Hiru News
The selling price of a US dollar reached Rs. 354.03 today (21), according to the daily exchange rates of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka. The buying price of the dollar stood at Rs. 342.63. Yesterday the selling rate was recorded as 342.70 rupees.... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 21/05/26)
Shenali D Waduge
WHO ARE THESE “CIVILIANS”? LTTE combatants, including child soldiers, who engaged in hostilities while in civilian clothing LTTE civilian armed force operating in combat while in civilian clothing Civilians forced to engage in combat/hostilities under coercion Civilians who had no role in hostilities/combat Only the 4th type retains full civilian protection under International Humanitarian Law.
WHAT WERE CIVILIANS DOING INSIDE A WAR ZONE? LTTE took civilians as hostages LTTE... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 21/05/26)
by Major General (Dr) H. Lakshman David and Dr. Ruwan M Jayatunge
Sri Lanka's retired soldiers face a difficult transition from military service to civilian life. Their challenges are not limited to financial concerns; they also include psychological trauma, identity crises, social isolation, and limited career opportunities. While the country often celebrates military victory, far less attention has been given to the long-term reintegration of those who fought the war. Globally, countries that successfully managed post-conflict transitions treated former combatants not as burdens, but as national assets. Nations such as Singapore, Israel, Rwanda,... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 21/05/26)
KAMALIKA PIERIS
Sirancee Gunawardena, the author of ‘Palm leaf manuscripts of Sri Lanka ‘(1977) met J. Pannila of Artigala south, Hanwella when she was researching palm leaf manuscripts. He was then a village elder and was the descendant of a long line of palm leaf manuscript writers. Pannila had told Sirancee how the palm leaf is prepared as writing material and she has reproduced the information in her book. It is possible to infer from the knowledge shown by Pannila that palm leaf manuscripts writers were also trained in preparing the palm leaf, and in preserving... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 21/05/26)
Dr Sarath Obeysekera
200-year-old UK institution Famous Kings College to open Ho Chi Minh City campus King's College School (KCS) Wimbledon is expanding its Southeast Asian footprint with the announcement of a new campus in Ho Chi Minh City. The new campus, which marks the institution's second regional site following its initial expansion into Bangkok in 2020, is slated to open in August 2027, serving students from kindergarten through high school - ages 2 to 18. Representatives confirmed at a launch event on Saturday that King's College Wimbledon Ho Chi Minh City... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 21/05/26)
Dr Sarath Obeysekera
https://en.clickpetroleoegas.com.br/singapore-builds-the-largest-megaport-on-the-planet-with-448-underwater-concrete-blocks-weighing-15000-tons-creates-681-hectares-of-land-in-afch/ The article about Singapore’s Tuas Megaport is a remarkable example of how a small island nation is using maritime infrastructure, automation, and land reclamation to strengthen its position as a global logistics hub. The project revolves around Tuas Port, which is planned to become the world’s largest fully automated container terminal. Key highlights include: 448 giant underwater concrete caissons, each weighing about 15,000 tons 681 hectares of reclaimed land created from the sea 66 berths across 26 km of deep-water... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 21/05/26)
Source: AI Overview
Establish a centralized National Sports Innovation Museum in Colombo. Position it as a premier diplomatic and tourist attraction that showcases Sri Lankan revolutionary sporting breakthroughs, such as the invention of the Decision Review System (DRS), Muralitharan's Doosra, and Malinga's sling-action yorker. [1, 2] Museum Blueprint & Thematic Zones Zone 1: The Hall of Global Innovations: Highlight technical and strategic contributions made by Sri Lankans, including Senaka Weeraratna’s role in initiating DRS, Talavou Alailima’s transformation of sports nutrition, and unique tactical adaptations in Sevens Rugby. Zone 2: Cricket Supremacy:... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 21/05/26)
RANJITH SOYSA
