25,000 irrigation systems dilapidated despite rhetoric of Sri Lankan rulers regarding boost in agri sector

(January 17, Colombo - Lanka Polity) Twenty five thousand small sized irrigation systems of Sri Lanka are in dilapidated state, a study conducted by the Ministry of Irrigation  and Water Management has disclosed.

These irrigation systems include water reservoirs, bunds and canals etc. Most of them have been used by people for centuries.


Most of the dilapidated irrigation systems are under the management of the Provincial Councils. They are vital mainly for the cultivation of rice, the major staple food of Sri Lankans.

The nationalist government of Sri Lanka has launched a programme under the theme 'Let us grow and develop the country' to boost the production of food and to curb the imports. The President and the Ministers were seen in paddy fields for several minutes of photo shoots in the hyped propaganda. However the outcome of this programme is questionable as the import of essential food items escalated sharply while the programme is underway in full throttle.

In November 2008, the Minister of Trade, Commerce, Consumer Affairs and Cooperative Development Bandula Gunawardhana said to the parliament that Sri Lanka imported 90% of its milk powder needs while justifying the high import taxes stating they are for the upliftment of the local milk farmer.

The import of food items like potato, onion, chillie and sugar have increased rapidly under the present government, the Minister said. For instance, in 2005 Sri Lanka imported 89.6 of its sugar consumption. In 2008, the imports rose to 92.7%.

At the moment, Sri Lanka is facing a severe rice shortage and the prices in the markets are unbearable to most of the people in the low income groups.

However, Sri Lanka government boasts of providing fertilizer subsidy to the farmers, the only remarkable service rendered by the government levying high taxes from the people.

Fonseka-Sampanthan Pact and post-war reconciliation of Sri Lanka

By Ajith Perakum Jayasinghe

(January 16, Colombo - Lanka Polity) Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) led present ruling coalition has once again resorted to racism targetting to win the early presidential to be held on January 26 seeking re-election of the President Mahinda Rajapaksa.


Rajapaksa intended to investe the last year's war victory for his re-election but he was ill-fated to face a pitch battle in which the probability for losing is also high with the opposition deciding to set forth the former Army Commander Sarath Fonseka as the common opposition candidate. Fonseka though he was a hardline Sinhala chauvinist in the past took the capitalist liberal line during his campaign and mustered support of the majority of the minority community political parties pushing Rajapaksa into jealousy and further risk of defeat.


In 2004 general election, the present ruling coalition United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) concocted a story of 'an Elephant-Tiger Pact' that did an enormous damage to the United National Party (UNP) whose leader ex-Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe signed the 2002 ceasefire agreement. Ultimately, the UNP lost the election. In the Presidential held an year later, they performed extremely well and Wickramasinghe lost to the present President Mahinda Rajapaksa in a narrow margin. He was deprived of minority Tamil community votes by then powerful Tamil Tiger rebels who called for a boycott of the Presidential. Rajapaksas supported by Sinhala chauvinist 'Marxist' People's Liberation Front (JVP) thrived in their racist campaign based on the concocted story of Elephant-Tiger Pact. The so-called pact was for dividing the nation, the UPFA then said.

Six years have passed and none of the government politicians have disclosed a copy of that so called Elephant-Tiger Pact. Definitely, one such never existed.

History repeats. The UPFA has now resorted to a new racist campaign based on a so-called Sampanthan-Fonseka pact. They do not articulate clearly if it is to divide the nation like the fabricated 'Elephant-Tiger Pact'. Who cares? They need no content. When the content is secret, the fear created in the minds of the majority Sinhala community is endless.

Rajapaksa's campaign managers that know too well that people do not believe what the state media says manipulated several pawns that were planted in privately-owned Lankadeepa newspaper. They fabricated a story to be published on January 10 in which Tamil National Alliance (TNA) leader R. Sampanthan says that the TNA had pledged support to Fonseka since the latter agreed to their 'conditions'.

'Derana TV' another television owned by the family members of a powerful cabinet Minister Sarath Amunugama was 'clever' in obtaining a statement from a junior TNA MP about an 'agreement'. The approach of these Sinhala media in interviews with the Tamil MPs is extremely racist. These MPs do not understand Sinhala language properly. On the other hand, these 'embedded' journalists are hard-boiled than them.

