This week a suspect was arrested in Mannar, while transporting nearly 650 sticks of commercial grade gelignite explosives (also known as ‘WaterGel’) in a passenger bus. Yes, you heard that correctly. The incident and a string of reports over the last year of other such instances points to a serious leakage of commercial explosives from quarries. This should raise alarm bells not only in the security establishment, but also among conservationists, fishermen and marine scientists. 

Sri Lanka is still healing from the wounds of the 2019, Easter Sunday bombings (where the suspects also stockpiled WaterGel sticks). Today, there are tit-for-tat murders by gunmen reported on an almost daily basis due to a sudden wave of organised crime in the island. There are also reports of extremism continuing to spread across the globe. Therefore, the casual availability of large volumes of explosives (650 sticks in one go), should be seen as a serious national security concern. The Sunday Morning, The Daily Morning and other publications have repeatedly flagged the issue of explosives leakage as a security concern, as it clearly highlights that the explosives regulatory framework is flawed. Explosives regulation is managed by the Ministry of Defence, and its compliance checking occurs at district level from the offices of respective District Secretaries. However, despite some changes being adopted by the establishment to curb the issue, the regulatory framework clearly continues to fail. The continued failure of the explosive’s regulations begs the question if the firearms regulation process is functioning effectively, given the spate of gun crime in the island?

The Government’s go-to catch phrase when it comes to containing trade union action and protests, is to say such action will disrupt Sri Lanka’s tourism sector and the island's slow economic recovery. While democratic protests and voicing dissent to state policies, will likely not jeopardise Sri Lanka’s forward momentum, an explosion that creates a mass casualty event, especially in public transport or in a public space would seriously damage Sri Lanka’s tourism credentials, and will likely disrupt the island's economic recovery. If explosives are so freely available and in significant quantities, they can even be used by organised criminal groups, or elements who may want to disrupt the island’s recovery process. As such, the lack of attention to this issue is troubling, especially in an election year.

It is common knowledge that the commercial explosives, widely referred to as gelignite, is used in the destructive form of illegal fishing, called blast fishing, widely known in Sri Lanka as ‘dynamite fishing’. Blast fishing, a banned practice, which has once again risen its head as some coastal fishermen try to make a fast money, by taking shortcuts. 

During the first six months of 2023, the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) reported that the number of intercepts had seen over 333 sticks of explosives apprehended on 75 occasions, with 48 suspects arrested. In 2022, only four suspects were arrested by the Navy, with 1,193 sticks of explosives apprehended. According to the Navy in 2023, an increase in intercepts of explosives around Trincomalee, Mullaitivu, Mannar, Galle, and the Jaffna lagoon is an indication that dynamite fishing is once again being carried out in greater numbers.

According to a former Research Officer at the National Aquatic Resources Research and Development Agency (NARA), dynamite fishing along Sri Lanka’s coast and offshore causes serious damage to the marine ecosystem. Experts pointed out that the use of dynamite fishing in shallow waters damaged both corals and other marine life, while also destroying some fish breeding grounds. “Dynamite fishing in shallow waters and offshore impacts corals, demersal fish, and pelagic fish schools. Offshore use often involves a purse net that allows a large school of fish to be caught. Sometimes divers are used to collect the dead or stunned fish from the sea bottom. Dynamite fishing is done in a very organised manner. It is an organised crime, one which can’t be stopped at the beach or at sea. It must be stopped at the source, from where explosives are sourced,” the expert opined.

Last year, a dive operation in Trincomalee had expressed concern about the safety to tourists, both local and foreign, from dynamite fishing following an explosive charge being detonated underwater while a group of tourists were diving to explore marine life in the Trincomalee Bay. Sri Lanka must not wait for the next crisis to happen. The State must be proactive and take action to mitigate potential threats. A robust review of the weak regulatory framework which governs explosives, and perhaps also that of licensed firearms and state armouries, should be carried out as a matter of urgency.