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Country on verge of community spread, warns GMOA

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By Rathindra Kuruwita

Sri Lankan health sector would plunge into a crisis if a cluster larger than the one found at the Peliyagoda Fish Market emerged, Editor of the Government Medical Officers Association (GMOA,) Dr. Haritha Aluthge said.

Currently, Sri Lanka was dealing with several active COVID-19 clusters, Aluthge said. “The first was the Minuwangoda cluster, followed by the Peliyagoda Fish Market cluster. Clusters emerged from Agalawatte, Kuliyapitiya and now Kahathuduwa. All these clusters are still active. If we have another large cluster like the one at the Fish Market, we will be in serious trouble,” he said.

The relevant officials had a responsibility to ensure that other new clusters didn’t emerge, he said. “Every day close to 500 cases were detected and it was also obvious that most of the new detections were not directly linked to the Minuwangoda or Peliyagoda clusters.”

Dr. Aluthge said the country was on the verge of a community spread and unless drastic action was taken to curb the spread, the health system would be overwhelmed. If Sri Lanka reached the community spread stage, ICUs and hospitals would not be sufficient and deaths would rise exponentially, he said.

Three COVID-19 patients died on Monday bringing the total number of deaths from the virus to 19.

On Monday, Head of the National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID), Dr. Ananda Wijewickrama warned that if the situation was not brought under control urgently, the people who were prone to complications with pre-existing conditions would be in danger.

“This is what we saw on Tuesday. Those who died either had a pre-existing condition or were old. We have a lot of people with non-communicable diseases in this country. That is why health professionals have been urging those in power to take steps to curb NCDs.”



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UN asks govt. to vacate ‘remaining lands still occupied and used economically by the military’

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Volker Türk

Military-held land down to 9% in North and East

The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has said that the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk, during discussions with the Sri Lankan government, stressed the importance of releasing the remaining lands still occupied and used economically by the military.

OHCHR has included updated information provided by the government on land releases in its reports to the Human Rights Council, the OHCHR said.

OHCHR team member Jeremy Laurence said so in response to The Island query regarding the HC’s call for release of land which both serving and retired officers considered unfair.

The Island posed the following question to the HC’s office: “At the conclusion of the UNHRC Chief’s visit to Sri Lanka recently, one of the issues he raised was the failure on the part of the armed forces to vacate public and private property held in the Northern and Eastern provinces. However, the military insists that approximately 91% of the total land held at the time of the conclusion of military operations, in May 2009, had been released. We would like to know whether the UNHRC Chief hadn’t been briefed by the government of Sri Lanka or the UN Mission in Colombo on the vacation of approximately 91% of the land held by the military in 2009.

The Island contacted OHCHR as suggested by the UN Mission in Colombo.

The military pointed out that of over 24,000 acres held in the Jaffna and Kilinochchi sectors in 2009, less than 2,500 acres remained in their hands. “We are down to the bare minimum. Further reductions will pose major challenges,” one retired officer said.

By Shamindra Ferdinando

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Need to attend to sick wild elephants promptly discussed at high-level meeting

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A high-level discussion on the urgent treatment of sick wild elephants was held on Monday (July 7) at the Ministry of Environment under the patronage of Minister of Environment Dr. Dhammika Patabendi and Deputy Minister Anton Jayakody.

Senior veterinary officers representing the Wildlife and Zoological Parks Veterinary Officers’ Association participated in the discussion alongside Secretary to the Ministry of Environment Rohitha Udawawala and Director of Veterinary Services of the Department of Wildlife Conservation Dr. Tharaka Prasad.

The focus of the meeting was to streamline rapid response measures to treat elephants suffering from illnesses in the wild and to ensure timely access to life-saving antibiotics and medical resources.

Commenting on the need for swift intervention, Environment Minister Dr. Dhammika Patabendi said:

“We cannot allow delays when it comes to the treatment of our wild elephants, especially those suffering from life-threatening conditions. These majestic creatures are an integral part of our natural heritage, and it is our duty to act fast. We are committed to providing our veterinary officers with the tools, resources, and policy support necessary to carry out this responsibility efficiently.”

Discussions also focused on identifying infected elephants promptly, administering treatment without delay, and addressing any shortages in medical supplies such as antibiotics. The officials explored avenues to ensure logistical and infrastructural support for veterinarians working in the field.

Significant attention was drawn to the existing cadre shortages within the Department of Wildlife Conservation’s veterinary and technical teams. Plans were discussed to address these gaps with the approval of the Department of Management Services and the Ministry of Public Administration.

Additionally, the need to provide field veterinarians with appropriate technical facilities and mobility support was emphasized as a key priority in enabling effective on-ground operations.

The meeting concluded with an understanding that urgent procedural and administrative steps would be taken to fast-track recruitment, supply of medication, and operational improvements necessary to protect the health of Sri Lanka’s wild elephant population.

By Ifham Nizam

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Navy seizes contraband pesticides and seeds in Puttalam and Kalpitiya

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The Navy detected a significant haul of smuggled pesticides and seeds during operations conducted in Puttalam and Kalpitiya from 20 to 30 June, 2025. The separate operations also resulted in two dinghies and a lorry also being taken into custody, Navy Headquarters said.

In a search operation on 20 June, the Northwestern Naval Command’s SLNS Vijaya inspected a suspicious lorry near Alankuda Beach, Puttalam, resulting in the vehicle, along with 32 sacks of pesticide materials and seeds suspected to have been smuggled into the country, being taken into custody.

On 28 June, during another search near Ippantivu Island, Kalpitiya, naval personnel spotted and took into custody two dinghies carrying 15 sacks of pesticide materials intended for smuggling.

It is suspected that the smugglers abandoned the contraband, along with the lorry and dinghies, due to heightened naval surveillance. The seized items were handed over to the Katunayake Customs Preventive Office for further investigation and legal action.

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