News
Home » NewsHelp at last for villagers cut off by landslides
With little or no food and no communication with the outside world, people in the remote Pussellawa village near Meemure remained cut off for days after Cyclone Ditwah landslides destroyed all roads on November 29, until Special Forces troops this week used trail motorbikes to deliver essential items.
Rs. 1,000 bn emergency funding for relief work
Speaker convenes special parliament sittings on Thursday for Govt. to seek funds via supplementary estimate; prorogation follows passage By Damith Wickremasekara The government will present a supplementary estimate of Rs.1000 billion to Parliament when an emergency sitting of the House is held on Thursday, December 18. The special sitting of the House has been summoned [...]
US troops raided ship from China to Iran off Sri Lanka
No comment from Beijing, Tehran, Colombo; Iran seizes tanker; Lankans among the crew A US Special Operations team boarded a cargo ship in the Indian Ocean, several hundred miles off the coast of Sri Lanka, and seized military-related articles headed to Iran from China, the Wall Street Journal has reported. The incident had occurred last [...]
New anti-terrorism bill ready; tough penalties and hefty fines for offences
By S. Rubatheesan Under the proposed Terrorism Act, those who commit an act of terrorism will be handed hefty penalties ranging from a twenty-year jail term with fines to life imprisonment after a High Court trial. The new law titled “Protection of the State from Terrorism Act, No. of 2026″ has been published by the [...]
Cabraal case not over: CIABOC mulls fresh action if loss is not repaid
By Ranjith Padmasiri The Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) is considering whether to call two of the accused who were discharged from the Greek bonds case as prosecution witnesses in a fresh case to be filed against former Central Bank Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal, should he fail to pay back the [...]
Landslides and floods mar Sri Lanka’s landscape
Several landslides have scarred Sri Lanka’s landscape ripping up chunks of the central hills in particular, dislodging boulders, wrecking roads and railways, while turning villages and towns into rubble, the result of a cyclone that left the island shell-shocked on November 28. More than half of the reported landslides occurred in the Badulla, Kandy and [...]
World Bank and global experts to assess Ditwah impact
By Ishu Bandara Several international teams, including a group from the World Bank, are expected to arrive in Sri Lanka in the coming days to carry out comprehensive assessments of the overall impact of Cyclone Ditwah on the country. Disaster Management Centre (DMC) Director General Major General (Retd.) Sampath Kotuwegoda told the Sunday Times that [...]
Sri Lanka CJ on Indian Supreme Court bench during special sitting
A 10-member delegation from Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court, headed by Chief Justice Preethi Padman Surasena, undertook an official visit to India this week. The group was accorded a ceremonial welcome in the Supreme Court of India in New Delhi main hall, led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant.The focal point of the programme [...]
8.3 million dollar UNFPA appeal to deliver support to women
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has launched a USD 8.3 million humanitarian appeal to deliver urgent, life-saving support to women and girls whose health, safety, and dignity are increasingly at risk in the wake of Cyclone Ditwah, which triggered catastrophic floods and landslides across Sri Lanka. Among those affected are an estimated 520,000 women [...]
Commandos rescue infant
An elite 8-member team from the 2nd Commando Regiment of the Sri Lanka Army spearheaded a dramatic rescue of a 3-month-old infant under extremely challenging conditions from the remote Meemure area. This 8-member team had found a 3-month-old infant and her grandmother while searching a house in the Karambaketiya village on December 3. The infant [...]
Visitors pour in despite some setbacks in scenic cities and train rides
By Wasantha Ramanayake Following the cyclone Ditwah devastation, Sri Lanka’s tourism industry continues its journey toward a full recovery as daily arrivals increased after a short dip early this month, Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority statistics show. Although arrivals in the first week of December are slightly higher than in December of last year, the [...]
Ditwah disaster: Some councils dump waste in wetlands defying MEPA and CEA guidelines
By Nidarshani Wickramasinghe Some government bodies are discarding waste in a manner that is detrimental to the environment disregarding instructions by the Marine Environment Protection Authority (MEPA) and the Central Environmental Authority (CEA), in the aftermath of the trail of destruction left behind by cyclone Ditwah. The Sunday Times observed that some municipal councils had [...]
