President Addresses the Nation

​

Full Text of the Special Statement Made by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to the Nation

Venerable Sirs, Reverend Clergy, Dear Parents, Brothers, Sisters, and Children,

We are aware that, as a nation, we are facing the largest and most challenging natural disaster in our history. We also know that we have launched the most challenging rescue operation in the country's history. This is the first experience in history where the entire country has been subjected to a disaster simultaneously.

We must overcome this extremely difficult endeavor at a time when the country is submerged and affected by disaster from all four corners. Although this cruel natural disaster may shake our small island, it has been proven time and again that the humanity and determination of the people on this island cannot be shaken in the slightest. We firmly believe that together with the unwavering courage of my country’s beloved citizens, we can rebuild this nation.

Dear Parents, Brothers, and Sisters,

If we could bring back to life all those who perished in this disaster, we would not think twice about fulfilling any condition to do so. However, we must face the painful truth of reality. The pain of those we have lost will remain with us forever. No one who passed away is merely a number to us. With every life, there is a name, a face, and a story.

We offer our deepest condolences from the bottom of our hearts to the families of all who have perished. Not limiting ourselves to mere condolences, while we cannot bring those lives back, we are dedicated to doing everything possible for those families. Furthermore, we hold the prayer that all those currently missing are safe.

We warmly embrace the hands of all those who came forward to alleviate the suffering of those whose lives were devastated and to encourage those affected. The government holds the triple responsibility of managing natural disasters, managing the unforeseen calamities that arise when disasters cannot be controlled, and rebuilding the country to its former state or a better one.

We hope to take all possible and necessary future actions for this purpose, no matter how difficult the conditions. In a country with limited facilities and tools to face such disasters, it has been proven again that our iron-willed human resource is more valuable than anything else. We are proud of the citizens of our country who do not abandon others in times of trouble, who always help, and who are filled with self-confidence.

We must remember that we have to face the largest reconstruction effort and rebuilding task in history. The estimated assessment of the destruction is that severe. However, the people of our country have risen again with determination after floods, storms, or any disaster.



At the beginning of this disaster, our first task was to rescue the citizens facing it. We have acted to direct our entire state mechanism with great efficiency for this purpose. Here, our Tri-Forces and the Police engaged in a heroic operation to rescue our people, disregarding the risk to their own lives, and in some places, even sacrificing their lives. We are proud of them. We must offer them the nation's gratitude.

Similarly, the entire state mechanism, from our Ministry Secretaries down to the Grama Niladharis in the divisions, intervened swiftly and performed a great task to rescue the affected people. Understanding this as a humanitarian mission beyond their official duty, they performed their role with a heartfelt bond. We must be thankful to them.

Furthermore, a large number of people intervened voluntarily to rescue those affected. Even if they were not affected themselves, considering the disaster of their neighbors, the person in the neighboring village, or the person in the adjacent district as their own disaster, the citizens of our country performed—and are performing—a massive humanitarian task to rescue those people. We must remember them at this time.

Also, in this rescue operation, our neighboring countries and friendly nations have provided us with immense support. Foreign states have already extended their hand of friendship to us by providing helicopters and rescue teams. We are extremely grateful to them on behalf of our people.

We have now completed a significant portion of this rescue mission. Specifically, the rescued people are currently living mainly as three groups. The first group comprises those displaced within or near their own homes. The second group comprises those displaced in the homes of friends or relatives. The third group is those living in displacement centers.

Some circulars that existed in our country posed obstacles to providing relief to all three of these communities. We have changed all those circulars and prepared the necessary program to provide government relief to everyone, regardless of where they are displaced or staying.

Also, some of our circulars created obstacles for our officers to utilize funds as needed. We have changed those circulars. We have provided the opportunity for a single Divisional Secretary to spend up to 50 million rupees. We have provided the necessary legal protection to our public officers to provide funding allocations and to implement those allocations efficiently.

As you know, we have close to 30 billion rupees in allocations approved by the last budget. We have allocated all those funds, which we can spend without parliamentary approval, for this purpose. We have informed the District Secretaries; ask for whatever amount of money you need. What burden do you have to bear to carry out tasks? We have made arrangements to provide all of that.

If the allocations set aside in the 2025 budget are insufficient, we will act to provide new allocations through Parliament via supplementary estimates. We have faith that through this, we will be able to fulfill the food, health, and sanitary needs of our displaced people.

Our next step is to restore the essential services and infrastructure that have collapsed, especially due to this disaster situation. Electricity had failed in many areas. Similarly, a large number of infrastructure facilities and services such as water facilities, communication facilities, and road systems have collapsed. We have established the necessary operational tasks to restore every one of these sectors quickly and efficiently.

