Latest Sri Lanka News and Top Stories

Sri Lanka’s new government on Thursday slammed the police for dragging their feet over high-profile cases including the murders of journalists and corruption under the previous regime.

Having briefed a parliamentary group chaired by Premier Ranil Wickremesinghe as regards the SLFP’s constitutional proposals on Thursday afternoon in Parliament, the SLFP discussed the same with President Maithripala Sirisena later in the day.

Former Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) and Police Media Spokesman Prishantha Jayakody,who arrived from Australia a short while ago, claimed that he fled the country because of threats by former Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa and some of his henchmen.

The Deputy Minister of Policy Planning and Economic Affairs Dr. Harsha de Silva has pointed out that a pension Scheme will be introduced to all workers in the country under the Government that will be set-up after the 100-day programme.

The CID yesterday recorded the statements of the former Monitoring MP of the External Affairs Ministry Sajin de Vas Gunawardane and former Sports Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage over corruption charges made against them by Voice against Corruption (VaC), an organization spearheaded by JVP Provincial Councillor Wasantha Samarasinghe, it is learnt.

Lieutenant Yoshitha Rajapaksa, son of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa has been assigned as a security officer of his father’s security team with effect from February 12, Defense Ministry sources said.

Amidst queries raised by the Opposition, the government yesterday denied printing money to meet the increased expenditure resulting from the recent allowances for the public sector.

Former Minister Wimal Weerawansa’s wife Shashi Weerawansa was remanded till March 4 by the Colombo Chief Magistrate today.

The Indian Coast Guard will release 19 Sri Lankan fishermen who were apprehended on charges of trespassing into Indian waters on Tuesday morning.

Maithripala Sirisena’s surprise election as Sri Lankan President on January 8 has paved the way for a significant departure from the policies of his predecessor, Mahinda Rajapaksa. In acknowledgement of the support of members of disaffected minority groups, including Tamils in the north, Sirisena has undertaken to write down farmers’ debt, increase the health and education budget, and fight corruption.

Floods and landslides linked to climate change have battered parts of Sri Lanka in the past two years, disrupting food output, but scientists believe a new program to install low-cost weather stations based on open-source technology could help farmers adapt to increasingly wild weather.

A 22-year-old was shot dead at the Millennium City Housing Complex in Athurugiriya on Tuesday afternoon. The victim has been identified as Namal Krishantha.