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One month after Cyclone Ditwah, displaced families remain in local schools and will welcome the New Year 2026 in temporary shelters such as these. With schools scheduled to reopen on January 5, these tents are being erected on the premises to house the displaced as they are moved out of classrooms. Pic by Prasad Rukmal [...]
Indo-Lanka committee to oversee post-Ditwah reconstruction
Indian experts and technicians coming to carry out projects under US$450 million recovery package By Damith Wickremasekara A joint official committee consisting of Sri Lankan and Indian officials will be entrusted with handling India’s US$450 million post-disaster reconstruction package, a senior government official said. The joint committee would decide on reconstruction projects to be carried out, [...]
Firearm for Madush: Devananda held under 72-hour PTA detention
By Ranjith Padmasiri A 72-hour detention order under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) has been obtained against former minister Douglas Devananda after he was arrested over the disappearance of a firearm issued to him by the Sri Lanka Army for his personal protection. The former minister’s arrest came following information provided by an associate [...]
Scammers circle for disaster cash
By Nidarshani Wickramasinghe There was an upsurge in the number of online fraud complaints linked to donation campaigns for disaster relief in the wake of cyclone Ditwah as well as promotion offers for the festive season, a senior official of the Sri Lanka Computer Emergency Readiness Team (Sri Lanka CERT) said. Charuka Damunupola, the senior [...]
State bodies told: No disaster‑aid requests without Treasury approval
By S. Rubatheesan State institutions have been warned to refrain from direct dealings with local or foreign partners when seeking financial assistance for disaster recovery, unless they have first obtained the approval of the Treasury’s National Planning Department. In a circular sent to line ministry secretaries, provincial chief secretaries, and heads of other state institutions, [...]
Trial-at-bar proposed for cases against Ranil and Deshabandu
By Ranjith Padmasiri Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Dileepa Peiris has proposed that indictments be filed before a three-judge trial-at-bar once investigations into two high-profile cases involving former President Ranil Wickremesinghe and former police chief Deshabandu Tennakoon are completed. The two cases he was referring to are the alleged misappropriation of state funds by former President [...]
Package visitors spend more, earnings show links to stays and spending
By Kapila Bandara Foreign exchange earnings from visitor arrivals fluctuate with the seasons, spending patterns, and the number of days spent in Sri Lanka Spending and the length of stay in Sri Lanka varies significantly across source countries and throughout the months, and there are also wide differences in spending by solo travellers and those on [...]
Package visitors spend more, earnings show links to stays and spending
By Kapila Bandara Foreign exchange earnings from visitor arrivals fluctuate with the seasons, spending patterns, and the number of days spent in Sri Lanka Spending and the length of stay in Sri Lanka varies significantly across source countries and throughout the months, and there are also wide differences in spending by solo travellers and those [...]
Month after ditwah: Rs 25,000 initial relief reaches some, misses others
By Sajeniya Sathanandan One month after the Cyclone Ditwah catastrophe, the distribution of the Rs 25,000 initial financial assistance pledged to disaster-hit families for cleaning their houses is still ongoing. Some families say they have received the payment, while others complain of delays due to administrative hassles. The Sunday Times learns that the pace of [...]
Lanka’s nightingale is no more but her music and legacy will continue to inspire
Veteran playback singer and cultural icon Deshamanya Latha Walpola, widely known as the “Helaye Geetha Kokilaviya” (Nightingale of Sri Lanka), passed away last night while receiving treatment at the Sri Jayawardenapura Hospital. She was 91. Born Matharage Rita Genevieve Fernando on November 11, 1934, in Mount Lavinia, she later became known by her stage name [...]
Maxi Rozairo, a household name from the 60s to 90s is no more
Veteran singer Maxi Rozairo, who was a household name in the late 1960s to 1990s in the Sri Lankan western music scene, died yesterday morning at his home in Colombo. He was 77 years old and had a long battle with cancer. Mr Rozairo was part of the Spitfires band, with whom he toured many [...]
Judicial independence not a privilege vested in individual judges: CJ
By Ranjith Padmasiri Judicial independence is constitutionally recognised as an intangible heritage of the people, preserved through successive generations as a safeguard of dignity, equality, and freedom. It is not a privilege vested in individual judges, Chief Justice Preethi Padman Surasena stressed. He warned that failure to adjudicate impartially and competently, constitutes an indirect expropriation [...]
Journalists’ group slams govt. for suppressing media freedom
The Sri Lanka Working Journalists’ Association has expressed concern over media freedom and expression saying that the government is attempting to suppress journalists’ through Police action. The association said actions such as unlawfully summoning journalist Tharindu Jayawardena to Gampola Police related to his journalist work, and the request made by Police to the Telecommunications Regulatory [...]
