The Hon. Bimal Rathnayake

¶ 01 People are working to rescue those affected. There was a reported dangerous situation regarding boat services between Delft and Nainativu. We instructed that Navy teams and DGMS teams be dispatched to inspect the boats. By late November and December, monsoon rains inevitably affect the Northern and Eastern Provinces; during that period ferry services are stopped or slowed. Nevertheless, instructions have been given to inspect those boats.

¶ 02 In a Zoom discussion two days ago with the Government Parliamentary Group and H.E. the President, Hon. Jegatheeswaran stated that about 35,000 acres of paddy in Mannar have been damaged. Hon. Mulasanaaroosa, there is a silver lining: we are still at the beginning of the Maha cultivation season. Therefore, we can start re-seeding quickly. We believe that within about two weeks we can commence the Maha season. On the President’s instructions, the Ministry of Agriculture is to provide the necessary facilities to restart agricultural activities, as requested by Hon. Jegatheeswaran.

¶ 03 We have also given maximum support to the District Secretaries in the Northern Province. Various professionals, engineers, and volunteer groups are assisting people in the North. I must state directly that the National People’s Power teams are in Mannar and Mullaitivu today helping the public. The main issue in Mullaitivu, as reported by Members, is the damaged Nayaru Bridge on the Mullaitivu–Kokkilai road. I checked again: restoration work has commenced; a Bailey bridge has been brought to Nayaru; our target is 15 December but we will try to finish earlier. People in Kokkilai were stranded and are now at the village temple; we are providing necessary assistance.

¶ 04 We all accept that we cannot supply everything as under normal conditions. However, to ensure essential services, District Secretaries, political leadership, and volunteer groups are all intervening on behalf of the Northern Province. We have not forgotten the North. We also expect, from tomorrow onwards, volunteer teams from Anuradhapura District to go especially to Mannar for cleaning operations. I thank Hon. Andadagalla Nadan for honestly describing the real situation, unlike some of his colleagues. In my view, access via the Jaffna–A32 is open; one can reach Mannar that way, so I do not understand how some ended up in Kandy.

¶ 05 Any public representative who acts fairly, including Hon. Andadagalla Nadan, will receive our fullest cooperation. This is not something a government or a party can do alone; it is a national fight. We appreciate your maturity in understanding that.

¶ 06 Regarding urgent relief, in the past Grama Niladharis even needed multiple bills and approvals to install a bulb in a refugee camp. I visited the Kolonnawa camp with Hon. State Minister Eranga Gunasekara and saw the Grama Niladhari struggling. We immediately spoke to the Presidential Secretary and the Secretary to the Ministry of Public Administration. Instructions were issued yesterday: any Grama Niladhari can now be given an advance of Rs. 50,000 in cash to procure essentials, with bills to follow. For the first time in Sri Lanka’s history, a Divisional Secretary is permitted a cash payment ceiling of Rs. 5 million, with scope to exceed if necessary. In some places, such as parts of Uva and Central, even Rs. 5 million may be insufficient, but the cash facility enables rapid action. We are being as practical as possible, drawing on long experience at the grassroots.

¶ 07 Recognizing the hardship, as the Hon. Prime Minister said, Rs. 25,000 is being paid per schoolchild, and another Rs. 25,000 for household cleaning. These payments have commenced. Districts where Rs. 25,000 payments have started include Colombo, Gampaha, Anuradhapura, Monaragala, Ratnapura, and Kegalle. The GA has informed that Ampara can start today at 11.00 a.m. Funds have reached Jaffna, Mannar, Mullaitivu, Kilinochchi, Batticaloa, and Trincomalee; District Secretaries can begin disbursement as per available data. Some hill country areas—Badulla, parts of Monaragala, Kurunegala, and parts of Puttalam (Chilaw, Mundalama)—may need a little more time to commence, but elsewhere work is underway. This is not “lip service”; we have delivered the funds and now officials are to expedite distribution without overbearing bureaucracy. We respect officials; they are Sri Lankans who understand whether a government chases them or helps them.

¶ 08 We are saddened by what happened to the Kandy District Secretary, who toiled for seven days and faced intimidation even after personally arranging bowsers, fuel, and bulldozers to open routes. With support of RDA, the Tri-Forces, and the Kandy District Secretary, we opened the Galagedara–Kandy route within two days. Senior monks were stranded; we opened both sides and also Kadugannawa. Some Members then went along that road and threatened the Kandy District Secretary. While there may be allegations about officials, what we witness today is that they are working honestly and diligently. I cannot understand the conscience of those who intimidate them.

¶ 09 On business and industry: the Ministry of Industries and Enterprise Development has started registering industries affected by the disaster. I requested Hon. Minister Wajira Samarasinghe, after discussing with the President, to support registered small businesses not merely with loan write-offs, but with essentials to restart—cleaning, clearing mud, etc. We are confident this will be done.

¶ 10 On resettlement: three categories are in camps—those whose homes have collapsed; those at risk of collapse; and a significant number there out of fear. We cannot send the first two groups back yet. Some from the third group have already gone back. The National Building Research Organisation (NBRO) must certify safety of villages and hillsides. NBRO lacks sufficient scientists. Therefore, with the Commissioner General of Essential Services, the NBRO DG, the Minister of Environment (a geologist), the GSMB, the National Water Supply and Drainage Board, and senior students of the Peradeniya University Geology Department, we are augmenting NBRO capacity and linking with its regional offices to inspect Central, Uva, and Sabaragamuwa quickly and issue safety assurances so people can return home. Food supply to those at home is not an issue; transport practicalities can be.

