President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s (AKD) Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP)-led National People’s Power (NPP) Government is caught in the eye of Cyclone Ditwah as the human and infrastructure toll continues to mount and the Government’s disaster preparedness and management mechanisms are being criticised by the public, let alone the Opposition politicians.
With 153 deaths and another 191 persons missing as of yesterday (29) evening, the JVP/NPP Government faces a herculean task ahead of it in the form of regaining waning public sympathy while also preparing to assess the losses and allocate funds that will undoubtedly amount to billions of rupees to rebuild the damage caused by Cyclone Ditwah.
There are multiple reasons for the growing criticism over the Government’s initial response to the natural disaster. Key among them is its failure to heed the early warnings received as early as 12 November about the impending disaster. During a television interview yesterday, it was revealed that the Department of Meteorology’s Director General had warned about the impending cyclone weeks earlier during another television programme.
The Director General had reportedly warned that the developing weather crisis could develop further, and that a joint mechanism should be put in place to face the situation. However, the authorities had not heeded the warnings, believing that the cyclone would not wreak havoc as it did in the past few days.
This is definitely a déjà vu moment, similar to when the then Secretary of Defence in April 2019 told the media after the Easter Sunday attacks that the authorities knew of an impending attack but did not anticipate that it would be a destruction of the magnitude witnessed on 21 April 2019.
The other key reason is the lack of coordination among State institutions. As Sri Lanka began to experience the first signs of the cyclone on Thursday (27), the Government announced that a special holiday was being granted to the public sector the following day, Friday (28), sans essential services. There was also no proper communication on the essential services.
This failure resulted in chaos in many parts of the country, with people who had been affected frantically trying to reach out to their grama niladharis, divisional secretaries, and their staff seeking emergency support services to evacuate and for other forms of assistance, only to find out that the officials were all at home since it had been declared a holiday for the public service.
In some of the worst affected areas, the divisional secretaries had even refused to engage in emergency purchases, saying they feared corruption and other charges for signing off on purchases when they were technically on leave.
The purchasing of urgent requirements did not take place despite President AKD’s assurance that funds would be released for disaster relief without any hindrance. While this scenario had even resulted in a delay in evacuation of people in some areas, the Police and security forces were overwhelmed by many requests seeking support services.
While the Government was left to decide on its next course of action, the people began their humanitarian operations by assisting whoever was in need and, most importantly, by gathering rations for distribution as well as preparing cooked meals through community kitchens. Some medical professionals also posted online about their availability to provide free medical assistance if needed and some others offered transport services in their private vehicles for those in need of transportation support.
It was only around midday yesterday (29) that President AKD managed to issue a gazette identifying essential services including district and divisional secretaries and their staff.
Another reason was the failure of State authorities to convey important information being disseminated in all three languages – Sinhala, Tamil, and English – in line with the country’s trilingual policy. While most of the messages were disseminated in Sinhala and English, the authorities failed to release messages in Tamil until quite late in the day on Friday.
Some statements posted online referring to comments attributed to some Government ministers did not help the growing frustration among the public.
President AKD finally declared a state of emergency in the country yesterday after continuous calls from the public and Opposition politicians to do so.
Given that President AKD and the JVP/NPP had waxed eloquent in the run-up to the Presidential and Parliamentary Elections about the mechanisms they would put in place once in power that would focus on the use of technology for early identification of climate threats and to prepare for them, video clips of AKD making these statements went viral on social media in the past few days, even as the failure to do so one year after assuming office surprised many.
Also, the non-appearance of the JVP’s Red Star relief force, which always played a key role during any natural disaster in the past including the 2004 tsunami, was questioned by Opposition politicians and the public.
However, President AKD, who met with Members of Parliament (MPs) and Opposition politicians at two meetings, called on everyone to cast aside political differences at this hour of national crisis. It is also learnt that although members of the Red Star force were not seen on the ground in their usual attire, they had assisted in evacuation and other relief efforts together with the military forces. “A national disaster is not a time to promote party politics. We are all on the ground and doing the work that is needed,” a senior JVPer said.
Nevertheless, once the assessment of the damage and rebuilding efforts commence, there is no doubt that the Government will receive a massive bill that will definitely hurt the State coffers unless assistance is received from the international community.
