Category: Daily Financial Times

The Cabinet of Ministers at their meeting on Monday approved the award of the contract for the planning and construction of the remaining work of the Torrington Mawatha housing project in Colombo 07, which consists of 115 housing units.

‘The decision follows the procurement process initiated by the Urban Development Authority, which received five bids for the project,’ Cabinet Spokesman and Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa said at the weekly post-Cabinet meeting media briefing on Tuesday.

After a thorough evaluation by the Higher Level Standing Procurement Committee, the Cabinet granted approval for the contract to be awarded to Sathuta Builders Ltd.

The central hills of Sri Lanka are more than a scenic backdrop to our country’s landscape. They are its heart and lungs, regulating climate, storing water, nurturing biodiversity, and sustaining millions of lives downstream. Yet for over two centuries, these hills have been abused, misused, and systematically degraded. Today, as floods, landslides, and water scarcity become alarmingly frequent, the central hills stand as a stark reminder that the country can no longer afford short-term thinking. It is time to fundamentally rethink how we conserve and restore this vital region.

For millions of years, the central hills were cloaked in primordial rainforests, complex, ancient ecosystems shaped by time, isolation, and evolution. These forests were among the richest in genetic diversity anywhere on Earth. That legacy was violently disrupted during the British colonial period, when vast tracts of untouched rainforest were cleared to make way for coffee plantations, and later tea. In the process, billions upon billions of dollars’ worth of genetic wealth, plants, animals, microorganisms, many of them endemic, were destroyed forever. This loss is not merely historical. It continued well after independence to this day. Successive governments have failed to identify the value of the Central hills and come up with a programme to restore and preserve its enormous wealth.

What remains are tiny fragments of these once-continuous rainforests, specks on a map, but treasures in reality. Each square metre of these forests reveals endemic plants and animals, some known only to science, others still waiting to be discovered. Some of these endemic plants carry nature’s cures to disease, harnessed correctly through research and pharmaceutical development with enormous monetary potential.

Decades of plantation agriculture have left deep scars on the central hills. Intensive cultivation has stripped the soil of its fertility, leaving behind grasslands and wastelands once the land can no longer sustain crops. Erosion is rampant, and the fragile mountain soils, never meant to be exposed, are washed away with every heavy rain. The water cycle, once carefully regulated by dense forest cover, has been profoundly altered. Streams that once flowed steadily throughout the year now swing between destructive floods and dry-season scarcity.

The recent floods and landslides in the hill country are not isolated disasters but symptoms of a system pushed beyond its limits. They demonstrate the extreme vulnerability of the central hills and, by extension, the vulnerability of the entire country that depends on them. Ignoring these warning signs would be reckless.

We urgently need a long-term, science-based plan to restore and protect its central hills. The Government must take bold steps toward large-scale reforestation with native species, prioritising the reconnection of fragmented rainforests. Destructive pine plantations, which acidify soils and support little biodiversity, should be gradually removed and replaced with indigenous forest cover. The environmental impact of plantation industries must be reduced through stricter regulation, sustainable practices, and the restoration of degraded lands.

Crucially, human activity above certain elevations must be limited. These high-altitude zones are ecologically sensitive and vital for water security. Population pressure and infrastructure development in these areas should be reduced, and communities gradually encouraged to move away from the most vulnerable zones. Allowing these landscapes the space and time to rejuvenate is not anti-development but essential for long-term national survival.

The central hills have given Sri Lanka life for millennia. The least we can do now is give them a chance to recover.

At the time of writing this article, media reports indicate that a group of 120 leading global economists, including Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz, have issued a welcome and timely call for the suspension of Sri Lanka’s debt payments and a fresh assessment of debt sustainability. Their intervention underscores a principle that is often acknowledged rhetorically but resisted in practice. In moments of national catastrophe, debt relief itself becomes a form of disaster relief. There is little doubt that such an approach would provide critical breathing space for the Sri Lankan economy, which has only begun a fragile and uneven recovery after years of severe economic distress.

Sri Lanka is once again confronted with a humanitarian and economic emergency layered upon this already fragile recovery. As the country struggles to stabilise following its sovereign default and an ongoing debt restructuring process, the devastation caused by Cyclone Ditwah has abruptly altered national priorities by redirecting scarce public resources toward relief, rehabilitation, and reconstruction. In such circumstances, the economists’ call deserves serious consideration, not only on humanitarian grounds but also on the basis of sound economic logic.