Now the story is published. The writer who wrote it failed to prove she was correct and resigned the job. She will definitely be given a good position in state-owned Lake House soon after the Presidential if Rajapaksas win. Now, the racist campaigners of the UPFA, including Mahinda Rajapaksa himself, are following up the fabricated story on the pretended assupmtion of it as a fact. Even the Norwegian embassy staff is also involved in the signing of the so-called agreement as witnesses, they say. Why Norway? Why was it not US or a any other European country? Norway facilitated the ceasefire and was subjected to the wrath of the Sinhala majority for a long time by the UPFA politicians.

This reminds us Barry Levinsons's movie 'Wag the Dog' in which a false war with Albania is created by a Hollywood cinematographer in media to deviate the voters' focus from a sex scandal of a US President seeking reelection, two weeks ahead of the polls.

One can say that the 'Sampanthan-Fonseka Pact' is a success of the campaign managers of Rajapaksa. But this trick is played on the ethnic reconciliation in the post-war period. TNA expresses the frustration in Tamil community over Rajapaksa rule. The backing Fonseka received from the majority Sinhala community is also caused by similar frustration. It is democracy the TNA pledges support to any of the candidates of the presidential. They could have supported to Rajapaksa. TNA says that the support pledged to Fonseka is not conditional. Fonseka has said he will work for a political solution based on power devolution that exceeds the perimeters of the Provincial Councils that were introduced under the 13th amendment to the constitution, two decades ago.

Are conditions and agreements are so important, if they exist? Have Sri Lankan politicians kept all promises, pledges, conditions and agreements so far in the history? We do not believe in these pledges etc. But, we believe in the joint actions of Sinhala, Tamil, Muslim and other communities of Sri Lanka. One day the ethnic unity will bring results although it will not be tomorrow.

They can do any gimmick to win elections.That is capitalist democracy. They do not stuff ballot boxes by force like in some past elections in Sri Lanka. Instead, they subtly manipulate media to build opinions in your mind to compell you to vote to them. That is their democracy that we have had to accept for the moment. The problem here is that this game is played on the potential reconcilation among ethnicities in the post-war period. It is The UPFA is campaigning against a negotiated settlement. They are creating fear and hatred  in the minds of the Sinhala majority people. Their campaign is Sinhala racist and anti Tamil now. This campaign violates all the norms of the democracy, rule of law and the codes of ethics of politics and social life.

There are two sectors in Sri Lankan polity that is happy about this development. They are the Tamil extremists that do not accept anything less than seperate state irresepective of whatever amount of blood is needed to be shed and years are needed to achieve this goal as a solution for the problem of the Tamils. Steps towards Tamil-Sinhala reconciliation are allergic to them. The other group is the Sinhala racist forces that are risked of losing their livelihood following the unexpected defeat of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Ealam (LTTE). These two groups are a single bunch of opportunists with good mutual understanding, respect and rapport. By circumstances, one was made to defeat the other militarily. For them, blood is not more worth than any other object they meet across their path. They need the other for their existence. That is why the Sinhala chauvinists are giving a hand to the Tamil nationalist extremists.

The most important speech delivered by Sri Lanka opposition presidential candidate

(January 14, Colombo - Lanka Polity) The most politically important speech made by Sri Lanka's opposition presidential candidate Sarath Fonseka in his campaign is the speech he delivered to the business community. As a candidate vying for a better capitalist governance, he expllains his positions clearly to the capitalist class of Sri Lanka. The full text of the speech is as follows:

Dear Friends, I come before you today, not as a politician with years of experience, but as someone with a lifelong commitment to safeguarding the country. It was this commitment that saw me leading the security forces to a decisive military victory over the LTTE, which many said was not possible.

Of course the victory would not have been possible without the commitment of the three forces, the police and the civil defence force, many of who made the ultimate sacrifice with their lives.

The victory we secured for all Sri Lankans was not an end in itself. It was the decisive beginning towards restoring peace that would enable us to re-build the country and put it firmly on the path to economic recovery and development. We owed this to the general public who gave us the moral support and patiently endured many economic hardships. We owed this to the soldiers who sacrificed their lives and those who suffered permanent disabilities. We even owed the international community that supported the war against terrorism.

Sadly, this hasn’t happened.

Corruption and Mismanagement
Nearly eight months after victory was declared, the incumbent regime is continuing to glorify the military triumph as a personal achievement at the expense of the follow-up needs - that of reconciliation, peace building, infrastructure development and economic resuscitation. It has effectively managed to place the nation in a time warp of victory euphoria, disguising the rampant corruption and one family rule, while sidelining the urgent need for progress on numerous fronts, the least of which is good governance that ensures transparency and accountability.