There are many areas that are facing connectivity issues due to the destruction of roads and bridges as well as telecommunication towers. The destruction of a large area of paddy fields and other agricultural land will pose another challenge in ensuring food security to an already battered nation. The shortage of rice, vegetables, and other essential items will result in the Government having to use its dollar reserves to import food items.
Financial toll
On the other hand, the impact of heavy winds and floods on many tourist hotels in several areas of the country could also have an impact on the tourism industry when the tourist season is about to kick off.
Video footage of tourist hotels submerged in flood waters, as well as manufacturing industrial complexes like a large-scale apparel manufacturer in Thulhiriya that were shared on social media are indicative of the possible impact on the country’s economic activities. While Sri Lanka has stood resilient through the years to internal and external shocks and possesses the ability to bounce back, a lot of the recovery speed will depend on the dynamic approaches the Government takes in the coming days.
It is in such a backdrop that Opposition and Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) Leader Sajith Premadasa has called on the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to ease the conditions imposed on Sri Lanka under the ongoing support programme, noting that the nation is facing an unprecedented tragedy.
He has appealed to foreign governments, international financial institutions, and global organisations to extend urgent support to Sri Lanka as the country continues to grapple with the widespread devastation caused by Cyclone Ditwah.
Meanwhile, Deputy Minister of Finance and Planning Anil Jayantha Fernando informed Parliament recently that Sri Lanka’s total debts had risen to Rs. 30.93 trillion as of 30 September this year. The total debt stood at Rs. 29 trillion as of December 2024.
The Government will now have to prepare a framework to address these concerns while also having to look at making allocations required for rebuilding work in its 2026 Budget.
India leads in relief support
Meanwhile, neighbouring India was the first country to extend support to Sri Lanka’s relief efforts. First, India announced that the helicopters onboard the visiting INS Vikrant aircraft carrier would be provided to support the security forces engaged in rescue and relief efforts.
INS Vikrant further donated 4.5 tonnes of food items from its stock to assist flood victims in Sri Lanka and contributed 2 tonnes of other relief supplies, including tents, electric torches, and charging cables as well.
The Indian Government then announced that it had launched Operation Sagar Bandhu to assist Sri Lanka in its relief efforts.
Also, an Indian Air Force C-130J aircraft carrying nearly 12 tonnes of emergency relief supplies including tents, tarpaulins, blankets, hygiene kits, and ready-to-eat food arrived in Colombo yesterday (29) as part of India’s ongoing humanitarian support to Sri Lanka.
Following the relief consignments, an Indian rescue team also arrived in Sri Lanka yesterday morning to assist ongoing emergency and relief operations amid the severe weather affecting the country.
The team that arrived consists of 80 personnel – including four women and 76 men – along with four trained rescue dogs. They have also brought with them specialised disaster-response equipment to support urgent search-and-rescue efforts in areas impacted by flooding, landslides, and other weather-related emergencies.
Meanwhile, the Maldivian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated yesterday that the Maldives had decided to extend relief assistance to Sri Lanka through financial support of $ 50,000 and a donation of 25,000 cases of tuna cans.
US Ambassador to Sri Lanka Julie Chung last afternoon stated that the US was pledging $ 2 million to Sri Lanka to support urgent relief efforts.
Seeking international support
Be that as it may, the JVP/NPP Government, which still seems to be engaged in an on-the-job learning experience even amidst a national crisis, is yet to fully harness the support being offered to the country by the international community.
While Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya together with Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath convened a meeting with the foreign diplomatic corps in Colombo, where the international community expressed its willingness to support Sri Lanka, there does not seem to be effective follow-up steps to convert the commitment into qualitative action.
Also, it was noted that the Government’s discussion with the foreign diplomatic corps was mainly with a female diplomat representing a Western nation when the discourse should have ideally been led by the envoy of neighbouring India. After all, it was India that played a key role in Sri Lanka securing a deal with the IMF during the height of the economic crisis in 2022.
It should also be understood that pledges by Western nations don’t immediately translate into qualitative action and that it sometimes takes years for pledged funds to reach State coffers. Senior members of the then Government in 2016 can vouch for how long it took for the funds that were pledged by a Western country to reach State coffers.
Nevertheless, President AKD and his Government need to move fast on opening communication lines with the diplomatic missions in the country by sending out individual diplomatic notes and following them up to get required support.
