagues Shanmugam Thavaseelan and Kanapathipillai Kumanan in the Murippu forest in the district.
The group protested opposite the Wildlife Department Office there. Protesting scribes displayed posters and banners on the fence of the Wildlife Department Office alleging complicity of some public servants in the attack.
Professional Web Journalists’ Association, International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and its Sri Lanka associates the Free Media Movement (FMM) and the Federation of Media Employees’ Trade Unions (FMETU) urged the government to bring the perpetrators to justice. They called for a thorough investigation into the recent attack on two journalists in the Murippu forest in the Mullaitivu district.
They alleged the journalists had been beaten up by gangsters on Oct 12 while they were covering ongoing illegal felling of trees in the Murippu forest area. They said that timber racketeers and illegal sand miners had the backing of local officials, including some law enforcement authorities, hence the reluctance on the part of the police to properly inquire into the incident.
They pointed out that the Mullaitivu incident had taken place place soon after an attack on a journalist in the Moneragala District.

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Draft of the Appropriation Bill for the Financial Year 2027 su mitted to the Parliament
Approval of the Cabinet of Ministers was granted to the preparation of the Appropriation Bill for the financial year of 2027 at their meeting held on 30.06.2026.
Accordingly, clearance of the Attorney General has been given to the Appropriation Bill prepared by the Legal Draftsman.
Therefore, the Cabinet of Ministers approved the resolution furnished by the President in his capacity as the Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development to publish the aforementioned draft bill in the government gazette notification and thereby submit the same to the Parliament for its concurrence.
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Approximately 90 delegates including speakers, Deputy Speakers, Member of Parliamentarians, and Parliamentary officers representing member countries of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, in the Asian and South-East Asian regions, are expected to participate in these conferences.
The Cabinet of Ministers has approved the resolution furnished by the Prime Minister of the Parliament of Sri Lanka to host the said conferences considering the opportunities to strengthen parliamentary diplomacy and regional cooperation, as well as to enhance international recognition of the Parliament of Sri Lanka within the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association.
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