A Gazette Extraordinary has been issued declaring 22 districts as “National Disaster Affected Areas.”

Under Section 9 of Part II of the Registration of Deaths (Temporary Provisions) Act, No. 19 of 2010, the districts affected by landslides and floods caused by Cyclone Ditwah in November have been formally designated as disaster-affected areas.

The Gazette notification was issued by Registrar General Sasidevi Jaladeepan.

The telephone and internet communication networks disrupted by the recent disaster are expected to be fully restored by tomorrow (04), according to Deputy Minister of Digital Economy Eranga Weeraratne.

The Ministry of Digital Economy, the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission and all telecommunication service providers are working to expedite restoration efforts. The Deputy Minister said that landslides and flooding had disrupted provincial fibre connections at 11 locations, but services at nine of these points were restored within 24 hours with direct intervention from the Ministry. All provincial connections are now operational, with traffic rerouted through alternative fibre paths where intermediate points remain affected.

More than 4,000 transmission towers became inactive due to power failures and fibre disruptions. Approximately 2,800 towers have been restored, while 949 remain inactive primarily because of ongoing power outages. Service providers are working with authorities to resolve the issues as quickly as possible, with support from the Tri-Forces in accessing tower sites and providing temporary power.

The Deputy Minister noted that the initial difficulties faced by the public on November 28 were mitigated as fibre connections were rapidly restored by the following day. Remaining disruptions are concentrated in the Nuwara Eliya, Badulla, Puttalam and Vavuniya districts, with Nuwara Eliya and Kandy being the most affected. Authorities expect connectivity in Nuwara Eliya and Puttalam to exceed 75 percent by tomorrow morning, while Kandy is projected to improve from 65 percent to around 70 percent.

He stressed that communication is vital for public safety and reassurance during emergencies, adding that more than 80 percent of disruptions have already been resolved and full restoration is expected by tomorrow.

With severe flooding affecting multiple regions of the country, the Public Health Inspector’s Union of Sri Lanka has warned of a heightened risk of infectious disease outbreaks in the coming days.

Union Secretary Chamil Muthukuda stated that health authorities anticipate a possible increase in communicable diseases such as dengue, chikungunya and leptospirosis due to the prevailing conditions. He noted that stagnant water, disrupted sanitation systems and overcrowding in temporary shelters create favourable environments for the spread of vector-borne and water-borne illnesses.

Health officials also expect a rise in complications among non-communicable disease patients. According to Muthukuda, treatment for individuals with conditions such as diabetes, hypertension and cancer has been disrupted, and many have lost access to their regular medication because of the disaster. He emphasized that special attention is being directed toward ensuring care for these vulnerable groups.

Apple CEO Tim Cook has announced that the company will donate to relief and rebuilding efforts across several Asian countries — including Sri Lanka — that have been battered by severe floods, landslides and strong winds in recent days.

Cook noted that devastating storms across Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and Sri Lanka have left communities deeply affected, and expressed solidarity with those impacted. Reports indicate that more than 1,300 people have been killedand millions affected across the region due to the extreme weather.

While the exact amount has not been disclosed, Apple has pledged financial support toward immediate relief and long-term rebuilding efforts.

Cook made the announcement on X earlier today:

🔗 https://x.com/tim_cook/status/1995900164519985451?s=20

Apple also operates a major internal philanthropy initiative, Employee Giving, through which staff donations are matched by the company. The programme has raised more than US$ 880 million to date for various global causes.

The contribution is expected to bolster ongoing humanitarian operations in the affected countries as recovery efforts continue.

By Roger Srivasan

Sri Lanka stands at a pivotal national moment — an era of long-delayed reform, accountability, and renewed hope. Yet, amid this transition, a handful of Tamil politicians appear intent on derailing progress through reckless provocation. Foremost among them is Rasamanickam Shanakiyan, MP, whose behaviour has strayed far beyond legitimate political critique. A political storm is unmistakably brewing — and at its centre stands a man whose shrill theatrics betray not leadership, but desperation. For weeks, Shanakiyan has unleashed a torrent of insensitive, inflammatory, and wholly unsubstantiated allegations — even claiming that the present reformist administration is responsible for “death and destruction.”

These are not the measured words of a statesman; they are the desperate shrieks of a cantankerous charlatan grasping for relevance. His remarks reveal a troubling pattern: the weaponisation of Tamil suffering for personal political mileage. Such egregious and nefarious point scoring activities do not strengthen the Tamil cause — they weaken it, distort it, and drag it into disrepute. Such disingenuous attempts at point scoring only expose the intellectual vacuity of those who peddle in such an egregious, nefarious activities.

Far from fooling the Tamil community, his theatrics are met with overwhelming rejection. The
people recognise the emptiness of his rhetoric and are weary of politicians who thrive on discord rather than deliver solutions. At a time when the government is making tremendous strides — widening democratic space, strengthening accountability, and dismantling entrenched corruption — Shanakiyan bellows as though the nation were collapsing. His narrative is discordant with the lived reality of Tamils who seek dignity, opportunity, and constructive engagement. The emerging Tamil generation desires stability, progress, and
partnership. What they receive instead from Shanakiyan is a tawdry spectacle — a man so consumed by theatrics that he has failed to notice the evolving aspirations of his own people.

Shanakiyan is not responding to a crisis; he is manufacturing one. He is not amplifying Tamil fears; he is amplifying his own. The political storm gathering today is not the result of national decay, but of individuals terrified of irrelevance. Sri Lanka is entering a new epoch — one where justice rises, corruption recedes, and communities begin to imagine a shared future. Yet it is in such periods of transformation that political pretenders reveal themselves most loudly. Rasamanickam Shanakiyan must recognise that the Tamil community deserves dignity, progress, and responsible leadership — not shrill theatrics, distortion, or nefarious mischief dressed as advocacy. Until he abandons these destructive habits, he remains what
his conduct proclaims: a cantankerous charlatan betraying the very cause he claims to champion.

Showers or thundershowers may occur at several places in Northern, North-Central and Eastern provinces and in Badulla and Matale districts after 2.00 p.m.

Misty conditions can be expected at some places in Western, Central, Sabaragamuwa, Uva and Southern provinces and in Kurunegala and Ampara districts during the early hours of the morning.

The general public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimize damages caused by temporary localized strong winds and lightning during thundershowers.