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The Disaster Management Centre (DMC) came under heavy criticism in the recent past over its handling of Cyclone Ditwah and its delay in issuing critical warnings on time, particularly regarding the opening of sluice gates of dams and reservoirs—a lapse some politicians and environmentalists argued made matters worse, causing severe floods even on high ground.

One of the shortcomings of the DMC was the lack of communication means to disseminate critical warnings to the ground-level people, as telecom networks went down.

Weeks later, all regional DMC offices are being supplied with Starlink satellite connections, which are portable as well, to ensure the DMC administrative connectivity is in place in case of another disaster.

As installing the device was carried out this week in the DMC office in Mullaitivu, one of the worst affected regions, one official was heard saying that “he had wished that the equipment (Starlink) was made available much earlier so they could have kept vulnerable people informed before the flooding.”

Ironically, Starlink is owned and operated by SpaceX, the American aerospace company founded by billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, who was once called an economic hitman by the NPP’s Sunil Handunnetti during the election campaign in 2024. Later he retracted the
comment, saying what he said was misinterpreted.

CJ leads top judges on knowledge exchange tour to India

Chief Justice Preethi Padman Surasena recently led a delegation of ten apex court judges to attend a ‘knowledge exchange’ and interaction programme organised by the Supreme Court of India and the National Judicial Academy (NJA), Bhopal.

The programme was divided into two parts: a three-day module at NJA Bhopal, followed by two days in New Delhi. The Bhopal leg saw exchanges and interactions of the Sri Lankan Justices with Indian counterparts, resource persons and technical experts on various themes such as constitutional interpretation, climate justice and environment protection, transforming justice delivery with the advent of new technologies, emerging trends in human rights and international legal obligations, and media and public perception of justice, among others.

Chief Justice Preethi Padman Surasena and other judges meeting India's High Commissioner Santosh Jha in Colombo after their return from their India tour

The New Delhi leg included interactions with India’s Chief Justice Surya Kant, Supreme Court Justices, Attorney General R. Venkataramani and Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta; participation in court proceedings in the Chief Justice of India’s Court; a briefing on e-initiatives of the Supreme Court of India and e-filing; and a visit to the Delhi High Court.

After their return, at a debriefing session held at the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka, the justices shared their experiences with India’s High Commissioner Santosh Jha.

Herath facilitates President’s call with MBZ

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake telephoned the United Arab Emirates (UAE) President, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, often referred to by his initials, MBZ, on Thursday to express his appreciation for the UAE’s humanitarian assistance to Sri Lankans affected by recent floods and the cyclone.

President Dissanayake and UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan

During the call, the UAE President extended his heartfelt condolences to President Dissanayake and the Sri Lankan people over the loss of life caused by the floods and wished the country safety and resilience in the face of such challenges. The UAE’s rapid response teams provided much needed emergency humanitarian assistance to communities impacted by the natural disaster.

Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath facilitated the telephone conversation between the two leaders.

Police indiscipline stops match; caught on camera

The government and Inspector General Priyantha Weerasooriya may be committed to improving discipline within the police force, but they find old habits die hard.

Last week, the Police Sports Club Rugby team was playing against Kandy Sports Club in Nittawela, but midway, the referee withdrew from the game, bringing it to an abrupt halt.

Match officials intervened and soon found out that part of the support staff of the police team had turned abusive and cast remarks on the linesman.

But what was worse was that when a senior police official intervened and tried to get the support staff to move away from the particular location, they failed to obey instructions. The match was held up for about 15 minutes. Their action was caught in the live TV coverage as well.

Confusion as crypto casino screenshot appears on Police Insta page

On Friday, the official Sri Lanka Police Instagram account briefly featured a picture of what appeared to be a pinned tweet from tech billionaire Elon Musk, announcing a supposed launch of his “own crypto casino” and promising a $2,500 giveaway to anyone who registered through a linked website.

The screenshot—complete with Musk’s profile picture, blue verification badge, and a caption encouraging users to hurry before the post “disappears in an hour”—looked very much like the countless online scams global authorities (including the SL Police themselves) routinely warn the public about.