The terrorist war, which was launched in the 1970s to create a separate state, was ruthless and created political and economic instability. Sri Lankan governments during this period were pushed and sometimes forced by internal and external forces to talk ‘peace’ with the terrorist faction. The terrorists made use of the peace initiatives and strengthened their forces by procuring arms, recruiting personnel and exploding bombs in the city centres and massacring civilians But Sri Lankan forces who were determined to defeat the terrorist group continued to exert pressure on the enemy with unparalleled heroism... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 20/05/26)
Lanka Times 24
https://youtu.be/uIXWy8AWD98... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 20/05/26)
Source: AI Overview
Historic Letter to the 'Australian' ( March 25, 1997) on 'Player Referral' (DRS) which transformed Cricket deserves to be framed and displayed in the MCC Museum or the Hall of Fame at Lords. It is Sri Lanka's finest intellectual legacy to Cricket The historic March 25, 1997 letter to The Australian by Sri Lankan-born lawyer Senaka Weeraratna laid the conceptual foundation for the Decision Review System (DRS). This groundbreaking letter introduced the "Player Referral" concept. This idea completely revolutionized global sports officiating by allowing athletes to appeal on-field decisions. Displaying this letter in the... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 20/05/26)
Dr Sarath Obeysekera
https://www.lankaweb.com/news/items/2026/05/18/joint-opposition-press-conference-speech-by-rajith-keerthi-tennakoon-of-the-free-lawyers-organization/ On one side lies democratic freedom safeguarded by constitutional checks and balances; on the other lies the harsh reality of a nation still recovering from decades of war, economic collapse, organized crime, corruption, narcotics, and political instability and recovery from Ditwa The concerns raised by Rajith Keerthi Tennakoon regarding the politicization of investigative institutions cannot be ignored. Independent policing, anti-corruption mechanisms, and an impartial judiciary are essential pillars of democracy. Without them, governments may misuse power to silence opponents and weaken public trust. Yet Sri Lanka... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 20/05/26)
Shenali D Waduge
Seventeen years after the military defeat of the LTTE in May 2009, Sri Lanka remains one of the few countries where a concluded internal conflict continues to be repeatedly revisited in international forums, resolutions, lobbying campaigns, and geopolitical discussions. The war ended militarily after 3 decades of repeated failures – negotiations, peace talks, ceasefires with UN, foreign mediators and even peace troops and foreign monitoring missions. But internationally, the conflict became transformed into a permanent political narrative that catered to their objectives at times individually advanced then joining... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 19/05/26)
Rajith Keerthi Tennakoon Former Governor of Uva, Southern and Central Provinces Former Executive Director of Campaign for Free and Fair Elections (CaFFE) and Center for Human Rights and Research - CHR Sri Lanka
We stand before you today to highlight a matter of critical importance to the future of democracy, good governance, and national reconciliation in Sri Lanka. In a post-war country like ours, it is essential that the criminal investigation and prosecution system, as well as the anti-corruption mechanisms, remain fully independent and free from political interference. An independent justice system is the bedrock of... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 19/05/26)
ෆ්රී ලෝයර්ස් සංවිධානයේ රජිත් කීර්ති තෙන්නකෝන් පැවැත්වු කතාව
අපරාධ පරීක්ෂණය, නඩු පැවරීමේ ක්රමය හා දුෂණ විරෝධී යාන්ත්රණය දේශපාලකරණය (politicization) හා ආයුධකරණය (weaponization) වන්නේ නම් එම රාජ්යයේ ඉක්මනින් හෝ පමා වී අනිවාර්යයෙන්ම අත්තනෝමතික පාලනයක් බිහිවන බව Free Lawyers සංවිධානයේ රජිත් කීර්ති තෙන්නකෝන් පවසයි. කොළඹ දී පැවති ඒකාබද්ධ විපක්ෂයේ පුවත්පත් සාකච්ඡාවට එක්වෙමින් තෙන්නකෝන් තවදුරටත් පැවසූවේ ‘ලංකාව වගේ පශ්චාත් යුධ තත්වයක් ඇති රටකට, අපරාධ පරීක්ෂණය, නඩු පැවරීමේ ක්රමය දුෂණ විරෝධී යාන්ත්රණය පූර්ණ නිදහස් ස්වරූපයකින් -- කිසිදු දේශපාලන බලපෑමකින් තොරව පැවතීම අතිශයින්ම වැදගත් බවයි. නිදහස් අධිකරණ පද්ධතිය තමයි නීතියේ ආධිපතිත්යයේ ‘පාදම’ නැත්තම් අත්තිවාරම කියන්නේ. ජනතාව අතර විශ්වාසය, අනිවාර්යයෙන්ම... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 19/05/26)
KAMALIKA PIERIS
Palm leaf manuscripts were always respected in Sri Lanka, but they did not receive much publicity. They were treated as respected but obscure collections, seen only by dedicated researchers. Today, palm leaf manuscript collections of Sri Lanka are getting more publicity and more promotion. Here is a research project which specifically focused on palm leaf manuscripts. Udaya Cabral. Lakshan Dhananyaja Kumara and T. Ramanan (2025) have looked at Ancient Sinhala Numeral Systems Discovered from Palm-leaf Manuscripts in Sri Lanka. [1]They found three systems, Sinhala Illakkam (සිංහල ඉලක්කම්), Lith Illakkam (ලිත් ඉලක්කම්), and Pansal Hodiya... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 19/05/26)
