Headline

Cyclone Ditwah destroyed much of the upcountry’s road and rail network. As the island contends with the mammoth task of rebuilding, proposals urge the authorities to build back better, including a new double-track line past Rambukkana.

Doppler radar is vital for cyclone prediction. Despite trying for nearly two decades, Sri Lanka is the only country in the region without it. Met department mismanagement and negligence are the main cause, say audit reports. Ironically, Sri Lanka operated cyclone prediction radar in the 1980s.

Sri Lanka, while disaster-ready for milder cyclones, isn’t prepared for Ditwah-level devastation. In the weeks to come, audits will assess the gaps in our disaster management systems. But for now, we look at what worked and what didn’t – asking if any of the 486 deaths could have been avoided.

People are dying of water-borne diseases, while food prices are likely to remain elevated. Most businesses in affected areas are operational, but not yet operating at capacity. Tea exports likely to fall by 10 percent. Damage to roads and bridges is severe. Reconstruction could take up to two years.

Claiming an article in the Sinhala daily Aruna was ‘fake news’, the government filed a CID complaint. The move comes as the government is pushing for a ‘co-regulatory’ model to supervise the press. Meanwhile, The Examiner investigated Wijepala’s claims, finding a gap between policy and reality.

Authorities removed hundreds of unauthorised coastal buildings this year. But when they tried to demolish an illegal cafe on Trinco’s public beach, monks erected a Buddha statue. The authenticity of the monks’ Pooja Bhoomi deed is in question and officials object to the law’s selective application.

This budget marks continuity rather than change. It falls within the IMF’s parameters and maintains the discipline characteristic of Sri Lanka’s post-crisis budgets. But capital expenditure and implementation remain question marks, even for the government’s own.

The Kandyans will elect the next Diyawadana Nilame this evening. He will oversee the tooth relic and the Maligawa’s worldly affairs. Seven candidates are contesting, including a university lecturer, a war veteran, and the incumbent — who’s accused of fraud. Women are still barred from voting.

Police detained the suspected assassin in the Weligama murder under the PTA. Some evidence is likely inadmissible in court. The SJB, which could lose control of the council, claims that the government created the conditions for the assasination.

Dhammika Perera’s buying spree on the stock exchange, coupled with his supermarket entry plans, signal investor confidence in consumer purchasing power. But concerns remain on Perera’s concentration of market and lobbying power.