The police are investigating who this person is. Several people have been arrested for this shooting. Police investigations are underway regarding the shooting that took place in Malamulla Panadura West last night. Media and Health Minister Nalin de Jayatissa says that nothing can be revealed about these arrests at this time.

How many voice clips are there? . The police have not officially announced but a statement will be issued in the future. Information is being revealed during the investigations. It has been reported that most of these shootings are conflicts between underworld groups involved in drug trafficking. The police are intervening and taking action. The minister said that not a single one will be left behind.

The Minister said this while responding to a question raised by a journalist at a press conference held last afternoon (29) to announce cabinet decisions. 

The question raised by the journalist

This morning, an underworld activity was reported in the Malamulla area of Panadura. Dan Priyasad, who contested the local government election this time, was murdered.

Minister: Who?

Don’t you know Dan Priyasad, who submitted his nomination papers from the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna?

Minister: Is he a Pohottu candidate?

Don’t you know? 

Even Pohottu didn’t even say that he was their candidate at first

Journalist: Don’t make fun of him, Minister. There has been a wave of killings. We cannot approve this. Why can’t the government control these underworld crimes? An audio recording was also released. We don’t know who is speaking in that audio recording. We cannot interfere with the President’s agenda. Some are raising questions as  who are you to challenge the President?

The government has been accused in the death of Dan Priyasad.

The Minister further said:

All relevant investigations are underway. Arrests are being made. Those who tried to flee the country are being arrested. Those who have fled the country are being brought back to Sri Lanka. For some time, we have been systematically dismantling a network that has been operating in which drugs, the underworld and political authorities have been combined, and some parts of the state apparatus, prison officials, some people in the security forces, some in the police, all of these have been involved. They are being arrested. They are being questioned. We have identified the criminal network.

We are taking steps to bring back some of the accused using diplomatic relations. We are not doing any of this by showing off. We don’t exhibit by checking the bags of children claiming to be caught with drugs. We don’t catch drugs by pasting stickers. Without any of that, the operation to crack down on the underworld and drug trafficking has been launched. We are using our full power to stop this wave of killings.

Question – The President and the Prime Minister have made a statement that an alternative road is going to be built through Wilpattu. In 2010, Mahinda Rajapaksa, Wijedasa Rajapaksa, and Rishad Badudhareen took steps to disrupt the balanced existence of the Wilpattu forest. The JVP protested against it when they were in the opposition. Today, the National People’s Power government is going to build an alternative road through Wilpattu. Do the factors that caused the protest not affect today?

Answer – There is a request from the people. Also, we have called for a report from the District Secretary to consider the wishes of the people and the environmental situation and report to the government.