President Anura Kumara Dissanayake is scheduled to undertake an official visit to the Batticaloa and Ampara districts on May 20 and May 22, according to the Department of Government Information.
On May 20, the President will attend the Batticaloa District Coordination Committee meeting at the old District Secretariat auditorium, before taking part in the “Ratama Ekata” national programme at the Batticaloa Weber Stadium. The flagship initiative is the NPP government’s nationwide anti-narcotics operation, launched in late 2025, and the Weber Stadium event marks its first major Eastern Province leg of the current cycle.
On May 22, President Dissanayake will travel to Ampara to lay the foundation stone for the Nintavur Cultural Centre, a development in a predominantly Tamil-speaking part of the district. He will also launch the construction of a new shopping complex in Ampara town before attending the Ampara District Coordination Committee meeting at the District Secretariat auditorium.
The Eastern Province itinerary follows recent presidential outreach in the central highlands, where Dissanayake has used District Coordination Committee meetings to push Cyclone Ditwah recovery deadlines and progress on the Rs. 500 billion district-level rebuilding package. Batticaloa and Ampara, both home to large Tamil and Muslim populations, have historically received less direct presidential engagement, and the two-day swing pairs a high-visibility anti-drug platform with cultural and commercial infrastructure pledges.