The nation’s wealth is being squandered on self- perpetuating projects that are both wasteful and meaningless. Billions have been lost due to corruption, nepotism, mismanagement and waste. Public funds are being used to sustain and nurture a single family. The goodwill of the international community has been destroyed, so much so the US and the European Union have become our harshest critics. The economy is in ruins and we are on the verge of losing the GSP+ trade concessions that are of immense benefit to our export sector and the hundreds of thousands employed in the apparel, ceramics and many other sectors.

Under the guise of security, our citizens are increasingly being denied their democratic freedoms. Dissent has been suppressed, sometimes violently, with the independent media and its journalists coming under frequent threats and attack. A significant segment of the Tamil population from the north continues to languish in IDP shelter and in transit camps with uncertain futures. The rule of law has morphed into the rule of political might, depriving the common man the right to equal justice. Even powerful groups such as the formal business sector, professional bodies, academics, the judiciary and those maintaining law and order have not been spared
The nation is gradually drifting towards a dictatorship, with fear replacing freedom and discontent replacing hope.

My Vision
Was this the post war developments we envisaged? Certainly not. This is why I consented to contest the Presidential Election as the common candidate of the opposition. Sri Lanka at this juncture needs a leader, who is disciplined, committed, honest, forthright and not afraid to make tough decisions. Just as my decisions of the past, my decision of the future will always be in the interest of the nation. I have delivered on my promise to rid the country of terrorism. Now I promise to restore democracy and good governance, eliminating corruption, waste and all other evils that have blighted the promising prospects secured with our hard fought victory over terrorism.

I have a vision of a free Sri Lankan, where decent and functional democracy prevails and the rights of all citizens are upheld. A Sri Lanka free of discrimination and with equal opportunity for all. A Sri Lanka not weighed down by the tyranny of an Executive Presidency, but where the best men and women run for Parliament and those elected have the highest standards of ethics. A Sri Lanka where every family enjoys three square meals a day and every Sri Lankan is ensured access to a safe health service, quality education and gainful employment.

Believable Change
To do this, Sri Lanka needs change, believable change.

As a man who keeps his promises, I have pledged that my first act upon assuming office will be to reactivate the 17th Amendment to the Constitution by appointing the Constitutional Council for the re-establishment of the Independent Commissions. I will then dismantle the jumbo cabinet and invite all parties representing Parliament to nominate members to a caretaker cabinet. I will then dissolve Parliament. Within a month cabinet papers will be presented for the approval of a Constitution Amendment Bill to abolish the Executive Presidency and take necessary step to ensure that the most free and fair elections in Sri Lanka is held.

Within three weeks my multi-party Caretaker Cabinet will bring new regulations to combat fraud and corruption in conformity with the UN Convention against Corruption. A powerful agency to combat fraud and corruption will be established along with an independent commission to audit all public finances. I will also ask the new Parliament to pass Parliamentary Code on Ethics, similar to that of developed democracies and appoint an independent Parliamentary Ethics Commission to uphold Parliamentary ethics on finances.

Fiscal Responsibility
These mechanisms will ensure that government acts in a fiscally responsible manner and cuts waste and losses due to corruption. Prof Indraratne; the President of the Sri Lanka Economic Association has estimated that corruption in government causes a loss of 9 % of GDP. This is a staggering Rs 400 billion a year at present. In addition the wasteful government expenditure including expenditure incurred by 108 ministers is phenomenal. Elimination of corruption and waste will help the immediate reduction of heavy and unwarranted taxes and help bring the budget deficit to a manageable level, leading to freeing up of resources for the private sector, lower interest rates and sustained lower inflation.

Economic Growth
The time has come for Sri Lanka to unleash its true potential and boost economic growth. We need to have an economy where the private sector and the public sector work in partnership to serve the people in a corruption-free environment.

We must ensure there is the right amount of regulations and the rights and obligations of workers as well as employers are protected.

We also need to learn from the economic policies of our previous governments, so future mistakes are avoided. We must undertake necessary reforms and adopt pragmatic approaches.

We need to create wealth in Sri Lanka by encouraging not only big business but equally importantly village level entrepreneurship. We need to ensure the distribution of this new wealth equitably to all people, not just for a selected few.

