• Harini asks Speaker to convene House on Thursday; Namal claims political points over Govt. decision
• Speaker issues gazette announcing House sessions; SJB misses making call to Govt. to call Parliament
• Civil society, professionals moot idea of forming national govt. to rebuild; SJB says national council
• Questions over practical, State regulations in providing relief funding; AKD adamant on payments
• Public sector officials concerned over mechanisms to pay compensation, note procedural delays
• Rebuilding categorised into three stages; RDA says rebuilding key roads, bridges to take 18 months
• Irrigation Dept. officials note World Bank’s CRIP could have prevented floods; project cancelled by GR
• Lalkantha asks NBRO to issue more specific warnings on landslide areas, pushes practical solutions
• Grama niladharis, officials make accusations of ruling party, Govt. moves to politicise relief, rebuilding process
• Sajith continues to hit out at Govt.; Mahinda says Opposition must be sued, Marikkar reminds Govt. task
• Indian media says IMD informed of developing weather issue; Met officials reveal issuing timely alerts
• Mano speaks to AKD about alternative lands for estate workers; Dayasiri complains of being sidelined
• Govt. criticised over Cabraal, Ranwala sagas; queries over CIABOC action on Cabraal, Police on Ranwala
• Wijeyadasa joins SLFP with four posts after taking party to courts; Dayasiri continues battle for GS post
• Ministers of ‘Yahapalana’ Cabinet questioned by CIABOC over DPJ building; Sajith also to be questioned
• Jaffna Magistrate asks GR for affidavit on death threats; Daisy subjected to JMO exam on mental status

Two weeks since Cyclone Ditwah wreaked havoc in many parts of the country, those affected in many ways are trying to pick up the pieces while President Anura Kumara Dissanayake (AKD) is driving the Government’s push for foreign assistance to rebuild Sri Lanka stronger and better. It is not an easy task to carry out a rebuilding programme amidst an economic recovery programme and it is yet more challenging for President AKD, who must also cover up for the shortcomings of members of his Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP)-led National People’s Power (NPP) Government.

In an interview with Newsweek, President AKD, while acknowledging shortcomings in Sri Lanka’s disaster preparedness and response mechanisms, stated that Cyclone Ditwah had exposed longstanding weaknesses that the Government was now moving to correct. The President has thus far shown commitment to addressing these longstanding weaknesses, which will undoubtedly help Sri Lanka in its rebuilding efforts if addressed with conviction. 

The Government, meanwhile, must also face the scrutiny of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) given Sri Lanka’s ongoing programme and due to the country’s economy still being on the mend. The IMF has made clear that its immediate priority is to consider Sri Lanka’s request for emergency financing under the Rapid Financing Instrument (RFI). “In light of the Sri Lankan authorities’ request for emergency financing, IMF Board consideration of the RFI request is the priority at the current juncture,” the IMF has stated.

The IMF is to now send a team to Sri Lanka in January 2026 to resume discussions for the completion of the Fifth Review of the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) as well as support under the RFI in addition to the EFF programme.

While the IMF’s Executive Board was earlier scheduled to take up Sri Lanka’s Fifth Review tomorrow (15), and the country was to receive around $ 358 million upon its completion, the Sri Lankan Government’s request for a $ 200 million RFI resulted in the IMF changing its previous timelines.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka’s foreign reserves have reportedly dropped to $ 6,083 million by end November, which is a drop of $ 256 million over a year, according to official data. This has been recorded amid rate cuts and attempts related to the nation.

According to an Economy Next report, Sri Lanka has not been able to build reserves on a gross basis since October 2024, a few weeks after inflationary open market operations were aggressively deployed against monetary stability, printing around Rs. 100 billion in what critics have claimed was creditable imitation of a floor system (a true single policy rate).

Convening Parliament

The Government, meanwhile, has decided to convene Parliament on Thursday (18) to discuss the ongoing relief and rebuilding efforts as well as the Rs. 50 billion supplementary estimate that was presented by the Government earlier this month to allocate funds for immediate relief work. It is learnt that Parliament is likely to be convened on Friday (19) as well.

The Speaker of Parliament has now issued the gazette announcing the convening of Parliament on Thursday on a request made by the Prime Minister in line with the parliamentary Standing Orders.

