Sri Lanka President says powerful can no longer escape law
Sri Lanka President Anura Kumara Dissanayake | Photo enhanced using AI for clarity
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said today (October 11, 2026) that the era when powerful individuals escaped the law while ordinary people faced legal action has come to an end in Sri Lanka.
Addressing a public rally in Nikaweratiya, the President said the government had demonstrated that no individual or place in the country was beyond the reach of the law.
Referring to a popular saying that the law is like a spider’s web, he explained that small insects get caught in the web while larger ones break through it.
He said a similar belief had existed in Sri Lanka, where some powerful individuals thought the law could never reach them.
The President stated that there had been a time when the law itself would face consequences if it approached certain individuals, but that situation had now changed.
He also commented on the increasing number of legal developments involving prisons, joking that a separate news segment called “Prison News” would now be needed.
“One news alert comes, and within ten minutes, another follows. Even we wonder who it might be this time,” he said.
The President further stated that steps were being taken with international assistance to bring back individuals who had fled overseas after allegedly engaging in fraud and corruption and avoiding investigations.
He also claimed that the National People’s Power (NPP) was the most corruption-free political movement in Sri Lanka’s political history.
Speaking about the government’s future plans, President Dissanayake said the NPP government aimed to strengthen the country through five main pillars.
Meanwhile, commenting on the situation in the Middle East, the President said Sri Lanka had maintained an independent foreign policy without giving in to pressure from any country.
He stated that the government had rejected a request from the United States to land military aircraft in Sri Lanka, as well as a request from Iran concerning the arrival of warships.
The President also claimed that Sri Lanka’s decisions regarding the Iranian ships had received international recognition and appreciation.
The public rally, organized for the Kurunegala District under the theme “People’s Rule – Two Years Strong, Progress for All,” was held at the Nikaweratiya market grounds this afternoon as part of a series of NPP rallies.
Religious leaders, including members of the Maha Sangha, several government ministers, Members of Parliament, NPP activists and a large gathering of supporters attended the event.
President Dissanayake received a warm welcome upon his arrival at the rally.