Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa has released a 41-minute unedited video of his meeting with Marc-André Franche, the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Sri Lanka, after remarks the envoy made about the Opposition at a separate closed-door event began circulating.
Premadasa published the footage and a Sinhala translation on Facebook, saying he was doing so in the interests of transparency and accountability.
“In the name of transparency, accountability, and truthfulness, I have decided to divulge the full and unedited version of the conversation between the two of us so that all are able make a judgement on the veracity of the facts of the discussion that has been reported in certain sections of the so-called media,” he said. “I HAVE DIVULGED. NOW YOU CAN DECIDE.”
The meeting he released is dated 3 September 2026 and covered democratic governance, economic recovery, climate preparedness and institutional accountability.
What Franche actually said
The remarks that prompted the release were made at a discussion with civil society representatives, not at the meeting itself. Franche described a fragmentation between civil society and politics in Sri Lanka, and said change comes where there is a “political transmission belt” between the two.
He then referred to his meeting with Premadasa directly. “I was speaking recently with the leader of the opposition, and I was asking him about certain issues, and I didn’t understand why the leader of opposition was not focusing, even if for only the reason of opposing the government, yes, he had ample material,” Franche said.
Hiru News reported a sharper element of the same remarks that NewsFirst does not carry: Franche criticised Sri Lanka’s legislative process, using the Online Safety Act as his example. He said he had spoken with roughly 45 members of Parliament at the time, and alleged that even MPs who voted for the bill had not read the text or understood the amendments before them — which he called a failure of basic parliamentary responsibility.
Franche also said he remained optimistic about Sri Lanka’s capacity for reform, citing the strength of its civil society network.
Not reported
Neither outlet says who recorded or circulated the civil society footage, whether the UN office has commented on the leak or on Premadasa’s release, or which specific issues Franche put to the Opposition Leader that he felt were going unpressed. Franche is the UN official who has also been engaged on Cyclone Ditwah resettlement and met Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath ahead of the UN General Assembly.
