Sri Lanka Customs has seized 39 drones and 16 microphones brought into the country from Singapore by Samagi Jana Balawegaya MP Nalin Bandara without the approvals required to import them, Customs Media Spokesperson Chandana Punchihewa said.
The equipment was detained at Katunayake airport after the MP arrived from Singapore aboard SriLankan Airlines flight UL 307, landing at 11.23 a.m., the Daily Mirror reported.
Punchihewa said the drones had been brought in without an import control licence, without approval from the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (TRCSL) and without clearance from the Ministry of Defence. All three are required before drones may be imported.
Hiru News reported the same seizure in Sinhala, giving the same three approving authorities, the same flight number and arrival time, and the same counts of 39 drones and 16 microphones. Hiru said the equipment was being held because the required approval documents were not produced.
The two accounts differ on the date
The Daily Mirror says the seizure took place “on the morning of August 11.” Hiru says the MP arrived at Katunayake “today (08)” at 11.23 a.m. — that is, on Sunday 8 November, the day both filings were published.
Every other detail in the two accounts matches.
Update, 9 November — the date is now settled. NewsFirst, filing on Monday morning, reports that Customs took the drones into custody “yesterday” and that the MP arrived at Katunayake from Singapore “yesterday” — that is, Sunday 8 November. This confirms Hiru’s account; the Daily Mirror’s “August 11” appears to be an error. NewsFirst describes the arrival as in the afternoon, while the two earlier filings give 11.23 a.m.
What is not in dispute is that the Customs disclosure itself was made on Sunday.
Not reported
Neither filing reports what the drones were intended for, their declared or assessed value, or their make and model. Neither says whether the MP has been charged, fined or required to pay any penalty, nor whether the equipment may be released once approvals are produced. Nalin Bandara has not commented in either report, and no statement from the SJB is included. Neither outlet says whether a Customs inquiry has been formally opened or when it might conclude.
Update, 9 November: two of these gaps have since been filled. The IGP has ordered the CID to investigate the import, with the Ministry of Defence to assess the drones, and Customs has said the equipment will be released once the MP obtains the required approvals. Nalin Bandara has still not commented in any verified filing.
Context
Drones are controlled imports in Sri Lanka, requiring clearance from the telecom regulator and the Ministry of Defence in addition to an import licence, and unauthorised flights have drawn enforcement action before — including the arrest of a drone operator over an elephant in Kasikote and a Civil Aviation Authority warning over kites, drones and lasers near aircraft.
Nalin Bandara is a Samagi Jana Balawegaya parliamentarian who has previously raised questions in the House over a disputed Road Development Authority payment.