The convening of Parliament prior to the assigned date of 6 January 2026 was made by President AKD during his closing speech at the conclusion of the 2026 Budget debate on 5 December. He requested the Prime Minister to look at convening Parliament on Friday (19) to pass the supplementary estimate presented by the Government. 

Namal’s tactic

However, Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) National Organiser Namal Rajapaksa, who seems to be tuned to ensuring no political mileage slips away from him, decided to write a letter to Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya requesting the immediate summoning of Parliament to monitor, debate, and ensure that Government promises are converted into real assistance on the ground for those affected by the recent cyclone.

It is interesting that Namal had written to the Prime Minister knowing very well that the Government had already decided to request the Speaker to convene Parliament on or around Friday (19).

“People are suffering like never before, entire villages have been submerged, homes destroyed, families displaced, and children left without food or clean water. Many people are forced to live in temporary shelters or wade through floodwater daily, uncertain whether their homes will survive the ongoing rains,” he had noted, adding: “At a time like this, we cannot afford delays. Parliament must sit regularly, even weekly, if necessary, to ensure relief reaches every affected community.”

SJB’s late reaction

While Namal seized the opportunity to gain political mileage, the main Opposition Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) seemed to have missed the opportunity, with the party’s decision to urge for the reconvening of Parliament coming a little too late.

It is learnt that SJB seniors had decided to make a formal request for Parliament to be convened as early as possible and that the request was being prepared to be signed by SJB Members of Parliament (MPs) when Prime Minister Amarasuriya had made the request from the Speaker of Parliament and the latter issued the gazette notification announcing the convening of the House on Thursday. 

Proposing a national council

Meanwhile, the SJB, it is learnt, is looking at presenting a proposal to the Government calling for the setting up of a national council comprising representatives of all political parties represented in Parliament to rebuild the country following the destruction caused by Cyclone Ditwah.

A group of civil society representatives and professionals had recently discussed a national action plan to rebuild the country and had discussed the possibility of forming a national government for the purpose. 

However, SJB seniors have discussed that it is not practical to form a national government at the moment and that a national council consisting of all Opposition political parties in Parliament would present the best opportunity for the Opposition and Government to jointly implement a national action plan to rebuild the country. 

Practical issues

Meanwhile, there is a growing discussion among the public as well as Opposition politicians on how the Government will disburse the relief packages pledged by President AKD to those affected by the recent cyclone.

The massive financial compensation packages to disaster-stricken people that was announced by President AKD, while being impressive and a sincere effort to address the issues faced by those affected, have raised concerns even among public sector officials. 

These officials have first questioned how such monies can be allocated when the rebuilding work encompasses a vast area including housing and infrastructure development in key sectors. The next question is about when the Government will move to amend the existing financial laws and regulations that would make it difficult for the State to distribute the funds announced by the President among the people. 

A senior public sector official noted that paying compensation to victims would take time. Citing an example, the official noted that it had taken a period of three years for the Government to make compensation payments to Aranayake landslide victims during the ‘Yahapalana’ Government. According to existing regulations, it is a lengthy process to receive compensation since ownership of lands and assets lost or destroyed must be established before making the payments. 

With most of the ownership documents lost due to the disaster and some of the houses and structures destroyed by landslides or floods being illegal constructions, the payment of compensation will have to run some excessive groundwork.

Meanwhile, it was also reported last week that around 20 MPs had also been hit by floods and landslides due to Cyclone Ditwah. Among the MPs who were affected were Ramanathan Archchuna, Gayan Janaka, Hiruni Wijesinghe, Mohamed Faizal, Chandana Abayarathna, Anton Jayakody, Samantha Viddyarathna, and Ajith Gihan.

The United National Party (UNP) has meanwhile questioned the practicality of the relief package announced by President AKD, with former Minister Rajitha Senaratne noting that the Government will have to spend almost Rs. 1.8 billion to provide Rs. 25,000 to clean up affected houses, given that 67,505 houses have been affected, while another Rs. 3.4 billion must be allocated to implement the payment of Rs. 50,000 to purchase essential items for kitchens. 

“A sum of Rs. 312 million will have to be allocated to provide Rs. 25,000 as payment of rent for three months to those who want to leave temporary shelters,” he told the media last week.

