Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath has sought to assuage Sinhala nationalist concerns about a defence agreement that is to be signed with New Delhi, as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi touched down in Colombo this evening.

As Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi touched down in Colombo this evening for his three-day official visit to Sri Lanka, large hoardings and welcome banners were seen across the capital – notably missing any Tamil-language content.

Former minister and Rajapaksa ally Lohan Ratwatte launched an attack on Sri Lankan president Anura Kumara Dissanayake, stating that the president and his allies “must be hanged” for their role in the JVP insurrection of the 1980s.

Sri Lanka’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID) informed Colombo Magistrate’s Court on 3 April that it has launched an investigation into allegations that Namal Rajapaksa MP, the son of former Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa, fraudulently obtained his Attorney-at-Law qualification.

In a stunning reversal, Sri Lanka’s President Anura Kumara Dissanayake is poised to sign a defence pact with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a move that cements an about-turn from his formerly fierce opposition to Indian influence in Sri Lanka.

The Sri Lankan cabinet has appointed a special committee in response to the United Kingdom’s recent decision to impose targeted sanctions on four Sri Lankan individuals accused of grave human rights violations.