News

MONLAR lashes out at Wildlife Dept. for failure to protect elephants

Published

2 years ago

2023/10/27

Author Sajeewa Chamikara presenting a copy of the book to a journalist who reports on the human elephant conflict. Also present were MONLAR Moderator Chinthaka Rajapaske and North-central province coordinator Vimukthi de Silva

By Rathindra Kuruwita

The Department of Wildlife has given up efforts to protect elephants in the country, Sajeewa Chamikara of the Movement for Land and Agricultural Reform (MONLAR) has said. Addressing a gathering at the launch of his book, Sanwardana Jawaramen bihikala Ali minis getuma (The Human-Elephant Conflict: A Creation of the Development Racket), on Wednesday, Chamikara said successive governments had been trying to convince people that there were too many elephants in the country.

“They would want people to believe that the human-elephant conflict (HEC) is due to the excess of elephants. A lot of time and resources are expended to propagate this lie and a large number of people have come to believe it. The government wants to get rid of the elephants to implement the National Physical Plan,” Chamikara said.

“The number of elephants killed in 19 years from 1951 to 1969 was 1,163. This works out to about 61 elephant deaths a year.

“However, 5,010 elephants have been killed in the 19-year period from 2004 to April 2023.

“Last year saw the highest number of elephant deaths recorded since the country’s Independence; 433 elephants were killed. The highest number of human deaths also occurred due to elephant attacks in the same year. The number of human casualties were 145.

“In the 34 years from 1990 to April 2023, a total of 6,642 elephants have died. About 70% of them were killed by humans as a result of the human-elephant conflict. Meanwhile, 2,032 people were killed in elephant attacks in the 26 years from 1998 to April 2023.

Many believed that an increase in the elephant population had contributed to the human-elephant conflict. However, there was no evidence to suggest that the elephant population is on the rise.

“In the decades following the year 2000, elephant habitats have dwindled. Elephant fences have been erected without a plan throughout the dry zone, fragmenting forests. These fences have separated forests that are under the purview of the Wildlife department, the Forest Conservation department, and the Mahaweli Authority from each other.

“These are all state entities. Because of these turf battles, elephants can’t move between forests. This is because erecting electric fences has become a money-making enterprise. Then unplanned settlements and large-scale commercial agricultural projects, which are recommended under the National Physical Plan, the IMF and the World Bank, too, have contributed to the reduction of elephant habitats.”

Chamikara also said that the quality of the surviving habitats too had deteriorated over time. Invasive plant species had spread in large swaths of forest land where elephants live, and about 54 garbage dumps had been established near forest reserves. Those factors draw elephants out of protected areas, he said.

“We also try to send as many tourists as possible to areas where there are lots of elephants. And this is a disturbance to elephants, and they try to escape this by going out of forest reserves into human settlements. This is another cause of human-elephant conflict,” Chamikara said.

All News Advertisement

Related Topics:commercial agricultural projects Department of Wildlife Elephants Sanwardana Jawaramen bihikala

Up Next

Environmentalist suspects organised killing of jumbos

Don't Miss

Protecting oceans vital as 80% of world trade depends on maritime routes– Minister de Silva

Click to comment

News

Development Officers threaten to intensify their protest

Published

4 hours ago

2026/02/2

Thilina Walpola

Protesting Development Officers continued their hunger strike near the Presidential Secretariat, Colombo yesterday (01), for the seventh consecutive day.The protesters, who are members of the Lanka School Development Officers’ Association, are demanding that they be absorbed into the teacher service as they have served as teachers in state-run schools for nearly seven years.

Secretary of the Association, Viraj Manaranga, said the protesters were seeking an urgent meeting with the President. He added that a presidential aide had visited the protest site and offered to arrange for a meeting with the President on 03 Feb., but the union insisted on an earlier date. Manaranga warned that failure to grant a meeting could trigger a massive protest in Colombo today (02).

Four officers participating in the hunger strike have been hospitalised due to deteriorating health, while two more joined the fast on Saturday (31).

In a bid to raise awareness of their grievances, on 30 January a delegation of the All Island Development Officers’ Association visited Most Venerable

Warakagoda Sri Gnanarathana Thera, Mahanayake of the Asgiriya Chapter, and subsequently with the Chapter’s Registrar, Ven. Dr. Medagama Dhammananda Thera. The prelates said promises that had been made to them should be fulfilled.

The protest began on 26 January as a satyagraha, after authorities failed to respond to repeated requests to integrate the officers into the teaching service. The escalation into a fast-unto-death underscores the protesters’ frustration over the prolonged delay

by Pradeep Prasanna Samarakoon

News

Auditor General to be appointed tomorrow

Published

4 hours ago

2026/02/2

Thilina Walpola

Bimal

The long-vacant post of Auditor General would be filled on 03 Feb., after months of controversy and delays, Minister of Transport, Highways and Urban Development Bimal Rathnayake said on Friday (31) in Kandy.

The Constitutional Council met at the Parliamentary complex on Friday to discuss the appointment but failed to reach a decision on a suitable candidate. The President had previously proposed four names on four separate occasions, all of which were rejected. The Council is now set to consider the fifth nominee.

The post has remained vacant since April 2025, following the retirement of Chulanta Wickramaratne, who served as the 41st Auditor General. More than 10 months have passed without a permanent appointment.

Sources said a female officer in the Auditor General’s Department has been nominated again, though her previous recommendation was rejected due to some allegations against her.

Meanwhile, senior audit officer Dharmapala Gammanpila, with 31 years of service and the department’s most senior official, has received backing from the Mahanayake Theras of the three Nikayas, the Maha Sangha, and several civil society groups for appointment as the 42nd Auditor General.

Sources noted that the three civil society representatives on the Constitutional Council will play a crucial role in the final decision.

by Chaminda Silva and SK Samaranayake

News

Two arrested for aiding and abetting murder

Published

4 hours ago

2026/02/2

Thilina Walpola

Two 18-year-old youth were arrested by the Southern Division of the Western Province Crime Division on 31 January for allegedly aiding and abetting two murders carried out in Dehiwala and Kohuwala. ICE (crystal meth) was found in their possession at the time of arrest.

The suspects are residents of Mount Lavinia and Boralesgamuwa, according to the police. They are accused of having helped carry out a murder at a hotel in the Dehiwala Police Division on 9 January, 2026, and an attack on a person travelling in a three-wheeler at Bodhiyawatta, Kohuwala, on 12 December, 2025.

Police said the charges included sending photographs of the victims to a criminal living overseas.

Investigations revealed that the youth had acted under the direction of a criminal known as Sando.

Under the guidance of Janaka Kumara, Director of the Southern Division of the Western Province Crime Division, investigations are being led by Police Inspector Hemanta Kumara, assisted by Sub-Inspectors Prasanna Gunathilaka and Prasanna (40248), and Constables Chaminda (72987), Anil (79598), Kumar (88762), and Senanayake (19363), who are continuing the probe.

by Norman Palihawadane and Chaminda Silva