News
Rape of Sinharaja continues: Racketeers in a hurry to grab forest land – Environmentalist
Illicit felling and unauthorised ‘development’ activities around the Sinharaja Forest Reserve, following the expansion of the Lankagama Road last year were now widespread, Sajeewa Chamikara of Movement for Land and Agricultural Reform (MONLAR) said yesterday.
Chamikara said that 85 acres in the Rosemary area at Pannila Forest situated at 231- C Rakwana – South Grama Niladari Division of the Godakawela Divisional Secretariat were being cleared and a group of individuals were clearing up 143 acres of forest land, adjoining the Delgoda Reserve situated at Suduwelipatha Village, in the Kalawana Divisional Secretariat area.
Chamikara said that those who were clearing up 143 acres of forest land were using false deeds to carry out illegal activities.
“We revealed earlier that two businessmen were clearing the Botiyatenna Elephant Corridor at Manikkawatta to construct hotels. Now, the residents of Rambuka, Thanawela, Ellagama, Handiyekade, Kajugaswatte, Pothupitiya, Kopikella and Cypresswatte villages will come under jumbo attacks as the two remaining Sinharaja elephants maraud these villages. They are likely to lose their properties and even their lives due to the hotels constructed by obstructing the elephant corridors.”
Chamikra said those were only a few incidents of clearing forest land adjoining the Sinharaja Forest Reserve by those with political power and financial might.
Most of the forest areas surrounding the Sinharaja had been earmarked to be amalgamated with the forest reserve because they were an important part of the forest network. The unscrupulous businessmen and politicians were attempting to carve out as much land as possible before those areas received the protected status, the environmentalist said.
“One of the main reasons for the increase in illegal activities in forest areas adjoining Sinharaja can be traced to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa encouraging ‘farmers’ to expand their farms into protected forest areas during his ‘Gama Samaga Pilisandara’ (Discussion with villagers) programme. During this programme he also instructed officials to change the borders of these reserves and allow farming to take place inside protected areas.”
The environmentalist also said that another reason for the spike in deforestation and illegal development initiatives was the non-implementation of a Cabinet decision on Sinharaja in 2004.
“Cabinet Paper (PS/CS/26/2004 of 22 July 2004) proposed to allow the Forest Department to acquire forests, most of which belonged to the Land Reform Commission (LRC), within the radius of 500 metres from the Sinharaja boundary. The Cabinet Paper also proposed that those lands should be acquired under Section 22 (1) F and 44 A of the Land Reform Law of 1972 after paying compensation. The Cabinet approved the proposals, but the relevant documents have been at the Ministry of Environment for decades without any action being taken on them. If these proposals had been implemented, businessmen and politicians would not have been able to grab large swathes of ecologically sensitive land adjoining the Sinharaja Forest.”
News
Cabinet nod to increase the number of new automated passenger clearance gates at the Bandaranayake International Airport to 12
Approval of the Cabinet of Ministers was granted at their meeting held on 19.05.2025 to purchase four (04) automated passenger clearance gates for Bandaranayake International Airport.
In addition, it is expected to extend the automated passenger clearance gates facility so far given only to the Sri Lankans
parallel to the e – passport issuance system to be introduced in the year 2027 also to the foreigners who travel to and from this country.
Furthermore, considering also the number of air passengers rapidly increasing with the fast – forwarding business and tourism field, the appropriateness to increase the total automated passenger clearance gates up to twelve (12) in number has been recognized.
Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers, approved the resolution furnished by the Minister of Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs to initiate the procurement and installation of 12
automated passenger clearance gates altogether with the already approved four (04) and another eight (08) automated passenger clearance gates adhering to the formal procurement procedure
Based on the observations submitted by the Task Force on Prevention of Money Laundering and Financing for Terrorism, approval of the Cabinet of Ministers was granted at their meeting held on 18.12.2024 to amend the Trust Ordinance No. 9 of 1917 including amendments proposed by the Financial
Intelligence Unit of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka.
Accordingly, clearance of the Attorney General has been granted for the Trust (Amendment) Draft Bill formulated by the Legal Draftsman.
Therefore, the Cabinet of Ministers approved the resolution furnished by the Minister of Justice and National Integration
to publish the said draft bill in the government gazette notification and thereby, submit the same to the Parliament for its concurrence.
Action was taken to provide a fuel relief for the fuel consumers during the months of April, May and June of 2026 to redress by minimizing the impact caused to the day today life of the citizens of this country as well as the entire economy due to the price hike of petroleum fuel in the global market resulting from the war situation in the Middle East.
Government mediation is essential for minimizing the impact on the day to today life of citizens in this country due to that war situation not being ended further. Therefore, it has been planned to redress on the sale price for Auto Diesel and Industrial Diesel for a period of 03 months by the Government to provide relief to the public as well as to maintain the prices at a bearable level to the consumers without escalating the fuel prices in this country compared to the escalation of fuel prices
in the international market.
Therefore, the Cabinet of Ministers granted approval for the resolution furnished by the President in his capacity as the Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development to
allocate provisions subject to the monthly limitations respectively as rupees 15 billion for the month of October, rupees 13.5 billion for the month of November and rupees 12.15 billion for the month of December to provide the said relief
Cabinet nod to increase the number of new automated passenger clearance gates at the Bandaranayake International Airport to 12
Draft Bill for amending the Trust Ordinance
Implementing further relief programme to Public sffected by the Middle East conflict situation
Establishment of a Spectrum Management and Monitoring System and a Quality of Service and Quality of Experience System for the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka
Appointment of a Committee for the Restitution of Sri Lankan Cultural Heritage Held Abroad
Ten-Year National Action Plan on the Social Protection Sector (2026–2035)
‘Dates have the highest sugar content to fight Coronavirus’
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