A Sri Lankan court has sentenced a Sinhala Buddhist monk to 30 years of rigorous imprisonment after finding him guilty of sexually abusing a 14-year-old boy at a temple.

The Anuradhapura Special High Court for Child Crimes convicted 65-year-old Mulleriyawa Wimalatissa, the chief incumbent of Sri Sambuddha Walukarama Temple in Thalakolawawa, on three charges relating to the abuse of a minor who had been brought to the temple for ordination in May 2022.

Fishermen in Point Pedro, Jaffna have accused Sri Lanka's government of neglecting search efforts for four Tamil fishermen who went missing at sea, while alleging that claims made by Fisheries Minister Ramalingam Chandrasekar regarding naval and aerial search operations are false.

Tamil Women’s groups joined by representatives of Muslim women’s organisations, local government representatives and civil society activists from the North staged a protest in Mannar on Friday calling for justice for survivors of sexual abuse and protection for children and women.

The 22nd remembrance of slain senior Tamil journalist Aiyathurai Nadesan was held on Sunday at the memorial for murdered journalists in Gandhi Park, Batticaloa, with journalists, politicians and civil society representatives paying tribute and renewing calls for justice.

The commemoration, held on 31 May, was jointly organised by the Batticaloa Media house (Maddu Oodaha Maiyam), the Batticaloa District Tamil Journalists Association and the Eastern Lanka Journalists Association.