The incident left many Lankan social media users momentarily unsure whether this was an awareness message, an accidental share, or a case of the admin of the SL Police page having a very confusing day at work.

The post did not include any caption, clarification, or warning label to suggest it was part of a public advisory. Instead, it appeared as a simple Instagram story.

Green light for Lanka’s driving licences in Italy

The Foreign Ministry has intervened to correct a blunder that had deprived those holding Sri Lankan driver’s licences from driving in Italy.

For years, Sri Lankan driving licences were recognised by the Italian government, allowing Sri Lankans to directly apply for jobs in Italy that allowed them to drive vehicles on Italian roads.

This facility, however, was withdrawn a couple of years ago because Sri Lankan driving licences had undergone several back-to-back changes, inconveniencing Italian authorities who were finding it difficult to tell genuine licences from fake ones. This led to significant losses of job opportunities in Italy for
Sri Lankans.

The Foreign Ministry has now managed to rectify the situation, with Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to Italy recently signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Italy’s Deputy Foreign Minister. This has paved the way for Sri Lankan driving licences to be recognised in Italy for six more years.

1000-rupee disaster donation makes a big impact

Sri Lankans have been pitching in any way they can to assist those affected by the recent cyclone. One donor sent a cheque for Rs.1,000 to the United Nations Resident Coordinator Marc-Andre Franche.

The cheque that made the difference

Touched by the gesture, he shared a photo of the cheque on his X handle with the words, “Received this contribution from a private citizen for relief to victims of #CycloneDitwah. I remain in awe of the extraordinary solidarity between Sri Lankans. Sri Lanka shines in times of crisis, & @UNSriLanka & the international community is here to accompany & stand together.”

Galle jailbreak fails; duo falls back to prison

An escape attempt at the Galle Prison on Wednesday was aborted after prison officials acted quickly.

According to the Prisons Department, the duo behind the attempted jailbreak had begun to scale the wall to make a getaway but had been spotted by duty officers, who fired warning shots into the air.

The sound of the gunfire had made the two men lose their balance and fall back into the prison premises.

The prisons spokesman said the situation was ‘promptly brought under control’.

Ranwala case: Police spokesman under fire

The Government Analyst’s Department’s report on blood and urine samples taken from National People’s Power (NPP) MP Ashoka Ranwala found no traces of alcohol, it was announced on Friday.

Unfortunately for Mr Ranwala, the report exonerating him from allegations of drunk driving came some 15 minutes after the case filed against him at the Mahara Magistrate’s Court regarding the road accident in Sapugaskanda had concluded.

The accident injured a 25-year-old daughter, her seven-month-old infant, and her 55-year-old mother. Mr Ranwala, who was also injured in the accident, is still receiving treatment at the Colombo National Hospital.

The news was greeted with both happiness and anger within the government ranks. Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath, who strenuously defended Mr Ranwala amid allegations he was intoxicated at the time of the accident, said his parliamentary colleague was savagely attacked on social media in the days following the accident on December 11. “His character was assassinated for no fault of his own. Social media had already judged him guilty,” he said.

The minister also criticised the response of the police, particularly that of Police Spokesman F.U. Wootler. Mr Herath claimed the police spokesman had fronted the media too hastily on the matter without first bothering to learn all the facts of the case.

Jeevan denies reports of quitting party post

Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC) General Secretary Jeevan Thondaman, who tied the knot with a Chennai doctor recently, has realised that he had some tough challenges in the party. With his close confidants, he shared his plans of reforming the party with fresh blood.

The party has also faced severe criticism for being merely a self-serving, family-run outfit, particularly since its poor response in assisting flood-affected people.

However, a rumour found its way into social media platforms suggesting young Thondaman is to quit his party post.

On Friday, Mr Thondoman refuted the reports, reiterating that the party’s National Committee would be convened soon to discuss the reformation process. His statement ended with the following phrase: “We are here for the service of
the people.”