News
Seven arrested for videoing Victoria Dam using drone camera despite warnings
By Norman Palihawadane
The Army and the Mahaweli security personnel nabbed seven persons for videoing the Victoria dam and the surrounding high security area using a drone camera.
They handed over the suspects to the police for further investigations, yesterday.
The suspects are between the ages of 31 and 32 years and are residents of Beruwala, Mount Lavinia and Weligama.
Police said the group had arrived there on Saturday (22) morning in a van and asked from the Mahaweli Engineering Office for permission to take videos and photos with a drone camera.
After the Mahaweli Engineering Office informed the group that they could not be allowed to video the dam without permission of the Ministry of Defence, they went to a forested area adjacent to the observation point and launched the drone camera.
The Mahaweli security officers, who were alarmed by the sound of the drone camera, immediately came into action and arrested the group.
Theldeniya police said that the Mahaweli Security Division had also lodged a complaint with the police about the incident, and accordingly they took steps to arrest the seven persons.
Police also said they are taking steps to obtain a court order to examine the videos and photos recorded by the drone camera as they had been clearly instructed not to fly it.
The suspects are to be produced in Theldeniya Magistrate’s Court.
According to police the area around the Victoria Dam has been gazetted as a high security zone and some people are sending drone cameras to the area and trying to take pictures.
Police said that legal action had already been taken against people who took photos of the high security area around Victoria Dam on three occasions since January this year.
The Indian Naval Ship (INS) Sahyadri which arrived at the Port of Colombo on a formal visit on 04 Apr 25, departed the island today (07 Apr). The Sri Lanka Navy bade customary farewell to the departing ship at the Port of Colombo, following naval traditions.
During the ship’s stay in Colombo, crew members of INS Sahyadri took part in several programmes organized by the Sri Lanka Navy, aimed at enhancing mutual cooperation. In addition, they also explored some tourist attractions in the country. Further, personnel of Sri Lanka Navy had the opportunity to visit INS Sahyadri, gaining insights into her operational capabilities.
Latest News
Advisory for severe lightning issued for Sabaragamuwa, Central and Uva provinces and in Hambanthota district
The Natural Hazards Early Warning Centre has issued an Advisory for Severe Lightning for the Sabaragamuwa, Central and Uva provinces and in Hambanthota district.
The advisory issued at 02.00 p.m. today [07 April 2025] is valid for the period until 11.00 p.m. 07 April 2025
The public are warned that thundershowers accompanied by severe lightning are likely to occur at several places in for Sabaragamuwa, Central and Uva provinces and in Hambantota district. There may be temporary localized strong winds during thundershowers. General public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimize damages caused by lightning activity.
ACTION REQUIRED:
The Department of Meteorology advises that people should:
Seek shelter, preferably indoors and never under trees.
• Avoid open areas such as paddy fields, tea plantations and open water bodies during thunderstorms.
• Avoid using wired telephones and connected electric appliances during thunderstorms.
• Avoid using open vehicles, such as bicycles, tractors and boats etc.
• Beware of fallen trees and power lines.
• For emergency assistance contact the local disaster management authorities.
The report of the “Census of Population and Housing 2024,” conducted by the Department of Census and Statistics, was officially handed over to President Anura Kumara Disanayake this morning (07) at the Presidential Secretariat.
This preliminary report has been prepared based on island wide data collected between October and December 2024.
The report provides details on Sri Lanka’s population, its growth and the distribution of the population across districts.
The information gathered through the census is vital not only for the government but also for other institutions in formulating policies and development plans essential for the country’s progress. Significantly, for the first time in the history of census-collecting in Sri Lanka, data collection was carried out using tablet computers and user-friendly mobile devices.
The event was attended by Deputy Minister of Finance & Planning, Harshana Suriyapperuma, Secretary to the President Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, Secretary to the Ministry of Finance Mahinda Siriwardana, Director General of the Department of Census and Statistics D.D.G.A. Senevirathne and several other officials.
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