Developing into a crisis
Amidst the ongoing disaster mitigation process, the country, and especially the Government, is also faced with the increasing threat of ethno-religious extremism rearing its head again. Even during the disaster period over the last few days, there were hateful posts on social media targeting an ethnic minority community in the country following the deaths of three members of the same family in Sainthamaruthu in the east when their vehicle was swept away by gushing river waters.
Prior to this incident, another incident that had taken place in the Eastern Province resulted in ethnic tensions following the removal of signboards put up by the Department of Archaeology by members of the Local Government authority in Valaichchenai. This followed the previous week’s incident related to a Buddha statue in the Trincomalee area, again in the Eastern Province.
It is therefore evident that the Eastern Province is a simmering pot waiting to boil over with regard to ethno-religious tensions.
However, Buddha Sasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs Minister Dr. Hiniduma Sunil Senevi, referring to the incident where signboards of the Archaeology Department were taken down, said an investigation had been launched into the matter. Issuing a special statement, the Minister said the Department of Archaeology had been installing such signboards for many years as part of a general Government project to identify and protect heritage locations.
The incident had taken place when an organised group had reportedly removed these signboards from four archaeological sites in the area. The incident was also reported to the Public Security Ministry and investigations were carried out.
Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala said that the signboards had been removed by the Chairman of the Local Government authority in Valaichchenai and several other council members. The Minister told Parliament that the Police had been directed to probe the incident, arrest the culprits, and present the findings to court.
“The law is equal to all. Some believe they have provincial states, but it is not so. Even if some forces are trying to pave the way for ethnic clashes by removing these boards, there will be no space for any form of extremism,” Wijepala claimed.
The Local Government authority in question had removed the posts claiming they had been erected without its approval. The Pradeshiya Sabha has stated that such posts being erected by the Archaeology Department without approval was a violation of the Pradeshiya Sabhas Act No.15 of 1987.
The Department of Archaeology had lodged a complaint with the Valaichchenai Police.
Tilvin to visit India
Meanwhile, JVP General Secretary Tilvin Silva is to visit India around mid-December. Silva’s Indian visit is expected to be a decisive one as it would further strengthen ties between India and the JVP/NPP Government.
Silva was also engaged in a tour of the UK a few weeks back. During his visit to London, he had faced protests from Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) supporters when he was engaging with the Sri Lankan diaspora. Silva was in the UK to attend meetings and speak with expatriate Sri Lankans. The incident took place ahead of a public meeting organised by the NPP London Branch.
It is learnt that despite the protest by a group of Sri Lankan expatriates in the UK, Silva had held successful meetings with members of the Tamil diaspora in the UK.
Sunil to CID
Meanwhile, Minister Sunil Handunnetti, who has become quite a newsmaker on account of his controversial comments, lodged a complaint last week with the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) over an allegedly leaked voice recording said to be of Handunnetti, where the person is heard assuring someone that he will do the needful to clear a stock of rice that had been imported without a licence. The audio recording went viral on social media with Opposition MPs demanding a probe into it.
“A minister is heard assuring someone that he will do the needful to get the stock of rice cleared. He is also heard questioning what could be done as the importer will have to pay a fine of Rs. 84 million. We request that a probe be conducted into this,” Opposition MP Chithral Fernando had told Parliament.
Handunnetti however has responded saying that he has lodged a complaint with the CID alleging that the claim is an insult and that the audio has been taken out of context. He has explained that he was addressing a request concerning five containers of rice that could not be released from Customs due to an import licence issue.
Meeting Tamil, Muslim MPs
Meanwhile, President AKD recently met with Tamil and Muslim MPs to brief them on the Sri Lankan Day that is scheduled to be held in December.
The President, during the discussion, had emphasised that every citizen of the country must have the freedom to live with dignity while respecting all religious and cultural identities, adding that the JVP/NPP Government would not allow Sri Lanka to fall into a racist trap of any form. He had invited all parties to support the programme.
Sri Lankan Day is being planned with a vision of bringing together all communities to foster mutual understanding and build a peaceful and harmonious Sri Lanka.
The initiative to organise the Sri Lankan Day celebration by bringing together all communities received the appreciation of all party leaders and representatives who participated, and they also presented their views and proposals in this regard, according to the President’s Media Division (PMD).
