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Damages caused by burning vessel estimated to be running to billions of dollars

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By Ifham Nizam

The environmental damage to marine fauna and flora, caused by the fire-stricken X-Press Pearl, would amount to billions of US dollars, scientists attached to the National Aquatic Resources Agency (NARA) and Marine Environment Protection Authority (MEPA) said yesterday.

They said that they were discussing how much to seek as compensation.

Ministers Mahinda Amaraweera, Nalaka Godahewa and Lasantha Alagiyawanna yesterday visited the site to look into the environmental damage caused by chemicals and other contaminants released from the burning ship.

Environment Minister Mahinda Amaraweera said steps were being taken to recover the damage.

Secretary to the Ministry Dr. Anil Jasinghe also accompanied the Minister.

Urban Development, Coast Conservation, Waste Disposal, and Community Cleanliness, State Minister, Dr. Nalaka Godahewa said the ill-fated ship had been on route to Singapore passing Colombo when the accident happened and gale winds contributed to the spread of the disastrous fire.

He said the cyclonic conditions in the Bay of Bengal coupled with the monsoon weather made t harder to contain the fire in time.

The State Minister also refuted reports that the MV X-Press Pearl had been denied entry into the ports in India and Qatar.

He said Sri Lanka had not been informed by anyone about any fire aboard the vessel and the matter needed to be investigated.

More than 300 Army personnel of the Quick Reaction Team, Drone Unit of the Artillery Regiment and the Bomb Disposal Squad were positioned yesterday along Negombo to Porutota coastal belt, in an attempt to prevent people from collecting hazardous debris still continuing to be washed ashore from the burning ship.

MEPA has also lodged a complaint with the Colombo harbour police to take legal action against the Captain of the MV X-Press Pearl and its parent company over the environmental damage.

Meanwhile, a team from the Netherlands has been detailed to inspect the ‘X-Press Pearl’ vessel. Shipping Minister Rohitha Abeygunawardena said a six-member Dutch team had been to the site of the burning vessel on a tug boat.

A fire erupted in the cargo vessel ‘X-Press Pearl’ carrying Nitric Acid and other chemicals on May 20.

It was in anchorage about 9.5 nautical miles northwest of Colombo harbour at the time of the incident. The vessel had reached the location on May 19 before its entry into the harbour.

The vessel, registered under the Singapore flag, had with it 1,486 containers including 25 tonnes of Nitric Acid, several other chemicals, and cosmetics from the port of Hazira, India.

India, responding to an emergency request by Sri Lanka Navy, has deployed multiple assets – Vessels Vaibhav, Vajra, and Samudra Prehari by Indian Coast Guard and Tug Water Lilly by Director General, Shipping to douse the fire on MV ‘X-Press Pearl.’ In addition, Dornier aircraft was deployed for aerial reconnaissance.

The distressed container ship was manned by a crew of 25, who are Philippine, Chinese, Indian, and Russian nationals.

Sri Lanka Navy on Tuesday managed to rescue all crew members from the burning vessel. Two injured Indian nationals among them were admitted to National Hospital in Colombo for treatment. Reports revealed that one of the two injured crew members tested positive for COVID-19.

The MEPA said eight cargo containers had fallen into the sea and added that debris such as plastics and some food items had been washed to the beaches of Negombo, Ja-Ela, Kepumgoda, Seththappaduwa, Pamunugama, Kochchikade, and Dungalpitiya areas.



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GMOA swings into action on Vithana’s disclosure of MPs’ salaries, etc.

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MP Vithana / Dr. Sugathadasa

The Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) has sought an explanation from Parliament regarding how PAYE (Pay As You Earn) is applied to parliamentarians.

GMOA Secretary Dr. Prabath Sugathadasa has written to the Secretary General of Parliament, Kushani Rohanadeera, in terms of the Right to Information (RTI) Act.

Information was sought on 09 July, 2025, in the wake of Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) Kalutara district parliamentarian Jagath Vithana posting his pay sheets from January to May this year on his Facebook.

In addition to information on PAYE, the GMOA has posed a number of other questions to the Secretary General regarding the parliamentarians’ salary as well as pensions.

Parliament passed the RTI Act on 24 June, 2016, and it came into effect on 03 February, 2017. This act, introduced through the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, in 2015, is meant to promote transparency and accountability in government.

New controversy has erupted in the wake of Nawa Janatha Peramuna lodging a complaint with the CIABOC seeking an investigation into Speaker Dr. Jagath Wickremaratne abusing public property, a claim denied by the Secretary General of Parliament.