A climate shock, not fiscal indiscipline

Cyclone Ditwah was not the result of fiscal mismanagement or policy error. It was an exogenous, climate-induced shock, one of a growing number of extreme weather events disproportionately affecting climate-vulnerable economies such as Sri Lanka. Flooded towns, damaged roads and irrigation systems, destroyed homes, and disrupted agriculture will inevitably slow growth, weaken revenue collection, and increase public expenditure requirements.

Expecting Sri Lanka to adhere to pre-cyclone debt-repayment schedules under these conditions, risks forcing the Government into untenable trade-offs between servicing external creditors and meeting urgent humanitarian obligations to its citizens. The economists’ call therefore reframes the issue correctly. This is not about leniency, but about economic realism and moral responsibility.

Sri Lanka’s debt burden through a sustainability lens

From a debt-sustainability perspective, Sri Lanka’s repayment obligations remain heavy even under the current restructuring framework. According to baseline projections used in discussions with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Sri Lanka’s external debt service for the period 2024-2026 was estimated at approximately $4-5 billion annually before the full impact of restructuring relief is realised. Even after agreed reprofiling, post-restructuring debt service is expected to absorb more than 20% of Government revenue and a substantial share of foreign-exchange inflows once repayments resume.¹

IMF debt-sustainability analysis rests on assumptions of steady growth recovery, improved revenue mobilisation, and stabilising primary balances. Cyclone Ditwah materially weakens these assumptions. Growth projections are revised downward, revenues are disrupted, and expenditure needs rise sharply. Insisting on rigid adherence to previously negotiated repayment paths in the face of such a shock risks undermining the very sustainability that restructuring is meant to secure.

The scale of the Cyclone Ditwah shock

Cyclone Ditwah constitutes a macro-critical shock with long-term economic consequences. Preliminary assessments indicate that several hundred thousand people have been directly affected across multiple provinces, with extensive damage to housing, transport networks, irrigation systems, power supply, and agricultural land. Early estimates place direct economic losses in the range of USD 1-2 billion, equivalent to over 1% of GDP, with agriculture, small enterprises, and public infrastructure among the hardest-hit sectors.²

Beyond physical damage, the cyclone has disrupted livelihoods, reduced agricultural output, and intensified pressure on public health, food security, and social protection systems. In IMF terminology, this represents a combined ‘growth shock’ and ‘expenditure shock,’ as reconstruction and relief spending rise while revenues weaken. Without immediate fiscal space, under-investment in recovery risks deepening output losses and prolonging economic fragility.

Government relief measures and its economic impact

In response, the Government has rolled out an emergency relief and rehabilitation package aimed at cushioning the immediate human and economic fallout of Cyclone Ditwah. Measures include cash transfers to affected households, concessional credit and repayment moratoria for small and medium enterprises, assistance to farmers to restore cultivation, and accelerated public spending to repair damaged roads, irrigation systems, power supply, and other critical infrastructure. These interventions are indispensable to stabilise livelihoods, sustain consumption, and prevent a deeper contraction in regional economies.

At the same time, such measures place additional strain on an already stretched fiscal framework. Without parallel external debt relief, the fiscal space required to sustain relief and reconstruction efforts remains severely constrained, raising the risk that necessary humanitarian spending could translate into renewed macroeconomic pressure rather than durable recovery. This reality reinforces the economists’ central argument: temporary suspension of debt payments is not a substitute for domestic effort, but a necessary complement to ensure that relief spending translates into economic stabilisation and recovery.

Why temporary suspension makes economic sense

Suspending debt payments in the aftermath of a natural disaster is neither radical nor without precedent. Following the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, affected countries benefited from moratoria and concessional debt restructuring to prioritise recovery and reconstruction. In Sri Lanka’s case, external support also extended beyond debt relief, including preferential trade access through the GSP Plus scheme introduced by the European Union as part of broader post-tsunami economic support. More recently, during the Covid-19 pandemic, the G20-led Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI) reflected a similar recognition that enforcing debt repayments amid extraordinary global shocks would be economically self-defeating.³

Turning crisis into diplomatic opportunity

Crises, while deeply disruptive, can also become moments of strategic recalibration if handled with foresight. Cyclone Ditwah has created a narrow but critical window for Sri Lanka to intensify its diplomatic engagement with bilateral creditors, multilateral institutions, and key partner governments to secure temporary debt relief aligned with humanitarian imperatives. The convergence of a climate-induced disaster, authoritative international expert support, and growing global recognition of climate vulnerability provides Sri Lanka with a compelling moral and economic case. This moment should therefore not be allowed to pass without purposeful diplomacy, one that frames debt relief not as indulgence, but as an investment in stability, recovery, and long-term repayment capacity. Used judiciously, the current crisis can strengthen Sri Lanka’s negotiating position and help embed climate resilience within future debt arrangements.

