News
Three Lankans drown daily
By Rathindra Kuruwita
About three Sri Lankans drown daily, according to doctors.
Consultant Community Physician at the Department of Non-Communicable Diseases of the Ministry of Health, Dr. Samitha Siritunga told the media on Tuesday that between 10,000 and 12,000 Sri Lankans died annually in accidents, and about 10 percent of those deaths were caused by drowning.
Annually, about 200,000 people drowned, Dr. Siritunga said.
Most of the Sri Lankans who drowned were above the age of 20, he said.
Dr. Senitha Liyanage, Consultant Emergency Physician, Colombo South Teaching Hospital – Kalubowila, said that one could drown even at home.
“There is a belief that to drown, the body of water must be at least five feet deep. However, infants are brought to the hospital after falling into water which is only six inches deep.
Some adults drown in water that is only one foot deep,” he said.
Dr. Liyanage said that a highly intoxicated person could easily fall into a ditch or a gully and drown.
“You can slip into a canal or a stream, hit your head, become incapacitated, and die. One has to be careful,” he said.
Asanka Nanayakkara, Chief Executive Officer at Sri Lanka Life Saving Association, said that some Sri Lankans believed that life jackets were for people who can’t swim. “Nothing can be further from the truth. You can be a champion swimmer and yet drown. Life jackets save lives.
“Sri Lanka Life Saving is ready to provide teaching and training to any school or other institution interested in lifesaving,” he said.
Four newly appointed Supreme Court Justices took their oaths of office before President Anura Kumara Disanayake this morning (12) at the Presidential Secretariat.
Accordingly, Court of Appeal Justices R.M.S. Rajakaruna, Menaka Wijesundara, Sampath B. Abeykoon, and M.S.K.B. Wijeratne were sworn in as Supreme Court Justices during the ceremony presided over by the President.
Secretary to the President, Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, was also present at the swearing in.
President Anura Kumara Disanayake has appointed High Court Judge Ranga Dissanayake as the new Director General of the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption.
The formal letter of appointment was officially handed over to him by the Secretary to the President, Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, at the Presidential Secretariat .
The Sri Lanka Navy seized two Indian fishing boats and apprehend eight Indian fishermen while they were poaching in Sri Lankan waters, during a special operation conducted in the sea area north of Mannar in the dark hours of 11th January 2025.
The Navy continues to conduct regular patrols and operations in Sri Lankan waters to curb illegal fishing practices of foreign fishing boats, taking into account the impact of those practices on the livelihood of local fishermen.
The seized boats together with Indian fishermen were brought to the island of Iranativu and were to be handed over to the Assistant Directorate of Fisheries, Kilinochchi for onward legal proceedings.
Including this operation, the Navy has held 03 Indian fishing boats and 18 Indian fishermen in Sri Lankan waters thus far in 2025, and handed them over to authorities for legal action.
Four new Supreme Court Justices Sworn In
High Court Judge Ranga Dissanayake appointed Director General of CIABOC
Navy seize two Indian fishing boats poaching in Sri Lankan waters north of Mannar
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