News

Mirihana mayhem: All suspects granted bail, police looking for arsonists

Published

4 years ago

2022/04/11

By Shamindra Ferdinando

Police Headquarters has sought public assistance to apprehend the suspects who torched several vehicles, including two buses belonging to the Sri Lanka Army, at Mirihana, on 31 March.

Protesters and the Opposition have alleged that some pro-government elements turned an otherwise peaceful protest into a violent confrontation with the police and the Army by setting vehicles on fire.

Seeking public assistance in support of an investigation undertaken by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to apprehend the suspects, the police released video footage and the identikit of one of the suspects.

Police headquarters has requested that information regarding the suspects be passed on to the Superintendent in charge of

Digital Forensic Laboratory on 071-8591755, OIC in charge of the unit, on 071-8594919, and the CID on 011-2444265.

A senior police official, inquiring into the incidents, told The Island that they were hopeful of receiving public assistance, especially from those who had been peacefully protesting opposite the President’s private residence.

According to the official, unknown persons set fire to a bus, at around 11.20 pm, on 31 March. Subsequently, they set ablaze several other vehicles, belonging to the military and police. Responding to another query, the official said at the time unknown persons had set fire to vehicles, the police and the military hadn’t been present. Contrary to claims that the police, wearing helmets, had been present when the vehicles were set on fire, the arsonists were protesters, the police official said.

Pointing out that altogether 53 persons, who had been taken into custody, and produced in court, had been granted bail, in spite of some charges, under the Public Property Act, in respect of incidents at Mirihana, the top investigator said their priority was to identify the arsonists.

Civil society grouping, called Sinhala Sanvidana Ekamuthuwa (SSE), in a statement issued immediately after the Mirihana mayhem, questioned the possibility of some political elements setting vehicles ablaze. The group said that at the onset of the protest, the participants had been peaceful, though, subsequently, a group of persons triggered clashes resulting in the police launching a tear gas attack, coupled with water cannon and baton charge. The SSE asked whether the infiltrators were government or the Opposition activists bent on triggering chaos.

Senior DIG Ajith Rohana is on record as having said that the destruction of two buses and other vehicles caused losses amounting to Rs. 39 mn.

Those who have been granted bail were likely to face scrutiny as some of the arsonists could be among them, the police said. Law enforcement authorities said that possibility couldn’t be discontinued. Acknowledging the right to engage in protests, the police said that interested parties used social media to exploit the situation. Sources said that a 36-year-old person had been arrested at Thalawa, in the Nagoda police area, after the suspect, in a social media post, urged the public to kill police and military personnel. The police described the suspect as a heroin addict who had received treatment at Karapitiya and Mulleriyawa hospital for mental disorders.

The government lifted restrictions imposed on social media platforms less than 24 hours after directing the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission to block them, in the wake of Mirihana violence. The Human Rights Commission condemned the restrictions imposed on social media.

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News

CEB demands 11.57 percent power tariff hike in first quarter

Published

32 mins ago

2026/01/3

Thilina Walpola

The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) has submitted a proposal to the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) seeking an 11.57 percent increase in electricity tariffs for the first quarter of 2026, citing an estimated revenue shortfall and additional financial pressures, including cyclone-related damages.

According to documents issued by the PUCSL, the proposed tariff revision would apply to electricity consumption from January to March 2026 and includes changes to both energy charges and fixed monthly charges across all consumer categories, including domestic, religious, industrial, commercial and other users.

Under the proposal, domestic electricity consumers would face increases in unit rates as well as fixed monthly charges across all consumption blocks.

The CEB has estimated a deficit of Rs. 13,094 million for the first quarter of 2026, which it says necessitates the proposed 11.57 per cent tariff hike. The utility has noted that any deviation from this estimate whether a surplus or a shortfall will be adjusted through the Bulk Supply Tariff Adjustment (BSTA) mechanism and taken into account in the next tariff revision.

In its submission, the CEB said the proposed revision is aimed at ensuring the financial and operational stability of the power sector and mitigating potential risks to the reliability of electricity supply. The board-approved tariff structure for the first quarter of 2026 has been submitted to the PUCSL for approval and subsequent implementation, as outlined in Annex II of the proposal.