He has further claimed that the compensation offered to farmers for the destroyed crops is also impractical as a sum of around Rs. 7 billion will be needed as 510,000 hectares of crops have been destroyed, while a sum of around Rs. 44 billion will be needed to provide Rs. 50,000 each to the families that have lost their livelihoods. 

Senaratne has also noted that a sum of around Rs. 20 billion will be needed to pay compensation to vegetable farmers, while around Rs. 20 billion will also be needed to provide compensation for the destruction of livestock. According to him, a sum of around Rs. 200 million will be needed to rebuild Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) and a sum of Rs. 5 billion will be needed to pay for those whose business locations have been destroyed, while another Rs. 2.5 billion will be needed to provide stationery for schoolchildren.

Rebuilding efforts

Meanwhile, the rebuilding programme, which is being categorised into three segments – urgent, temporary, and long term – is expected to take over one year in some instances, with the Road Development Authority (RDA) already stating that while the urgent repairs have been carried out on sections of the road network that were affected by the cyclone, the rebuilding of many bridges that were destroyed would take around 18 months.

The President meanwhile appointed a national-level committee last Monday (8) to ensure the proper coordination and fair distribution of foreign aid reaching Sri Lanka.

The move was announced by Deputy Minister of Defence Aruna Jayasekara at a special media briefing held on Monday where he stated that the committee that would be headed by him would be responsible for managing and distributing aid and equipment received from foreign countries to affected communities efficiently.

The United Nations in Sri Lanka meanwhile last week launched a Humanitarian Priorities Plan (HPP) seeking $ 35.3 million (around Rs. 10.9 billion) to scale-up life-saving assistance for communities devastated by Cyclone Ditwah. The plan reportedly aims to support 658,000 of the most vulnerable people between December 2025 and April 2026.

Missing World Bank project

In the aftermath of the havoc wreaked by Cyclone Ditwah, there are many questions that have emerged on Sri Lanka’s disaster preparedness and mitigation processes. Amidst these questions, another question that has emerged is the World Bank-funded flood control project that was launched following the floods that hit the country in 2016. 

The proposed project was to put in place a mechanism that would control and prevent floods that could occur in 11 key river basins including those of the Kelani River, Attanagalu Oya, Gin Ganga, Nilwala Ganga, Mahaweli River, and Malwathu Oya. The project named the Climate Resilience Improvement Project (CRIP) was launched in 2019 with funds amounting to $ 152 million from the World Bank.

However, the Government of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa (GR) had stopped the project in 2020 following recommendations obtained from a committee of experts appointed at the time.

The project had proposed to construct a 27 km flood prevention wall from the Kelani River basin to the Pugoda area and feasibility studies had also been conducted on flood prevention in the Mahaweli River, Malwathu Oya, and several other rivers. Had the project been implemented, flood situations in the Mahaweli River could have been controlled in the Kandakadu area and the flooding of the city of Anuradhapura by Malwathu Oya could have been prevented as well.

Engineers at the Irrigation Department had recently told the media that had the World Bank-funded project been implemented, the damage caused by floods during Cyclone Ditwah could have been largely avoided.

Given these details, it is evident that certain actions or even inactions by successive governments also played a role in the massive destruction caused by the recent cyclone, in addition to the failure to heed early warnings.

Lal gets tough with NBRO

Meanwhile, senior Government Minister K.D. Lalkantha took a tough stand against the National Building Research Organisation (NBRO), stating that the Government was waiting for a proper recommendation from the institution with specific details.

Addressing a meeting of the Kandy District Coordinating Committee, Lalkantha stated that if one were to follow the statement issued by the NBRO recently on landslide warnings, the entire city of Kandy would have to be relocated and shifted to another district in the country. 

He explained that the NBRO’s landslide warning to 20 divisional secretariats in the Kandy District had resulted in causing some distress among the people in the district since the organisation had not specified the exact areas under threat. “When a red warning is issued covering all divisional secretariats in Kandy, then everyone must be moved.”

Lalkantha noted that necessary actions could be taken if the NBRO could issue more specific warnings. Responding to the Minister’s statement, the official from the NBRO who was at the meeting had said that the NBRO issued red alerts based on an internationally accepted scientific mechanism and that out of the 15,000 areas facing landslide risks, 2,000 were located within the Kandy District. 