A broader test of climate justice

Sri Lanka’s predicament raises a larger systemic question. Countries that have contributed least to global greenhouse-gas emissions are often those that bear the highest costs of climate change. When climate disasters strike, insisting on uninterrupted debt servicing effectively transfers the burden of global warming onto the most vulnerable populations.

The intervention by global economists therefore carries significance beyond Sri Lanka. It tests whether the international financial architecture can adapt to the realities of a warming world. Treating climate disasters as macro-critical events warranting automatic debt-service suspension should become a rules-based response, not an exceptional concession.

Responsibility at home, solidarity abroad

International flexibility must be matched by domestic responsibility. Any fiscal space created through debt suspension should be transparently and efficiently channelled toward relief, rehabilitation, and reconstruction. Strong coordination, clear prioritisation, and accountability will reinforce Sri Lanka’s credibility and strengthen the case for sustained international support.

Conclusion

The call by international experts to suspend Sri Lanka’s debt payments following Cyclone Ditwah is timely, rational, and grounded in both economic logic and humanitarian necessity. It recognises a fundamental truth often overlooked in crisis moments: recovery must precede repayment, and resilience cannot be built under financial compression. In an era of escalating climate shocks, debt relief must be treated not as an exceptional concession but as an integral component of disaster response and long-term sustainability.

For Sri Lanka, this moment also carries a strategic imperative. The convergence of a climate-induced catastrophe, authoritative global expert support, and evolving international norms on climate vulnerability provides a rare diplomatic opening. This window must be used proactively, through coordinated, high-level engagement with creditors, multilateral institutions, and key partners, to secure meaningful and timely debt relief that supports recovery and preserves repayment capacity over the medium term.

This is not an argument for abandoning obligations, but for sequencing them wisely. By coupling domestic responsibility with purposeful diplomacy, Sri Lanka can turn an immediate crisis into an opportunity to stabilise its economy, rebuild resilience, and restore credibility. Surviving today is the precondition for honouring commitments tomorrow.

The Securities and Exchange Commission of Sri Lanka (SEC) has granted a deferment of the suspension of trading in the shares of Softlogic Holdings PLC, which was scheduled to take effect on 31 December 2025. The SEC has extended the deferment until 31 August 2026.

Softlogic’s securities were transferred to the Watch List on 28 November 2023, 25 April 2024, and 16 December 2024, following the inclusion of an emphasis of matter on going concern in the independent auditors’ reports for the financial years ended 31 March 2022, 31 March 2023, and 31 March 2024, respectively.

Softlogic closed yesterday down Rs. 0.10 at Rs. 5.80.

The company reported a Rs. 3.66 loss per share for the six months to end-September 2025, compared to a Rs. 6.34 loss per share a year earlier.

The UN International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) on Tuesday handed over 1,500 BP-5 supplementary nutritional food packs to the Health Ministry to address the immediate nutritional needs of young children affected by Cyclone Ditwah, marking a critical intervention amid rising concerns over child malnutrition in disaster-affected areas.

The fortified nutritional supplies were officially handed over by UNICEF Resident Representative in Sri Lanka Emma Brigham to Health Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa at the Ministry. The donation comprises a total of 20,000 kilograms of BP-5 supplementary nutritional food, designed to support children aged six months to five years who are at risk of moderate acute malnutrition.

BP-5 is an energy-dense supplementary food enriched with essential vitamins and minerals and can be consumed directly or prepared as a porridge. Produced using grain and vegetable protein, it is packaged in 500-gram packs containing nine bars and is widely used in emergency contexts to meet urgent nutritional needs.

Addressing the event, Dr. Jayatissa said the donation comes at a crucial time when Sri Lanka is facing significant challenges in child nutrition, exacerbated by the sudden impact of Cyclone Ditwah.

