News
Burial of corona victims: Sabry denies giving assurance to CTJ
…guidelines pertaining to final rites intact
by Shamindra Ferdinando
Justice Minister Ali Sabry, PC, yesterday (11) denied having given any assurance to the Ceylon Thowheed Jamaat (CTJ) as regards resumption of burial of Muslim corona victims.
Asked whether Sabry, in his capacity as the Justice Minister gave an assurance to the CTJ, the National List MP said: “Not at all. I never gave such an assurance.”
The Island sought a clarification from Minister Sabry against the backdrop of a fresh controversy over the push to have health guidelines pertaining to final rites of corona victims amended.
General Secretary of the CTJ R. Abdul Razik on Monday (9) on its FB page thanked President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and Justice Minister Sabry for having allowed the Muslim community to bury its members dying of COVID-19.
Razik said that the Sri Lankan Muslim community really appreciated the government taking into consideration the feelings of minorities.
Responding to The Island query, Minister Sabry said he had made it clear to all concerned, both in and out of parliament, that there were many who sought permission to bury Muslim corona victims in terms of WHO regulations. Minister Sabry said that he urged all parties to the issue to be patient and not to politicize the issue. “Protests and bids to attract international attention will make it worse,” the President’s Counsel said, revealing those who requested for burials to resume were planning to launch a protest campaign. Minister Sabry explained the rationale at a recent state sponsored religious event at Kollupitiya.
The Island
also raised the issue with Dr. Sudarshini Fernandopulle, State Minister of Prisons Reforms and Prisoners’ Rehabilitation, who emphasised thatall communities should fully comply with the Sri Lankan law. State Minister Fernandopulle pointed out that only those who died of corona were cremated in line with specific health guidelines. The State Minister said that when cremation of Muslims was raised recently in parliament by SJB lawmaker Mujibur Rahman, she explained only corona victims were cremated. “We (Catholics) also have an issue with cremation. But, the Church never expressed concerns. Archbishop of Colombo Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith assured the Catholics would obey the law during pandemic.
State Minister Fernandopulle asserted that deviation from the current health strategy could sharply increase the threat posed by the epidemic.
Health Ministry spokesperson Dr. Jayaruwan Bandara told The Island yesterday that the final decision as regards health guidelines pertaining to corona would be taken by Director General of Health Services (DGHS) Dr. Asela Gunawardena. Dr. Bandara said that as far as he was concerned there hadn’t been any change in that regard.
DGHS Dr. Asela Gunawardena yesterday afternoon told The Island that health guidelines that dealt with final rites of corona victims remained intact. He said decisions were taken based on expert advice and relevant data.
Ven. Jamburewela Chandraratna thera of Mahajana Yuthukam Kendraya, in a letter dated Nov 11, 2020 addressed to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa urged the government not to give in to political pressure. The Ven thera said that the SLPP received two overwhelming mandates in Nov 2019 and August 2020 to thwart extremism, terrorism and fundamentalism. The thera questioned the basis for a section of the community to demand special status whereas the Sinhala Buddhists, Sinhala Catholics and the Tamil community accepted government health directives without causing any issue. The civil society group also questioned the role played by Justice Minister Ali Sabry in the ongoing project.
When The Island raised the issue with Dr. Deepika Udugama, who was the Chairperson of Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) during the first corona eruption she said the government should have consulted the Muslim community as regards its decision to cremate covid-19 victims. HRCSL sent us the following statement in response to The Island query on the HRCSL position on the government policy on disposal of bodies of Covid-19 victims: “The Commission is of the view that if the government wished to move away from the WHO regulation as well as its own previous regulation which permitted both cremation and burials for Covid-19 victims, the government should have consulted leaders of the Muslim community including medical professionals and scientists of the faith. This would have dealt with religious sensitivities in a participatory manner.
“The commission recognizes that at a moment of unprecedented health crisis like that at present, views of the public health specialists and other relevant scientists must prevail in the interest of all. However, when cultural or religious sensitivities are involved, the proper path is to dialogue with the particular community concerned so that a final decision is taken in a consultative manner. It is also important to communicate the final decision to the public explaining reasons for it so as to win public confidence and minimize tensions.”
