News

Ampara District special Coordination Committee meeting chaired by the President

Published

4 months ago

2026/05/23

Priyan

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake stated that a Special Committee, headed by the Deputy Inspector General of Police, will be established to protect lands in the Eastern Province.

The President highlighted that a number of issues have arisen in the region due to land grabs carried out through the misuse of political power, stressing that such practices will no longer be tolerated.

The President made these remarks while participating at the Special District Coordination Committee meeting in Ampara held on Friday (22) afternoon at the Ampara District Secretariat.

Drawing attention to coastal erosion affecting the Eastern coastline, the President instructed officials to develop a comprehensive plan to both protect the coastline and promote tourism in the region.

The President further noted that placing rocks and barriers is not a practical long-term solution to coastal erosion and instructed that urgent scientific studies be conducted to identify a sustainable and permanent solution, including consideration of the Oluvil Harbour and associated fisheries infrastructure.

Highlighting the tourism potential of the Eastern coastal belt, the President also stated that he had received reports of unequal treatment by public officials in the management of hotel operations in coastal areas and firmly instructed that such discrimination must not be allowed.

The President drew special attention to unauthorised land reclamation taking place in the Eastern Province and instructed the security forces to ensure that such activities are not permitted in the future.

Noting that 16 years have passed since the end of the conflict without a structured programme to resettle displaced persons in the region, the President instructed that urgent attention be given to developing and implementing a resettlement plan.

President Dissanayake further drew attention to the recurring flooding caused by the overflow of the Gal Oya, which affects several Divisional Secretariat areas including Ampara, Sammanthurai, Karaitivu, Addalachchenai, Kalmunai, Akkaraipattu, Irakkamam, Damana and Ninthavur. The President directed officials to conduct an urgent study to identify a permanent solution and confirmed that initial funding would be allocated for this purpose.

Discussions were also held regarding the current status of the Thirukkovil paddy storage facility and the continuation of operations at the Addalachchenai waste recycling centre.

Discussions were also held on the conservation of the Nuwaragala archaeological reserve and the development of tourism zones in Arugam Bay and Panama. Attention was further given to implementing a tourism development project in and around the Maduru Oya reserve, based on the indigenous villages in Henanigala South, Dehiattakandiya.

The committee also discussed restarting a drinking water project in the Lahugala area, which was initiated by the National Water Supply and Drainage Board approximately five years ago.

The President also paid special attention to the issues faced by sugarcane farmers in Hingurana. He noted that safeguarding sugarcane farmers within the industry is the responsibility of the relevant companies and stressed the need to engage in discussions on the emerging issues and reach an expedited solution.

Under the Kalmunai Urban Development Project, attention was drawn to the consolidation of all government institutions currently located in different places within the Kalmunai area into a single location. The President instructed officials to prepare and submit the relevant plans, noting that funding could be allocated in the forthcoming budget.

Discussions were also held on taking over and developing land with commercial value that had been allocated by the Sri Lanka Mahaweli Authority more than five years ago but where projects had not been implemented. The President directed that such lands be transferred to Divisional Secretaries or the District Secretary and developed under a structured programme for public benefit.

Discussions were also held on taking over and developing roads in the areas of Dehiattakandiya, Maha Oya and Padiyathalawa under the Road Development Authority and the Provincial Road Development Authority.

Special attention was also drawn to teacher vacancies in schools in the Ampara District and issues related to zonal education offices. The President emphasised that the establishment of administrative structures such as education offices and divisional secretariats is not a political exercise but an administrative function. He further stressed that such structures should be based on objective criteria such as geographical size and population, rather than ethnic considerations.

The President noted that LKR. 22,000 million has been allocated in the 2026 Budget for development projects in the Ampara District. Reviewing progress in ongoing projects in the sectors of roads, irrigation, drinking water supply and housing, he stressed that it is the responsibility of public officials to ensure that these funds are efficiently utilised within the relevant financial year to deliver timely benefits to the public.

The President also separately reviewed compensation and relief measures for the people of the Ampara District affected by Cyclone Ditwah, including compensation for loss of life, crop damage and losses in the livestock sector, as well as programmes for the fishing community, livelihood development initiatives and progress on partial and full housing damage compensation and resettlement programmes.

The President emphasised that the most affected by this disaster are economically vulnerable communities and therefore urged that housing construction and resettlement programmes be expedited without delay.

Co-Chairs of the Ampara District Coordinating Committee, Eastern Province Governor Professor Jayantha Lal Ratnasekera, Deputy Minister of Rural Development, Social Security and Community Empowerment, Wasantha Piyathissa, Members of Parliament, local authority Chairpersons and other public representatives, along with the Chief of Presidential Staff and Commissioner General of Essential Services, Prabath Chandrakeerthi, Defence Secretary Air Vice Marshal Sampath Thuyacontha (Retired), Ampara District Secretary Anupa Mangala Wickramarachchi and other government officials were present at the meeting.

(PMD)

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Development projects can deliver results to the people more quickly when the political authority and the public service work together towards a common goal – PM

Published

1 hour ago

2026/09/20

Priyan

Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya stated that development projects can deliver results to the people more quickly when the political authority and the public service work together towards a common, people-oriented objective.

The Prime Minister made these remarks while participating in a discussion held on Friday [September 18] at the Western Province Council Auditorium to review the progress of the development project to rehabilitate Rathmalana Kandawala Road and the drainage system on either side of the road, within the Dehiwala–Mount Lavinia Municipal Council limits in the Colombo District.

The project, which commenced on September 10, 2026, is scheduled to be completed before June 30, 2027. Implemented by the Provincial Road Development Authority (PRDA), the project includes the construction of a bridge at a cost of Rs. 64 million, the rehabilitation of the drainage system at a cost of Rs. 930 million, and the rehabilitation of the road at a cost of Rs. 115 million.

