May 17 (CT) The JVP marked its 60th anniversary on 14 May, not just as a political organisation with a long and tumultuous history, but for the first time, as the party in power—with a President of its own, a commanding presence in Parliament, and a broad electoral mandate from across the island. Founded in 1965, in the shadows of a left movement in decline, the JVP emerged under the leadership of Rohana Wijeweera—a son of a member of more..

May 17 (Island) Though the govt is moving more slowly on corruption than I would have liked, it is moving, which is more than can be said for its predecessors. I remember how sad I was when Yahapalanaya did very little, except for political advantage, about the corruption it had highlighted in the election campaign in which I had so foolishly joined; but the reason became clear with the bond scam, when the Ranil Wickremesinghe administration rose to heights of corruption more..

May 17 (CT) There’s something deeply unsettling about the idea of a retired public servant—someone who has spent decades working for the State—waiting anxiously, day after day, for a pension that never arrives. Not because of a mistake they made, but because a system meant to help them has simply stopped working. That’s the reality facing thousands of people across Sri Lanka right now, as the Department of Pensions’ online application system continues to fail. more..

May 17 (Island) Leaders of the Opposition political parties are scheduled to meet today to discuss how to secure control of the local councils where they have obtained more seats than the ruling NPP. Today’s meeting is to be chaired by Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa. Most Opposition parties have agreed in principle to form joint administrations in the hung councils, we are told. NPP has been in overdrive to rally enough members to muster majorities in those councils. more..

May 17 (TM) With the recent tensions between India and Pakistan since an attack on tourists in India-administered Pahalgam in Kashmir last month, warnings have been sounded that a potential re-escalation may threaten food security across Asia, including Sri Lanka, despite the ceasefire announced between the two nations, pending further discussion. One immediate implication of extended hostilities is imports, given that several Southeast Asian countries rely on food imports more..

May 17 (TM) Tucked behind high walls and colonial façades, SL’s ministerial bungalows and presidential palaces once symbolised power, influence, and prestige. Today, many of these properties stand in eerie silence, unused, short of maintenance, and controversially, becoming potential health hazards. As dengue fever surges in urban SL, attention has turned to these largely forgotten properties, many of which more..

May 17 (FT) Liuwa!, liuwa! (wrote, wrote), are the words exclaimed in exasperation by our motorists when booked for a traffic offence by a policeman. Such a citation would usually require the errant driver to pay a fine or even attend court presently. However, what in most countries is described as getting a ticket for a traffic violation, in the episode description here the emphasis is on the act of scribbling by the policeman on the charge sheet, not the offence or the offender. more..

May 17 (DM) Universities are closeted worlds. But the time they were held in awe as creators of the cream of a country’s workforce talent is long gone. The outside world’s curiosity about our universities is unfortunately aroused only when something notorious happens—for instance, the latest ragging scandal at the Uni of Sabaragamuwa, when an undergraduate committed suicide after being ragged by his seniors. Charith Dilshan, a first-year student at the faculty of engineering technology, more..

May 17 (CT) Well versed in Church governance, Fr. Robert Francis Prevost earned Masters/Licentiate and Doctoral degrees in Canon Law from St. Thomas Aquinas Uni in Rome. His Doctoral thesis focussed on The role of local prior in the Augustinian Order. He exercised leadership roles in many areas of Church governance, as pastor in Chicago USA, professor of the diocesan seminary in Peru, Local Prior of Augustinians in Peru more..

May 17 (DM) At least 12 persons have been reported to have been arrested under the PTA since the swearing in of the new Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake on Sept 23, 2024. Ten of the arrests were between Oct - Dec 2024 and two were in March - April 2025. These numbers are based on media reports and the actual number may be higher. Four were reported to have been arrested in connection with sharing information (not organising) about remembrance of dead cadres of LTTE, more..

May 17 (DM) Unlike the other leftist political parties, JVP has been fortunate enough to rise to power, though under a coalition, NPP within 60 years since its inception. In fact, the only entity within the NPP that can be reckoned with is the JVP and it is singularly entitled to any credit or blame earned by the NPP. Hence, it is the JVP that has really come to power through the Prez and Parliamentary elections held last year. JVP celebrated its 60th anniversary on Wednesday at the Vihara Maha Devi more..

