<ul><li>Calls for quotations for body cameras, riot gear</li><li>Rs. 13.7 m allocated for riot helmets, batons, shields&nbsp;</li><li>3 inmates killed, 23 injured within 24 hours&nbsp;</li><li>Ministers suspect coordinated sabotage behind unrest</li></ul> The Government has called for quotations to purchase 20 body cameras for the protection of prison officers, according to Justice and National Integration Minister Harshana Nanayakkara.&nbsp;A further Rs. 13.7 million has been allocated to purchase 150 riot helmets, 300 batons, and 300 riot shields, with steps underway to call for quotations, the Minister said in Parliament, as authorities moved to strengthen security across the prison system following a spate of violent incidents in recent weeks.Nanayakkara said conflicts had occurred in prisons in the past and could occur again, stressing that the Government’s objective was to minimise such incidents and ensure they were brought under control quickly while protecting lives and property.Dissanayake has appointed a Cabinet committee, chaired by Nanayakkara, to address the issue. Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala is also serving on the committee, which includes representatives from the Attorney General’s Department, Government Analyst’s Department, Defence Ministry, Public Security Ministry, Justice and National Integration Ministry, and Department of Prisons.Nanayakkara said that the President had also submitted a Cabinet memorandum dated 3 August proposing the appointment of a special committee to examine the causes of severe overcrowding within Sri Lanka’s prison system and recommend immediate and long-term solutions.&nbsp;The committee will examine the factors contributing to overcrowding and recommend measures to expedite inmates’ court cases and reduce delays in issuing Government Analyst reports. It will also review bail procedures, alternative sentencing, and community-based rehabilitation while identifying necessary legal amendments and administrative reforms. It has additionally been tasked with proposing measures to improve prison capacity and facilities, and must submit its final report to the President and the Cabinet within the stipulated period.Public Security Minister Wijepala told Parliament on Friday (7) that the string of violent incidents at prisons across the country in recent weeks had raised suspicions of a coordinated conspiracy or sabotage campaign, as unrest spread to three facilities within 24 hours from Thursday (6) night.&nbsp;Making a statement in Parliament, the Minister said that three inmates had been killed and 23 others injured in separate disturbances at the Borella Magazine and Kuruwita Prisons between the night of Thursday (6) and Friday (7) morning, while a group of inmates at the Pallansena Correctional Centre for Youthful Offenders in Negombo had climbed onto the roof in protest.An incident broke out at the Magazine Prison shortly before midnight on Thursday, leaving one inmate dead and 10 injured. The Department of Prisons said nine inmates were subsequently transferred to another facility and that the situation had been brought under control, with the Police, Police Special Task Force (STF), and armed forces personnel deployed to strengthen security.A separate disturbance erupted at the Kuruwita Prison on Friday morning, leaving two inmates dead; 13 injured inmates were admitted to the Ratnapura Teaching Hospital. Later on Friday, inmates at the Pallansena centre launched their rooftop protest, prompting a joint Police and armed forces response. Security was also strengthened at the Anuradhapura Prison, with Army personnel deployed around the facility by Friday afternoon.Wijepala said the unrest had begun at the Welikada Prison, where around 40 inmates had emerged from their cells at about 10.15 p.m. on Wednesday (5), and had gradually spread to other facilities, including Pallansena. One inmate was killed and 10 others injured in that incident, with the injured receiving treatment at the National Hospital of Sri Lanka in Colombo, before disturbances followed at Kuruwita.“Based on the intelligence received and the investigations conducted so far, we have begun to suspect whether these are conspiratorial acts of sabotage,” Wijepala said, adding that drug trafficking and organised criminal activity had been identified as the most immediate factors behind the disturbances. “When all these prison incidents are considered together, they appear to be taking place according to some form of plan,” he said.On Friday (7) afternoon, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake chaired a discussion on conditions in the country’s prisons and measures to ensure inmate safety and security. The meeting decided to establish a joint mechanism covering all 33 prisons starting next week to identify and address inmates’ concerns, oversee their welfare, and coordinate emergency responses.&nbsp;The mechanism will include prison officials, the Police, the STF, and, where necessary, the armed forces and other relevant stakeholders. It would also engage directly with inmates to better understand and address their concerns, the President’s Media Division (PMD) said.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The unrest follows Sri Lanka’s deadliest prison clash in over a decade, in which 10 prison officers and 22 inmates were killed over two days of fighting between rival inmate groups at the Negombo Prison on 5 and 6 July – the worst such incident since the 2012 Welikada Prison massacre, and the first in which prison officers died. A riot at the Mahara Prison on 1 August left one person dead and six injured. In total, five such incidents have been reported since 5 July.Meanwhile, the Committee for Protecting the Rights of Prisoners (CPRP) has separately raised suspicions that a hidden hand may be behind the repeated unrest. Convenor Sudesh Nandimal Silva said that overcrowding alone could not explain the disturbances, alleging that organised drug trafficking involving corrupt prison officials was a contributing factor, and urged the Government to act firmly if the unrest was being instigated for political ends.