He noted that nutritional conditions in several vulnerable districts have worsened following the disaster, with additional safety and welfare centres having to be maintained for displaced families.

Under these circumstances, he said, the country’s existing Thriposha supplementary food program is not sufficient to meet increased demand, making the provision of BP-5 a vital intervention to prevent further deterioration in the nutritional status of children.

The Minister expressed gratitude to the UNICEF for its timely support and continued partnership, emphasising the importance of protecting maternal and child nutrition during post-disaster recovery efforts.

The UNICEF confirmed that the BP-5 supplies will be distributed across 19 districts, with priority given to areas hosting displaced families and communities with high numbers of young children at risk of malnutrition. Among the priority districts identified are Nuwara Eliya, Badulla, Kandy, Kegalle, and Kilinochchi.

Brigham said this marks the first time BP-5 supplementary nutritional food is being used in Sri Lanka to address moderate acute malnutrition, drawing on global expertise while responding to local needs.

She said the initiative enables a timely and practical response at a critical moment for affected children and families.

UNICEF officials also stated that distribution will take place under the supervision of the Health Ministry and will be accompanied by clear explanations in all three national languages on what BP-5 is and how it should be used. The emergency nutrition supplies have received support from the German UNICEF National Committee, and UNICEF will continue to work closely with national authorities to ensure smooth and effective distribution.

Several senior officials attended the handover, including Additional Secretary Specialist Dr. W.K. Wickramasinghe, Deputy Director General Specialist Dr. Champika Wickramasinghe, and Head of the German Office in Sri Lanka Sarah Hasselbarth, along with medical specialists, and Health Ministry officials.

Lion Brewery (Ceylon) PLC (Lion) has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening community partnerships through its flood response efforts and ongoing work to build long-term flood resilience and community support in Biyagama, home to the Company’s core operations.

During the recent floods along the Kelani River, Lion supported the Biyagama community throughout the emergency response and recovery period, maintaining outreach until the area gradually returned to normalcy. With flooding events becoming more frequent and severe, affecting surrounding communities and livelihoods, Lion remains committed to enhancing preparedness and strengthening long-term support for Biyagama.

Lion has long maintained close engagement with the local community around its brewery, and this response was a continuation of the strong collaboration between the Company and the area it serves. In late November, water levels in parts of Biyagama and nearby areas rose to nearly 10 feet (approximately 3 metres), trapping people in their homes and limiting access for responders.

Lion’s culture of adventure empowers employees at all levels to make quick, effective decisions when it matters most. This empowerment proved critical during the floods, enabling teams to operate safely from the Company’s main premises, mobilise rapidly as conditions worsened, and extend timely support to neighbouring communities. Working closely with government officials, Lion supported evacuation efforts through its A-Pad trained rescue team and other volunteer teams, assisting by boat and delivering food, clean water, and essential supplies, particularly to locations that were difficult to reach due to access constraints.

After floodwaters receded, Lion staff worked with local authorities to restore safe access by clearing debris, mud, and hazards from affected areas. Teams also distributed additional dry ration packs, especially in areas where water and electricity had not yet been restored, helping families resume daily life sooner.

Several team members remained deployed for days despite facing storm-related challenges of their own, demonstrating a strong sense of responsibility to the surrounding community and workplace. These team members are being recognised and celebrated for their commitment and service.

Looking ahead, Lion is in discussions with local authorities to establish a safe and accessible community stronghold facility, located on higher ground, reachable via alternate routes, and equipped to support the community during future flood events.

‘We recognise that building climate resilience is essential, not only to protect our operations, but to safeguard the lives and livelihoods of our neighbours. Our teams were empowered to respond quickly and keep people safe while supporting communities to recover,’ said Lion Brewery (Ceylon) PLC Chief Executive Officer Rajiv Meewakkala.

‘By investing in community infrastructure and knowledge sharing, we aim to strengthen Sri Lanka’s disaster management ecosystem for the future.’

‘During the floods, it was impossible to reach some places, and Lion Brewery’s support was critical in accessing affected communities,’ said M.P. Head of the District Committee Anura Karunathilaka.

