🚨 Sri Lanka Declares Emergency Amid Cyclone Ditwah Devastation & Free Speech Concerns 🚨

Following the severe devastation by Cyclone Ditwah, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake declared a State of Public Emergency nationwide. • Emergency Powers: Regulations grant broad powers of search, seizure, arrest, and detention without warrant for offences related to violence, property damage, or public order. Government states these are necessary to accelerate disaster response and aid thousands of affected families. • Watagala's Controversial Remarks: Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs Deputy Minister Sunil Watagala instructed police to use these regulations against individuals engaging in "defamatory campaigns" targeting the President and ministers on social media. He described such criticism as "unbearable" and aimed at "manipulating public opinion." • Media Freedom Concerns: The Sri Lanka Working Journalists Association (SLWJA) condemned Watagala's remarks, calling it a "worrying trend" and an attempt to suppress freedom of expression under the guise of disaster management. • Government Under Fire: This comes as the government faces widespread criticism for allegedly failing to act decisively despite prior warnings from the Department of Meteorology and Department of Irrigation. The economic loss from Cyclone Ditwah is said to far exceed that of the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami. • The article suggests ruling party politicians should focus on restoring livelihoods decimated by the cyclone rather than getting distracted by political criticism.