The Prime Minister also paid special attention to the progress of the responsibilities assigned to the Western Province Council, the Irrigation Department and the Ratmalana Divisional Secretariat in accordance with decisions taken at the previous committee meeting. Attention was also given to the current status of the plans being carried out by the Sri Lanka Land Development Corporation (SLLRDC), as well as the construction and maintenance activities being undertaken by the Provincial Road Development Authority (PRDA).

Commending the expedite and commendable progress of the project, the Prime Minister particularly appreciated the commitment demonstrated by officials of the relevant government institutions to work in close coordination with one another and in collaboration with the political authority.

The Prime Minister also emphasised the importance of taking measures well in advance to control flooding and minimise its impact on Colombo and several other districts in view of the rainy weather that may affect the Western Province during the latter part of this year.

The meeting was attended by the Chairman of the Colombo District Coordinating Committee and Member of Parliament Lakshman Nipuna Arachchi, Chairperson of the Ratmalana Divisional Coordinating Committee and Member of Parliament Samanmalee Gunasinghe, Chairman of the Roads Sub-Committee of the Colombo District Coordinating Committee Dewananda Suraweera, Mayor of the Dehiwala–Mount Lavinia Municipal Council Parakum Shantha, Chief Secretary of the Western Province K.G. Pradeep Pushpakumara, along with a number of government officials.

[Prime Minister’s Media Division]

News

Landslide Early Warnings issued to the Districts of Colombo, Galle, Kalutara, Kandy, Kegalle, Matara, Nuwara Eliya and Ratnapura

Published

2 hours ago

2026/09/20

Priyan

The National Buliding Research Organization has issued Landslide Early Warnings to the Districts of Colombo, Galle, Kalutara, Kandy, Kegalle, Matara, Nuwara Eliya and Ratnapura from 10:00 hrs on 20.09.2026 To 10:00 hrs on 21.09.2026

Accordingly,

LEVEL II (AMBER) landslide early warnings have been issued to the Divisional Secretaries Divisions and surrounding areas of Nagoda and Neluwa in the Galle district, Pasbage Korale in the Kandy district, Dehiowita and Yatiyanthota in the Kegalle district, Pitabeddara in the Matara district, Kotmale, Ambagamuwa and Norwood in the Nuwara Eliya district and Ayagama, Pelmadulla, Ratnapura and Eheliyagoda in the Ratnapura district.

LEVEL I (YELLOW) landslide early warnings have been issued to the Divisional Secretaries Divisions and surrounding areas of Seethawaka in the Colombo district, Palinda Nuwara and Bulathsinhala in the Kalutara district, Ganga Ihala Korale in the Kandy district, Deraniyagala in the Kegalle district, Kotapola in the Matara district and Ratnapura, Kalawana, Kuruwita and
Elapatha in the Ratnapura district.

News

Namal Rajapaksa Buddhist gambit fails, bail denied

Published

9 hours ago

2026/09/20

Thilina Walpola

MONETABRIEF – Namal Rajapaksa, son of Sri Lanka’s former leader Mahinda Rajapaksa, was denied bail by the Colombo chief magistrate despite pleading that he needed to attend important Buddhist rituals and travel to India.

The 40-year-old opposition MP’s lawyer, Shavindra Fernando, told the court that Namal had been invited to take part in a pinnacle-capping ceremony at the Pothgul Vihara temple on September 26.

“If my client fails to attend this event, it should be regarded as a disrespect shown to the chief incumbent of the temple,” Fernando said.

He added that Namal had also received an invitation to visit India from 27 September to 1 October and therefore sought bail.

However, he was remanded until September 29 in connection with allegations that he received kickbacks of $800,000 from the $2.3 billion Airbus aircraft purchase deal his father – Mahinda Rajapaksa – approved as president in 2013.

Deputy Solicitor General Janaka Bandara invoked the Buddha’s teachings in response to Namal’s lawyer, Fernando, saying that a judicial matter was far more important than attending a religious ceremony.

“According to what is being said here, the accused himself should have considered this while conducting dealings with Nimal Perera,” Bandara said, referring to the businessman who allegedly routed the bribe money to Namal.

Bandara quoted at length from a recent Supreme Court decision that expanded on the Buddha’s teachings, noting that when a ruler is righteous, the people follow; but when the ruler is dishonest, the citizenry follows that example too.

The 40-year-old MP was arrested on 4 September under the new anti-graft legislation parliament adopted unanimously in 2023.

Namal is primarily accused of accepting $800,000 out of a 1.4 euro million bribe that the then SriLankan Airlines chief executive, Kapila Chandrasena, is alleged to have received from Airbus after finalising a $2.3 billion purchase of aircraft in 2013.

Magistrate Asanga S. Bodaragama told the previous court hearing that he did not have the power to grant Namal bail because the Director-General of the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) had issued a certificate under section 149 of the Act.

The provision stipulates that a magistrate may not grant bail when the CIABOC DG presents a certificate confirming that an offence under the Act has been committed.

The magistrate noted that he could grant bail only in “exceptional circumstances”, but there was no acceptable argument from the defence for him to do so.

A Buddhist temple festival and an invitation from India could not be considered good enough reasons to grant bail.

The businessman who acted as a conduit for the bribe – Nimal Perera – had turned state witness, providing details of how the money was given to Namal through two bank transfers in 2014 and 2015, the court was told.

Under the provisions of the August 2023 Act, Namal Rajapaksa could be held in custody until the conclusion of the trial, even though the magistrate remanded him until September 18, the maximum he could be incarcerated at a time.