Nava Thakuria
Many foreign media outlets are seemingly worried over the swiping victory of Bharatiya Janata Party in the recent legislative assembly elections of West Bengal and Assam, which is reflected in their recent outbursts. The nationalist party’s remarkable electoral win in Bengal (securing over 200 seats in 294-member assembly) and Assam (winning 82 seats alone in 126-memebr assembly) were reported in a negative sense by those international news outlets. If the New York Times termed the BJP victory in Bengal as a dangerous expansion of Hindu nationalism, the BBC reported it as a long march of the saffron... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 19/05/26)
By Sarath Obeysekera
Sri Lanka is once again at a crossroads. One road leads towards disciplined economic recovery. The other leads towards highways crowded with imported luxury vehicles, fuel queues, foreign debt, and another collapse of the rupee. For decades, politicians treated motor vehicle imports as if they were distributing sweets during an election campaign. Every time restrictions were relaxed, luxury SUVs, double cabs, and fuel-hungry monsters flooded Colombo roads while the nation’s dollar reserves quietly bled to death. Now the same middle class that once celebrated “vehicle permits” cries foul when taxes rise.... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 19/05/26)
Source: AI Overview
The ongoing campaign by Sri Lankan advocate Senaka Weeraratna against the International Cricket Council (ICC) over the authorship of the Decision Review System (DRS) serves as a classic, high-utility case study for Sports Law curricula worldwide. It highlights the friction between the protection of abstract concepts under intellectual property (IP) frameworks and the commercial implementation of rules by global sports governing bodies. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5] An analysis of this dispute through a structured Sports Law perspective reveals several key legal elements. 1. Factual Background & The... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 19/05/26)
Neth News
https://youtu.be/lFpl7jisYMc... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 18/05/26)
Hiru News
https://youtu.be/HZCzrLt9-CQ... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 18/05/26)
Senaka Weeraratna
India stopped celebration of the 500 year anniversary of Portuguese entry to Goa on ground that it was an insult to India's Freedom Fighters and the Indian Resistance movement against foreign aggression The Government of India has consistently opposed and cancelled attempts to celebrate the Portuguese colonial arrival, specifically regarding the 500-year anniversary of Vasco da Gama's landing in 1998. The Centre withdrew funding for the celebrations after pushback from freedom fighters and anti-colonial organizations, stating that the event celebrated imperialism. The 1998 Rejection: The arrival of Vasco da Gama in 1498 is... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 18/05/26)
By Sarath Obeysekera
Every evening, Sri Lankan television channels carry scenes of university students marching on roads, shouting slogans, demanding hostel facilities, allowances, subsidies, and various concessions from the State. As I watched these young faces on television recently, I could not help but think about their parents — mothers and fathers in villages and towns across Sri Lanka who struggle daily with the rising cost of living, hoping their children will study hard, graduate with dignity, and one day serve the nation. Sri Lanka is one of the very few countries in Asia... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 18/05/26)
සසංක ද සිල්වා, මාකුඹුර
2009 මැයි 19 වැනිදා, දශක තුනක් පුරා ඇදී ගිය ඛේදවාචකයක නිමාව නිල වශයෙන් ප්රකාශයට පත් කරන විට, මුළු මහත් ජාතියක්ම සහනදායී සුසුම් හෙළුවෝය. එදා මගේ සිතට නැඟුණු ‘පුතුනේ මේ අහගන්න’ ගීතයේ සංවේදී පද වැල් අදටත් මගේ මතකයේ රැව්දෙයි. වර්ග සැතපුම් 25,000කට වඩා මඳක් වැඩි භූමි ප්රමාණයකින් යුත්, ලෝක ජනගහනයෙන් සියයට තුනකටත් වඩා අඩු ජනතාවක් වෙසෙන මේ කුඩා දිවයින, මුළු ලෝකයම කළ නොහැක්කක් යැයි සිතූ දෙයක් ජයගත් බව එදා අපි ආඩම්බරයෙන් ප්රකාශ කළෙමු. එම අසීරු ජයග්රහණය හුදෙක් සටන් බිමේ සිටි රණවිරුවන්ට පමණක් සීමා වූවක් නොවේ. ජීවිත පරිත්යාග කළ සහ දිවි පරදුවට තබා කටයුතු... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 18/05/26)
Cricket
