The Hon. Rauff Hakeem, Attorney-at-Law

¶ 01 Hon. Chairman, comparing Government-issued data on the tsunami and this disaster, I wish to speak on assets loss. The assets loss during the tsunami exceeded USD 1 billion. The projected assets loss from this climate disaster is USD 6–7 billion—six times the tsunami. As a share of GDP, the tsunami’s coastal reconstruction required about 4.5 percent of GDP; today’s destruction is estimated at 3–5 percent of GDP.

¶ 02 Therefore, when the Opposition makes constructive proposals, please consider them instead of attacking us. Time is short; global attention will shift in weeks. The President must immediately call and personally engage world leaders to convene an international donor conference—Prime Minister Modi, the Prime Minister of Japan, and leaders in Germany and the UAE among others—to raise USD 2–3 billion urgently.

¶ 03 Also engage our former Presidents—Ranil Wickremesinghe, Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, Mahinda Rajapaksa and Maithripala Sirisena. Litigation can proceed in parallel; this is a national disaster requiring unity. If not, at least negotiate with the IMF to defer debt service for three years, and with bilateral creditors.

¶ 04 During the tsunami, amidst the peace process, donor conferences in Oslo and New York targeted USD 4.5 billion, nearly USD 3 billion was committed. Host a donor conference in Colombo within two weeks. The President has goodwill—call those leaders now. Retired, experienced bureaucrats should be brought in—former Finance Secretary, Mr. Faiz Mohideen and others—to help raise the necessary funds. In parallel, speak to China’s President Xi and Russia’s President Putin directly; align India, Japan, UAE, Qatar and Saudi Arabia to support.

¶ 05 On impacts: towns across the country are under water—Mutur, Kinniya, Kannattota, Malwana. Kandy’s devastation is unprecedented; Gampola is totally inundated. Immediate corrective actions are needed. Landslides in Akurana (Rambuke Ela, Vilana) have left 29 dead with many bodies unrecovered; in Mawathura-Udagama (Udapalatha) entire clusters of homes were buried; Hadabima uplands near my residence were swept away with over 15 dead and more missing. Many villages are uninhabitable and require alternate land.

¶ 06 In finding relocation land, examine holdings of the Land Reform Commission (LRC), JEDB and SPC. Every site must be certified safe by NBRO, but NBRO is understaffed. Mobilize engineering faculties of Peradeniya, Moratuwa, Kelaniya and Ruhuna to support geotechnical assessments urgently. Without that surge capacity, NBRO cannot keep up.

¶ 07 I visited Delthota: above Piyasena Pura the slope gave way, scouring down past the school grounds and near Anura Daniel Hospital; thankfully, no lives lost there, but property damage is severe and homes are unsafe. Naranhenpita’s Pattiyagama Estate line rooms are uninhabitable—people have nowhere to go. We need immediate alternative lands and shelters. Roads to Kandy are cut in multiple sections—only a single lane via Galagedara remains in parts; Kadugannawa is blocked. Fast-track emergency slope and road repairs with expert input.

¶ 08 This requires money and expertise; hence the urgency of an international donor conference, led personally by the President. I conclude with that appeal. Thank you.