News

Clearing X-Press Pearl debris will begin in early November

Published

5 years ago

2021/10/10

by Ifham Nizam

Marine Environment Protection Authority (MEPA) Chairperson Dharshani Lahandapura, Attorney-at-Law said that removal of debris of Singapore-registered MV X-Press Pearl that sank in Lankan waters is set to start early November.

She said: “The Coastal area from Mannar to Dondra is cleaned daily. We have spent around 30,000 man-hours in the cleaning operation. Around 400 workers have been deployed for this work that has been going on daily for some time now. This process has to be continued for at least one more year.”

She said that special attention has been paid to clean the coastal areas in Negombo, Sarakkauwa, Mount Lavinia and Angulana.

The vessel was carrying 1,486 containers, including 25 tonnes of nitric acid, along with other chemicals and cosmetics that were loaded at the port of Hazira, India, on May 15. It caught fire off Colombo Port on May 27. After burning for 12 days, the vessel sank on June 2 as it was being towed to deeper waters.

Lahandapura said this was one of the worst-ever marine disasters the country had to ever face. Calling it a ‘man-made disaster’, she said: “This is an unfortunate incident for Sri Lanka. It has negatively impacted the country in many ways. What we are doing right now is minimizing that negative impact.”

The environmental damage inflicted by the disaster has been divided to two categories: visible and invisible, she said.

The Prime Minister’s office has instructed MEPA to expedite its process of estimating the damage caused and the cost of recovery.

“The ship is now a huge pile of debris. It took five months for that to happen. What’s left now has dwindling power of damaging the environment. Tests are still being conducted to identify any further damage.”

What remains to be done has five components: observing the status quo of the wreckage, cleaning the beach and sea bottom at the disaster site, investigating the possibility of any accidental occurrence, collecting data on damage caused to the marine and coastal environment and surveying the changes occurring on the seabed, she said.

Plastic remnants are being cleared not only from the beach surface, but going down one meter as some plastic pellets have been found buried quite deep in the sand.

A team of 40 field experts and scientists, co-chaired by Prof Ajith de Alwis, Dean of Faculty of Graduate Studies of the Moratuwa University and Prof Prshanthi Gunawardena of the Department of Forestry and Environmental Science, University of Sri Jayewardenepura has been assigned the task of estimating the environmental damage.

Assistance has been rendered by 14 government agencies including the Department of the Government Analyst, Central Environment Authority and Wildlife Conservation Department. In addition laboratory assistance has been obtained from foreign countries including the UK, Australia and France.

Lahandapura said scanning the ocean bed has nearly been completed to assess the damage. Our plan was to commence debris removal at the end of this month and we’re still trying to keep to that deadline. Otherwise the project will begin in the first week of November,” she said,

The final report on damage assessment is expected to be submitted by Nov 30.

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Geneva takes up Sallay’s case and govt. ignores opportunity to answer accusations

Published

6 hours ago

2026/10/5

Thilina Walpola

Suresh Sallay

The government has chosen not to respond to questions raised by the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) regarding the detention of retired Maj. Gen. Suresh Sallay in connection with the ongoing investigations into the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks.

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) arrested the ex-official in late February this year. The Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism, the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, the Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health and the Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers have jointly raised the issue on 20 July, 2026.

Drawing attention of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to what they called alleged arbitrary detention of Sallay, former Director General of the State Intelligence Service (SIS) and former Director of Military Intelligence (DMI), under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), as well as allegations of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment while in custody, resulting in the grave deterioration of his health, and imminent risks of retaliation through further torture and ill-treatment resulting in irreparable harm, should he be released from hospital and returned to custody, the UN sought the government explanation with a 60-day period.

The UN has stated: “This communication, and any response received from your Excellency’s Government, will be made public via the communications reporting website at the 60 days mark. Should your Excellency’s Government respond within 60 days, both the communication and the response, may be published before the 60 days mark. The communications and responses

will also be made available in the subsequent periodic report to be presented to the Human Rights Council.”

In the absence of the government’s response, the UN posted the letter, dated 20 July, 2026, addressed to President Dissanayake. The full letter can be accessed https://spcommreports.ohchr.org/TMResultsBase/DownLoadPublicCommunicationFile?gId=31125

News

Section of wartime KKS High Security Zone vacated to facilitate economic development in the area

Published

6 hours ago

2026/10/5

Thilina Walpola

The Army, last week, vacated an area, within the wartime high security zone in the Jaffna peninsula. The Defence Ministry said that an extent of 187.56 acres of land, belonging to the Cement Corporation in Kankesanthurai, Jaffna, has been released by the military. The released land, located in Grama Niladhari Division J/233, Kankesanthurai West, within the Valikamam North (Tellippalai) Divisional Secretariat Division, had been utilised by the Sri Lanka Army since the middle of 1997.

The release of the 187.56-acre extent forms part of the initiative to make State land available for the proposed investment zone in Kankesanthurai, thereby facilitating future investment and economic development in the area.

News

Lawyer lodges complaint against Govt. Printer, Media Ministry Secy.

Published

6 hours ago

2026/10/5

Thilina Walpola

A complaint has been lodged with the Colombo Fraud Investigation Bureau against the Government Printer and the Secretary to the Ministry of Media regarding the online release of falsified documents bearing a forged Speaker’s certificate.

Attorney-at-Law Aruna Laksiri has lodged a complaint with the Colombo Fraud Investigation Bureau requesting legal action against the Government Printer of the Department of Government Printing (No. 118, Dr. Danister de Silva Mawatha, Colombo 08), Prasanna Jayaratne, and the Secretary to the Ministry of Mass Media (Asidisi Medura, 163, Kirulapone Mawatha, Polhengoda, Colombo 05), Dr. Anil Jasinghe.

The complaint alleges the commission of offences by forging and uploading falsified documents online using a forged Speaker’s certification, failure to perform statutory duties, and misappropriation of public property.

The complaint states that a copy of the English translation of the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution was downloaded and printed from the official website of the Government Printing Department (www.documents.gov.lk), which operates under the Ministry of Mass Media. On its outer cover and on page 1, the text “certified on 25th of September, 2026” is inscribed inside brackets.

The complaint pointed out that the Speaker has certified an English translation. Under Articles 23, 79, 83, and 80 of the Constitution, Parliament enacts laws and the Speaker certifies bills strictly in the Sinhala and Tamil languages; under the Constitution, therefore the Speaker cannot apply such certification to an English translation.