The Hon. Rishad Bathiudeen

¶ 01 Hon. Speaker, though unrelated to this item, may I have a minute? During the recent floods in Ampara, eight deaths occurred. I visited the villages and the school. If the police had set a barrier and prevented entry, those children would not have gone. For four to five hours after the incident, locals pleaded for rescue, but the Disaster Management Centre was inactive; the Navy arrived only later. Villagers rescued two children; otherwise more would have died. Afterwards, police asked victims to lodge complaints; they waited an hour at the station. Now the madrasa principal has been remanded while no action has been taken regarding police inaction or others responsible. I request an independent investigation and effective procedures to prevent such tragedies.