Pivithuru Hela Urumaya leader Udaya Gammanpila claims the recent national disaster was exacerbated because the government failed to act on issued weather warnings. He said this could expose President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to legal consequences, including up to five years’ imprisonment under the Penal Code.
He made these remarks during a press briefing held on 5 December.
Gammanpila alleged that the President and the Cabinet could be held responsible for “criminal negligence” under Sections 298, 327, 328 and 329 of the Penal Code, arguing that the administration did not take adequate preparatory measures despite repeated warnings from the Department of Meteorology and international weather agencies about the approaching cyclone and heavy rainfall.
During the briefing, he outlined 14 areas where he says the government failed to act:
- Not lowering reservoir levels in advance to collect excess rainfall
- Not widening canals to ensure proper water flow
- Not deploying the military to clear waterways
- Failing to clean and repair drainage systems through local authorities
- Not relocating residents in seven landslide-prone districts despite available risk maps
- Not imposing curfew or using the military to evacuate high-risk communities
- Not appointing defence chiefs to coordinate the three armed forces
- Not appointing an experienced senior official as Presidential Secretary
- Delays in declaring a state of emergency
- Keeping MPs in Parliament for the budget debate instead of sending them to affected areas
- Failing to declare a national state of disaster
- Not convening the National Disaster Council
- Not drawing on the experience of former presidents
- Not designating the public service as an essential service during the crisis
Gammanpila added that Sri Lanka experienced one of its worst disasters in recorded history, affecting the entire country simultaneously. He expressed condolences to all those who lost loved ones and property, while commending the public who volunteered to support affected families.
He further stated that although the opposition refrained from criticism during the peak of the emergency in order to support relief efforts, it was now necessary to examine whether government actions—or inaction—intensified the impact of the disaster.
Referring to weather alerts issued as early as 12 November by the Meteorology Department, and international forecasts such as those from BBC Weather, he argued that the government had ample warning.
He also pointed to two past precedents where former presidents were found responsible for negligence: the failure to prevent the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks under Maithripala Sirisena, and the mishandling of the economic crisis under Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
“Based on those judicial precedents,” Gammanpila said, “the current President could also be held liable and face up to five years’ imprisonment.”