The Ease of Doing Business ranking for Sri Lanka has dropped from 97 to 105 from 2009 to 2010. Under my watch, I will ensure Sri Lanka is brought to the top 50 by streamlining and simplifying the process of starting a business, making tax payment, obtaining construction permits, registering property, obtain credit and carrying out cross border trading. I assure you that the current kappam regime will be demolished. We will also look into impediments to accessing finance, especially leasing, for the Small and Medium Enterprise sector, which has become very expensive because of wrong tax policies.

The streamlining process will also see the reintroduction of the one-stop-shop concept that was practiced by the BOI in the old days, to help improve investor facilitation. Today, the BOI only gives licences and the investor has to deal with various government departments to get other approvals. The National Enterprise Development Authority (NEDA) which was set up mainly to assist Small and Medium Enterprise has proved to be ineffective. Both the BOI and NEDA have to be refocused on business facilitation throughout the country, with special provisions for the development of North and East.

Another area we will focus on is the construction industry, which at present has no work as most government projects are carried out by foreign contractors including labour at very high cost. Foreign contractors must be made to subcontract a part of their work to local contractors.

I will also urgently address the problems faced by the tourist industry to make sure the infrastructure is ready to receive the expected large inflow of tourists.

Better Salaries
I have pledged to increase the salaries of the public sector employees. As I have explained, this can be done by eliminating waste, mismanagement and ridding the country of corruption that continues to gobble up billions of rupees in state revenue. By negotiating with the private sector stakeholders and by assisting in eliminating unwarranted taxes and payments that increase the cost of doing business as well as by having a realistic exchange rate, low interest rates and low inflation I hope the salaries of private sector employees can be increased. By adjusting the income tax threshold I hope to help these employees take home more of their hard earned salaries.

I will also take steps to correct the tax anomalies that see the private sector retirement benefits being taxed 3 times; employees contribute to the EPF from their after tax salaries (only Rs 25,000 per year is allowed as qualifying payment); the fund itself pays tax; the benefits are again taxed when the employee receives it. This creates hardship to the retirees and needs to be set right.

Employment opportunities for the Youth
Youth unemployment is an area that needs to be addressed urgently. Accordingly, within three months, I will take steps to initiate a ‘Youth Challenge Programme’ which will provide vocational training for young people between the ages of 17 and 25 and will establish a ‘Youth at Work Programme’ under which the government and the private sector will find jobs for youth who complete the youth challenge programme.

GSP +
I have stated time and again that this government is pilfering a golden opportunity to reap the economic benefits of defeating the LTTE. However it bears repeating, because today, when we have a unique opportunity to put our country on the right path, the prospect is being wasted because of the government’s arrogance and political expedience. This fact is nowhere better illustrated than by the foolhardy manner in which the GSP+ issue is being mishandled. The President, Ministers and even the Governor of the Central Bank have gone on record stating that the European Union need not bother granting the GSP+ trade concessions to Sri Lanka.

The government’s sole purpose is to portray the GSP+ issue as an international conspiracy, to stoke up anti-west fervour and hoodwink the people into believing the west is all out to undermine the country’s economic progress. Playing politics with the lives of the innocent people has now become a pastime for those who put us in this dismal situation in the first place.

The GSP+ concessions were not a gift granted to the Rajapaksa administration. It was the result of hard work done by previous administrations and our Foreign Service, which ensured Sri Lanka was among the 15 countries the EU saw fit for the trade concessions, based on adherence to certain accepted standards of democracy. The benefits of these concessions are now obvious. Today the EU has overtaken the United States as Sri Lanka’s main export market for garments.

These trade concessions are not applicable purely to the apparel sector. Thousands of other products also benefit from it. The fact that Sri Lanka is a GSP + recipient nation has attracted the attention of many investors, who see our country as a gateway to the European Market. Furthermore, the potential of utilising the concessions to promote other products remain enormous, while it also give the apparel industry the additional fillip - to explore new and better options for market penetration in Europe.

Yet all this is now at risk due to the actions of a few. The EU is now threatening to discontinue the GSP + citing our poor human rights record.

I am not willing to gamble with the lives of the people of my country, especially the poorer segments who should not be punished for the grave mistakes of power hungry politicians. Given the opportunity, I promise I will make a determined effort to safeguard the GSP+ concessions, because losing it would mean wide scale livelihood loss for hundreds of thousands of Sri Lanka and a marked step backward for the apparel industry as a whole.