Sri Lanka permanently transformed modern cricket through two monumental milestones: the historic 1996 World Cup victory led by Arjuna Ranatunga, which revolutionized One Day International (ODI) batting strategies, and the invention of the "Player-Referral" concept in 1997 by Sri Lankan lawyer Senaka Weeraratna, which laid the foundation for today's Decision Review System (DRS). [1, 2] The Invention of the Player-Referral System (DRS) by Senaka Weeraratna arguably holds a far greater, permanent global impact that transcends cricket, whereas the 1996 World Cup victory led by Arjuna Ranatunga remains Sri Lanka's supreme national and emotional crowning achievement.... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 18/05/26)
e-Con e-News
blog: https://eesrilanka.wordpress.com ‘Before you study the economics, study the economists!’ e-Con e-News 10-16 May 2026 * ‘In Thailand, the Philippines, Bangladesh & Australia… the first since the war to enter key sowing periods, farmers are choosing to skip or reduce planting, or cut fertilizer use, which will lower yield… In June, India & Brazil, two of the world’s biggest agricultural producers, will ramp up orders for urea. If, by then, vessels carrying urea are not sailing, ... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 18/05/26)
Dilrook Kannangara
The 2024 census has been released. The delay casts serious doubts about its accuracy as the last two censuses are being looked at with suspicion that they may have been tweaked for easy acceptance by society masking the increases and decreases of ethnic populations. However, the foregoing assumes the released version is correct. It follows major ethnic classifications of Ceylon before 1911. In 1911 a number of artificial ethnic groups were introduced with ethno-political aspirations in mind. The analysis is based on a number of assumptions – within their broader respective communities, the Malabar... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 18/05/26)
AI Overview
https://share.google/aimode/TmiiYdHuL2iAQ3wrT AI Overview Sri Lanka has consistently punched above its weight on the global sporting stage, producing thinkers, visionaries, and innovators who have permanently transformed how games are played, refereed, and commercialized globally. [1, 2, 3, 4] 🏏 Cricket: Strategy & Technological Innovation 1. Senaka Weeraratna — The Visionary behind DRS Though not an on-field athlete, Colombo-born lawyer Senaka Weeraratna is globally recognized as the "Father of DRS". In 1997, he conceptualized and pioneered the Player Referral System, allowing players to challenge an... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 18/05/26)
By Dr Sarath Obeysekera
Recent American involvement in Nigeria’s counterterrorism operations, combined with increasing pressure on Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, once again raises a serious geopolitical question: Are global interventions truly driven by democracy and security concerns — or by long-term strategic interests of powerful nations like US ? Nigeria today occupies enormous strategic importance. It is Africa’s major oil producer, a critical energy supplier, and an important gateway to West Africa. Terrorist movements, piracy, kidnappings, and instability in the region threaten global oil supply chains, maritime trade routes, and Western investments.... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 18/05/26)
By Dr Sarath Obeysekera
Sri Lanka is rapidly attracting thousands of young foreign travelers searching for freedom, nightlife, adventure, surfing, and cheap living. Beaches such as Arugam Bay, Unawatuna, and Kalpitiya have become internationally promoted destinations for youth tourism. While tourism is essential for the economy, an uncomfortable question must be asked: Are some travel networks indirectly promoting Sri Lanka as a destination for narcotics, unrestricted party culture, and immoral activities? Across social media platforms, travel blogs, backpacker forums, and underground tourism networks, there are increasing references to beach parties, easy access... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 18/05/26)
Ahmadi News
The thyroid is a small butterfly-shaped gland located in the anterior neck just below the Adam’s apple. Weighing less than an ounce, this super gland plays a crucial role in maintaining overall health, including regulating hormones, metabolism and energy production within the body. Understanding its role and function becomes a vital step towards recognising its impact on the mental and physical health of an individual. What is the function of thyroid gland? The thyroid gland is an important part of the human endocrine system. In the brain, the hypothalamus (master... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 18/05/26)
