The Hon. Ananda Wijepala - Minister of Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs

¶ 01 Hon. Chairman, regarding the Trincomalee incident, as I stated yesterday in Parliament, a detailed “B” Report has been filed under BR 1784/1 PC 25 before Court. The learned Magistrate has ordered that statements be recorded from the Maha Sangha and Dayaka Sabha to verify the authenticity of documents produced. The matter is fixed for 26.11.2025, and until then, an order has been made not to alter, remove, or further develop the temporary structure.

¶ 02 Yesterday, all stakeholders—our venerable Sangha, public representatives, the Deputy Inspector General, and Dayaka Sabha officials—met and reached consensus. The District Secretary is acting on measuring and demarcating boundaries based on a complaint by the Coast Conservation Department. Some are trying to weaponize this for political gain and to stoke communal and religious tensions. The NPP Government will not allow any injustice to any citizen; we will not permit communalism or parochial gains. We have intervened; Trincomalee District is presently calm.

¶ 03 On online credit operations: a committee has been re-appointed under the Ministry’s leadership to align with the Online Safety Act framework; it is in final stages. Cybercrime complaints number about 25 daily; we plan to establish a dedicated Police division. No complaint is ignored; time is constrained due to volume, but all are processed.

¶ 04 On war veterans’ pensions: no pension has been stopped. There has been an issue in the Pensions Department database causing temporary stoppages; once file processing resumes, payments continue. No allowance or pension has been permanently halted. Requests by disabled war veterans are being addressed; our Hon. Deputy Minister of Defence will also clarify.