News
Daya quite surprised by sudden removal
SLPA imbroglio:
By Shamindra Ferdinando
Retired General Daya Ratnayake says his unceremonious removal as Chairman, SLPA, took place at a time the state enterprise was undergoing an unprecedented transformation.
Ratnayake insisted that he hadn’t been specifically told why he had been suddenly replaced over a week before.
Asked whether disciplinary action taken in respect of a female doctor recently, attached to the SLPA, had caused his transfer, General Ratnayake answered in the negative.
Gen. Ratnayake said that during his tenure as the Chairman, SLPA, he had never hesitated to take decisions for the betterment of the vital state enterprise, the SLPA.
Declaring that no one could find fault with him for trying to take the SLPA to the next level, Gen. Ratnayake said, underscoring the importance of a disciplined enterprise.
There was no point in denying the fact that the SLPA had been the grips of corrupt elements at various levels over a long period of time and his appointment sort of disturbed them, Gen. Ratnayake said.
Social media alleged that the lady doctor concerned caused major hiccups by inoculating 12 workers with a single phial of covid vaccine in spite of recommended stipulation that it be limited to just ten.
Gen. Ratnayake declined to comment on speculation in social media posts.
Daya Ratnayake served as the Commander of the Army during the 2013-2015 period. The wartime Eastern Commander served as the Army Chief at the time the change of government took place in January 2015.
Gen. Ratanayake said that he opted to serve as SLPA Chairman instead of Secretary to a ministry as he didn’t want restrictions on work he was engaged in, both here and abroad at the time 2019 change of government took place. Gen. Ratnayake received the SLPA chairmanship in late Dec 2019 with the blessings of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
Commenting on the situation at the time he received the appointment as SLPA Chairman, Gen. Ratnayake told The Island that the enterprise had been in a structurally broken status and administration at every level in turmoil.
One time harbour Master and Managing Director, SLPA Captain Nihal Keppetipola has succeeded Gen. Ratnayake whereas Upul Jayatissa received appointment as the Managing Director. New appointments were made on June 21.
Gen. Ratnayake explained the difficulties experienced by him in introducing changes. It hadn’t been an easy task to change the mindset of the management as well as workers as years of politicization, waste, corruption, irregularities and negligence had caused irreparable damage to the state enterprise. The decision making process had been chaotic and those responsible routinely engaged in malpractices and the operation was run in a shoddy manner, the former Army Commander said.
However, the management as well as the workers largely accepted and appreciated the changes introduced in the wake of 2019 change of administration, Gen Ratnayake said, adding that some of those who had been languishing in same positions for over 10, 20 years received new appointments.
Responding to another query, Gen. Ratnayake said that the introduction of what he called a board system to ensure transparency in appointments received the appreciation of the vast majority though far reaching changes irked some.
Gen. Ratnayake didn’t repudiate the possibility of those who had been irked by the transformation attempted at the SLPA seeking his ouster. Whatever the circumstances, the General emphasized that his duty and responsibility were to run the enterprise without interruption especially during the current crisis.
The former Army Commander paid a glowing tribute to SLPA workers who ensure uninterrupted services during unprecedented crisis caused by the rampaging Covid-19 epidemic. Gen. Ratnayake said that 30 odd trade unions active in the port backed efforts to improve and expand the Colombo harbour. Without their support, the SLPA couldn’t have sustained port operations without major delays, Gen. Ratnayake said.
Whatever the circumstances under which he had to leave the institution, the vast majority of workers appreciated his efforts, he said.
The retired Army Chief didn’t find fault with trade unions for the problems caused over the recent abortive bid to bring in Indian investment to the East Container Terminal (ECT) of the Colombo harbour.
Gen. Ratnayake alleged that some sections strongly opposed introduction of technology as it impeded their activities. Declaring that the Colombo port cleared approximately 1,500 containers on a daily basis, Gen. Ratnayake alleged that unscrupulous elements received about Rs 7,000 from every container carrier leaving the port.
Referring to the heavy burden of running the costly Colombo port kitchen, Gen. Ratnayake said that the SLPA spent as much as R 120 mn annually and he made successful effort to bring the expenditure down. Alleging that sections of workers opposed changes for obvious reasons, Gen. Ratnayake revealed the difficulty in introducing state of the art systems when project to build 100,000 square feet warehouse got underway.
Gen. Ratnayake said that influential sections opposed new systems, improvements and introduction of technology as they feared that would deprive them of an opportunity to pack the SLPA with their supporters.
Of course jobs had to be provided though such endeavors shouldn’t be at the expense of national assets, the former Army Chief said.
Gen. Ratnayake said that he accepted the appointment as Secretary to the Industries Ministry, a post previously held by Anusha Palpita. Palpita received appointment as Chairman of the Development Lotteries Board. Interestingly, Gen. Ratnayake has been brought in as the Secretary, Industries Ministry in the wake of Lanka Phosphate Ltd, a highly lucrative state enterprise that had been under the Industries Ministry being shifted to the Agriculture Ministry.
The Government’s ‘Rebuilding Sri Lanka’ Fund, established to provide relief and support to communities affected by Cyclone Ditwah, continues to receive financial contributions on a daily basis.
Accordingly, the Containers Transport Owners Association made a financial contribution of Rs. 1.5 million, while the Association of SriLankan Airlines Licensed Aircraft Engineers contributed Rs. 1.35 million to the Fund.
