Mass protests, government paralysis, and a covert crackdown on decorated military officers are plunging Sri Lanka into a dangerous new chapter. Allegations of betrayal, diaspora-backed agendas, and a collapsing administrative network reveal a nation on the edge of chaos.
Party Leader Sugeeshwara Bandara, joined by Pradeshiya Sabha member Nalaka Bandara and Dehiwala constituency co-organizer Ajantha de Silva, addressed a media briefing today at the New People’s Front headquarters, delivering a scathing assessment of Sri Lanka’s current crisis.
Mr. Bandara alleged that retired police chief Ravi Seneviratne had used Nishantha Kandappa’s associates to target intelligence officers. He recalled his warning during a March 5 meeting with President Ranil Wickremesinghe in Malpara, where he predicted that the government’s insensitivity and inexperience would trigger a massive wave of strikes and protests in the months ahead.
“At that time, Ministers Namal Karunaratne and Nalinda Jayatissa mocked me, saying Ranil’s disciple was daydreaming,” Bandara said. “But today, we are witnessing an unprecedented surge of strikes and protests across the country.”
He pointed out that in just the two days prior to the conference, there had been 32 separate strike actions nationwide. “Teachers are on the streets. Electricians are on the streets. Unemployed graduates, farmers whether they grow rice, pumpkins, or onions are all on the streets. Young people are marching too. This isn’t driven by political parties; these are citizens stepping out voluntarily. Yet the same political forces responsible for the past 76 years of chaos those who once dragged unemployed youth into the streets are now facing the consequences of their own making,” he added.
Bandara accused past governments of deceiving the people with false promises. “They promised Vitz cars to the public, jobs to graduates, guaranteed prices to farmers, fuel subsidies to fishermen, and even islands to the Rilwans. They promised elephants security. There is no government anywhere in the world that has deceived like this,” he declared.
Turning to the present, Bandara said that instead of addressing national grievances, the President was “playing the role of Tilvin and Harini.” He claimed that the unexpected rocket attack had thrown the entire Pelawatte administrative network into disarray. “Now, ministries are not receiving their usual instructions. Ministers and officials are idle. Problems grow by the day. If this Tilvin–Harini game continues for even two or three more days, the entire country will be in trouble. This is not just a government collapse it’s a state collapse,” he warned.
Calling for urgent action, Bandara appealed to NPP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake to convene a multi-party conference to address strikes, protests, and the breakdown of national security.
He also criticized recent remarks made in Parliament about the arrest of former Navy Commander Nishantha Ulugetenne, calling him “a patriotic son.” While the President attempted to frame the arrest as a judicial matter, Bandara claimed the real driver was the government, which he accused of using retired CID director Shani Abeysekara to execute a “chain of actions” aimed at pleasing the Tamil diaspora by betraying war heroes.
“This operation is being carried out by Shani Abeysekara with the support of retired officers Ravi Seneviratne and DIG Ampawila,” Bandara said. He alleged that Shani had secured a “character certificate” from the Catholic Church to resume what he began during the Yahapalana period.
Bandara described how Ulugetenne and Captain Sumith Ranasinghe both key intelligence figures in ending the war were now being targeted. He recalled that on June 29, 2008, Ranasinghe’s team intercepted a lorry carrying 1,008 kilograms of explosives intended to be detonated in Colombo, an act that could have killed then-President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Sarath Fonseka, and other top security leaders in one strike. “If a 20-kilogram bomb in Katuwapitiya caused such devastation, imagine what a 1,008-kilogram bomb could have done. Prabhakaran might still be alive today, and Sri Lanka would be a graveyard,” Bandara said.
He accused authorities of fabricating charges against Ranasinghe’s team members, including Kosala Kumara and Janaka Kumara, and punishing IP Sugath Kumara for refusing to prosecute under Section 296 without evidence. According to Bandara, Sugath was removed and replaced by Ilangasinghe, whom he called “an obedient disciple of Nishantha Kandappa.”
Bandara warned that once Abeysekara returns to an official role, former CID operatives loyal to Kandappa Sergeants Namal and Rajapaksa would be reinstated and involved in the same investigations, with plans already underway for them to seek political asylum in Switzerland. He accused these groups of coercing TMVP members into making statements against military officers, even in violation of standard police procedure.
“If not for court suspicion that certain Sinhala statements had been signed in Tamil, four or five former Navy Commanders would be in custody today,” Bandara claimed. “Mark my words due to this betrayal, not only Cheechee’s rocket but also Namal’s Lamborghini, golden horses, and Ugandan money will land on the compass’s head within two Vesak Poyas.”