May 16 (CT) Excavation work has officially commenced at Sinthupathi cemetery in Chemmani, Jaffna, following a Court Order to investigate a suspected mass grave. The operation comes in the wake of a discovery made in early Feb 2025, when human skeletal remains were unearthed during excavation activities linked to a development project on the outskirts of the cemetery. The finding prompted an official investigation, leading to a site visit by the Magistrate on 20 Feb. more..

May 16 (EN) Rohingya asylum seekers who were rescued from a boat off SL’s northern Mullevaikkal coast on Dec 19 should not be repatriated without evaluation of the risks of enforced disappearance detainees faced in Myanmar, Human Rights Commission Of SL has said. “The Commission clarified that the obligation not to repatriate any persons to their home country when there is a risk of enforced disappearance is not only an international obligation by which SL is bound,” more..

May 16 (AD) Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court has issued a warrant for the arrest of former Agriculture Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage over the alleged importation of a substandard shipment of organic fertiliser from a Chinese firm in 2021. The order was issued by Colombo Chief Magistrate Thanuja Lakmali after considering a request by the CIABIC. Accordingly, the Chief Magistrate ordered the arrest more..

May 16 (CT) Sri Lanka’s domestic aviation industry is facing a critical crisis due to a severe shortage of aviation gasoline (AVGAS), bringing piston-engine aircraft training operations to a near standstill. According to the Civil Aviation Authority of SL (CAASL), fresh stocks of fuel will only be available after 29 May 2025. The country’s eight aviation training schools have raised concerns over the prolonged fuel shortage and formally notified the Sri Lanka Air Force. more..

May 16 (CT) Even if the NPP holds a two-thirds majority in Parliament, it cannot challenge the appointment of a local govt chairperson from the Opposition elected through a secret ballot, said Manjula Gajanayake, Executive Director of the Institute for Democratic Reforms and Electoral Studies (IRES). Gajanayake explained that, according to Provincial Councils Act, No. 21 of 2012, a chairperson appointed in this manner can only be removed if the local govt’s budget is defeated more..

May 16 (DM) The Colombo Chief Magistrate's Court a short while ago rejected the request made by the Bribery Commission to cancel the bail granted to MP Chamara Sampath Dassanayake and to have him remanded again in connection with financial irregularities he allegedly committed during his tenure as a member of the Uva Provincial Council in 2016. After hearing submissions from both parties Colombo Chief Magistrate more..

May 16 (NF) CIABOC informed the Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court today that a recent public statement made by former Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe regarding the case involving MP Chamara Sampath Dassanayake was entirely false. The case concerns Dassanayake’s tenure as Chief Minister of Uva Province, during which he allegedly withdrew funds from six fixed deposit accounts held by a state bank on behalf of the Provincial Council. The premature withdrawal, which occurred more..

May 16 (DM) Legal action have been taken against eleven bus drivers of long distance buses operating from Hatton for running the buses hazardously and with shortcomings. Ginigathena police yesterday launched a sudden inspection of long distance buses operating from Hatton under the instructions of Acting IGP Priyantha Wijesuriya. The inspection was conducted at Ambagamuwa on the Hatton-Kandy main road. Police have taken steps to file legal action before Hatton Magistrate Court more..

May 16 (PMD) President Anura Kumara Disanayake held a meeting this afternoon (16) at the Presidential Secretariat with officials of the Ministry of Digital Economy and heads of relevant institutions to discuss the progress of Sri Lanka’s digital economic initiatives. Special attention was focused on the progress of key projects formulated under the roadmap for digital economic development, which serves as a core strategy in the govt’s development agenda. more..

May 16 (LM) Mumbai Indians are in talks with SL's white-ball captain Charith Asalanka for the Indian Premier League (IPL) playoffs, which begins on May 29. The development comes in considering the fact that the five-time champions will be missing South Africa’s Corbin Bosch and Ryan Rickelton and England’s Will Jacks, if they qualify for the playoffs. While both Bosch and Rickelton are a part of South Africa's World Test Championship (WTC) bound squad, Jacks is a part of the England team more..

