Sajith Premadasa Enraged Over Elephant Burnt to Death in Mihintale

 Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa emphasizes that all those involved in the incident of burning an elephant to death in the Seepukulam area of Mihintale must be punished without any discrimination.

The Opposition Leader stated in a special message issued via social media that a group of people had set fire to this elephant in the Ambagahawewa area of Mihintale, Anuradhapura District, and condemned it as a very low, despicable, and repulsive act.

He further pointed out that all those responsible for this crime should be brought before the law and legal action taken against them, and emphasized the importance of the government, the Department of Wildlife, and civil society working together to prevent such barbaric acts.

Mr. Premadasa expressed his gratitude to the wildlife veterinarians and officials dedicated to treating the injured animal, and emphasized that the entire nation must collectively condemn such heinous acts and that they must be stopped immediately.

He pointed out that relevant legal action should be implemented without delay to ensure that anyone involved in such acts is held accountable before the law. As an environmentalist, the Opposition Leader expressed deep regret over this incident and stated that a clear community-based program is needed to minimize the escalating human-elephant conflict in Sri Lanka.

Stating that the Samagi Jana Balawegaya is committed to resolving the human-elephant conflict and protecting both human and elephant lives, he also emphasized that the Department of Wildlife, which suffers from a lack of resources, should be strengthened with adequate human and physical resources, and highlighted the need to initiate national awareness programs from the school level in areas affected by human-elephant and wildlife conflicts.

Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa further stated that the government has failed to implement a clear program to prevent the human-elephant conflict, and therefore, an urgent national plan should be introduced immediately for this purpose.