If there are unaffected areas, we have deployed the staff from those areas entirely to develop the infrastructure in these affected areas. Also, if Ministries and institutions had other tasks, setting aside all those other tasks and considering this the priority, we have already prepared a program to establish this infrastructure. We are working closely with essential institutions such as the Electricity Board, Water Supply Board, Transport Board, as well as communication institutions and the Road Development Authority, providing the necessary contribution and direction. Therefore, we believe we have the ability to fully restore these infrastructure facilities and services within a very short period.

Our next main priority is the short-term, medium-term, and long-term rebuilding of the country affected by this disaster. We lost priceless lives; we lost physical resources that are still incalculable. A massive operation to repair public infrastructure in the disaster zone, from roads and bridges to schools and water systems, must be carried out.

This situation is not a trivial challenge for a country that was struggling to lift its head carefully and systematically.

From small self-employment to large-scale industries, from small-scale businessmen to large-scale businessmen, all these sectors face the danger of losing their income and the collapse of their industries. Similarly, sectors like the farming community engaged in agriculture and the livestock sector have suffered a major collapse.

Therefore, we need a rapid plan to uplift these sectors very quickly. For that, we have declared a State of Emergency to provide an efficient service and to obtain the necessary legal protection and funding requirements for a rapid, efficient rebuilding while managing this disaster situation.

I wish to give one assurance to the citizens of this country. Apart from utilizing this State of Emergency to manage this disaster and efficiently build our country, we will not utilize this State of Emergency for any repressive process. In accordance with this State of Emergency, we have already appointed a Commissioner General of Essential Services. We have centralized all services in one place. Essential service offices are open 24 hours a day. Officers of all important institutions remain there 24 hours a day. Therefore, we have prepared a plan to carry out a very efficient centralized operation through this essential services office.

Our next task has become the aspiration to transform our country into a more developed state than it was before. For that aspiration, we are currently hoping to establish a fund to raise the necessary finances for rebuilding. To manage that fund, a management committee comprising Secretaries from the private sector, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Finance, and the Presidential Secretariat has been appointed.

We have assigned them a massive task: to raise the funds necessary to build our country. We can raise funds in several ways. This includes working very closely with friendly nations to obtain their aid, addressing various international organizations to obtain their aid, and additionally addressing local businessmen and industrialists to obtain their aid.

Especially at this time, Sri Lankan citizens living outside Sri Lanka are working with great effort and great willingness to provide this aid. We have taken steps to provide the support they need. Therefore, we think we must build a strong fund to recover from this disaster. We have prepared the necessary arrangements to compile that fund.

We have also informed all institutions to prepare a strong list regarding the extent of the damage you have faced and the allocations required to rebuild it.

We know that often the situation our country faces is having to face the consequences of the lack of accurate data and accurate information. If we are to emerge from this crisis, we need accurate data and information.

The Irrigation Department must look into the damage caused to the irrigation system belonging to their department and the funds required to restore it; the Department of Agriculture must look into the destruction caused to the farmers' agriculture and the amount of funds required to rebuild it. We have informed every such sector to notify us very quickly of your sector’s rebuilding program and the allocations required to implement that program. Accordingly, we are able to rebuild our country through a very rapid development plan.

While history has missed opportunities for us as a country to achieve long-term goals and live together, we have the determination to ensure it is not missed this time. We express our gratitude to all friendly nations, their leaders, citizens, and international organizations that have already come forward and supported us during this severe disaster. We have already established a formal mechanism to obtain their continuous support for rebuilding our country.

At this critical, disastrous moment, let us forget all political ideologies for the sake of the country. Let us unite without differences of race, religion, party, or color. There is plenty of time to do politics, but there is very limited time to face the disaster. Let us build the country together. After building it, we have the ability to engage in politics separately in that country.

I have great confidence in this, specifically. I act with unwavering faith regarding building this country because I place my trust in the citizens of our country. I place my trust in the Tri-Forces, Police, and public servants of our country. I place my trust in the industrialists and businessmen of this country. I place my trust in the intellectuals and inventors of this country. I place my trust in the expatriate Sri Lankans living outside our country. Likewise, we place our trust in friendly states.

With that trust, we have intervened in this task with a firm determination that this country can be built. We will certainly build a better country than what existed before. Even if it must start from zero, we accept that challenge. We invite everyone to join this collective effort without narrow arguments or divisions. I request that we dedicate ourselves to achieving the expected goals according to our conscience, working with proper coordination through a national and international program.

We believe there is light in any darkness. We also believe that these dark days will pass. Therefore, let us rise as one. Let us heal this tear-shedding paradise. Let us build a bright life.
May the Triple Gem bless you all; may God bless you.