Sri Lankan police burned approximately 532 kg of turmeric which they alleged was smuggled from India last week, as an import ban on the spice has sent prices soaring.

The 65 Infantry division of the Sri Lankan army, which is stationed in Kilinochchi, marked their twelfth anniversary by seeking blessings from Sinhala Buddhist monks in an elaborate religious ceremony last month.

The troops took part in a Buddhist ceremony called the Bodhi Pooja Pinkama, organized to invoke blessings to all Officers, other ranks and civil servants of 65 Infantry Division. Soldiers dressed in all white and knelt before Buddhist monks as part of the ceremony.

Sri Lanka’s Defence Secretary, and accused war criminal Kamal Gunaratne, denied that Sri Lanka’s military committed war crimes, during his New Years address, insisting that they had launched a “humanitarian operation”.

Sri Lanka’s Army has announced that it will be taking over the responsibility from printing driving licences instead of using a private company. 

Whilst Sri Lanka’s Statement Minister of Transport, Dilum Amungama, has claimed that the decision was made due to fiscal considerations, it follows a concerning “militarisation of civilian functions”.

Three Ukrainian tourists who arrived in Sri Lanka have tested positive for COVID-19.

The first batch of 185 tourists arrived in Sri Lanka on the 28 December, being the first group of tourists to arrive in Sri Lanka for nine months. The second batch of 204 tourists arrived on the 29 December. The government has reopened Sri Lanka for tourists this week after closing its borders since March. The pilot project is expected to welcome tourists from various countries to assess its capability of handling flights and tourists amidst the pandemic.

Gaj Wallooppillai, a senior Conservative Party advisor and International Secretary received an OBE from the Queen in the 2021 New Years List. The honour was awarded for services towards equality and community cohesion.

Speaking at a Buddhist temple in Payagala, the Archbishop of Colombo, Malcolm Ranjith, called upon Sri Lanka’s political leaders to follow and safeguard Buddhism.

Following the arrest of several Tamil Nadu fishermen by Sri Lanka’s Navy last week, Indian representatives called for the release of Tamil fishermen during the fourth meeting of the Indian-Sri Lanka Joint Working Group on Fisheries, held on the 30 December.  

DMK leader and party treasury, T R Baalu, has urged India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, to intervene in Sri Lanka to prevent the abolition of provincial councils.