News
UNP accuses govt. of oppressing people of one ethnicity
The United National Party has written to religious leaders on the cremation of those who die due to coronavirus infection against certain religious rituals.
Deputy Leader of the UNP Ruwan Wijewardene has, in a letter to the religious leaders, said that the cremation issue has got internationalised as the government has mismanaged it.
The Deputy Leader says that the end result of this delay is that various forces that seek to discredit Sri Lanka nationally and internationally by exploiting such issues are emerging in various guises to create crises in society.
“Therefore, immediate action should be taken with the intervention of the government to defeat these objectives and to strengthen mutual trust and commitment among the people,” Wijewardene has said.
Following is an English translation of the letter sent to the religious leaders:
“On the situation regarding the cremation of the corpses of people who died due to corona infection
“The crisis over the cremation of corpses of Muslims who died of corona infection is now being discussed not only in Sri Lanka but also internationally.
“We have decided to send this memorandum to inform you of the UNP’s position on the current situation regarding the corona bodies and to request your immediate intervention in this regard.
“The government should take a quick decision on the corpses of people who die due to corona.
“We would also like to inform you that it is the position of the UNP that a consensus should be reached after discussions with all communities.
“UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe addressing the Working Committee Meeting held on the 23rd under his leadership presented the relevant proposal and we would like to inform you that the Working Committee unanimously approved the idea.
“Wickremasinghe suggested that it was the right of the relevant communities to decide whether to cremate or bury their dead, and that the government should consult with Buddhist, Hindu, Catholic and Muslim religious leaders before making a decision on the matter.
“We are of the view that all people can be addressed only if they are represented by responsible religious leaders representing all religions.
“The UNP, as a party that has always given priority to Buddhism and is committed to protecting the rights and values of other religions, and recognizes inter-ethnic reconciliation, looks at this crisis from a broader perspective.
“It must be acknowledged that not only Muslims but also Catholics bury their dead. On the other hand, there are occasions when both Buddhists and Hindus bury their dead. There are also times when they cremate corpses. We must recognize that right as well.
“In this issue, we are of the stance that “by no means should people be segregated based on race, religion or caste and the real situation that exists must be discussed with religious leaders and no individual or group should be allowed to use such sensitive issues for narrow racist or religious purposes.”
“It is also important to look at how Korea, India and Germany have acted in this regard, as recommended by the World Health Organization.
“We are of the view that the recommendations made by the health sector should be highly regarded. It is imperative to pay close attention to the needs of the health sector. What needs to be done is to call all the religious leaders and the health authorities and take a quick decision
“Accordingly, we propose that the Department of Buddhist Affairs, the Department of Hindu Affairs, the Department of Christian Affairs and the Department of Islamic Cultural Affairs to hold preliminary discussions with the mediation of the Department of Health, and then take steps to hold discussions with religious leaders in coordination with the relevant departments.
“The UNP is of the view that instead of negotiation with all parties and reaching a final solution, the government’s procrastination acting unilaterally, rabidly and oppressing people of one ethnicity and allowing this sensitive issue to become a national and international issue, will only indirectly help the forces that are trying to create negative attitudes towards our country in the international arena.
“Therefore, we take this opportunity to respectfully request you to intervene in this matter.”
The Government’s ‘Rebuilding Sri Lanka’ Fund, established to provide relief and support to communities affected by Cyclone Ditwah, continues to receive financial contributions on a daily basis.
Accordingly, the Containers Transport Owners Association made a financial contribution of Rs. 1.5 million, while the Association of SriLankan Airlines Licensed Aircraft Engineers contributed Rs. 1.35 million to the Fund.
The respective cheques were formally presented to the Secretary to the President, Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, at the Presidential Secretariat on Friday (19).
The occasion was attended by W. M. S. K. Manjula, Chairman of the Containers Transport Owners Association, together with Dilip Nihal Anslem Perera and Jayantha Karunadhipathi.
Representing the Association of SriLankan Airlines Licensed Aircraft Engineers were Deshan Rajapaksa, Samudika Perera and Devshan Rodrigo handed over the cheque.
A meeting between Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya and a delegation of UNICEF representatives was held on Saturday, (December 20) at the Prime Minister’s Office.
