Sajith releases Unedited UN Meeting Video after UN Official’s remarks

Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa has released what he describes as the full, unedited footage of his meeting with United Nations Resident Coordinator in Sri Lanka Marc-André Franche, following controversy over remarks attributed to the UN official in a leaked video from a closed-door civil society meeting.

In a statement issued in Facebook, Premadasa said reports circulating in certain sections of the media had created misleading impressions about his recent meeting with Franche and the views exchanged between them.

He said he had decided to release the entire conversation in the interests of transparency, accountability and truthfulness, allowing the public to assess the accuracy of the media reports.

“I HAVE DIVULGED. NOW YOU CAN DECIDE,” Premadasa said, sharing a link to the footage and a Sinhala translation of the discussion.

The response follows the circulation of a separate video in which Franche was heard questioning the disconnect between civil society and Sri Lanka’s political system.

In the leaked remarks, Franche said he had recently spoken with the opposition leader about several issues and questioned why the opposition was not focusing on certain matters, even from the standpoint of opposing the government.

He argued that meaningful change required stronger engagement between civil society and political institutions, describing the need for a connection through which civil society concerns could influence the political system.

Franche also criticised Sri Lanka’s policy development and legislative processes, citing the Online Safety Act as an example.

He claimed that he had spoken with approximately 45 members of Parliament when the legislation was enacted and that even lawmakers who had voted in favour of it had not read the legislation or understood the amendments submitted.

Franche described this as a failure of lawmakers to fulfil their basic responsibilities and argued that weaknesses in policymaking and strategy development had contributed to poor legislation.

Despite these concerns, he expressed optimism about Sri Lanka’s prospects for change, citing the strength, knowledge and networks of its civil society.

The opposition leader has urged the public to review the conversation and reach its own conclusions about the reports surrounding their meeting.

The 41-minute recording is dated Sept. 3, 2026. Reports of the meeting published earlier this month said the discussions covered democratic governance, economic recovery, climate preparedness and institutional accountability.

The full recording is available here. (Newswire)

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