“We are unable to say that the other areas are not prone to landslides. We make our observations based on the areas shown to us by the divisional secretaries. The alert does not mean the whole of Kandy needs to be relocated; it is expected to create awareness among the people regarding the threat and the need for them to be mindful,” the NBRO official had noted.

Addressing another public meeting, Lalkantha noted the need for practical solutions to address the challenges faced by relief groups. He referred to the objections being raised by some groups including environmentalists who had objected to the setting up of temporary routes for relief workers to reach stranded families with essential relief items in some areas. 

He explained that following the landslides that had affected a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the people in the village had been stranded and relief teams had been finding it difficult to access them. “When a temporary path is being prepared to provide relief to the people, there are some including environmentalists who shout saying not to do that because it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Are we to put the UNESCO World Heritage Site above people’s lives? 

“One environmentalist said that areas affected by landslides should not be touched for a period of six months. If we follow such statements, then people stranded in those areas cannot be rescued and relief cannot be provided,” Lalkantha claimed, calling on relevant professionals to present the Government with practical alternatives that could help save lives of the people affected.

Politicising relief work

Amidst the ongoing disaster recovery mechanisms, there are also continuing accusations from some officials as well as Opposition politicians that the relief programmes that are being carried out are being politicised by certain members of the ruling party.

The Sri Lanka United Grama Niladhari Association held a news conference last week where its members alleged that members of the Government and the ruling party were interfering in the relief work being carried out by them. 

They claimed that ruling party members were making their work difficult due to political interference in work related to the provision of relief packs among the affected people as well as operating relief centres. According to the association’s President Nandana Ranasinghe, the political interference under the incumbent Government is far higher than that of previous governments.

The association further threatened trade union action if members of the ruling party continued to interfere with relief work being carried out at village, divisional, or district level.

Meanwhile, an attempt by a Deputy Minister to make a political appointment related to the recovery efforts was recently exposed. 

The relevant Deputy Minister had issued a letter on his letterhead instructing a divisional secretary to appoint one of his representatives to the disaster relief centre that has been set up under the relevant divisional secretariat. The individual proposed by the Deputy Minister also serves on the District Coordinating Committee chaired by the latter.

Although the Deputy Minister has claimed that the appointment was to enable the smooth functioning of the disaster relief centre, Opposition parties have alleged that it is an attempt to politicise the ongoing relief efforts.

Sajith continues his hit

Meanwhile, Opposition and SJB Leader Sajith Premadasa is continuing to hit out at the Government and its failure to heed early warnings and prevent the disaster wreaked by Cyclone Ditwah, as well as likening this failure to a violation of fundamental rights of the country’s citizens.

In the aftermath of the cyclone, Premadasa has held a series of discussions with foreign envoys based in Colombo, including the heads of multilateral financial institutions in Colombo, as well as visiting several areas destroyed by the cyclone.

During his visits to the areas affected by the cyclone, Premadasa has engaged in discussions with the affected people as well as with businesspeople.

Some Government as well as Opposition politicians have stated that Premadasa is only discussing issues without providing the urgent relief required by those affected. The Opposition Leader has responded saying that there would be no longstanding relief for the people affected without properly addressing the issues.

Suing the Opposition

However, responding to Premadasa’s hits on the Government, Deputy Minister Mahinda Jayasinghe came out with an interesting claim. He claimed that the Opposition must be sued for failing to inform the Government and the public about an impending cyclone if they had been aware of such a condition from 12 November as has been claimed.

The Deputy Minister noted that going by the Opposition claims of knowing about the cyclone from 12 November, they (members of the Opposition) had kept silent about it for two weeks without raising any alarms.

He told the media that the Government had not received any prior warnings of a cyclone issued by the Meteorology Department or the Irrigation Department on 12 November as claimed by the Opposition.

“The Opposition parties, especially the SJB and SLPP, had been attending Parliament for the Budget debate for 14 days from 12 November till 26 November. None of them had raised it in Parliament and had kept it a secret until the disaster had occurred. 

“Just as the Government has a responsibility to prevent such a disaster, the Opposition also has a responsibility. They are also the people’s representatives elected by the people’s vote,” Jayasinghe said, adding that legal action should therefore be initiated against the Opposition.

Opposition hits back

However, SJB MP S.M. Marikkar hit back at Jayasinghe’s claim, saying that it was not up to the Opposition to issue warnings about impending cyclones. He noted that it was the Government’s job to issue warnings to the people.