The CEB has also highlighted the financial impact of Cyclone Ditwah, which it said caused extensive damage to electricity infrastructure, with total losses estimated at around Rs. 20 billion. Of this amount, Rs. 7,016.52 million has been attributed to the first quarter of 2026, which the utility said has a direct bearing on electricity tariffs.

The CEB warned that if external funding is not secured to cover the cyclone-related expenditure, the costs incurred would need to be recovered through electricity tariffs in the second-quarter revision of 2026.

Meanwhile, the PUCSL has said that a decision on whether to approve the proposed tariff increase will be made only after following due regulatory procedures and holding discussions on the matter.

By Sujeewa Thathsara ✍️

News

Health Minister sends letter of demand for one billion rupees in damages

Published

33 mins ago

2026/01/3

Thilina Walpola

Ondansetron controversy

Minister of Health and Mass Media Dr Nalinda Jayatissa has sent a letter of demand for Rs. 1 billion in damages from YouTube content creator Dharmasri Kariyawasam, accusing him of disseminating false and defamatory material linking the Minister to the importation of Ondansetron and inciting public unrest.

The notice, sent through the Minister’s lawyers, states that investigations are currently under way into 10 medicines, including Ondansetron Injection, manufactured by India-based Maan Pharmaceutical Limited.

Ondansetron Injection was among nine injectable drugs recently suspended by the National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA) following reports of patients administered with the drug suffering adverse complications.

Despite the ongoing investigations, Kariyawasam allegedly aired a widely viewed programme on his YouTube channel titled “The hidden story of the Indian drug that claimed lives, Mayor Balthazaar’s relative, and Minister Nalinda’s cover-up.”

According to the letter of demand, the programme falsely portrayed Minister Jayatissa as being directly responsible for importing the drug, colluding with the supplier, and attempting to conceal the issue, while depicting him as indifferent to public suffering.

The Minister’s lawyers maintain that these allegations are entirely false and defamatory, citing passages in which Kariyawasam allegedly accused Jayatissa of lying about the supplier, concealing facts related to PTC Medicals (Pvt) Ltd., the actual importer, and showing a lack of concern over deaths purportedly linked to the drug.

The programme also claimed links between the directors of PTC Medicals and family members of Colombo Mayor Vraîe Cally Balthazaar, implying political favouritism.

News

One killed, two injured in shooting at Kaduwela

Published

34 mins ago

2026/01/3

Thilina Walpola

A 20-year-old man was shot dead and two others injured in a shooting incident reported from the Menikgara area of Korathota, Nawagamuwa, in Kaduwela, on Thursday night (01 January).

The injured victims were initially admitted to the Oruwala Hospital in Athurugiriya and were later transferred to the Homagama Base Hospital for further treatment.

Police said the shooting targeted a group allegedly linked to an underworld figure known as Borelle Kudu Duminda, and investigations indicate the attack may have been carried out by a rival faction led by Borelle Kudu Chathu.

Preliminary investigations by the Nawagamuwa Police revealed that the victims were inside a rented house at the time of the attack. The suspects are believed to have arrived on a motorcycle and a three-wheeler, opened fire, and fled the scene immediately afterwards.

According to police, two gunmen had gained entry to the premises after cutting through a fence and used a pistol in the attack.

The deceased was identified as Sankalpa, a 20-year-old resident of Borella.

Police further said the victim and another individual were allegedly involved in an incident on November 14, 2025, in which a woman’s hand was severed with a sharp weapon in the Sarana Road area of Borella. Investigations have revealed that the woman is a close associate of Kudu Chathu.

Police said the woman’s residence was allegedly used by suspects involved in a separate shooting in Borella on 24 June, 2025, which had targeted an individual who escaped unharmed. It is alleged that the survivor of that shooting and the youth killed on Thursday later carried out the attack on the woman.

Both individuals are believed to be close associates of Kudu Duminda, a rival of Kudu Chathu, police said, adding that efforts to arrest suspects connected to the earlier incidents had been unsuccessful.

Investigators believe the latest killing was carried out based on information that a member affiliated with Kudu Chathu’s faction was present at the location. One of the injured persons is reportedly the brother-in-law of the individual who survived the June shooting.

A senior police officer said special security had earlier been deployed in the Borella area following intelligence reports that Kudu Duminda was planning a retaliatory attack.

Police noted that this is the first shooting incident reported in Sri Lanka for 2026.

By Norman Palihawadane ✍️