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. 

A Tamil parliamentarian from the National People’s Power (NPP) has publicly refused to resign amidst growing criticism over the party’s handling of the Trincomalee Buddha statue controversy.

The extremist Sinhala-Buddhist group Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) has entered the growing controversy in Trincomalee, as its General Secretary, Galagodaaththe Gnanasara, travelled to the district yesterday to condemn the Coast Conservation Department and police over the removal of an illegally placed Buddha statue on coastal land.

Sri Lanka’s Coast Conservation and Coastal Resource Management Department (CC&CRM) and police force have issued detailed clarifications on the controversial installation of a Buddha statue in Trincomalee, stating that the incident was rooted in persistent violations of coastal regulations rather than a religious dispute.

Preparations for the 2025 Maaveerar Naal commemorations at the Kodalikallu Maaveerar Thuyilum Illam in Mullaitivu began yesterday, as volunteers gathered to ready the site ahead of next week’s remembrance events.

Sri Lankan president Anura Kumara Dissanayake has insisted that the controversy over the unauthorised Buddha statue at Trincomalee is “already resolved,” even as the statue remains at the site and the government faces mounting criticism for capitulating to Sinhala-Buddhist nationalist pressure.

The Pachilaipalli Pradeshiya Sabha has announced that all liquor outlets within its jurisdiction will be closed on 27 November, after unanimously resolving to mark Maaveerar Naal - or Great Heroes Day - as a sacred day of remembrance.