Sri Lanka’s Tourist Police have arrested two men in separate incidents involving indecent behaviour directed at foreign female tourists, after videos posted online triggered widespread outrage and renewed scrutiny over traveller safety in the island.

Former Sri Lankan president and war criminal Mahinda Rajapaksa has accused the government of failing to give Buddhism its “due distinction”, warning that public anger will be visible at a rally scheduled for 21 November.

Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake met a delegation from the Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK) at the Presidential Secretariat yesterday, asserting that the “old frameworks” for addressing Tamil political grievances were no longer adequate. 

MP Shritharan condemns the placement of a Buddha statue in Trincomalee and urges the government to address long-standing administrative and local governance issues in the Northern Province

Parents of Maaveerar were honoured at a special ceremony held in Alampil, Mullaitivu

The Hairdressers Federation Association Northern Province has issued a statement today challenging comments made in Parliament by Bimal Rathnayake on Wednesday 18 November, after he alleged that reports of ongoing military-run hair salons in the Northern Province were false and politically motivated. 

Fresh scrutiny has emerged over Namal Rajapaksa’s entry into Sri Lanka Law College, after an investigation by The Examiner raised serious questions about whether he met the basic requirements for admission. 

Indian parliamentarian and Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) leader Thol. Thirumavalavan has sharply condemned the Sri Lankan government after Sinhala Buddhist monks erected a Buddha statue in Trincomalee this week. 

Tamil-Canadian actor Maitreyi Ramakrishnan used a recent speech to deliver a sharp, funny and political reflection on identity, language and solidarity, urging Tamils to reject respectability politics and “stop caring about what will people think”.