“Doesn’t Deputy Minister Jayasinge understand that he is a member of the Government? He seems to be acting like an Opposition member,” Marikkar told the media.

Meanwhile, it was once again revealed last week that Sri Lankan authorities had received early warnings about Cyclone Ditwah before it hit the country.

Indian media reports have revealed that the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) had shared information about Cyclone Ditwah with Sri Lanka as early as 13 November.

According to The Indian Express, the IMD first predicted the formation of a depression on 13 November and issued an alert for possible cyclogenesis on 20 November. From 23 November onwards, the IMD provided three-hourly and six-hourly updates, indicating the system’s expected development around 26 November. All information was reportedly shared with Sri Lankan authorities through routine channels.

Met officials’ revelation

Meanwhile, the Sri Lanka Association of Meteorologists revealed last week that Department of Meteorology officials had acted in accordance with established Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) in issuing timely alerts and warnings ahead of Cyclone Ditwah. The association has stated that these communications had enabled naval and fishing communities to take necessary precautions, saving lives in the process.

“According to observational data, the cyclone intensified from a low-pressure area to a storm system in less than 12 hours – one of the key concerns. Meteorologists have confirmed that due to global warming, rapid intensification of cyclonic systems has become increasingly common in various oceanic regions due to changing atmospheric dynamics,” the statement by the association has noted.

The association has also emphasised the need to upgrade the current warning system to issue more accurate alerts during extreme and uncertain weather events and that existing limitations within the department’s alert system are currently under review.

According to the association, the atmospheric disturbances that led to the formation of Cyclone Ditwah were first identified by meteorologists on 23 November. “On the same day, this information was promptly communicated to fishing and naval communities, along with a public notice indicating the potential formation of a low-pressure area near Sri Lanka around 25 November. By 24 November, as the system was still located far from the island in the central parts of the Bay of Bengal, updated marine warnings were issued, including an amber alert based on new data.”

The statement has also added: “Additionally, on 24 November, meteorologists also informed the public and stakeholders of possible upcoming weather developments, highlighting the evolving conditions.”

However, the association has also rejected claims that the IMD had issued any early prediction regarding the initial development of Cyclone Ditwah as early as 13 November.

Sajith vs. Namal

Given the ongoing relief programmes carried out by Opposition parties, it is evident that Premadasa and Namal seem to be competing in reaching out to the people affected by Cyclone Ditwah.

Both Premadasa and Namal are seen among the people affected by the cyclone with the former engaged in discussions with the people and providing relief packages while the latter, after distributing relief packages, has now launched a programme called ‘Adaraya’ (love) to provide stationery items to schoolchildren.

However, to up the game on providing relief, Premadasa last week took steps to donate a haemodialysis machine valued at Rs. 4.6 million to the Marawila Base Hospital under the SJB’s ‘Husma’ health initiative. The donation involved a B. Braun Dialog+ haemodialysis machine and had been made as part of efforts to strengthen healthcare services for communities affected by recent cyclone-related disasters.

Dayasiri’s complaint

Meanwhile, Opposition MP Dayasiri Jayasekara had raised a complaint during the District Coordinating Committee Meeting in the Kurunegala District that was attended by President AKD last week, stating that he was not invited to the district meetings. 

However, Minister Ananda Wijepala and Deputy Minister Namal Karunaratne had responded saying that it was not true since all MPs in the Kurunegala District were informed of the meetings.

Noticing that the exchange of words was escalating, the President had intervened saying that the focus of that day’s meeting was on relief work and that the meeting should proceed on those lines.  

Mano speaks to AKD

Meanwhile, Tamil Progressive Alliance (TPA) Leader Mano Ganesan, who remained in the Parliament Chamber on the final day of the third reading of the 2026 Budget even as most of the Opposition MPs led by the SJB walked out when the President started to address the House, had met AKD in the House after his speech.

Ganesan had told the President that there were many estate workers who had been hit by the recent cyclone and were living in difficult conditions. He had asked that the Government also look at providing them with alternative lands to build houses. Ganesan had further informed the President that there were lands belonging to many estate companies that could be used to build houses for estate sector workers.

It is learnt that the President had responded saying that it was a good idea and had asked Ganesan to also support the Government in identifying such lands. 

