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President Anura Kumara Dissanayake made sure he did not forget the welfare of pet animals when he presented the Budget to Parliament on Friday. Among the budget proposals was one to allocate Rs.100 million to develop a system to take care of stray dogs and pets in urban areas in collaboration with the local authorities as facilities for the burial and cremation of pets.

The Rs.100 million allocated will be to implement a pilot project in the local authorities of Kesbewa and Piliyandala areas, with the aim of encouraging the provision of services for the burial of pets, cremation and care of stray animals.

D-syndicate members in drug trade in tow with ex LTTE operatives: IANS reports

While the Sri Lanka Government is going all out on its war on drugs, Indian media reports this week suggested that the Dawood Ibrahim syndicate which is linked to the Mumbai terrorist attacks of 2008 is believed to be colluding with the remnants of the LTTE to move drugs through South India. The issue was flagged recently by intelligence agencies —with intercepts suggesting that the Mumbai-based crime group was in touch with former Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam members. The two have long-standing ties and remain engaged with common networks for various illegal activities, Indian media reported.

According to an IANS report citing intelligence agencies, D-syndicate members are now in touch with former LTTE operatives and sympathisers in order to pursue their trade ventures. The crime group is also believed to be tapping into the banned militant organisation’s network — both in Sri Lanka and India to help further their drug business. The development also comes at a time when the crime syndicate has been facing severe losses in its operations that are carried out mainly in Maharashtra, Gujarat and other northern states.

Winds of change and security concerns

Increasing presence of Pakistanis in Northern provinces in recent times caused some raised eyebrows in the South Indian security circles with equal concern, it is learnt.

The concern reached upper levels when a local private company in Mannar brought down 28 Pakistani individuals for the recent controversial Mannar windmill project. The company also informed the relevant police station that foreign workers are involved in the windmill turbine project which saw locals stage protests over environmental concerns.

This week, the Cabinet of Ministers decided not to implement further proposed windmill projects in the isle without the consent of local communities and resolving environmental concerns.

The security worries came in the wake of the Mannar basin being often used as the regular route for narcotics smuggling including criminal activities.

Howls of protest from SJB as Speaker makes Budget debate blunder

Yesterday (Saturday) was the first day of the debate on the second reading of Budget 2026. As is customary, it is the opposition that opens the second reading debate on the first day. Speaker Jagath Wickramaratne however, made a blunder first up by inviting Chief Government Whip Nalinda Jayatissa to open the debate, much to the astonishment of the opposition.

Opposition MPs protested loudly, pointing out that it was Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) MP Harsha De Silva who should be the first speaker of the debate.

Leader of the House Bimal Rathnayake too acknowledged that according to parliamentary tradition, it is the opposition that should open the second reading debate. “We have no problem with that,” he told the House. It usually starts by the opposition MP suggesting a cut of Rs. 10 from the Budget and there begins the debate. After some initial confusion, the SJB MP opened the debate.

What’s in a word like “kakkussi”: A lot it seems for MP Archchuna

An argument over whether the Sinhala word “kakkussi” (toilets) was an obscene term that should fall under the category of unparliamentary language and thus be stricken from the Hansard erupted yesterday when Jaffna District Independent Group MP Ramanathan Archchuna objected over its use by Justice Minister Harshana Nanayakkara.

The exchange occurred when the member was speaking about how the government had allocated Rs. 5 billion through the budget to pay a daily attendance incentive of Rs. 200 for estate workers as part of moves to increase their daily wage to Rs. 1750. “What other government did this sort of thing? Those populations were just used as voter blocs,” the minister said, adding that the government was empowering a community that previous governments had provided only toilets (kakkussi valak) and a bucket to such people. “We are not a gov-ernment like that,” he said.

Raising a point of order, MP Archchuna asked whether the word “kakussi” could be used in the House under standing orders of Parliament. “Ask him to withdraw that word,” he told the Chair. “What other word can I use to describe it? Should I call it Irida Pola? (Sunday Market)” Minister Nanayakkara asked. He said it was a matter of language since Sinhala was the second language of Mr. Archchuna. “If there is some confusion regarding the word, we can talk it out, but I can’t use another word for it and it is not an obscene term,” the Justice Minister insisted.

Switching the wig for the toque

It was time for Judge of the Supreme Court Justice Yasantha Kodagoda P.C. to shed his robes and don a different kind of head attire when he participated at the annual cake mixing day held at a popular Colombo restaurant this week. The  cake mixing event is a ceremony held to mark the start of the Christmas season, and Justice Kodagoda joined in the fun event which was a world away from the somber atmosphere of a Supreme Court.

ITAK raises concerns over appointee names for Office of Reparations

While names are under consideration for appointees to the Office of Reparations before the Constitutional Council, the Central Working Committee of Ilankai Thamil Arasu Katchchi (ITAK) wrote to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake this week expressing concerns – the reason- their military background.

The Committee which met in Vavuniya last week decided to write to President Dissanayake saying that the Office is generally touted as one of the mechanisms for advancing reconciliation in Sri Lanka after the northern armed conflict.

“Any person with the security sector background appointed to this position will only go to confirm what our people have been saying all these days and the callousness of the government.” the letter reads.

Out of four names that have been recommended for appointment to the Office of Reparations recently, the party found that two of them have security sector backgrounds.

“This is in addition to the fact that the fifth member is a Major General! So if Mrs. Wasantha Perera (previously held the position of Addl. Secretary, Ministry of Defence) and Joseph Terence Gnananandan Sundaram (ex Navy Officer) are appointed, three out of five members will be from the security sector, when not even one person should come from that sector into an office such as this.”

Apart from the letter from the party, it is worthwhile to note its President MP S. Shritharan is one of the members of the Constitutional Council as well.

Gangsters names that evoke neither terror nor awe, but laughter

Organised criminal gang members tend to be more famous from their aliases rather than their real names. There have been many notorious underworld criminals over the years whose aliases bring back memories of their terrible deeds, long after they are dead and gone.

Then there are other organised criminal gang members whose unusual aliases tend to evoke neither terror nor awe, but laughter given how ridiculous they sound.

One such suspect with an unusual alias was arrested by the Colombo North Divisional Crime Investigation Bureau this week. The suspect, arrested with 26 grams of ‘Ice’ was identified as an individual named Madusanka, but who was better known by his alias, ‘Samaposha.’

The fact that an alleged underworld criminal went by an alias referencing a pre-cooked, cereal-based supplement food evoked much amusement on social media. Some wondered how anyone with such a name could rise through the ranks of an underworld criminal group. One wondered whether ‘Samaposha’ was part of a double act, and had a buddy who went by the alias ‘Thriposha’ (a supplementary food product).