Sri Lanka defends ties with Israel as it sends hundreds more workers

Sri Lanka’s Minister Bimal Rathnayake continued to defend his government’s ties with Israel as international condemnation over its ongoing assault on Gaza continues, with Colombo sending hundreds more workers to the country this month.
Dissanayake attends ‘Victory Day’ commemoration alongside war criminals
Sri Lanka’s president attended a ‘Victory Day’ Commemoration ceremony took place on 19 May, just a day after thousands of Tamils across the North-East and in the diaspora mourned the Mullivaikkal genocide.
Sri Lankan parliamentarians raise alarm over risks to lives as violence worsens
Amid rising concerns over the deteriorating security situation on the island, Sri Lanka’s opposition parties convened a special meeting in Parliament yesterday, citing increasing risks to public life and the ability of lawmakers to perform their duties without fear.
NEXT shuts Katunayake plant after nearly five decades, over 1,400 workers made redundant
NEXT Manufacturing, a British-owned apparel exporter operating in Sri Lanka since 1978, has announced the indefinite closure of its Katunayake Production Plant, citing rising operational costs and persistent unprofitability, in a blow to Sri Lanka’s already struggling economy.
Two women arrested after gold-plated T56 rifle found at Colombo apartment
Two women have been arrested following the discovery of a gold-plated T56 assault rifle at the Havelock City housing complex in Colombo. The arrests were made after a security officer at the complex reported the presence of the weapon to the police.
Israeli ambassador meets Sri Lanka's defence secretary in Colombo
Israel’s Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Reuven Javier Azar, paid a courtesy call on Sri Lanka’s Defence Secretary, Air Vice Marshal Sampath Thuyacontha (Retd), at the Ministry of Defence in Sri Jayawardenepura, Kotte. 
Sri Lanka’s Public Security Minister links politicians to organised crime and murder plots
Sri Lanka’s Minister of Public Security, Ananda Wijepala, delivered a damning statement in Parliament, confirming that multiple senior politicians are linked to organised criminal syndicates, including groups involved in drug trafficking, contract killings, and international crime networks.
Mullivaikkal Declaration reaffirms Tamil nation’s right to resist genocide 
Marking sixteen years since the Mullivaikkal genocide, the Mullivaikkal Remembrance Public Forum released a statement on 18 May 2025, reaffirming the Tamil nation’s unwavering commitment to justice, self-determination, and resistance against continued structural oppression by the Sri Lankan state.
Ponnambalam slams land seizure push as ‘deliberate effort to dispossess Tamils’
Tamil National People's Front (TNPF) leader and Jaffna District MP Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam has sharply criticised the Sri Lankan government’s latest move to seize thousands of acres of land in the North, accusing it of using bureaucratic manoeuvres as a pretext to advance Sinhala-Buddhist colonisation and displace Tamils from their homeland.
Valikamam North residents submit petition demanding return of occupied lands
Tamil residents from Valikamam North submitted a formal petition to the Governor of the Northern Province on May 18, urging the immediate release of lands that remain under prolonged Sri Lankan military occupation.
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