Govt. to ramp up prison security

<ul><li>9 PCs remain without elected members</li><li>2018 delimitation report rejected after failing 2/3 vote</li><li>Last PC Elections held in Sept. 2014</li></ul> The newly appointed National Delimitation Commission is exploring the possibility of reactivating the stalled delimitation review process through the appointment of a new Review Committee, in a bid to resolve the long-running deadlock over Provincial Council (PC) Elections without returning to the previous electoral system, as reliably learnt by The Sunday Morning.&nbsp;The move is among several options being considered by the commission to find a way forward within the existing legal framework introduced under the Provincial Councils Elections (Amendment) Act No.17 of 2017, which replaced the former Proportional Representation (PR) system with a mixed electoral model combining ward-based and proportional representation.Sources familiar with the discussions said the focus was on reviving the review mechanism rather than abandoning the reforms. A reconstituted Review Committee could be tasked with examining the earlier delimitation proposals, addressing objections raised by political parties, and seeking consensus on the creation of new wards and electorates.The delimitation issue has remained unresolved since 2018, after the five-member Delimitation Committee appointed to implement the new electoral system submitted its report, which was presented to Parliament on 6 March that year. However, the report failed to secure the required two-thirds majority in Parliament when it was put to a vote in August 2018, effectively halting the process.&nbsp;A Review Committee chaired by the Prime Minister was subsequently appointed to reconsider the proposals, but it too failed to reach agreement among political parties, leaving the issue unresolved and contributing to the continued postponement of PC Elections.Sri Lanka has now gone without PC Elections for several years, with all nine PCs functioning without elected representatives after their terms expired. The last PC Election was held in September 2014 for the Uva Provincial Council, while other councils gradually lost their elected administrations between 2015 and 2019.The delay in holding elections has been closely linked to the 2017 electoral reforms, which sought to introduce a mixed system where 50% of councillors would be elected from newly created wards under the first-past-the-post system, while the remaining 50% would continue to be elected through PR.Meanwhile, newly appointed National Delimitation Commission Chairman Saman Sri Ratnayake said that the commission’s role would extend beyond election-related boundary demarcation, stressing that delimitation was a key component of representative democracy.“This is entirely a technical subject. In a democratic country where elections are conducted, delimitation is an extremely important matter. The reason is that when representative democracy is in operation, it is important to determine the boundaries within which representatives are elected,” Ratnayake said.He added that the commission hoped to provide leadership for delimitation activities across other service-providing institutions in addition to electoral matters.President Anura Kumara Dissanayake recently appointed the new National Delimitation Commission, chaired by former Commissioner General of Elections Ratnayake. The other members are Dr. K. Thavalingam and former Secretary of the Agriculture Ministry Rohana Pushpakumara.&nbsp;

PC Polls: Fresh review eyed to end delimitation deadlock

<ul><li>Dry spell risks remain</li></ul> Sri Lanka’s hydro storage levels have improved to 66.5% following recent rainfall, providing temporary relief to the national power system, but authorities are continuing preparations for possible dry conditions expected early next year, National System Operator (NSO) Chairman Dr. Pradeep Perera said.Dr. Perera stated that the country’s hydro storage had increased to around 850 GWh, compared to approximately 560 GWh before the recent rains, allowing the system to be managed more reliably until the first week of September.“The recent rainfall has helped us manage the system in a more stable manner than what was expected previously,” he said.He said that the period leading up to September had earlier been identified as a critical period based on forecasts, while the scheduled maintenance of a coal power plant had also helped ease pressure on the electricity system.“One of our coal power plants was given a 40-day maintenance period. With that, we are now at a somewhat comfortable level,” Dr. Perera said.However, he stressed that the improved storage situation did not eliminate the need for long-term measures, particularly with forecasts indicating possible dry conditions during January, February, and March 2027.Accordingly, the NSO was moving ahead with planned battery energy storage procurement, including proposals for 250 MW and 150 MW capacity additions, he said.The NSO Chairman added that a separate proposal by the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) to introduce a feed-in tariff mechanism was currently under public consultation and was also being considered as a procurement option.Meanwhile, addressing concerns over increased evaporation due to prevailing high temperatures, Dr. Perera said the impact on overall hydro storage remained limited at present.“When looking at our total storage and other factors, it is a very small amount at this stage. If this situation continues for several months, there could be a considerable impact,” he said.&nbsp;

