PM assures govt will not use emergency regulations to suppress media or any group

Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya stated in Parliament today (06) that the Government will under no circumstances use emergency regulations to suppress the media or any section of society.

She made these remarks during the parliamentary debate on the declaration of a state of emergency following the impact of Cyclone Ditwah, the PM’s Office said. 

The Prime Minister further stated:

“The damage caused to this country and its people by Cyclone Ditwah is well known to everyone. There is no need to repeatedly emphasize the extent of damage caused to our infrastructure, including roads and bridges. A large number of schools and houses have been damaged.

There are areas that need to be rebuilt and people must be relocated. Moreover, we have witnessed landslides on a scale never seen before in our history. Even at present, the National Building Research Organisation (NBRO) has reported around 1,300 landslide incidents.

Under these circumstances, we have been compelled to intervene swiftly. This requires the rapid mobilization of resources, including human resources as well as essential material supplies. The responsibility shift upon us to act quickly and efficiently to restore normalcy, rebuild affected areas, and minimize further damage.”

The Prime Minister emphasized that the need to extend the state of emergency arises solely from this situation. 

“Our objective is to ensure the uninterrupted continuation of essential services and the appointment of an Essential Services Commissioner General. These are the two primary purposes for which this law is being utilized. Given the urgency of restoring the lives of the people to normalcy, we have presented this proposal to Parliament to extend the emergency regulations by one more month.”

The Prime Minister further stated that making baseless allegations has become a common practice of the Opposition, and expressed regret that even senior Opposition Members of Parliament have engaged in such statements.

Referring to the incident involving Buddhist monks in Trincomalee, the Prime Minister noted that although the Opposition claimed arrests were made under emergency regulations, the law was in fact enforced under civil law. She emphasized that the debate focused not on what could be done under emergency regulations, but on what the Government had actually used the emergency law for.

She reiterated that the Government has not, under any circumstances, misused emergency regulations to suppress the media or any public protest, the PM’s Office said. 

The Prime Minister invited the Opposition to clearly present the evidence if they believe such suppression had occurred with Government involvement.

Commenting on Opposition statements regarding education reforms, the Prime Minister stated that at a time when the Government has acted responsibly in implementing reforms and responding to emerging challenges, the Opposition’s attempts to create confusion in society through contradictory positions must be questioned.

The Prime minister further emphasized that education reforms go far beyond Grade Six modules and constitute a broader process, and urged the Opposition not to misinterpret these reforms. The Prime Minister clarified that work related to the reforms continues under five core pillars and that there has been no suspension of the reform process. 

Prime Minister Harini also presented to Parliament the progress made within two months on compensation payments for those affected by the cyclone.

Accordingly, as of February 02,2026 the Rs. 15,000 allowance provided for children has been distributed to 72% of beneficiaries, 50% of death compensations, the Rs. 50,000 allowance has been paid to 77% of eligible recipients, and the Rs. 25,000 allowance has been paid to 98% of beneficiaries.