The respective cheques were formally presented to the Secretary to the President, Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, at the Presidential Secretariat on Friday (19).
The occasion was attended by W. M. S. K. Manjula, Chairman of the Containers Transport Owners Association, together with Dilip Nihal Anslem Perera and Jayantha Karunadhipathi.
Representing the Association of SriLankan Airlines Licensed Aircraft Engineers were Deshan Rajapaksa, Samudika Perera and Devshan Rodrigo handed over the cheque.
A meeting between Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya and a delegation of UNICEF representatives was held on Saturday, (December 20) at the Prime Minister’s Office.
During the meeting, the Prime Minister explained the measures taken by the Government to ensure the protection of the affected student community and to restore the damaged school system, as well as the challenges encountered in this process.
The Prime Minister stated that reopening schools located in landslide-prone areas would be extremely dangerous. Accordingly, the Government is focusing on identifying such schools and relocating them to suitable locations based on scientific assessments.
The Prime Minister further noted that financial assistance has been provided to students affected by the disaster, enabling parents to send their children back to school without an additional financial burden. Emphasizing that school is the safest place for children after their homes, the Prime Minister expressed confidence that the school environment would help restore and improve students’ mental well-being
The Prime Minister also highlighted that attention has been given to several key areas, including the relocation of disaster-affected schools, restoration of school infrastructure, merging and operating certain schools jointly, facilitating teaching and learning through digital and technological strategies, and providing special transportation facilities. She emphasized that the Government is examining these issues and is committed to finding long-term solutions.
The UNICEF representatives commended the Government’s commitment and the initiatives undertaken to restore the education sector and assured their support to the Government. Both parties also discussed working together collaboratively on future initiatives.
The meeting was attended by the UNICEF representatives to Sri Lanka Emma Brigham, Lakshmi Sureshkumar, Nishantha Subash, and Yashinka Jayasinghe, along with Secretary to the Ministry of Education Nalaka Kaluwewa, Director of Education Dakshina Kasturiarachchi, Deputy Directors Kasun Gunarathne and Udara Dikkumbura.
(Prime Minister’s Media Division)
Drug controversy:
“Setting up state-of-the-art drug testing facility will cost Rs 5 billion”
Activists call for legal action against politicians, bureaucrats
Serious questions have been raised over Sri Lanka’s drug regulatory system following revelations that the National Medicines Regulatory Authority’s (NMRA) quality control laboratory is not accredited by the Sri Lanka Accreditation Board (SLAB), casting doubt on both the reliability of local test results and the adequacy of oversight of imported medicines.
Medical and civil rights groups warn that the issue points to a systemic regulatory failure rather than an isolated lapse, with potential political and financial consequences for the State.
Chairman of the Federation of Medical and Civil Rights Professional Associations, Specialist Dr. Chamal Sanjeewa, said the controversy surrounding the Ondansetron injection, which was later found to be contaminated, had exposed deep weaknesses in drug regulation and quality assurance.
Dr. Sanjeewa said that the manufacturer had confirmed that the drug had been imported into Sri Lanka on four occasions this year, despite later being temporarily withdrawn from use. The drug was manufactured in India in November 2024 and in May and August 2025, and imported to Sri Lanka in February, July and September. On each occasion, 67,600 phials were procured.
Dr. Sanjeewa said the company had informed the NMRA that the drug was tested in Indian laboratories, prior to shipment, and passed all required quality checks. The manufacturer reportedly tested the injections against 10 parameters, including basic quality standards,
pH value, visual appearance, component composition, quantity per phial, sterility levels, presence of other substances, bacterial toxin levels and spectral variations.
According to documents submitted to the NMRA, no bacterial toxins were detected in the original samples, and the reported toxin levels were within European safety limits of less than 9.9 international units per milligram.
Dr. Sanjeewa said the credibility of local regulatory oversight had come under scrutiny, noting that the NMRA’s quality control laboratory was not SLAB-accredited. He said establishing a fully equipped, internationally accredited laboratory would cost nearly Rs. 5 billion.
He warned that the failure to invest in such a facility could have grave consequences, including continued loss of life due to substandard medicines and the inability of the State to recover large sums of public funds paid to pharmaceutical companies for defective drugs.
“If urgent steps are not taken, public money will continue to be lost and accountability will remain elusive,” Dr. Sanjeewa said.
He added that if it was ultimately confirmed that the drug did not contain bacterial toxins at the time it entered Sri Lanka, the fallout would be even more damaging, severely undermining the credibility of the country’s health system and exposing weaknesses in health administration.
Dr. Sanjeewa said public trust in the health sector had already been eroded and called for legal action against all politicians and public officials responsible for regulatory failures linked to the incident.
by Chaminda Silva ✍️
Financial contributions received for ‘Rebuilding Sri Lanka’ Fund
UNICEF representatives and PM discuss rebuilding schools affected by the Disaster
A few showers may occur in the Uva province and in Ampara, Batticaloa, Matale, Nuwara-Eliya, and Hambantota districts
NMRA laboratory lacks SLAB accreditation
Air quality deteriorating in Sri Lanka
Cardinal urges govt. not to weaken key socio-cultural institutions
‘Dates have the highest sugar content to fight Coronavirus’
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