Power supply: Hydro storage climbs to 66.5%

<ul><li>1,626 serious accidents recorded in 7 months; 41 more than 2025</li><li>749 motorcyclists killed, including 13 under-18 riders</li><li>Helmet-related prosecutions rise 33% as enforcement intensifies</li></ul> Sri Lanka recorded a rise in serious road accidents during the first seven months of 2026, with the Police reporting 1,626 cases between January and July – an increase of 2.6% compared to the same period last year, according to statistics revealed by the Traffic Management and Road Safety Division of the Police.&nbsp;&nbsp;Furthermore, Sri Lanka recorded 749 motorcycle deaths in the first seven months of 2026, with more than three riders losing their lives every day, according to statistics.Between 1 January and 31 July, the Police filed 271,890 helmet-related cases – an average of 38,841 a month, or nearly 1,300 a day.By comparison, 349,823 cases were filed throughout the whole of 2025, averaging 29,152 a month. Accordingly, the monthly rate of helmet-related prosecutions has risen by approximately 33% this year.If enforcement continues at the same pace, the number of cases could reach about 466,000 by the end of 2026 – over 116,000 more than the total recorded last year.Speaking to The Sunday Morning, Traffic Management and Road Safety Division Director Senior Superintendent of Police Manoj Ranagala said that an average of 107 motorcycle deaths had been recorded a month – more than three deaths a day.At this rate, the annual toll could exceed 1,280 by the end of the year, he stressed.Thirteen of the motorcyclists killed were under the age of 18, accounting for nearly 2% (1.74%) of the motorcycle death toll, according to SSP Ranagala.The road accident numbers were disclosed by SSP Ranagala at a media briefing held at the Transport Ministry auditorium in Colombo on Friday (7) on helmet safety and measures being implemented under the National Road Safety Action Plan.SSP Ranagala said that young people remained among the principal victims of fatal road crashes. He warned that some motorcyclists wore uncertified helmets or failed to fasten their chin straps properly, treating helmets as a means of avoiding Police action rather than essential protective equipment.“Do not wear safety helmets simply to evade the law or avoid Police officers,” he said. “Wear them with your life and safety in mind, and keep them on until you reach your destination.”Meanwhile, National Council for Road Safety Chairman Manjula Kularatne said more than 2,500 people died in road accidents annually, with motorcycle crashes accounting for over 1,000 deaths. Data showed that head injuries were responsible for a significant proportion of motorcyclist fatalities, he added.Kularatne stressed that riders should use properly standardised helmets carrying Sri Lanka Standards certification.The Transport, Highways, and Urban Development Ministry has introduced a two-year road safety programme comprising 96 measures. According to Kularatne, 30 have been physically implemented so far while work on the remaining measures continues.A joint programme involving the Transport Ministry, Sri Lanka Standards Institution, Sri Lanka Police, and Consumer Affairs Authority is also being implemented to strengthen helmet standards and enforcement.According to the figures recorded by the Police, Sri Lanka recorded its highest road fatality toll in six years in 2025, reversing the decline observed between 2021 and 2023. Police data show that fatal accidents increased by 16.4% between 2023 and 2025, while the number of deaths rose by 17.3%. In 2025 alone, 2,746 people were killed in 2,597 fatal accidents, an average of more than seven deaths every day.The Government also noted that around 400 accidents occurred annually at unprotected railway crossings.