Planning more rallies
Meanwhile, the Opposition parties that organised the rally in Nugegoda in the previous week (21 November), are now engaged in discussions to organise three more rallies in Ratnapura, Matara, and Kurunegala.
Following the success of the Nugegoda rally, Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) leaders have decided that similar rallies should be held islandwide. The announcement about the three rallies was made by SLPP National Organiser Namal Rajapaksa.
Former Minister Udaya Gammanpila also noted last week that the Opposition would organise another mass rally next January.
It is interesting that Namal and the SLPP are pushing for large-scale rallies when former President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who mooted the idea of a joint Opposition rally, proposed the holding of 1,000 meetings islandwide to develop a public discourse about the JVP/NPP Government’s failure to honour pledges made during election time.
Disgruntled party leaders
However, some leaders of Opposition parties that had participated in the Nugegoda rally have expressed their displeasure at the speech of a representative of an Opposition political party – Harin Fernando of the United National Party (UNP) – for violating a consensus reached by all parties prior to the rally.
It is learnt that the political parties that had agreed to join the rally had all agreed that the ongoing programme should be aimed at uniting Opposition political parties and not as the launch of a campaign to promote one individual or party. This agreement had been reached among the parties following the criticism by several other political parties including the ruling JVP/NPP that the ongoing campaign was aimed at promoting Namal and preparing for his next Presidential Election campaign.
Despite this agreement, Fernando, in his speech at the rally, had specifically referred to former President Mahinda Rajapaksa (MR) and individually identified Namal as the leader of the rally.
It is also learnt that several Opposition political party leaders in the audience had immediately turned to each other and discussed the matter. “We are here for a common Opposition programme and not to promote Namal,” a former Minister who was at the rally noted.
Another Opposition political leader said: “Although Namal maybe a prince to Harin, it is not so for us,” adding that it was wrong of the organisers of the rally to have let Namal’s entrance disrupt the speech being delivered at the time by MP Chamara Sampath Dasanayake.
When Namal jumped over a fence and entered the venue, he got on stage and waved at the crowd before moving aside and letting Dasanayake continue with his speech. Actions such as these are most often seen during Presidential Election campaigns when the candidate arrives at the rally. Also, the crowd that stood behind Namal when he was delivering the speech made the Nugegoda rally a Namal-centric one, with other Opposition parties merely left as bystanders.
Harin backtracks
Meanwhile, UNP Deputy General Secretary Fernando, who gathered much flak over his speech at the Opposition rally in Nugegoda the previous week, backtracked on his statement where he had referred to the SLPP’s Namal as the ‘prince of the stage.’ Fernando told the media that the Nugegoda rally was not aimed at promoting Namal, but an attempt to unite all Opposition parties on a joint platform.
He claimed that there were many challenges faced by him and the organisers of the rally, but that it was a success. He further noted that his speech had irked the Government and pro-Government forces, adding: “One wonders whether hanging grass and poonac were a part of the ‘Green Sri Lanka’ programme.”
Nevertheless, Fernando became the key figure in many online posts where speeches and statements made by him earlier targeting the Rajapaksas were publicised along with parts of his speech at the Nugegoda rally.
Sajith meeting SJB organisers
Meanwhile, Opposition and SJB Leader Premadasa met with SJB organisers including MPs at a meeting organised in Colombo last week.
SJB General Secretary Ranjith Madduma Bandara said that the party had appointed organisers for 2025–2026.
When asked if there had been a discussion about a future union between the SJB and UNP, Madduma Bandara noted that the topic had also been discussed since many SJBers had sought a union with the UNP.
Premadasa has stated that he admitted that the SJB and the UNP should join forces and that he would take the necessary steps in the near future. “He (Premadasa) said he would personally take responsibility for it,” an SJB MP said, adding that the Party Leader had also admitted to having made a mistake earlier.
When the media posed a question on whether the SJB had reached a decision at the meeting to form an alliance with the UNP, Premadasa said: “You will get my speech. Then you can see.”
It is learnt that during the discussion, Premadasa had further clarified the party’s policies and how decisions were made.
Mano’s proposal
Meanwhile, SJB alliance partner, Tamil Progressive Alliance (TPA) Leader Mano Ganesan has proposed that both the SJB and UNP should look at a ‘unity framework’ rather than a merger between the two parties.