The Board of Investment (BOI) of Sri Lanka has successfully increased Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) by US$96 million in the first quarter of 2025, compared with the same period in 2024.
This was disclosed today (20) during a progress review meeting of the Board of Investment of Sri Lanka, chaired by President Anura Kumara Disanayake at the Presidential Secretariat.
BOI officials also noted that, relative to the first quarter of 2024, domestic investment rose by US$21 million, while export income increased by US$176 million during the first quarter of 2025. In total, Sri Lanka has attracted US$4,669 million in investment proposals thus far in 2025.
The meeting also focused on the issues and challenges associated with attracting investment to the country and discussed potential strategies to address them.
Addressing the gathering, President Anura Kumara Disanayake stated that the Board of Investment holds a pivotal role in enhancing the national economy and improving the living standards of the rural population.
He stressed that opportunities to attract investment in traditional sectors are becoming increasingly limited and therefore the nation must identify new areas for investment, an endeavour that falls under the BOI’s mandate.
The President further noted that Sri Lanka has attracted only around US$22 billion in investment since 1978. In comparison to other countries in the region, he stated, Sri Lanka must advance rapidly, referencing Vietnam’s achievement of securing US$23 billion in investment in 2022 alone.
He went on to state that the BOI should prioritise the expansion of investment in the services sector and proactively seek new investment opportunities, rather than focusing solely on recapturing missed ones.
The event was attended by senior officials of the Board of Investment, including Duminda Hulangamuwa, Senior Advisor to the President on Economic Affairs; Arjuna Herath, Chairman of the Board of Investment; and Ms Renuka Weerakone, Acting Director General of the Board of Investment.
A Committee comprising government officials and experts has been appointed under the leadership of Secretary to the President, Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake to seek and implement sustainable solutions for managing and controlling the damages caused by wild animals to food production (Agriculture and Plantation sectors) through a scientific approach. The Committee held its first meeting on Thursday (19) at the Presidential Secretariat.
The main objective of the Committee is to conduct a scientific study on the agricultural damage caused by wild animals and to implement short, medium and long-term action plans. In addition to drafting national policies and legislation, the Committee will also coordinate the provision of necessary human, physical and financial resources.
It was emphasised during the meeting that decisions should be made by recognizing wildlife as a part of the natural ecosystem. It was also noted that any solution must acknowledge the right of wild animals to their natural habitats. The need to implement a rapid action programme for high-risk districts was also discussed.
Prof. Ashoka Dangolla from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Peradeniya shared his views, highlighting that based on research conducted over more than 15 years on Toque macaque; it is possible to arrive at successful solutions through a scientific approach. He also pointed out that various methods can be used to control animal populations.
Director General of Wildlife Conservation, M.S.L.R.C. Marasinghe, stated that a multi-pronged approach is necessary to address this issue. He emphasised the importance of animal censuses to obtain standard data on animal densities and underscored that the matter must be approached scientifically, beyond social perceptions.
It was also decided that gathering inputs from all stakeholders including academics, environmentalists, wildlife specialists, officials and members of the public affected by wildlife conflict is essential.
Among those present were Senior Additional Secretary to the President Kapila Janaka Bandara, Ministry Secretaries including Secretary to the Ministry of Public Security, Ravi Seneviratne, Secretary to the Ministry of Public Administration S. Aloka Bandara, Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Lands and Irrigation D.P. Wickramasinghe, Secretary to the Ministry of Plantation and Community Infrastructure Prabath Chandrakeerthi, Secretary to the Ministry of Justice and National Integration Ms. Ayesha Jinasena, public officials including Director General of Department of Wildlife Conservation, defence sector officers, university professors and the members of the Committee.
Senior Additional Solicitor General and President’s Counsel, Nalin Rohantha Abeysooriya, was sworn in on Thursday (19) morning as the new President of the Court of Appeal before President Anura Kumara Disanayake at the Presidential Secretariat.
In addition, High Court Judges Don Francis Hathurusinghe Gunawardena and Adithya Kantha Madduma Patabendige were also sworn in as Judges of the Court of Appeal, in the presence of the President at the Presidential Secretariat.
The President’s Secretary, Dr Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, was also in attendance at the ceremony.
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