‘The Lion team worked closely with us when our response capacity was stretched. This experience shows the value of public-private collaboration. We look forward to sustaining this partnership, particularly in building community facilities and strengthening long-term resilience.’ With the guidance of the Minister, the Biyagama Provincial Council Chairman Lal Kumarappeli, together with the Lion team, led on-the-ground clean-up efforts, coordinating the deployment of heavy vehicles and overseeing the safe removal and disposal of flood-related debris.

A local business owner Shayani Jayasekara said, ‘The Lion team stayed in touch and kept us informed as water levels rose. They helped evacuate our staff as conditions worsened. We tried to stay open and serve the community for as long as we could. It was a tough time, and Lion Brewery took the initiative to help clear debris and mud from nearby roadways.’

Lion Brewery continues to strengthen resilience through preparedness, collaboration, and community support. With climate-related risks evolving across the Kelani River Basin, the Company remains committed to building readiness and community-level resilience in the Biyagama region.

Helping Sri Lanka rise again through purpose-driven action, Morison, a leading local pharmaceutical manufacturer, recently extended its CSR platform ‘Suwa Deya’ by offering vital medicinal support to communities affected by the recent disaster.

As the Principal Medical Partner, Morison donated medicines manufactured at its own plants, valued at nearly Rs. 4 million, to be distributed in the coming weeks through medical camps organised by Swarnavahini, a leading Sri Lankan TV channel.

The donation reflects the company’s commitment to the nation and reinforces Morison’s purpose of ‘Making Premium Healthcare Affordable’, ensuring essential healthcare remains accessible to communities during this challenging time.

Morison firmly believes that though the recent cyclone has tested the country’s resilience, it has not dimmed Sri Lanka’s spirit. Morison employees came together with compassion and generosity, contributing dry rations as personal donations that were also handed over to Swarnavahini to support the affected families. The collective effort reflects the company’s enduring belief in solidarity and shared responsibility.

With humanity at its core, Morison is committed to bringing hope and healing, standing by the nation in times of adversity and supporting Sri Lanka’s path to recovery.

The Protection of the State from Terrorism Act, No. of 2026 (PSTA) presents itself as a human rights improvement on the existing Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA). This framing obscures the reality that its core architecture, including administrative detention, military powers, proscription regimes, and broad speech offences, replicates the essential features that made the PTA objectionable for over four decades.

The Bill replicates the fundamental architecture that made the PTA objectionable. Rather than using the ordinary criminal law regime for terrorism offences alongside emergency powers when genuinely required, the PSTA creates parallel criminal jurisdictions with reduced safeguards and expanded executive authority. Its scheme maintains extraordinary arrest and detention powers, grants the Attorney General potentially coercive mechanisms to compel admissions without trial, and empowers the President, senior police officers, and the Defence Secretary to issue prescription orders, restriction orders, curfews, and prohibited place declarations with limited judicial oversight. As the title suggests, the Bill’s fundamental purpose is to protect the state rather than to protect civilians from violence, a framing that offers little resistance to treating public dissent, political disruption, and threats to political power as terrorism in themselves. Though the Bill includes carve-outs for protest and industrial action, these sit in tension with other provisions and may prove ineffective in practice.

Section 78 defines ‘confidential information’ so broadly that it could capture online content, and social media posts documenting military checkpoints, photographs of army deployments during civilian protests, or tweets noting the presence of intelligence personnel at public events. Tamil civil society organisations, and activists documenting enduring militarisation in their communities face particular exposure. Section 15 criminalises failure to report information about terrorism offences with penalties of up to seven years imprisonment, placing journalists, lawyers, doctors, and religious figures in impossible positions where professional ethics conflict with criminal liability. This provision effectively conscripts recipients of information as state informants, creating a chilling effect on communication without requiring any technical interception.

Journalists, civil society activists, and ordinary social media users face particular exposure under this Bill. The predictable consequence is self-censorship driven by fear rather than any genuine security benefit. The Bill’s extended detention provisions, which permit up to two years of combined remand and detention without charge, provide a repressive mechanism for silencing dissent. Meanwhile, the surveillance and decryption powers granted under sections 53 and 55 threaten to eliminate private digital communication entirely, depriving citizens of secure channels for democratic dialogue and exposing them to monitoring that bears no reasonable relationship to legitimate counter-terrorism objectives.

