Sunil Gamini Jayalathge writes
(Lanka-e-News -2026.May.26, 3.30 PM) I saw Comrade President Anura Kumara waking up in Ampara. It was a joy to see him. The reason was that I saw the President ask several questions of an officer of the Coastal Conservation and Coastal Resources Management Department at the Ampara District Coordination Committee meeting that day.
From September 25, 2025, to May 21, 2026, I have so far made more than 16 revelations about the corruption committed and still being committed by the corrupt in the Coastal Conservation and Coastal Resources Management Department. In Ampara, the President questioned the Coast Guard Officer about only a small amount, about a tenth of the corruption and fraud that I had exposed. We are happy that the President questioned the officer to that extent.
We simply believed that after the first few revelations I made through the Lanka News website, Professor Turney Pradeep Kumara, who was appointed by the government as the Head of the relevant department, would look into it and take steps to stop the corrupt acts being committed by the corrupt officers of the institution. But what happened was the exact opposite. Even when written evidence was revealed regarding the corrupt acts committed by the corrupt, Turney Pradeep Kumara gave more powers to those corrupt people and openly protected them.
After that, we revealed the information about the looting of public funds under the guise of the Clean Sri Lanka project being implemented under the President, with written evidence, and publicly requested that at least the Presidential Secretariat intervene and investigate the matter promptly and put a stop to the corruption of these corrupt individuals. Then, something like the head of the temple where we went to worship collapsed.
With the knowledge of Dr. Nandika Kumanayake, the head of the Presidential Secretariat, the Senior Additional Secretary to the President, Russell Aponso, and another Additional Secretary to the President, Engineer Sugeeshwara Seenipella, together brought the department's staff officers from all over Sri Lanka to the Presidential Secretariat and took steps to intimidate the corrupt officials who provided information about the corruption in the department to the media.
At that meeting, Russell Aponso called the Lanka News writer a person with a low mentality. Russell Aponso proudly told the staff officers present to leave aside the garbage about coastal conservation and tell the Lanka News writer to look into Hambantota with the help of the Rajapaksas, if possible.
This secretary indicated to the other officers of the department in a very contemptuous manner that he and his group would always protect them by even mentioning the names of corrupt officials. But showing how weak the secretaries to the President are, we mentioned every word they said at that meeting and revealed who they were to the public on December 21, 2025, through the return mail.
Despite all these revelations, the Minister in charge of this department, Dhammika Balapatabendi and Anton Jayakody, spent their time as irresponsible elephants, mocking critics. But we made sure to never give up on our goal.
The President asked a question about illegal constructions in Ampara recently. We revealed with evidence on February 14, 2026, how the corrupt in the Coastal Conservation Department legalized illegal constructions and who the officers involved were. We revealed with audio recordings on February 22, how the corrupt in this institution are taking bribes even under this government. We revealed on March 26, how the corrupt in this institution have sold the Ahangama beach for crores.
We have revealed the corrupt acts committed by Ramanayake, who was appointed as the Additional Director General of the Department of Coastal Conservation and Coastal Resources Management with the blessings of the bosses at the Presidential Secretariat, as well as his corrupt past, and the investigations that are already underway against him. Even in the context of such a revelation, the Director General of Coastal Conservation, Turney Pradeep, appointed the same corrupt officer named Ramanayake as the head of the unit appointed to "create a public service free of bribery and corruption". It was like implementing the method of divination by the thief's mother. We revealed this matter on March 30th.
After the revelation of the sale of the Ahangama beach for crores, Director General Turney Pradeep appointed a committee to investigate it, which included several other corrupt officers who were in cahoots with the corrupt person who sold the Ahangama beach. We also revealed this. That was on May 6th.
Another important question that the President asked in Ampara was about the irregularities in the issuance of licenses by the Coastal Conservation. We exposed this on May 11th with the headline "The Coastal Conservation License Mafia That Issues Licenses Even for Graveyards".
The Department of Coastal Conservation and Coastal Resources Management is one of the most corrupt government institutions. The public in the country who deal with this institution is very well aware of this. What we did through the media was to draw the attention of the political authorities of the current government to take necessary steps to stop the corrupt practices in this institution.
However, the efforts we made for nine months were not listened to by the responsible ministers of the current government or the authorities appointed to the relevant department. The reason for this is either the inability in this regard. If not, the desire to engage in corruption with these corrupt people.
However, it is a matter of joy that the President has finally turned his attention to this. However, the President only spoke about the situation in the East. However, he would like to emphasize that the corrupt acts taking place in the Southern Province, especially in Galle and Matara, and in the Colombo and Kalutara districts of the Western Province, are hundreds of thousands of times more than in the East.
There is no point in talking about the Minister and Deputy Minister in charge of this department. Also, we do not know whose choice the person appointed as the Director General of this department was, but we can only say that the failure of the selection is very high.
The Director General should have participated in the District Coordination Committee held in Ampara that day, but he was not there. We saw you, as the President, asking if he was there. The agenda of the relevant meeting also stated that he should participate, but he did not participate. We think that from that, it will be clear to you, as the President, what kind of person he is.
As the President, you certainly have a good understanding and vision that the Coastal Conservation Department is a state institution that is extremely important for the survival of the country as well as the country's economy. Therefore, we request that you to ensure that you do not allow these corrupt officials and those who work in concert with the corrupt, as well as ministers who do not understand their responsibilities, to destroy such a unique institution and thereby destroy a country and a country's economy.
Although about a year and a half has passed since this government was formed, it is clear that no change has taken place in this institution. The old, corrupt officials are committing acts of corruption as they please. The political establishment and the authorities appointed by the government are not responsible for it. The corruption is more rampant during this government than during the old government.
Mr. President, if you are willing to directly and accurately understand the severity of the disaster that has been caused to the country's land and economy due to the corrupt acts of this institution, there is an important task that you can do. That is, to create a structure, such as a committee, that can directly provide information about the corrupt practices of this institution to the public and maintain it under your direct supervision. Then you will be able to quickly see the dangerous information that will surprise you.
Since the majority of the people still place their trust and hope in you alone, the above-suggested step will be extremely successful.
---------------------------
by (2026-05-26 10:09:42)
Read 3174 Times
Leave a Reply
0 discussion on this news