Road safety: Fatalities mount as accidents rise

Initiatives for Government-to-Government (G2G) procurements between Sri Lanka and India for medicinal drugs are presently being discussed, according to the Medical Supplies Division (MSD) of the Ministry of Health.When contacted by The Sunday Morning regarding concerns raised by shortages in stocks of certain medicines, MSD Deputy Director General Dr. Sampath Ranaweera said: “We are working with the Indian Government on what they call G2G procurement. At most, we will experience a delay of a few weeks with medicinal supplies. We will somehow have the required medications in supply.”&nbsp;&nbsp;However, Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) Media Spokesman Dr. Chamil Wijesinghe said that market realities presented ongoing challenges for Sri Lanka in securing such agreements.&nbsp;“Even during the previous Government, there were attempts at G2G agreements. We are yet to succeed in certain agreements. We are a very small market, so priority is not given to us.”Dr. Ranaweera also addressed the shortage of HIV-related medicines and anti-tuberculosis medicines that had been reported recently, stating that such medicines had been given freely by the Global Fund thus far.“That aid has now been stopped. It was stopped not because of any issue, but when the country moves to a different development bracket or status, they stop it. Now we have to procure such medicines,” he explained.However, he was confident that Sri Lanka’s pharmaceutical drug supply was in good standing at present. “Normally on any given day, there is a shortage of a few items. That is not a special situation,” he said.Dr. Ranaweera reiterated that the Government had approved local purchasing, the emergency procurement process for medication by State hospitals when essential medicines are out of stock at the central MSD.Despite the reassurance, ongoing fluctuations in the availability of essential medicines and medical consumables across State healthcare facilities have been noted, primarily driven by persistent failures in inventory management and distribution rather than an absolute shortage of supply, according to the GMOA.Dr. Wijesinghe emphasised that while the health sector was not currently experiencing a “drastic” supply crisis that would halt overall patient care, systemic flaws in stock coordination continued to disrupt hospital operations.He pointed out that operational gaps – including underutilisation of digital tracking tools such as the Swastha database and limited warehousing infrastructure at the MSD – compromised medicine safety and delivery.“We need to have the stocks consistently within the system so that we can provide uninterrupted patient care services. We need high-quality medicines at a lower price. That is the basic principle of the national medicine policy,” he said.“We have the software system, but still we doubt whether the software system is properly used,” Dr. Wijesinghe said. “We need to take firm measures to regularise storage, distribution, and the management system. There is also a problem with the MSD storage capacity. Poor storage conditions can affect the quality of the medicines.”&nbsp;

Indo-Lanka relations: G2G meds deal under discussion

The Government has started the process of amending Sri Lanka’s drug laws to allow suspects accused of certain narcotics offences to seek bail from the High Court, Justice and National Integration Minister Harshana Nanayakkara said.The Minister said that relatives of detainees had complained of lengthy delays in securing bail because suspects in cases involving more than 10 grammes of pure narcotics were required to apply to the Court of Appeal.“We will submit an amendment to the Cabinet. This will restore the possibility of obtaining bail from the High Court for certain drug-related offences,” Nanayakkara said.The Poisons, Opium and Dangerous Drugs Ordinance No.17 of 1929, as amended by Act No.41 of 2022, regulates offences involving substances including heroin, cocaine, morphine, cannabis, opium, and methamphetamine.Rights groups have repeatedly raised concerns that stringent bail restrictions and delays in the legal process have contributed to prolonged detention and severe overcrowding in prisons.Committee for Protecting Rights of Prisoners (CPRP) Chairman Senaka Perera claimed that approximately 65% of Sri Lanka’s prison population comprised people detained or convicted over drug-related offences. He said those affected by drug dependence should receive medical treatment instead of being imprisoned.“Most of those currently in prisons are people affected by drug dependence. The best way to help them recover is to direct them to medical treatment rather than imprisoning them,” Perera told The Sunday Morning.He also highlighted delays in obtaining Government Analyst reports, claiming that detainees could remain incarcerated for between six months and a year while awaiting the reports required for their cases.Perera said that the existing legal framework should be revised to prevent prolonged detention, ease prison overcrowding, and distinguish people requiring treatment from those involved in organised drug trafficking.Nanayakkara said that delays in obtaining Government Analyst reports had been among the principal complaints raised by inmates over the past year, as suspects were unable to apply for bail without them.He stated that the Government had identified the problem last year and begun taking corrective action. The Government Analyst’s Department had 118 staff vacancies, preventing it from issuing reports efficiently and forcing some suspects to remain in remand custody for nearly a year while awaiting their reports.The Minister said that around 70 employees were now being recruited, while new equipment was expected to arrive this month to accelerate the process.According to Nanayakkara, these measures are expected to enable the department to issue between 7,500 and 9,000 reports a month.