I am confident that with the return of good governance, democracy and due process to Sri Lanka, we will be in a position to obtain these concessions for a longer period. The lives of 800,000 people directly depend on this.

Political Partnership
Many political parties, forces, organisations and individuals have gathered around me in the hope that we can usher a better tomorrow for our country. The political parties that invited me to run for President reflect the great diversity among us. This is our strength. You may wonder how the JVP which professes a socialist, welfare oriented economy can be in the same league as the UNP which is known for its open economic policies. This is a valid question. I would like to ask a question which I initially asked myself. Why are such politically, ideologically and communally diverse parties rallying behind one candidate at this point?

The answer is a testament of our current predicament. All those who are now rallying behind me believe that there should be a country left for us to have ideologies and differences in opinion. It is no longer a matter about open or closed economy. It is now a matter of preserving democracy, re-establishing law and order and delivering on a functional state. After the Presidential elections the JVP and the UNP will go before the people and present their respective cases on their own if they wish to do so. Yet at this moment we are united in the cause to save our mother land. For, that necessity far outweighs any other difference we may have. It is in this spirit that so many others have thronged around us.

Conclusion
It is this spirit that will pave the way for a realistic and believable change on January 26, when the country votes for a new era of unity, vibrant democracy and development that will provide an equal opportunity for every Sri Lankan to enjoy the benefits of an economically strong and free country.

What can professionals do?

Rohan Samarajiva

In the course of writing an article on the apparent end of constitutionalism in Sri Lanka, I asked myself what I personally could do to resist the egregious lawless behavior that caused me to write it. My question was why the populace allowed this feudal behavior. How could I be the change I wanted to see?

While thinking about this, I happened to see a shamelessly partisan street hoarding that had been put up by an organization I had made a small contribution to establish and fund: the ICT Agency of Sri Lanka, a private limited company fully owned by the government of Sri Lanka. I decided to collect additional evidence including a copy of the ICTA newsletter entitled Catalyst that contained election propaganda for the President. I then wrote the following letter to each of the members of the ICTA Board, with copies to the Elections Commissioner and the World Bank, which continues to fund e Sri Lanka, the program ICTA was created to implement.

No response to my letter yet, but I was pleased to see the offending hoardings taken down on the 12th December. This suggests that professionals talking to professionals can yield results and slow down the slide from the rule of law. This may also be a useful decentralized way of collecting evidence for an election petition should the need arise.

7 January 2009.

Dear Member of the Board of ICTA (Pvt) Limited,

Unethical, and possibly unlawful, election propaganda by ICTA

I write as a citizen, as a former member of the ICTA Board, and as one of the people responsible for designing e Sri Lanka, for setting up the organization and obtaining the funds.

Attached please find evidence of election propaganda by ICTA. These actions may have been taken without your knowledge or approval, but the Board is responsible.

We established ICTA as an entity above politics, for example hiring those associated with the opposition at the time such as Mr Dilanthe Withanage and Mr Athula Pushpakumara. The then leader of the opposition (now President) was invited to participate in events within ICTA premises.

I hope you will discipline the responsible officers and restore ICTA to its non-partisan position. Otherwise you will be held accountable for the politicization and destruction of yet another organization designed for the common good.

If professionals do not speak for good governance, there will be no good governance. I hope you will play your part.

Sincerely,

Rohan Samarajiva
Cc: Commissioner of Elections / Country Director, World Bank, Colombo

Struggle for gender equality of Buddhist monks of Sri Lanka

(January 14, Colombo - Lanka Polity) A leading Buddhist priest of Sri Lanka, Ven. Inamaluwe Sumangala Thero lodged a complaint against the state Commissioner of Buddhist Affairs regarding non-safeguarding quality of the female Buddhist monks.

The Thero complained to the Human Rights Commission that the Commissioner of Buddhist Affairs had rejected registering the monasteries of the female monks.

There are 147 monasteries of the female Buddhist monks in which 500 senior and 2000 novice monks reside, says Inamaluwe Sumangala Thero.

The Buddhist term 'Sangha' includes both male and female monks, the Thero says.

Sri Lanka President's secretary describes how Tamil Nadu Tamils were deceived by Sri Lanka and India

(January 14, Colombo - Lanka Polity)The way the Indian central government led by Congress Party deceived the Tamil Nadu Tamils ahead of the general election as Sri Lanka's war was raging in the last stage with high casualties was revealed in an interview given by Lalith Weerathunga, the secretary of Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa to the Daily Mirror website. Following is the report accompanied with the video of the interview.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa helped India’s Congress party win the General Elections in Tamil Nadu last year by reaching an agreement with the Indian government to stop using heavy weapons during the last stages of the war, Secretary to the President Lalith Weeratunga told Daily Mirror online.