We want to particularly stress the Bill’s impact on privileged, and encrypted communications, that go far beyond the PTA. Section 55 grants magistrates authority to order the unlocking of encrypted communications, yet assumes technical capability that simply does not exist with genuine end-to-end encryption (E2EE) systems. The extension of police powers to military personnel under section 19 creates a 24-hour window before handover to civilian authorities during which device contents could be accessed without procedural safeguards. Given documented patterns of abuse during military detention, including custodial torture, particularly affecting Tamil communities, the risk of coerced access to encrypted communications is not theoretical.

National security cannot serve as a blank cheque to erode democratic values. We urge the Government to withdraw this Bill, engage in meaningful consultation with civil society, and affected communities, and develop fit-for-purpose legislation that meets international human rights standards while addressing legitimate national, and human security concerns.

The Social Media Declaration collective is a coalition established by civil society organisations, citizen activists, websites, and subject-matter experts, with the aim of promoting a ‘Human rights-Based, Socially Responsible use of Social Media’. This collective is dedicated to advancing human Rights, including digital rights, and to systematically analysing online content through research, advocacy, training, awareness-raising, and critical inquiry. It continuously strives to foster and sustainably promote democratic discourse in online spaces grounded in internet freedom, transparency-openness, and democratic values. In this way, the collective remains committed to ensuring societal well-being through the influence of technology and to encouraging the development of responsible, ethical use of social media in the digital age.

The following organisations belong to this collective. Sri Lanka Working Journalists Association, Jaffna Press Club, Eastern Provinces Journalists Forum, Centre for Policy Alternatives, Sri lanka Muslim Media Forum, Human Elevation Organisation, Law and Society Trust, SARVODAYA Shramadana Movement, Movement for Land and Agricultural Reform, ActNow Youth Campaign, Wedabima Media Collective, National Collaboration Development, Foundation Best Vision foundation, Internet Media Action, maatram.org, vikalpa.org, groundviews.org and minormatters.org

The Securities and Exchange Commission of Sri Lanka (SEC) has granted a deferment of the suspension of trading in the shares of Millennium Housing Developers PLC, which was due to take effect on 31 December 2025. The SEC has extended the deferment until 31 August 2026.

The company’s securities were transferred to the Watch List on 7 December 2023 following the inclusion of an emphasis of matter on going concern in the independent auditor’s report for the financial year ended 31 March 2023. The auditors reiterated the same emphasis in their reports for the financial years ended 31 March 2024 and 31 March 2025.

The share price of the company gained Rs.020 yesterday to close at Rs. 6.60.

Title holders Viren Nettasinghe and Ranithma Liyanage made a fitting end to their campaigns of the 2025 season by defending the Men’s and Women’s Open Singles titles, joined by Varangana Jayawardana and Rashmi Mudalige, who defended the Women’s Open Doubles title at the 73rd National Badminton Championship 2025, which concluded at the S. Thomas’ College Indoor Sports Complex in Mount Lavinia on Wednesday (24).

Three titles – the Men’s Open Singles, Women’s Open Singles and Women’s Open Doubles – were up in the guard as respective title holders, Olympian Viren Nettasinghe, Ranithma Liyanage and doubles pair Varangana Jayawardana and Rashmi Mudalige were defending their titles earned from last year’s nationals. They defended so fittingly, at the 73rd edition of the Badminton Nationals organised and conducted by Sri Lanka Badminton (SLB), held at Mount Lavinia for eight consecutive days, the participation of top ranked and leading shuttlers of the country.

Nettasinghe entered the fray of defending his crown with a strategy, as he clinically overcame each of his opponents from the Round of 32, all in straight sets, to reach the final. The country’s top Men’s Singles shuttler continued his form against Rasindu Hendahewa in the Men’s Open Singles final, to end his final bout for the year, again in straight sets to defend the title. Viren defeated Rasindu by 21/10 and 21/14 to win his second national title in style.

Ranithma Liyanage aptly defended her Women’s Open Singles title by recording a comfortable straight win against Rashmi Mudalige in an absorbing final that lasted nearly 45 minutes. Though the title decider stretched way longer than anticipated, Liyanage managed to seal the victory by recording set wins of 21/12 and 21/18 to claim the national title for the second year running.