During the meeting, the Prime Minister explained the measures taken by the Government to ensure the protection of the affected student community and to restore the damaged school system, as well as the challenges encountered in this process.
The Prime Minister stated that reopening schools located in landslide-prone areas would be extremely dangerous. Accordingly, the Government is focusing on identifying such schools and relocating them to suitable locations based on scientific assessments.
The Prime Minister further noted that financial assistance has been provided to students affected by the disaster, enabling parents to send their children back to school without an additional financial burden. Emphasizing that school is the safest place for children after their homes, the Prime Minister expressed confidence that the school environment would help restore and improve students’ mental well-being
The Prime Minister also highlighted that attention has been given to several key areas, including the relocation of disaster-affected schools, restoration of school infrastructure, merging and operating certain schools jointly, facilitating teaching and learning through digital and technological strategies, and providing special transportation facilities. She emphasized that the Government is examining these issues and is committed to finding long-term solutions.
The UNICEF representatives commended the Government’s commitment and the initiatives undertaken to restore the education sector and assured their support to the Government. Both parties also discussed working together collaboratively on future initiatives.
The meeting was attended by the UNICEF representatives to Sri Lanka Emma Brigham, Lakshmi Sureshkumar, Nishantha Subash, and Yashinka Jayasinghe, along with Secretary to the Ministry of Education Nalaka Kaluwewa, Director of Education Dakshina Kasturiarachchi, Deputy Directors Kasun Gunarathne and Udara Dikkumbura.
(Prime Minister’s Media Division)
Drug controversy:
“Setting up state-of-the-art drug testing facility will cost Rs 5 billion”
Activists call for legal action against politicians, bureaucrats
Serious questions have been raised over Sri Lanka’s drug regulatory system following revelations that the National Medicines Regulatory Authority’s (NMRA) quality control laboratory is not accredited by the Sri Lanka Accreditation Board (SLAB), casting doubt on both the reliability of local test results and the adequacy of oversight of imported medicines.
Medical and civil rights groups warn that the issue points to a systemic regulatory failure rather than an isolated lapse, with potential political and financial consequences for the State.
Chairman of the Federation of Medical and Civil Rights Professional Associations, Specialist Dr. Chamal Sanjeewa, said the controversy surrounding the Ondansetron injection, which was later found to be contaminated, had exposed deep weaknesses in drug regulation and quality assurance.
Dr. Sanjeewa said that the manufacturer had confirmed that the drug had been imported into Sri Lanka on four occasions this year, despite later being temporarily withdrawn from use. The drug was manufactured in India in November 2024 and in May and August 2025, and imported to Sri Lanka in February, July and September. On each occasion, 67,600 phials were procured.
Dr. Sanjeewa said the company had informed the NMRA that the drug was tested in Indian laboratories, prior to shipment, and passed all required quality checks. The manufacturer reportedly tested the injections against 10 parameters, including basic quality standards,
pH value, visual appearance, component composition, quantity per phial, sterility levels, presence of other substances, bacterial toxin levels and spectral variations.
According to documents submitted to the NMRA, no bacterial toxins were detected in the original samples, and the reported toxin levels were within European safety limits of less than 9.9 international units per milligram.
Dr. Sanjeewa said the credibility of local regulatory oversight had come under scrutiny, noting that the NMRA’s quality control laboratory was not SLAB-accredited. He said establishing a fully equipped, internationally accredited laboratory would cost nearly Rs. 5 billion.
He warned that the failure to invest in such a facility could have grave consequences, including continued loss of life due to substandard medicines and the inability of the State to recover large sums of public funds paid to pharmaceutical companies for defective drugs.
“If urgent steps are not taken, public money will continue to be lost and accountability will remain elusive,” Dr. Sanjeewa said.
He added that if it was ultimately confirmed that the drug did not contain bacterial toxins at the time it entered Sri Lanka, the fallout would be even more damaging, severely undermining the credibility of the country’s health system and exposing weaknesses in health administration.
Dr. Sanjeewa said public trust in the health sector had already been eroded and called for legal action against all politicians and public officials responsible for regulatory failures linked to the incident.
by Chaminda Silva ✍️
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