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JVP, FSP ask govt., to reveal identities of men in uniform with iron rods at IUSF protest

Published

3 years ago

2023/03/17

Thilina Walpola

House Committee to take up issue next week

By Shamindra Ferdinando

Over a week after the Opposition accused the government of deploying troops armed with wooden poles and iron bars at a protest launched by Inter University Students’ Federation (IUSF) in Colombo on March 07, Army headquarters said that the contingent of men in question had not been identified.

Military Spokesman Brig. Ravi Herath insisted that those men in photographs released to the media and in video footage were certainly not army personnel.The IUSF is affiliated to the Frontline Socialist Party (FSP), a breakaway faction of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP).

Asked how a contingent of men in uniform positioned so close to the police tasked to crackdown on protesting IUSF activists, the Military Spokesman claimed troops deployed in support of law enforcement authorities were about 500 metres away.

“Those in disputed video footage and still pictures are definitely not army personnel,” Brig. Herath said. The Signals officer received appointment as the military spokesman in early October last year after the change of government.

Pointing out that JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake had released those controversial pictures to the media, The Island asked whether the Army headquarters would lodge a complaint with the police with the objective of establishing the identity of the contingent and the authenticity of the photographs. While ruling out the possibility of the army lodging a complaint, Brig. Herath said the issue was being handled by the police.

State Defence Minister Prameetha Bandara Tennakoon, too, told The Island those who had been pictured carrying wooden poles were yet to be identified. He said that a statement on the issue would be issued soon.

The Island raised the issue with Rear Admiral Sarath Weerasekera, Chairman of the Sectoral Oversight Committee on National Security. He said that he would take up the issue at the next committee meeting on Tuesday (21).

FSP spokesperson Pubudu Jagoda said that the government was now trapped in its own lies. Having cleared the Army of deploying troops armed with poles and clubs, the government spokespersons had no option but to propagate more lies, Jagoda, who is also FSP’s Education Secretary said.

However, due to the timely exposure of what he called illegal deployment, the defence top brass would have to be mindful of such actions, Jagoda said. The former JVPer found fault with the media for not vigorously pursuing this issue.

“The police are selectively efficient. Take the recent case of a young couple leaving their newborn in a train at the Fort Railway station. They were taken in within 24 hours and Police headquarters ordered an investigation into the conduct of those who arrested them. But the same efficiency is missing in the case of the contingent of ghost soldiers,” Jagoda said.

Responding to queries, Jagoda said that the government couldn’t discourage them by such tactics.

JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake told The Island that there couldn’t be any issue with regard to the credibility of evidence before the police. “Both print and electronic media reported this. Social media, too, covered the presence of armed men at IUSF protest,” lawmaker Dissanayake said, urging the government to admit its operation went awry.Dissanayake said that if anyone believed they were fake pictures, the police could question him.

Dissanayake said that those pictures were displayed at a press conference called by the JVP as he didn’t have any doubt about the identity of the contingent in question. “We’ll go flat out on this issue,” Dissanayake said, adding that the government should explain the circumstances troops moved in, in the absence of a declaration of an emergency.

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Financial contribution from Gift Sri Lanka Foundation and the Georgia Buddhist Vihara, USA, for disaster relief

Published

3 hours ago

2025/12/19

Priyan

In support of relief efforts for communities affected by the Ditwah cyclone, Gift Sri Lanka Foundation and the Georgia Buddhist Vihara (GBV), USA, have made a financial contribution of USD 16,000 to the Government’s ‘Rebuilding Sri Lanka’ Fund.

The relevant cheque was formally handed over on Thursday (18) afternoon at the Presidential Secretariat by the Chief Incumbent of the Georgia Buddhist Vihara, Most Venerable Panamwela Vajirabuddha Nayaka Thero, to the Secretary to the President, Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake.

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European Union provides over Euro 2.35 million Humanitarian Assistance to Sri Lanka

Published

3 hours ago

2025/12/19

Priyan

The European Union has allocated a total of Euro 2.35 million of financial assistance to Sri Lanka. This includes Euro 500,000 through IFRC and Euro 1.85 million through DG-European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO) partners, WFP and UNICEF as humanitarian assistance to Sri Lanka, in response to the impact of Tropical Cyclone Ditwah,

In addition to the above allocation, the Union Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM), which brings together 37 participating States, all 27 EU member States, as well as Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iceland, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia, Türkiye and Ukraine, is providing in-kind assistance to Sri Lanka.

As a part of the UCPM in kind assistance being provided, on Wednesday, 17th December, Sri Lanka received an aid shipment, with two air cargo flights arriving in Colombo from Germany, France and Luxembourg. This aid shipment included 83 tonnes of relief items such as family tents, mattresses, hygiene and kitchen kits, beds and water filters. The supplies are intended for distribution among communities most affected by the cyclone.

The arrival of the assistance was welcomed by the EU Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Carmen Moreno, French Ambassador, Rémi Lambert, and the Deputy Head of Mission at the German Embassy, Sarah Hasselbarth. On behalf of the Government of Sri Lanka, the donations were received by Sugeeshwara Gunaratna, Director General / Europe & North America, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment & Tourism and Chathura Liyanarachchi, Director, Disaster Management Center (DMC).

Italy has also provided a team of structural engineers to support Sri Lanka’s disaster assessment and recovery process.

Furthermore, the EU has activated its Copernicus Emergency Management Service (EMS) in rapid mapping mode, with around 30 maps produced so far.

The European Union has committed continued cooperation and support to Sri Lanka’s disaster recovery and rebuilding process, reaffirming the enduring friendship and strong partnership between Sri Lanka and the European Union.

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Sajith: Met Dept. officials under virtual house arrest

Published

5 hours ago

2025/12/19

Thilina Walpola

Sajith Premadasa

… hands over proposal asking for PSC probe into govt.’s lapses

Opposition and SJB leader Sajith Premadasa yesterday accused the government of having gagged the Meteorology Department officials, who, he said, had been placed under virtual house arrest. He claimed that they had been barred from speaking to the media.

Speaking in Parliament, Premadasa said withholding information from the public was unacceptable. He insisted that the Meteorology Department and international agencies had repeatedly issued warnings about extreme weather events between November 11 and 26. He demanded to know why Sri Lanka’s disaster management mechanism had not been activated in a timely manner.

“The key issue is why the country’s disaster management system failed to respond when the risks were clearly identified,” he told the House, describing the lapse as a serious failure of governance.

Condemning attempts to silence officials, Premadasa said acknowledging mistakes was the only way forward. “If we are wrong, we should admit it. If we are right, we should say so. Silencing professionals will help solve problems.

The Opposition Leader also called for a National Disaster Response Force and amendments to the Disaster Management Act to strengthen preparedness and response mechanisms.

Premadasa and several other Opposition MPs have submitted a formal proposal to the Speaker seeking the appointment of a Parliamentary Select Committee to investigate the government’s failure to mitigate the impact of Cyclone Ditwah.

The Opposition has demanded a 30-member select committee tasked with producing a comprehensive report on the institutional and administrative failures during the disaster.

Describing the government’s lack of preparedness as deeply regrettable, the MPs have said that timely action would have helped save many lives and reduced the scale of destruction caused by the cyclone.

By Saman Indrajith ✍️