Devastated farmers fazed by thought of recovery and the ‘next season’
By Dilushi Wijesinghe Amid mounting public concern over the agricultural impact of Cyclone Ditwah and fluctuating market prices of paddy and field crops, experts insist that Sri Lanka will not face an imminent food shortage. Despite an estimated loss of more than 100,000 hectares of paddy and over 11,000 hectares of other field crops following [...]
Cabraal ‘was only performing his duties’, counsel submits
By Ranjith Padmasiri The Colombo High Court this week conditionally discharged former Central Bank Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal from the case where he was indicted for investing in Greek bonds during an economic crisis and thereby causing a loss to the state. Mr Cabraal was ordered to pay back the estimated loss of Rs 1.8 [...]
Old supplier edged out in $300m gas tender; Swiss firm wins contract amid rule-bending claims
By Duruthu Edirimuni Chandrasekera The Cabinet has awarded to a Swiss company, Geogas Trading S.A., the tender to procure 380,000 metric tonnes of LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas) for 2026, ousting the traditional supplier, OQ Trading, the international energy and commodity trading arm of Oman’s government-owned energy company. Litro Gas Lanka, responsible for providing for the [...]
Death sentence on assassin of T. Maheswaran upheld by Supreme Court
By Ranjith Padmasiri The Supreme Court has upheld the death sentence imposed on an LTTE member convicted over the assassination of United National Party (UNP) Jaffna District Parliamentarian T. Maheswaran. The Court of Appeal had earlier upheld the sentence and rejected an appeal filed by the accused, Johnson Colin Valentino alias ‘Vasanthan’ against the death [...]
Fun show for children at an Ududumbara refugee camp
By L B Senaratne While many donors have come forward to help out materially in the aftermath of floods and landslides, the mental stability of the children affected remains a major concern. The Coordinator of Pre-Schools at the University of Peradeniya Dr. (Ms.) Nishanti Athukorale and her team held a fun show and drawing lessons [...]
Kandy needs new superior courts complex, says President of Bar Association
By L B Senaratne The Acting President of the Kandy Bar Association Shantha Ratnayake PC said it is time to think of constructing a Superior Courts Complex at Pallekelle, where two acres of land had previously been allocated for that purpose before a complex was constructed in the present site in Kandy. He said that [...]
Race against time to salvage damaged archival records
By Sajeniya Sathanandan More than 210,000 archival records have been officially reported as damaged due to the devastating floods and landslides as officials undertake efforts to salvage some of the documents. The Kandy Courts premises has been one of the worst affected, with several of its record rooms going underwater, while libraries, educational institutions, police [...]
Retailers take stock, and it’s back to business as usual
By Kasun Warakapitiya Owners of grocery shops, eateries, and clothing stores in flooded areas are bearing financial losses and rebuilding their businesses. Some are waiting for government support. Many retailers had abandoned their goods and moved to higher ground when the Kelani River breached its banks on November 28 and caused floods in low-lying areas. [...]
Disaster within: DMC crippled by staff shortage, multiple shortcomings
Recommendations flagged in successive audit and performance reports go unheeded By Namini Wijedasa Sri Lanka’s lead agency for disaster management suffers from crippling staff shortages, an analysis of documents from 2011 to 2023 shows. As at the end of last year, only 269 employees of the Disaster Management Centre’s (DMC) approved cadre of 447 [...]
Police questioned for delay in testing NPP MP for drunk-driving; woman and child hospitalised in accident involving his car
By Kasun Warakapitiya An infant and his grandmother injured in an accident involving the vehicle driven by former Speaker Asoka Ranwala are still receiving treatment in hospital, while the family has raised concerns regarding the impartiality of the investigations into the incident. The infant’s mother, who also sustained facial injuries, was discharged after a surgery [...]
Pera campus counts heavy losses from deluge as partial academic activities resume tomorrow
The university did not receive any official warning of a possible flood, says Vice Chancellor 10 buildings severely damaged; initial direct damage cost estimated at Rs. 3 billion; total recovery expected to be several billion more By Sandun Jayawardana and Sajeniya Sathanandan Two weeks after Cyclone Ditwah, the University of Peradeniya is still counting the [...]