Cabraal and Ranwala sagas

Amidst the continuing discussion on the Government’s handling of relief and rebuilding efforts in the aftermath of Cyclone Ditwah, developments in the political field continued last week.

Two key incidents that captured much attention in the public domain were the withdrawal of bribery charges against former Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) Ajith Nivard Cabraal by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) and the vehicle accident caused by former Speaker and ruling party MP Asoka Ranwala.

Both these incidents have gathered negative comments towards the ruling party, with many questions being posed by the public on social media. 

In a Facebook post, SJB MP Ajith P. Perera, who is a lawyer by profession, has questioned why the CIABOC had proceeded with a conditional withdrawal when Cabraal’s lawyer had informed court that the defence did not agree with the requirement to pay compensation and maintained that the case should be withdrawn outright on the basis that the charges could not be sustained in law.

Perera had asked why the CIABOC had moved to withdraw the case despite the defence’s position that no payment would be made to the State, and whether this could result in the case being refiled after three months, causing further delays and additional costs to the public.

The MP had also questioned who would bear the cost to the Government if the case were to be re-instituted, noting that restarting proceedings would involve significant expenditure of public funds.

The Colombo High Court on Wednesday (10) had permitted the withdrawal of bribery charges filed against Cabraal and four others accused in connection with the CBSL’s controversial investment in Greek sovereign bonds in 2011.

The withdrawal was allowed under Section 67 of the Bribery Act, following a request by Cabraal, who is the first accused in the case. After a review under Section 67(2), the Director General of the CIABOC, with the commission’s approval, had permitted the withdrawal under Section 67(3), subject to conditions.

Under the order, Cabraal is required to pay Rs. 1,843,267,595.65 as compensation for the alleged loss to the State and the amount must be deposited into a designated CBSL account within three months from 10 December.

The CIABOC, issuing a statement, noted that failure to make the payment would result in the charges being refiled under Section 67(5) of the Bribery Act.

Charges against the other four accused were withdrawn under Section 194(3) of the Code of Criminal Procedure, and they were formally released by court.

The CIABOC has also stressed that the accused have not been acquitted or found innocent, although Cabraal had told the media that he had been acquitted from the case.

Nevertheless, the final outcome of Cabraal’s Greek bond saga will be known come March 2026, three months from now.

Meanwhile, Ranwala’s vehicle accident that had left two ladies and an infant injured and in hospital has resulted in much public criticism being directed at the ruling party, especially the conduct of some party members who had arrived at the hospital, and the Police over its lethargy in applying the law to a ruling party MP.

Wijeyadasa joins SLFP

On the opposite side, an interesting development witnessed last week was former Parliamentarian Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe joining the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP). He was appointed as a Senior Vice President of the SLFP, along with appointment to several other party posts last Friday (12). Accordingly, Rajapakshe was also appointed as the party’s Maharagama Organiser, Colombo District Leader, and a member of the Politburo.

Rajapakshe was earlier at loggerheads with the SLFP’s Nimal Siripala de Silva faction when the party was split into several groups and Rajapakshe was pushed as the SLFP’s leader by the Maithripala Sirisena faction. Rajapakshe at the time filed several court cases against the SLFP, de Silva, and his team of officebearers.

However, past issues have now been resolved and many of the split factions have now joined under de Silva’s leadership and Rajapakshe has also joined the group as part of the SLFP’s ongoing party rebuilding efforts.

Battle for general secretary post

However, despite efforts by the SLFP to unite all divided factions and to rebuild and strengthen the party prior to the next national-level election, signs of an impending clash emerged with Dayasiri Jayasekara, who is engaged in an ongoing legal dispute to reclaim the SLFP general secretary post that was held by him.

Jayasekara, it is learnt, had yet again staked a claim for the SLFP general secretary post during a recent discussion held at party senior, former Minister Mahinda Amaraweera’s residence. The meeting had been attended by other SLFP seniors Nimal Siripala de Silva, Lasantha Alagiyawanna, Duminda Dissanayake, and Jayasekara.

Dissanayake is currently holding the position of SLFP General Secretary after the de Silva faction claimed power in the party. Jayasekara filed a case challenging Dissanayake’s appointment and it is currently ongoing.