¶ 11 Restoring the circuit—transport, telecommunications, and electricity—is critical. Our Power Minister has spoken; Deputy Minister Eranga Weeraratne will speak on telecom. I will address transport.

¶ 12 I table the list of road sections that were impassable due to heavy rains as of 2025.11.27 but are open to traffic as of today, 2025.12.03 at 1.00 p.m. These are RDA national roads. RDA officials, with public and Tri-Forces assistance, have restored 246 roads. We thank them. One RDA official lost his life. A hired vehicle assisting RDA was lost in Hanguranketha. We aim to complete restoration of 98% of the RDA network by 10 December.

¶ 13 On buses: we deployed 1,000 SLTB buses on day one; then 2,000; then 3,000; now 4,000. We have a special operation to support SLTB in heavily affected areas.

¶ 14 On railways: there is severe damage. About 20 engines are beyond Rambukkana; this is serious. The Tri-Forces, RDA, and the Department of Railways held several special meetings. We aim to restore three main lines: the Puttalam/Northern line, the Batticaloa/Trincomalee line, and the Badulla (Main) line. Despite intrinsic issues, on 26 Nov we operated 275 trains; on 27 Nov, 245; per NBRO instructions and practical issues, on 28 Nov, 108; on 29 Nov, 128; on 30 Nov, 258; on 1 Dec, 808; on 2 Dec, 1,398; today, 3 Dec, 1,950. Some sections remain impassable, especially bridges near Peradeniya and beyond Rambukkana toward Kadugannawa, which are weakened. Full timelines are uncertain—three to four weeks or up to two months. Trains will run up to Ambepussa; between Ambepussa and Polgahawela we will run a combined operation with Railways, SLTB, and private buses. We will fine-tune and start by tomorrow or the day after. Passengers can, for a period, travel on SLTB using a railway ticket, which is cheaper.

¶ 15 On aviation: at our request, SriLankan Airlines has instituted a full waiver of charges on flight cancellations and date changes for passengers rescheduling due to weather disruptions.

¶ 16 We must thank SLLDC, the Tri-Forces, and especially the Navy divers who helped open the Ambatale gates quickly to release floodwaters in Kolonnawa and Kaduwela. This was the largest flood in about a century; even the Kelani overflowed significantly. Yet we subsided Kolonnawa floods sooner than in past floods, and from tomorrow a major cleaning operation will begin in Colombo District under the guidance of the Hon. Prime Minister.

¶ 17 In extremely difficult areas such as Walapane, Nildandahinna, Kotmale, and Mathurata, Tri-Forces officers have set up a camp in Kotmale after trekking in on foot. We air-dropped food about 20 times to the people sheltered at Gamini Dissanayake Vidyalaya. Divisional Secretaries are toiling from morning to night. I ask the Hon. Prime Minister to also thank this police officer who alone protected exam papers at a school—such exemplary people exist. We are sending what is needed as fast as possible. To my knowledge, at present no one is starving, though road repairs will take some time.

¶ 18 Volunteer organizations deserve gratitude. Every crisis offers opportunities—to reunite our motherland and our people. The number of enemies has shrunk; government and people are uniting. Our party has always worked wholeheartedly in disasters; in 2004, one of our comrades died while working; we personally retrieved bodies in Hambantota. We have worked without stealing or seeking gain; our lives attest to this. Today thousands from Matara, Galle, and elsewhere are sacrificing quietly without seeking publicity. Even animal rescue volunteer groups are active. This nation must come before politics. Some conduct themselves in ways that deeply sadden us—especially what happened in Kandy; has conscience vanished?

¶ 19 We took office amid severe economic, political, and social crises. The Opposition kept predicting our fall—after three months, six months, due to wars elsewhere, tariffs, or 2028 debt payments. But the President, the Prime Minister, our party, and the Government have not taken a single wrong internal economic or political decision that led to collapse. External shocks came, but we navigated. The Opposition cannot name a single substantial wrong policy we adopted. We are a movement tempered by struggle; we do not panic. We see the path forward and victory ahead. Remember, previous predictions failed; within a week we will defeat those malevolent forces. There are hardworking Opposition MPs, especially from the North and East, grounded with the people; but some others’ conduct is regrettable. At minimum, preserve human decency; do not threaten officials.

¶ 20 Opposition local authority members are working well with us; many chairmen from the Ilankai Thamil Arasu Kachchi in the North are cooperating and we help them, even if they are from rival parties. We will overcome this challenge—we have experience, endurance, preparation, courage, compassion, intellect, and solidarity. Tens of thousands in the South and West are working for strangers; Jaffna people are doing shramadana in Mannar; tomorrow a team from Anuradhapura will go to Mannar. Win these people’s hearts; help the motherland and the people—you cannot win them by negativity. We will rebuild and bequeath a better country to our children within two years. We respect all who work for that, government and opposition alike. Please, do not act in ways that degrade human dignity. Thank you for the additional time.