HC bail access for certain drug offences in pipeline 

The Data Protection Authority (DPA) has issued a new directive requiring public institutions to strengthen safeguards governing the collection, use, storage, and transfer of personal information.Personal Data Protection Circular No.01/2026, issued in August, establishes a compliance framework for the public sector under the Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA) No.9 of 2022, as amended by Act No.22 of 2025.The circular, signed by DPA Chairman Rajeeva Bandaranaike, applies to ministries, Government departments, provincial administrations, commissions, district secretariats, public corporations, statutory bodies, and State-Owned Enterprises.It replaces Personal Data Protection Circular No.01/2024 and directs public institutions to issue the necessary internal instructions immediately to begin compliance activities.The legislation regulates the processing of information that can directly or indirectly identify an individual. Its protections apply to the personal data of both citizens and non-citizens.A central requirement of the circular is the appointment of Data Protection Officers (DPOs). Under Section 20 of the act, every ministry and Government department processing personal data must designate an officer to oversee compliance and serve as its principal contact with the DPA.Institutions must publish the contact details of their DPOs on their official websites and provide the officers’ names and contact information to the authority. They must also give the appointed officers sufficient resources and authority to implement effective data protection management programmes.The amended legal framework allows the public sector to adopt a ‘cloud-first’ strategy and use global cloud infrastructure for data storage and processing.Public institutions may also transfer personal data outside Sri Lanka, provided legally binding safeguards are in place to ensure that the information receives protection equivalent to that available domestically.The authority has directed public institutions to conduct audits identifying the personal information they hold, its sources, and the purposes for which it is processed.They must also assess gaps between their existing practices and the requirements of the law, introduce internal data-protection policies, and train employees on their legal responsibilities.The DPA said that the act would be implemented in phases. Although the authority was established in 2023, it will begin investigating complaints and hearing appeals after the relevant provisions are brought into operation by the Minister of Technology.

Public sector: DPA issues new privacy rules

Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) MP S.M. Marikkar has alleged that the import of substandard coal for the Lakvijaya Power Plant has caused losses exceeding Rs. 10 billion, claiming that all 19 coal shipments tested by an international third-party agency failed to meet the required quality standards.Speaking in Parliament, Marikkar said that previous claims that reports on low-quality coal imports were inaccurate had been disproved by findings from Bureau Veritas International Trade Australia Ltd., which conducted a third-party assessment of the coal shipments.He claimed that none of the 19 coal consignments tested had met the required calorific value standard of 5,900 kcal/kg, with most shipments recording significantly lower values. “Not a single one of the 19 ships met the required standard of 5,900,” Marikkar said, while tabling documents containing the test results in Parliament.According to the MP, data from the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) showed that the inability to generate 300 MW of electricity due to the lower-quality coal resulted in an additional expenditure of Rs. 8.536 billion between January and June this year for purchasing diesel and furnace oil.He claimed that as the coal was expected to continue being used until 12 September, the total financial impact could exceed Rs. 10 billion.Marikkar further alleged that the cost of electricity generation had increased from around Rs. 20 per unit to Rs. 23 per unit due to the issue, while warning that damage to power plant machinery could further increase the financial burden.He also outlined monthly losses he attributed to the coal issue, claiming losses of Rs. 184 million in January, Rs. 513 million in February, Rs. 3.46 billion in March, Rs. 866 million in May, and Rs. 409 million in June.“These losses will continue to increase through July and August, and until 12 September,” he said.The SJB MP accused the Government of failing to deliver on its promises of a “system change” and claimed that the country’s electricity consumers had faced tariff increases due to the decision to import what he described as low-quality coal.The allegations were made during a parliamentary debate, with Marikkar presenting documents related to the coal quality assessments. The Government has not responded to the allegations in Parliament yet.Attempts by The Sunday Morning to obtain comments from Lanka Coal Company (LCC) Chairman Jayantha Rathnayake and General Manager Namal Hewage were unsuccessful. Meanwhile, National System Operator (NSO) Chairman Dr. Pradeep Perera declined to comment, stating that the matter fell under the purview of the LCC.&nbsp;

Low-quality coal: Marikkar alleges loss of over Rs. 10 b

India has handed over another consignment of Bailey bridges to Sri Lanka as part of its $ 450 million reconstruction and rehabilitation assistance package launched following Cyclone Ditwah.The latest consignment, weighing around 251 MT, was handed over on Thursday (6) by Indian Deputy High Commissioner Maitrey Kulkarni to Deputy Minister of Cooperative Development Upali Samarasinghe.The bridges will be installed by an Indian Army Engineer Task Force at locations identified by the Road Development Authority and provincial road development authorities.India has already installed eight Bailey bridges at seven locations across Sri Lanka, helping restore transport links in areas affected by the cyclone.The Indian High Commission said that the next phase of assistance would include the construction of permanent bridges at selected locations, aimed at improving road connectivity and strengthening disaster-resilient infrastructure.

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