The Diving and Salvage Unit of the Sri Lanka Navy often renders its assistance to search for persons who go missing in water bodies and recover the bodies of drowned persons. In the past year (from 22nd May 2022 to 22nd May 2023) the Sri Lanka Navy has recovered 148 corpses from watery graves.

Suicide attempts, misfortunes during fishing, bathing in water bodies under the influence of liquor, engaging in waterborne sports without swimming skill, bathing in unknown water bodies and stepping into crocodile-infested waters have been identified as some of the main reasons for the deaths.

Among the 148 corpses recovered by the Navy in the past year, there were 19 incidents of suicide, 18 cases of misfortune during fishing, and 111 incidents due to the carelessness of people.

By being cautious during daily tasks and fishing activities, it is possible to reduce the number of deaths caused by drowning in water bodies. Thus, the Sri Lanka Navy is urging the general public to be mindful and take necessary precautions in order to decrease the occurrence of drowning incidents.

The Cabinet of Ministers approved the combined proposal presented by the Minister of Justice, Prison Affairs and Constitutional Reforms and the Minister of Foreign Affairs for the establishment of the Truth and Reconciliation Mechanism in Sri Lanka taking into account the work of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in South Africa.

The Union of Organizations for the Protection of National Heritage handed over the draft of the investigation commission report on the inquiry into destruction of northern and eastern archaeological sites and interference with conservation activities to Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena  recently.

Ven Dr Maduruoye Dhammissara Thero, Dr. Gunadasa Amarasekara, Senior Advocate Kalyananda Thiranagama and others participated in this event on behalf of the Union of Organizations for the Protection of National Heritage.