May 16 (TOI) Indian Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) investigators have arrested city-based luxury car dealership proprietor Basharat Ahmed Khan in connection with a 25 crore customs duty evasion case. He was produced before the chief judicial magistrate's court in Ahmedabad, which remanded him in judicial custody. Khan, who operates Car Lounge & Luxury Car Importer, had been importing cars from more..

May 16 (DM) SL artist Hector Dias's track Meenachchi is now offering an immersive Dolby Atmos experience on Apple Music, a development hailed by its collaborators as a first for Sri Lanka in providing such content on the platform. This pioneering version of the song, notably produced and co-composed by Miyuranga Wickramasinghe, signifies a major advancement for the nation's music industry. The project, a joint effort involving Wickramasinghe, distribution label more..

May 16 (DM) Claiming that members of various local bodies have agreed to support chairpersons of the NPP, Minister Bimal Ratnayake said that the NPP's Vraie Cally Balthazaar is sure to become the Mayoress of the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC). He said that the attempt by opposition groups to form councils as joint alliances is an anti-democratic act. Minister said people have not voted for small groups who secured two or three seats to establish administrations in local bodies. more..

May 16 (TM) The leaders of Opposition political parties have reached a consensus to collectively establish administrative control over all Local Govt (LG) bodies – including municipal councils, urban councils, and pradeshiya sabhas – where the ruling NPP does not hold a clear majority, and Opposition parties collectively have a majority. The decision was made during a high-level meeting held on Wednesday (14) at the political office more..

May 16 (DM) Ministry of Health has responded to a recent article published by the Daily Mirror regarding the availability of Chickenpox vaccines. In its official statement, Ministry said there was no alarming rise in Chickenpox cases in the country and emphasized that the Chickenpox vaccination is not part of the national immunization programme at present. However, the Ministry also mentioned a shortage of drugs, a detail that was not referenced in the Daily Mirror article. more..

May 16 (DN) Dept of Motor Traffic has notified owners of newly registered vehicles that the issuance of number plates has been temporarily suspended, effective April 28, due to a supply shortage. In an official communication, the department acknowledged that although number plates are a mandatory component of vehicle registration, ongoing supply issues have made it impossible to fulfill this requirement at present. As a result, both number plates and more..

May 16 (EN) The number of automated teller machines in SL decreased 0.5% in 2024 from 2023, while transactions have steadily picked up over the past year. Number of ATM terminals reduced from 3,813 in 2023 to 3,622 in 2024, a report from the central bank shows. The average transaction volume, cash withdrawals and transfers, rose from 396.1 million in 2023 to 430.2 million in 2024. Total value of financial transactions during rose 13.6% from 6,404.2 bil rupees to 7,274.9 bil rupees. more..

May 16 (AD) Suspended IGP Deshabandu Tennakoon is scheduled to appear before the inquiry committee, appointed to investigate and report on allegations of misconduct and serious abuse of office against him, on Monday (19). According to the Parliament Secretariat, he is scheduled to appear before the said committee at 2 p.m. on May 19, 2025, in Committee Room No. 8 of the Parliament. The investigative committee, which has been conducting preliminary inquiries over the past more..

May 16 (FT) Former Indian PM Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated 34 years ago by the LTTE on 21 May 1991. The date of Rajiv Gandhi’s death has poignant significance for me personally. 21 May is the date of my birth. Rajiv’s death occurred 37 years after I was born. My birth and his death are intertwined in my consciousness. Rajiv’s memory looms large as each birthday approaches. It is against this backdrop that I re-visit more..

May 16 (AD) Police have arrested at least seven protesters, including the Convenor of the IUSF, for violating a court order during a protest held in front of the Ministry of Health in Colombo today. The protest march was organised by the Allied Health Science Graduates’ Union, based on several demands. Accordingly, a group of protesters, including the IUSF Convenor, Madushan Chandradith, have been taken into custody by police for violating a court order. more..

May 16 (DM) Wildlife Conservation Dept has identified 142 railway stations across the country where wild elephants are known to roam, raising concerns over the ongoing human-elephant conflict. This information was revealed following a two-day workshop held at the Giritale National Wildlife Training and Research Center. The programme was organised to educate train drivers and officials from the Railway Dept on measures to prevent collisions between trains and wild elephants. more..