According to Vithana’s May pay sheet, his monthly allowance is Rs. 54,285, entertainment allowance Rs 1,000, telephone allowance Rs 50,000, sitting allowance Rs 5,000, office allowance Rs 100,000, fuel allowance Rs 97,428.92 and transport allowance Rs. 15,000. His take home pay is Rs 317, 760.92 after the deduction of Rs 1,200 for catering, stamp duty Rs. 25 and Advance Personal Income Tax (APIT).

Asked whether he regretted the releasing of pay sheets, lawmaker Vithana told The Island that in the run-up to the last parliamentary elections, held in November 2024, he had promised the Kalutara electorate he wouldn’t draw his salary. The MP said that however, he later felt the salary should be accepted and used in support of public welfare projects undertaken by him. “Therefore, the money was used appropriately,” he said, adding that both the government and Opposition MPs reacted with resentment. “I feel sort of isolated in Parliament. Hardly anyone talks to me,” MP Vithana said.

Dr. Sugathadasa said that having perused the pay sheets posted online, the GMOA had felt the urgent need to seek a clarification from Parliament as the lawmakers appeared to have received special status. The top GMOA official emphasised they wanted to establish the truth and used the RTI law to obtain information regarding the MPs’ salaries, pensions and other related information. “The GMOA made the request on 09 July, 2025. We are confident the Parliament will answer our queries,” Dr. Sugathadasa said.

Parliament meets only eight days a month. Attendance is not compulsory and there is no fixed time for lawmakers to attend sittings. Over the years, sittings have been suspended for lack of quorum.

The Island asked the GMOA official whether they would seek the intervention of the RTI Commission in case the Parliament declined to reveal the information sought by them. Dr. Sugathadasa said that the Executive Committee of the GMOA would decide the course of action if Parliament withheld information.

A few years ago Chamara Sampath, of Wijeya Newspapers, successfully moved the Court of Appeal against the Parliament after the latter refused to disclose names of Members of Parliament (MPs) who had handed over their respective declarations of assets and liabilities in 2018 and list of names of MPs who have handed over their Declarations from 2010 to the time he made the request (21 June, 2018).

The Court on 28 February, 2023, reaffirmed the RTI Commission’s stand that Declarations of Assets and Liabilities Law of 1975 (DALL) didn’t prevail over the Right to Information Act no. 12 of 2016 (RTI Act).

According to the Parliament website, an MP is paid Rs. 54,285, entertainment allowance Rs 1,000, driver’s allowance Rs 3,500 (only if driver is not provided by government). Fuel allowances are paid based on the distance from Parliament to the electoral district which each MP was elected and the approved market price of one litre of diesel on the first day of every month, telephone allowance Rs 50,000, transport allowance for personal staff Rs 10,000, and stamps worth Rs 350,000 issued to each MP annually.

By Shamindra Ferdinando

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Udaya alleges Prez hasn’t given up efforts to bring in outsider as AG

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Sri Lanka Educator Service Lecturers’ Trade Union yesterday (14) protested outside the Education Ministry, demanding that the government address their grievances. (Pic by Nishan S. Priyantha)

Pivithuru Hela Urumaya (PHU) leader and former Minister Udaya Gammanpila says President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has delayed making a permanent appointment to the post of Auditor General in a bid to bring in an outsider early next year.

Addressing the media yesterday (14), Attorney-at-Law Gammanpila said that three civil society members of the Constitutional Council, who opposed the President’s move, would be completing their term in early January next year. Instead of appointing Dharmapala Gammanpila as the Auditor General, the President had given him only an extension in service so as to get rid of him at the first available opportunity and bring in his crony from the Kelaniya University.

The former lawmaker said that the success of the President’s plan depended on the appointment of pliant civil society members to the CC, ready to help advance the NPP’s agenda.

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Poaching: 24 boats, 181 Indians taken into custody so far this year

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Fishermen taken into custody

In spite of specific warnings issued by fisheries minister Ramalingam Chandrasekar to Indian poachers, trawlers are continuously crossing the Indo-Lanka maritime boundary.

Navy headquarters yesterday (14) said that so far this year they have detained 24 Indian fishing boats and taken into custody 181 fishermen for poaching in Sri Lankan waters. The arrested included seven taken off the Delft Island, Jaffna in the early hours of Sunday.

Navy headquarters spokesman said that operations were conducted taking into account the harmful impact of prohibited fishing practices such as bottom trawling resorted to by Indian poachers, on the livelihood of local fishermen.

Having observed Indian fishing boats off Delft, the Northern Naval Command deployed its craft to drive away those Indian fishing boats from island waters, off the Delft Island.

The detained boat and Indian fishermen were brought to the Kankasanthurai Harbour and handed over to the Fisheries Inspector of Mailadi, Jaffna for legal proceedings.

Sailor disinfecting Indian boat (Pix courtesy Navy)

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