In an interview on the ‘HOT SEAT’ segment of the website Mr. Weeratunga said the President had turned down a request from India to stop the military operations last year but later reached an agreement to stop using heavy weapons in order to help the Congress win the polls.

"Elections were being held in India so if the government of India did not do something to stop what the rest of the world thought the massacre of Tamils (as it was wrongly termed) the Tamils would not vote for the Congress. They said “please stop this”. But the President said “sorry I cannot do that”. But he added “ok what do you want me to do to ensure victory of the Congress Party”? They requested that the use of heavy weaponry be stopped. This is what brought India and Sri Lanka closer. With the halt in use of heavy weaponry (with approval of the Sri Lankan Security Council that Sri Lanka would no longer use heavy weaponry) the Congress gained strength and the victory in Tamil Nadu can be attributed to this decision by the Government of Sri Lanka," he told Daily Mirror online.

However, it is yet to verify if Sri Lanka actually bowed to this pledge as no independent inquiry has been undertaken regarding the allegations raised by various quarters including the ex-Army Chief that war crimes including shelling hospitals and no-fire zones took place in the final phase of war.

Soon after the defeat of the Tamil Tigers, citing a UN source, the Times of UK reported that 20,000 people were killed in the final throes of the civil war, mostly by government shelling. However, one UN official described the method used to calculate the toll – which appeared to involve multiplying the figure recorded by doctors by five – as dangerous extrapolation. The Sri Lankan government rejected the Times report. Earlier UN said 7,000 civilians were killed and 16,700 wounded in the fighting from Jan. 20 until May 7 before the final battles.

Major-General Ashok Mehta, a former commander of Indian peacekeeping forces in Sri Lanka, said that India’s role was “distressing and disturbing”. “We were complicit in this last phase of the offensive when a great number of civilians were killed,” General Mehta, who is now retired, told The Times. “Having taken a decision to go along with the campaign, we went along with it all the way and ignored what was happening on the ground.”

Tamil Nadu with 60 million Tamils was the last bit of straw for the Sri Lankan Tamil nationalists that  were ahead of the imminent defeat of the armed struggle for a seperate Ealam state for Tamils. They begged for mediation to prevent their defeat but for no avail.

Almost all the Tamil Nadu politicians raised Sri Lanka's war as their main issue but Chief Minister Karunanidi's DMK allied with the Congress Party registered a landslide victory in the parliamentary election following the central government's statement that Sri Lanka government had agreed not to use heavy weaponry against the civilians trapped in the contracting rebel-held territory. Hours after  the election were finished in India, Sri Lanka eliminated the leadership of the Tamil Tigers Velupillai Prabakaran and wiped out the rebel movement from the island.

Sri Lanka presidential election enters a phase of violence

(January 13, Colombo - Lanka Polity) The campaign for Sri Lanka's presidential that is scheduled to be held on January 26 entered into a phase of violence as terrorists suspected to be sponsored by the government opened fire on a bus carrying supporters of the opposition killing an elderly woman and injuring two others.

The incident took place close to the village of President Mahinda Rajapaksa and a van and a motorcycle blocked the way for the bus before opening fire. The terrorists fled following gunning down 60 year old Somawathi Kuruppuarachchi on the spot. The vehicles used in the terror attack were later recovered by Hungama police as they were abandoned. However no arrests had been made so far despite the government stated "The Government of Sri Lanka is appalled at this tragedy, vehemently condemns it, and will not tolerate any such acts of violence in the midst of this democratic electoral process. All steps are being taken to bring those responsible to justice. Instructions have been given to the authorities to bolster security at political events up to and on polling day to ensure that all Sri Lankans can participate safely in the electoral process."

Expressing concern over the incident the US called for a peaceful election in Sri Lanka.

The area has a history of political violence and the group of victims was travelling to attend a propaganda meeting held with the auspices of United National Party Deputy Chairman Sajith Premadasa, the son of the late President Ranasinghe Premadasa who was killed by a suicide bomber on May 01, 1993.

Since there is a pitch battle for the presidency more incidents can be expected in the coming couple of weeks ahead of the election.