Sri Lankans determined to rebuild their lives and livelihoods
By Minaza Hassan During this festive season, while celebrations are ongoing, many communities across Sri Lanka are also attempting to rebuild their lives and livelihoods while still grappling with the aftermath of the recent floods and landslides. “Our community is in a red alert zone and had anticipated the usual level of impact after receiving [...]
Small businesses suffer a heavy blow
Pix and text by Rehka Fonseka Small-scale businesses that had prepared for months for the festive season when sales are higher have felt a bigger blow from the unprecedented natural disaster. Even owners of small home-based garment shops, operating with just a few sewing machines, are unable to find markets. Those producing food items, including [...]
Gunasekera WB report estimates damage at US$4.1bn
Cyclone Ditwah, which swept through Sri Lanka in November triggering landslides and floods, caused the most damage to infrastructure, with a World Bank report estimating the damage at US$1.7 billion out of a total of US$4.1 billion. A Global Rapid Post-Disaster Damage Estimation (GRADE) report has provided a synopsis of the estimated direct physical damage [...]
Post-disaster firecracker sales fall to new low
By Kasun Warakapitiya Sales of fireworks hit an all-time low this year following the devastation of Cyclone Ditwah as well as the effects of sustained campaigns. Sellers believe sales were low mostly because of the disaster. Hundreds are mourning the loss of loved ones. Some are rebuilding their lives. Apart from that, the views about [...]
Sand washed up on northern farmland attracts dark hands
By S. Rubatheesan Dozens of tippers and tractors have been seen at paddy fields trying to collect sand deposited from the late November flooding. Farmers in Kandawalai, Vattakachchi, Pannankandy, and Mahizaknkaadu of Kilinochchi say they have informed the authorities, including the Northern Governor’s Secretariat, about the plunder. Thiyagu Kopalarathinam, a farmer from Mahizankaadu, said he [...]
Flood-hit Kandy lawyer goes to SC over negligence of duty in Ditwah relief response
A lawyer from Kandy whose office was severely damaged by floods brought on by Cyclone Ditwah has filed a fundamental rights petition in the Supreme Court requesting the court to rule that the National Council for Disaster Management (NCDM) headed by the President, the Cabinet of Ministers and other government officials acted in transgression of [...]
Suspect wealth to be investigated
A senior Cabinet Minister said police investigations are underway by the Financial Crimes Investigation Division (FCID) on individuals who amassed wealth through illegal means, including sand mining in the North. Speaking at a recent District Development Committee meeting in Kilinochchi, Fisheries and Aquatic Development Minister R. Chandrasekaran said some had become extremely wealthy in a [...]
Rains to intensify in several provinces from tomorrow
The Meteorology Department has warned that with an active easterly wave expected to move across the country from tomorrow, rainy conditions are likely to intensify, particularly in the Northern, North-Central, Eastern, Uva, and Central provinces over the next few days. The department also said a few showers may occur, meanwhile, in the Northern, Eastern and [...]
Mayor issues Dec 31 deadline for Kandy hawkers
Kandy Mayor Chandrasiri Wijewickrama has decided to remove hawkers from pavements within the municipal area. The council has set a December 31 deadline for them to vacate and seek alternative employment. A group representing the hawkers said it had requested more time to comply with the order.
Ditwah destruction engulfs 2025
As 2025 draws to a close the year will be defined mostly by one of the worst natural calamities to hit the country as cyclone Ditwah left more than 600 dead, thousands displaced and a trail of destruction caused by raging floods and treacherous landslides. In the political landscape the local government elections that saw [...]
Insurers approve 70% of Ditwah claims; Motor sector leads
By Ishu Bandara Sri Lanka’s insurance companies have responded strongly to the damage caused by Cyclone Ditwah, approving 70% of all claims by December 22. Insurance Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka data show that total claims received by the industry have reached Rs. 42,568,846,596 (about Rs. 42 billion). Of the 70% of all claims approved [...]
It feels like Xmas with Heel Oya cypress trees
By Malaka Rodrigo Every December, amid Colombo’s glittering lights and plastic decorations, a quieter reminder of nature arrives from Sri Lanka’s misty hills. Cypress trees are transported to the capital, carrying with them a fragrance that many Sri Lankans associate with Christmas. “Most of us are from Heel Oya in Bandarawela,” says R.M. Wijesinghe, a [...]
Love shines bright as Christmas lights this season
By Dilushi Wijesinghe Sri Lanka found room for hope, gratitude, and togetherness as families gathered to celebrate Christmas, even as thousands continued to grapple with the aftermath of widespread destruction caused by Cyclone Ditwah. Colombo’s roads, which typically transformed in December into corridors of extravagant colour, carried a more modest glow. A few carefully strung [...]