In a post on X, Ganesan said the SJB had already established its distinct identity and passed the “point of return” and urged political strategists to move away from merger discussions and instead focus on building a broad-based alliance.
He further proposed a coalition including the SJB, UNP, Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC), remaining elements of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), and other minority parties.
Split in the UNP
However, the UNP seems to be split over whether the party should join the SJB or align with the SLPP.
While the likes of Sagala Ratnayaka and Wajira Abeywardena are leaning towards an alliance with the SLPP given the belief that the SLPP led by Namal would win at the next national election, others like Ruwan Wijewardene, Thalatha Atukorale, Navin Dissanayake, and Akila Viraj Kariyawasam are of the view that the UNP should unite with the SJB.
It is learnt that Abeywardena and Ratnayaka have decided that UNP policies are no longer important since the party should focus on boarding some of its members to Parliament at the next election. This sentiment had not fared well with senior UNPers who have generational ties to the party.
UNP positive on SJB
A group of UNP seniors meanwhile responded positively to the SJB leadership’s stance on uniting with the UNP.
The UNP has stated that it accepted Premadasa’s decision that he would take the responsibility of reaching an understanding with the UNP. The party had also expressed gratitude to Premadasa over his personal commitment to uniting the two parties.
The UNP has appointed a committee headed by Deputy Leader Ruwan Wijewardene, General Secretary Atukorale, and Sagala Ratnayaka to hold discussions with the SJB.
Cutting speeches
Meanwhile, details of incidents that had taken place at the rally in Nugegoda on 21 November continue to trickle out.
One of the key incidents had been the cutting down of the number of speeches that were scheduled for the rally. The reasons for the last-minute decision to cut down the number of speeches were the delayed start of the rally and the need for Namal to deliver his speech before the rains poured down harder on the crowds.
An unexpected power outage in the area and delays in getting the generator operational had resulted in the delay in starting the rally. While the rally was ongoing, the rains that had started to fall had made it difficult for the people to continue to stand and listen to the Opposition leaders.
It is learnt that among the speeches that had been cut from the list were that of the SLPP’s Sanjeewa Edirimanna and People’s Alliance (PA) Leader Anura Priyadarshana Yapa along with the speeches allocated for a representative of the late Somawansa Amarasinghe’s party and a councillor of the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC).
Edirimanna was assigned the task of informing of the need to cut several speeches to the relevant persons/parties. Accordingly, he had made his way first to Yapa and explained the situation and had said that his speech had also been cut and whether it was okay by him (Yapa) if he did not get a speech at the rally. Yapa, it is learnt, had given his consent.
Udith gathers flak
Meanwhile, it is learnt that SLPP seniors have expressed displeasure towards a former SLPPer. It is none other than former President MR’s Coordinating Secretary Udith Lokubandara.
A photograph of Lokubandara standing behind Namal on stage while he was delivering the speech at the Nugegoda rally with one of his hands inside a side bag worn by him holding what seemed like a firearm went viral on social media soon after the rally. This incident also resulted in the Nugegoda Crimes Division confiscating the firearm that was in Lokubandara’s possession to inquire into its legality.
It is also learnt that members of the Rajapaksa family have also expressed displeasure at Lokubandara’s behaviour.
Free seating
Another incident that grabbed attention at the Nugegoda rally was UNP General Secretary Atukorale not being assigned a seat in the front row, resulting in her having to stand until alternative arrangements were made.
It was learnt that in order to show that the rally was a people’s rally, the organisers had decided to keep the seating arrangements open and had not assigned the task to any of the organisers. Therefore, the political party leaders who had arrived at the venue had not been aware of the free seating arrangement and had started to look for the seat with their names on it as soon as they had arrived.
It is in such a backdrop that Atukorale had arrived at the rally and realised that there was no space for her to sit in the front row until the SLPP’s Sagara Kariyawasam had arrived and allocated a seat for the UNP General Secretary.
Dayasiri’s predicament
Meanwhile, Opposition MP Dayasiri Jayasekara, it is learnt, had been faced with a difficult situation after he had thought of attending the Nugegoda rally. Jayasekara had faced a dilemma since the SJB had decided not to attend the rally and he had contested the last Parliamentary Elections as a member of the SJB alliance under the ‘telephone’ symbol and entered Parliament.
