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Sri Lanka
10th Parliament· 154 sittings on record · 30,475 speeches · latest 10 June 2026

Sitting of Tuesday, 22 July 2025

10th Parliament· 23 debates· 305 speeches· 73 speakers

Source: Hansard PDF (parliament.lk) ↗ ·No. 1753443916033328 ·English daily/uncorrected Hansard

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Order of business

Speeches load per item. Summaries shown here are AI-generated and labelled; verbatim text is on each speech page.

  18. 18 Oral question SO 27(2) Question: Human-Elephant Conflict 21 speeches
    • The Hon. Deputy Speaker procedural
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    • The Hon. Deputy Speaker procedural
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    • The Hon. Bimal Rathnayake JJB

      AI summary Hon. Bimal Rathnayake requested, under Standing Order 35, that the Speaker ensure the one-hour period allocated for Questions is managed efficiently so that scheduled debates and committee work are not disrupted. He also asked that, following the tabling of the parliamentary committee report finding IGP Deshabandu Tennakoon guilty, the House and the public be informed the same day about the procedural next steps to be taken by the Speaker.

      Parliamentary Procedure Full speech →
    • The Hon. Deputy Speaker procedural
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    • The Hon. Sajith Premadasa - Leader of the Opposition SJB

      AI summary Under Standing Order 27(2), Sajith Premadasa raised the human-elephant conflict as an urgent matter, citing deaths, property and crop damage, and elephant fatalities amid the absence of a stable response mechanism. He requested data on recent elephant censuses, implementation of the 2020 National Action Plan for mitigation, timelines, five-year human and elephant death figures, compensation criteria and procedures, applicable legal penalties for killing elephants, and the Government’s position on the Animal Welfare Bill. He also asked about Wildlife Conservation Department staffing by region and whether international treatment and rehabilitation models, including partnerships such as Wildlife SOS, would be adopted.

      EnvironmentJustice & Human RightsPublic Finance Full speech →
    • The Hon. Wasantha Samarasinghe JJB

      AI summary Wasantha Samarasinghe informed the House that he had prepared a reply to a question raised by the Leader of the Opposition under Standing Order 27(2) during the previous sitting week. He requested to provide the reply the following day because he needed to attend a Consultative Committee meeting.

      Parliamentary Procedure Full speech →
    • The Hon. Sajith Premadasa SJB

      AI summary Sajith Premadasa requested the Minister to manage the allotted time and indicated that the response or contribution could be given the following day.

      Parliamentary Procedure Full speech →
    • The Hon. (Dr.) Dammika Patabendi - Minister of Environment JJB

      AI summary The Minister replied to a Standing Order 27(2) question on human-elephant conflict, stating that the 2024 elephant survey data are still under scientific analysis and that the last published nationwide figure from 2011 was at least 5,879 elephants. He outlined the status of the 2020 National Action Plan, relevant agencies, fatality figures from 2020 to 2025, compensation levels, and legal protections under the Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance, with annexes placed in the Library. He said the Government would appoint a stakeholder committee on the Animal Welfare Bill, investigate recent elephant shootings through the CID, and address veterinary capacity constraints through recruitment, a planned wildlife hospital, and a mobile veterinary unit.

      Justice & Human RightsAgricultureEnvironment Full speech →
    • The Hon. Deputy Speaker procedural
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    • The Hon. (Dr.) Dammika Patabendi JJB

      AI summary Dr. Dammika Patabendi briefly indicated that he would conclude his remarks quickly, addressing the Deputy Speaker. No substantive policy position, proposal, or question was raised in the excerpt.

      Parliamentary Procedure Full speech →
    • The Hon. Deputy Speaker procedural
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    • The Hon. Bimal Rathnayake JJB

      AI summary Bimal Rathnayake raised concerns about the handling of Questions under Standing Order 27(2), noting that lengthy and detailed questions on urgent public matters lead to extended ministerial replies and disrupt parliamentary time management. He proposed allocating a fixed time slot, such as 10 to 15 minutes per question, while maintaining ministers’ obligation to respond.

      Parliamentary Procedure Full speech →
    • The Hon. Deputy Speaker procedural
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    • The Hon. (Dr.) Dammika Patabendi JJB

      AI summary Hon. (Dr.) Dammika Patabendi raised concerns about the limited capacity of Sri Lanka’s wildlife veterinary service, noting that only 12 veterinarians are responsible for treating all wildlife species nationwide. He emphasized that, unlike in other countries, they lack support staff such as nurses, technical assistants, or handlers and often have to work alone in the field.

      Environment Full speech →
    • The Hon. (Dr.) Dammika Patabendi JJB

      AI summary Hon. (Dr.) Dammika Patabendi said a recent cluster of gunshot injuries to elephants suggested a possible organized effort to generate media attention and political agitation, and urged that elephants not be used for narrow political purposes. He thanked veterinary, security, local government, community, and Indian medical teams involved in the “Bhathiya” elephant case, while noting the animal died before the foreign veterinarians arrived. He said the Government would establish a wildlife hospital and mobile veterinary unit, and had requested a CID investigation into possible organized activity, including trade union actions linked to mortality spikes, while citing recent forest reserve declarations as evidence of its conservation efforts.

      EnvironmentLaw & OrderCorruption & Governance Reform Full speech →
    • The Hon. Deputy Speaker procedural
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    • The Hon. (Dr.) Dammika Patabendi JJB

      AI summary Hon. (Dr.) Dammika Patabendi briefly concluded his remarks and thanked the Deputy Speaker. No substantive policy position, proposal, or question was raised in this excerpt.

      Parliamentary Procedure Full speech →
    • The Hon. Deputy Speaker procedural
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    • The Hon. Sajith Premadasa - Leader of the Opposition SJB

      AI summary The Leader of the Opposition clarified that the HEC Action Plan was prepared by named experts rather than former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, and questioned why it had not been implemented. He rejected claims that he had criticized veterinarians, stating that he had praised those who treated the “Bhathiya” elephant. He also challenged the Minister’s remarks on elephant tusks, arguing that the distinction between African and Asian elephants had been misrepresented in the House.

      Environment Full speech →
    • The Hon. Deputy Speaker procedural
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    • The Hon. Sajith Premadasa - Leader of the Opposition SJB

      AI summary Hon. Sajith Premadasa urged the Government to implement the existing Action Plan for elephant conservation, emphasizing that the issue concerns environmental and wildlife protection rather than politics. He noted that only about 6–7 percent of Sri Lankan Asian elephants have tusks, compared with 70–90 percent in India, and that the plan reflects the reality that most elephants live outside protected areas and overlap with human settlements.

      Environment Full speech →