It is learnt that during the discussion aimed at ongoing efforts by de Silva to unite the party and to enter out-of-court settlements in ongoing court cases, Jayasekara had been offered the post of SLFP national organiser for him to re-join the party. However, Jayasekara had demanded that he be reinstalled as the party general secretary, which he had claimed had been taken over by Dissanayake in an arbitrary manner.

It is also learnt that the SLFP seniors had informed Jayasekara that he could not be given the general secretary post and the discussion had ended without reaching a settlement.

The clashes between the current SLFP leaders and Jayasekara resulted in the latter contesting the last Parliamentary Election under the SJB-led alliance. 

Questioning ‘Yahapalana’ Cabinet

Meanwhile, the Cabinet of Ministers of the ‘Yahapalana’ Government has been summoned by the CIABOC to record statements regarding a decision taken by the members of the Cabinet at the time.

The CIABOC has summoned the ‘Yahapalana’ Cabinet to record statements about the leasing of a building in Rajagiriya at the time for the Agriculture Ministry. The DPJ building in Rajagiriya, commonly known as ‘Sabeetha’s building’ in political circles, was taken on lease by the then ‘Yahapalana’ Government to shift the Agriculture Ministry from the Govijana Mandiraya on Parliament Road in Kotte. 

The proposal to shift the Agriculture Ministry to the DPJ building in Rajagiriya was moved by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, who had also co-signed the Cabinet paper that was presented by the then Agriculture Minister Duminda Dissanayake. However, Dissanayake had stated at the time that the ministry was being shifted on a request made by the Prime Minister.

It is learnt that the decision to shift the Agriculture Ministry and take the DPJ building on lease had been discussed through three gatherings of the Cabinet.

The CIABOC probe has uncovered that millions of rupees in losses had been caused to the State by taking the building on lease, renovations to accommodate the ministry, and later shift back to the Govijana Mandiraya under the next Government in 2020.

The CIABOC has already recorded statements from then President Maithripala Sirisena and then Prime Minister Wickremesinghe as well as former Ministers Duminda Dissanayake, Lakshman Kiriella, Thalatha Atukorale, Mahinda Amaraweera, and Gayantha Karunatilleka.

It is learnt that Opposition Leader Premadasa, who was also a Minister in the ‘Yahapalana’ Government, has been summoned by the CIABOC to record a statement as well.

GR asked for affidavit

Meanwhile, former President GR has been asked by the Jaffna Magistrate to submit an affidavit on the death threats he is currently facing before 6 February 2026.

The court had issued the order as GR had informed that he was unable to appear before the Magistrate’s Court due to death threats.

The former President was asked to appear before the Jaffna Magistrate over a case regarding the abduction of Frontline Socialist Party (FSP) activists Lalithkumar Veeraraj and Kugan Murugan 14 years ago on 10 December 2011.

Mental evaluation for Daisy

Meanwhile, the Attorney General has informed the Colombo High Court that Daisy Forrest, the grandmother of Yoshitha Rajapaksa, son of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa (MR), is to be examined on Thursday (11) by the Colombo Judicial Medical Officer (JMO) to determine whether she is in a suitable mental condition to stand trial.

This announcement was made by State Counsel Oswald Perera when the case filed against her under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act was taken up before Colombo High Court Judge Rashmi Singappuli.

Perera had informed the court that another case connected to this matter was being heard before High Court No. 8 against the accused and that during the hearing of that case, Forrest’s counsel had informed the court that she was not in a suitable mental state to face trial. The State Counsel had noted that accordingly, the court had ordered a specialist medical report from the Colombo JMO to determine whether the accused is in a suitable mental condition to face trial.

Accordingly, on Thursday (11) Forrest was presented before the Colombo JMO for the examination. She told the media prior to the examination that she could not remember anything about the case involving her.

SF launches book

Amidst the ongoing developments on the political stage, Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka launched the book authored by him, ‘Army Commander’s Promise to the Nation – I Shall Not Leave This War Behind to the Next Commander.’ The book was launched on Tuesday (9) at the Defence Services College Auditorium in Colombo.

Deputy Minister of Defence Major General (Retd) Aruna Jayasekara was the Chief Guest at the event, while Secretary of Defence Air Vice Marshal (Retd) Sampath Thuyacontha attended as the Guest of Honour.

The launch was attended by senior military officials, members of the diplomatic community, and invited guests and family members. 

The book reflects Fonseka’s tenure as Army Commander during the final phase of the country’s armed conflict.