Jayasekara, it is learnt, had therefore decided to discuss his issue with the SJB leadership. He had met Premadasa and explained that he had thought of attending the Nugegoda rally as a member of the SLFP, which had decided to support the rally.
After listening to Jayasekara, Premadasa had asked him how he could represent the SLFP when he was the SJB’s Panduwasnuwara Organiser.
However, Jayasekara had noted that he did not hold any post in the party and that he had a point to make at the Opposition rally on the issue of rule of law.
Nevertheless, Jayasekara did not make a speech at the rally or attend it.
Implicating Shirani
Meanwhile, the ongoing debate about Namal’s educational qualifications has now implicated former Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayake since she was the head of the Legal Education Council at the time Namal was admitted to Law College.
The recent revelation of some disturbing details related to Namal’s educational qualifications has resulted in some SLPPers noting that if there were discrepancies in Namal’s attorney’s examination and the taking of oaths, the relevant questions should be answered by the Legal Education Council and its head at the time.
Questioning Saroja
Meanwhile, the probe into former President Wickremesinghe’s controversial UK visit that resulted in several sleuths from the CID travelling to the UK was revealed in the media even prior to the investigators leaving for the UK.
It is now learnt that details of the CID investigators’ planned visit to the UK were revealed by several Wickremesinghe confidantes following information given to them by the former President himself. The next question was how Wickremesinghe had got to know about the CID sleuths’ plans to visit the UK.
It is believed that Sri Lanka’s former High Commissioner to the UK Saroja Sirisena may have informed Wickremesinghe about it when she was informed by the CID that several officials would be visiting the UK to record a statement from her for the probe on Wickremesinghe’s visit to the UK and the University of Wolverhampton. Sirisena was Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to the UK at the time Wickremesinghe visited the UK and attended the University of Wolverhampton event.
It is further learnt that the CID had requested Sirisena on several occasions to visit Sri Lanka in order to record a statement from her, but she had informed the department of her inability to make the trip. She is currently on two years’ leave from work and is married to a UK citizen.
The CID had then decided to send several officials to the UK to record a statement from Sirisena as well as several others related to the probe and meet with the university officials to obtain details about the invitation extended to Wickremesinghe. Sirisena’s statement had been recorded at Sri Lanka’s High Commission in the UK.
Divisional secretaries in Colombo
Meanwhile, all divisional secretaries across the country were summoned for a meeting in Colombo recently to brief them on the Government’s flagship ‘Praja Shakthi’ national programme, which is being implemented to strengthen social empowerment and ensure the fair distribution of economic benefits within society.
The session held at the Presidential Secretariat had provided divisional secretaries with an extensive overview of the grassroots implementation of the ‘Praja Shakthi’ programme. Discussions had also covered the need for public sector reforms, the role of divisional secretaries in development, the digital systems and platforms used within the ‘Praja Shakthi’ initiative, the responsibilities of divisional secretaries under the digital economy programme, and securing their active contribution to the national ‘A Nation United’ (‘Ratama Ekata’) mission aimed at eradicating bribery, corruption, and dangerous narcotics.
Rural Development, Social Security, and Community Empowerment Minister Dr. Upali Pannilage had noted at the session that the aim of the ‘Praja Shakthi’ national movement was to provide national-level leadership to eliminate rural poverty. He had further emphasised that, while poverty alleviation had long been handled as a fragmented responsibility limited to a single ministry or institution, ‘Praja Shakthi’ sought to transform it into a broad, collective national effort.
Jeevan returns with bride
Meanwhile, Ceylon Workers’ Congress (CWC) General Secretary Jeevan Thondaman, who got married in Tamil Nadu in India last Sunday (23), arrived in Sri Lanka with his bride and family members last week.
A wedding reception was held at the Hilton Colombo on Friday (28), which was attended by almost anyone and everyone in politics.
Thondaman and his bride are also to attend another wedding reception this weekend in the Thondaman family’s constituency in the upcountry.
MR hospitalised
Meanwhile, former President MR was admitted to a private hospital on Thursday (27) morning.
A source close to the family had told the media that he was admitted to hospital for a special medical examination and that he was not suffering from any troubling health conditions. “He (MR) was not admitted to hospital over any sudden ailment. He was admitted to face some pre-prescribed medical examinations by his doctors,” the source has added.
However, it is learnt that MR was admitted to hospital for treatment following a fall and that he is steadily recovering from it.