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Officials arrived from Pentagon disarmed SIS officers?

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SLPP MP Wimal Weerawansa alleged in Parliament yesterday (22) that a group of officials who arrived from the Pentagon in the US had visited the State Intelligence Service (SIS) Office carrying their own weapons, and then had disarmed the SIS officers who were present at the office. 

While making this allegation, the MP also made a request to inform Parliament about the decisions taken by the government during the discussions held with the officials from the Pentagon .

Making a statement prior to the parliamentary proceedings, the MP made this request and added, “A few days ago, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland arrived in the country. A few days later, a group of 20 Pentagon officials arrived in two American planes.”

“It was reported in the media that they met the President, the Defence Secretary and the heads of the intelligence agencies. Within a short time they left the country. The team was led by a head of that country’s defence department. They arrived from the VIP lounge at the Airport. As far as we know, the immigration affairs of these people had not been handled properly. Not only that, they have also visited the State Intelligence Service (SIS) Unit.”

“All the people in the SIS unit were disarmed but the officials of the Pentagon had entered with their weapons. As far as we know, these officers are trying to take all the information received by Sri Lanka’s intelligence to an American agency, and plan what information should be made public and what information should not be made public,” the MP said.

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Reason for Feb. 09 islandwide blackout, revealed

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The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) today issued a clarification informing the public about the results of a comprehensive investigation conducted by an independent Expert Committee regarding the nationwide power outage that occurred on February 09, 2025. 

The complete committee report is available on the website of the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) for public viewing, it said.

The Expert Committee has confirmed that the primary reason for this blackout was low system stability, technically known as low “system inertia,” caused by an exceptionally high contribution of solar photovoltaic (PV) power at the time. On that day, solar power supplied more than half of the country’s electricity needs, the CEB said.

According to the investigation, the blackout began with a disturbance at the 33kV Panadura Grid Substation, causing a sudden voltage drop across the entire electricity network. This incident occurred during a low-demand weekend, commonly known as the “Sunny Sunday” effect, when many businesses and industries consume less electricity, it said. 

With a high amount of solar power generation, the grid lacked sufficient inertia—normally provided by traditional power plants—to absorb the shock from the disturbance. This situation quickly led to a serious imbalance between electricity generation and demand, triggering cascading failures and ultimately the complete islandwide blackout, the statement said.

The investigation highlighted that traditional power stations, which typically maintain stability by providing inertia, were operating minimally due to the large solar generation share. To prevent future outages and enhance grid reliability, the Committee recommends urgent implementation of measures outlined in the Long-Term Generation Expansion Plan (LTGEP) and the Long-Term Transmission Plan. 

These measures include deploying Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS), synchronous condensers, and adapting conventional generators to operate as synchronous condensers, it said.

Additionally, the Committee strongly advises including real-time inertia indicators on the grid’s control systems (mimic boards) to improve proactive management and prevent similar incidents in the future.

Importantly, the findings of this Expert Committee fully match the details provided by the CEB in its initial media statement released on February 18, 2025. “Thus, we categorically dismiss recent false claims alleging the blackout was due to a defect at Victoria Power Station or that CEB misreported the outage’s cause. Such claims are entirely baseless and contradicted by the committee’s evidence-based findings,” the CEB added.

The CEB said it remains fully committed to delivering reliable electricity services and maintaining transparent communication with the public.

“We sincerely thank all stakeholders for their cooperation and understanding as we take prompt action to strengthen the stability and resilience of Sri Lanka’s electricity network,” it further said.

(adaderana.lk)

(Except for the headline, this story, originally published by adaderana.lk has not been edited by SLM staff)

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CAA raids conducted over overpriced bottled water

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The Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) is intensifying island-wide raids to punish vendors selling bottled drinking water above the recently set Maximum Retail Prices.

The MRPs are Rs. 70 for 500ml, Rs. 100 for 1L, Rs. 130 for 1.5L, Rs. 160 for 2L, and Rs. 350 for 5L bottles.

All bottled water regardless of production date must now be sold at or below these rates, with new prices required to be printed on bottles produced after the gazette.

Violators face heavy fines up to Rs. 05 million for companies and Rs. 500,000 or jail sentences for individuals, with harsher penalties for repeated offenses.

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Committee appointed to probe charges against Deshabandu

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A Committee of Inquiry headed by a Supreme Court Judge has been appointed to investigate the allegations of misconduct and abuse of power against Inspector General of Police (IGP) Deshabandu Tennakoon. 

Chaired by Supreme Court Justice Preethi Padman Surasena, the committee also includes Justice Neil Iddawala and the Chairman of the National Police Commission (NPC) – Lalith Ekanayake.

A resolution to appoint a Committee of Inquiry for the removal of Deshabandu Tennakoon from his position as IGP due to alleged misconduct and abuse of power was passed in Parliament on April 08 with 151 MPs voting in favour.

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