Fourth seed pair Sanuda Ariyasinghe and Thisath Rupathunga created an upset by toppling top seeds Oshamika Karunarathne and Thulith Palliyaguru in a lengthy final that went down to the wire in the Men’s Open Doubles final. Sanuda and Thisath won the first set 21/15, but the top seed pair bounced back to level the game 1-all with a 21/18 win. But the gritty pair of Sanuda and Thisath maintained their composure to overcome the favourites 21/15 in the decider and claim the Men’s Open Doubles title.

Varangana Jayawardana and Rashmi Mudalige completed a successful campaign to defend the Women’s Open Doubles title from last year, this time overcoming the aspiring pair of Dilni Ambalangodage and Ranumi Manage in straight sets. Varangana and Rashmi remained unbeaten throughout, as they ended the unblemished run of Dilni and Ranumi with set wins of 21/13 and 21/18 to win the Women’s Open Doubles title for the second year running.

The Mixed Open Doubles title was claimed by the pairing of Thulith Palliyaguru and Panchali Adhikari, who battled for 45 minutes to overcome Aashinsa Herath and Rashmi Mudalige 2-1 in the final. After conceding the first set by 12/21, Thulith and Panchali regrouped to claim the following two sets by 21/18 and 21/15. On their way to win the title.

Keneth Aruggoda and Nethmi Ratnayake claimed the Boy’s and Girl’s Singles titles respectively in the Under-19 category, while Thenul Ganewatte and Nethil Thewmika accounted for the Boys’ Doubles title. Dilni Ambalangodage and Ranumi Manage emerged winners of the Girls’ Under-19 Doubles title, overcoming Thiseja Herath and Komuthu Kumarapperuma in straight sets, while Thenul and Nethil were given a tough outing by Pamith Attanayake and Thidasa Irushika before conceding the Boys’ Under-19 Doubles title. Keneth overcame Hiruka Sahanmith in straight sets to claim the Boy’s Singles title, while Nethmi recorded a similar victory against Senudi Amarasinghe in the Girl’s Singles final.

Senuth Perera and Dulanya Karunarathna emerged victorious in the Under-17 finals, accounting for the Boy’s Singles and Girl’s Singles titles, as Amavan Amarasinghe and Chenaal Dewshan recorded a straight win to claim the Boy’s Doubles title. Isuri Attanayake and Sithumi de Silva won the Girls’ Under-17 oubles title with ease.

Thamindu Fernando earned a double crown in the Under-15 category, winning the Boy’s Singles title against Yasiru Jayawardana and partnering with Senuda Rajapaksa to claim the Boys’ Double title to end the year on a high note. Nithini Sasandhi beat Manuli Methara on her way to claim the Girl’s Under-15Singles title, while Sayuni Kulasuriya and Limandi Padma Bandara teamed up to beat Miyesi Nethara and Nisheli Samararatne 2-1 and claim the Girls’ Under-15 Doubles title.

Hansaka Rashminda and Kiendra de Almeida won the Under-13 Boy’s and Girl’s Singles titles in contrasting fashion, while Rajai Atheeb and Vidas Samarakoon prevailed to claim the Boys’ Doubles title in a closely contested final. Charithsa Amarasinghe and Githara de Silva paired up to win the Girls’ Under-13 Doubles title.

Yenul Rathnayake won a double crown in the Under-11 category, claiming the Boy’s Singles title, after accounting for the Boys’ Doubles title pairing up with Shon Silva. Sasindi Abeysinghe had a tough outing against Siheli Jayasundara on her way to claim the Girl’s Under-11 Singles title, while Siheli made amendments in return to pair up with Janandi Amaya to win the Girls’ Under-11 Doubles title.

Organised and conducted by Sri Lanka Badminton (SLB), the country’s core domestic badminton event will take place at Mount Lavinia for seven consecutive days, with an expected high participation of top ranked and leading shuttlers of the country, who will compete in different categories.

The 73rd edition of the National Badminton Championship attracted a total of 1525 entries, making the 2025 version a history-making event. Sri Lanka Badminton officials were overwhelmed by the enthusiasm among local shuttlers as the number of entries this year exceeded last year’s total count of 1254, a clear progress from 2023 edition’s tally of 1140. Mr. Rohan de Silva, the Managing Director of McLarens Holdings, graced the awards ceremony as the Chief Guest at the country’s elite domestic badminton event, conducted in accordance to BWF regulations and sponsored by McFoil, Mobil, Li Ning, 3M, and GAC.