Peradeniya Gardens recovery could cost Rs 120m
By Kasun Warakapitiya The Peradeniya Royal Botanical Gardens will not know with certainty whether the plants in its nurseries will survive after floodwaters swept through the gardens. The overall damage to the gardens is estimated at more than Rs 120 million. The gardens are open to the public while the cleanup continues. Employees said that [...]
The enormous task ahead: Post-Ditwah recovery with foreign assistance
The devastation by cyclone Ditwah is far more extensive than estimated earlier. Agriculture, industry, tourism, transport and many services have been severely disrupted. The tasks of rescue, relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction are enormous. Response The response of our people to assist in the rescue and rehabilitation has been exemplary. Foreign assistance too has been coming [...]
‘One Health’, only way to protect humans, animals & environment from super bugs
Health Secretary Dr. Anil Jasinghe looks at SL’s achievements and challenges including the need for a dedicated budget to fight silent pandemic of AMR By Kumudini Hettiarachchi Super bugs, the bane not just of humans but also animals and the environment – much has been done in the fight against them, but much more also needs [...]
Editors’ Guild slams two recent incidents as grave danger to media freedom
The Editors’ Guild of Sri Lanka (TEGOSL) has expressed grave concern regarding two recent incidents that have an adverse effect on the freedom of expression and media freedom in the country. The first instance was the summoning of the Editor of ‘Aruna’ newspaper by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to record a statement, on its [...]
Vehicle insurance claims dominate 21,300 disaster filings
By Ishu Bandara As of December 11, the Insurance Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (IRCSL) has received 21,306 claims following the recent floods and cyclone Ditwah. The figure was based on data from all 14 insurance companies except for the Agricultural and Agrarian Insurance Board. But the number of life insurance claims reported so far [...]
A 5000-strong force to reconstruct irrigation projects in Badulla
A 5,000-strong force has been deployed in the Badulla district to carry out reconstruction of irrigation projects, Badulla District Secretary Pabath Abeywardena said. He said reconstruction of 35 projects was completed yesterday while 40 other irrigation projects are being renovated. The 5,000-strong force assembled at the Hali Ela Pradeshiya Sabha ground before they were deployed. [...]
Spells of rain and windy weather ahead
The Department of Meteorology yesterday issued a weather advisory warning of intermittent showers and thundershowers over several parts of the country during the next 36 hours. Northern, North-Central, Eastern, Uva, Central, and North-Western provinces are expected to experience several spells of rain, while other regions may witness showers or thundershowers after 1.00 p.m. today. The [...]
Ditwah-battered railway lines on a very slow trot to recovery
Pix and text by Rekha Tharangani Fonseka Barely a year after the Northern Railway Line was reopened following a US$ 91.27 million Indian-funded modernisation project, large sections of the strategically vital route have been rendered inoperable by Cyclone Ditwah, forcing Sri Lanka Railways to once again seek Indian assistance for urgent reconstruction. The 339-kilometre Northern [...]
Concerns raised over illegal inroads being made into Knuckles on the pretext of Ditwah disaster
Proposed new road to reach landslide hit Meemure now shelved after objections; existing road from Hunasgiriya being cleared to reach the area By Tharushi Weerasinghe A controversial proposal to cut a new access road through the Knuckles Conservation Forest to reach landslide-hit Meemure has been withdrawn, official sources confirmed this week, following objections over safety, [...]
Unravelling the mystery that is Sinharaja- through word and image
By Malaka Rodrigo When Sri Lankans speak of natural heritage, names like Sinharaja and Knuckles inevitably surface. Both are UNESCO World Heritage sites, recognised not merely for their beauty but for the irreplaceable ecological value they hold. Yet today, while Knuckles finds itself in the national spotlight due to a controversial road construction attempt that [...]
Faithful canine saves lives of 14 villagers
A pet dog became the unlikely saviour of 14 people when it alerted villagers of Maspanna in Uwa Paranagama of an impending landslide that would have buried them alive. The dog named Chuti was outside its owner’s house as heavy rains fell on November 27. Its owner and family members were in their kitchen, discussing [...]
Dog helps rescuers find his former family
Pix and text by Kanchana Kumara Ariyadasa The location where a family of seven lay buried in a landslide at Ambokka, Pallepola, in Matale, was identified by their pet dog who had survived, residents said. The dog kept on frantically scratching the muddy soil which covered its former house. When the surviving villagers dug the [...]