Sri Lanka tourist arrivals surpass 1.1 Million in first six months of 2026

Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Traffic and Road Safety Range W.P.J. Senadheera says strict legal action will be taken against vehicle owners using non-standard number plates instead of those officially approved by the Department of Motor Traffic.

Commander of the United States Pacific Air Forces (PACAF), General Kevin B. Schneider, met with Sri Lanka’s Defence Secretary, Air Vice Marshal Sampath Thuyacontha (Retd), at the Ministry of Defence in the Defence Headquarters Complex in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte on June 23, 2026.

Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya has instructed officials to take immediate action to address a range of issues affecting Sri Lanka’s education sector following discussions at the Ministerial Consultative Committee on Education, Higher Education, and Vocational Education held recently in Parliament.

The boyfriend of physiotherapist Shamya Darshani, whose body was found inside a parked car in the Teldeniya area, has been arrested in Jaffna along with his legally married wife and a young child.

Sri Lanka President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has instructed officials to allocate the necessary funds for purchasing paddy during the 2026 Yala cultivation season while calling for urgent measures to release existing paddy stocks held in storage.

The United States has provided a Fleet Broadband satellite communication system worth approximately USD 4 million to the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN), aiming to improve maritime communication and operational capabilities across the Navy’s Offshore Patrol Fleet.

General Kevin B. Schneider, Commander of the United States Pacific Air Forces (PACAF), met Sri Lanka’s Deputy Minister of Defence, Major General Aruna Jayasekara (Retd), in Colombo on June 22, 2026, during his three-day official visit to Sri Lanka from June 21 to 24.

Cabinet approval has been granted to remove the legal requirement to apply indelible ink on voters’ fingers during elections in Sri Lanka.

The Colombo High Court today (June 23) upheld the nine-month prison sentence and Rs. 1,500 fine imposed on Ven. Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thero for making statements deemed insulting to Islam and harmful to harmony between communities.

The crane systems required for the new railway workshop under construction in Ratmalana have arrived in Sri Lanka, marking a major step toward modernizing railway maintenance operations in the country.

Three individuals broke into the safe of a rural bank in the Koralaima area of Moragahahena and fled with a stock of gold jewellery stored inside.

Sri Lanka will implement dengue control programmes in 600 Grama Niladhari divisions from June 24 to 26 as authorities step up efforts to tackle the rapidly spreading dengue threat linked to the southwest monsoon season.

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Paul Kapur met Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake at the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo on June 22, 2026 where they discussed bilateral relations, trade cooperation, and regional developments.

Sri Lanka President Anura Kumara Dissanayake held a discussion with leading apparel industry business leaders and investors today (June 22) to identify swift solutions to challenges facing the sector and strengthen Sri Lanka’s export-led economy and dollar earnings.

Sri Lanka’s Foreign Affairs Minister Vijitha Herath reaffirmed that Sri Lanka always acts with neutrality and in accordance with international law during discussions with U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs S. Paul Kapur at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.