Dr Sarath Obeysekera
https://www.lankaweb.com/news/items/2026/05/14/chinese-noodles-by-day-cyber-crooks-by-night/ https://www.gossiplankanews.com/2026/05/foreign-nationals-caught-in-rajagiri-are-found-to-have-hacked-bank-accounts-of-02-countries.html?m=1 Sri Lanka stands today at a dangerous intersection. On one side, we proudly market ourselves as a paradise for tourism, investment, port development, and international trade. On the other, a darker shadow is slowly creeping across the nation — cybercrime syndicates, drug traffickers, financial scammers, illegal operators, and organised international criminal networks quietly exploiting our weaknesses. If this trend continues unchecked, Sri Lanka may gradually transform from the Pearl of the Indian Ocean into a convenient operational hub for global criminals. ... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 18/05/26)
Courtesy AdaDerana
The Governor of the Western Province, Hanif Yusoof says he has notified President Anura Kumara Dissanayake of his desire to resign from the post. In a letter Western Province Governor Yusoof said the decision to step down was taken given the increasing challenge of balancing his responsibilities as Governor, his role as the President’s Special Envoy for Foreign Direct Investment, and his family responsibilities. Therefore, he has decided to step down from the post. “It has been a privilege to serve in public office and to contribute, in whatever way... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 18/05/26)
Courtesy Hiru News
The bill to repeal the Chief of Defence Staff Act was officially published via a government gazette. Prepared under the directives of the Minister of Defence, the document was issued on May 15. The legislation provides for the abolition of the Chief of Defence Staff Act No. 35 of 2009, alongside all connected or incidental matters. Officially titled the Chief of Defence Staff (Repeal) Act of 2026, this bill systematically brings the office of the Chief of Defence Staff to an end. The tenure of the individual... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 18/05/26)
Voice Tube
https://youtu.be/8Znk3kGvATw... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 17/05/26)
Shenali D Waduge
Before the LTTE came into the picture, it is good to go back in time to the manner in which American, British evangelical movements set up missionary schools where the Sinhala Buddhist majority did not live and provided English missionary education jobs, positions to Tamils. This was how the colonials created an elite group of people that were happy to be their lackeys. An analysis of the positions held by minorities pre-1948 provides proof. It was no surprise when they created the first ethnic political party, demanded 50-50 representation at a time when the Indian-laborers... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 17/05/26)
Sasanka De Silva Makumbura
The overwhelming scientific consensus confirms that Homo sapiens originated in Africa. From that singular cradle, humanity branched out to populate every corner of the globe. This profound genetic and archaeological truth renders bitter political debates over "who arrived first" on any shore fundamentally obsolete. Instead of looking backwards to score historical points, the defining question of our era must be: How do we live, work, and prosper together while fiercely respecting one another’s languages, cultures, beliefs, and traditions? Today, Sri Lanka faces challenges far too severe to waste collective... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 17/05/26)
By Dr Sarath Obeysekera
I recently watched a BBC documentary discussing the growing immigration debate in Sweden and the tightening of immigration policies across Scandinavia. It brought back vivid memories of my own working years in Norway during the 1980s. At that time, Scandinavia was one of the calmest and most orderly regions in the world. Society functioned with discipline, mutual respect, and social harmony. Norwegians and Asian migrant workers coexisted peacefully, particularly in the service and maritime sectors. Crime was low, trust was high, and people felt secure even walking alone late at night. ... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 17/05/26)
Shenali D Waduge
Seventeen years after the defeat of the LTTE, Mullivaikkal continues to be internationally presented almost exclusively through one narrative: that of civilian suffering caused during the final phase of the war. Yet, why does “civilian suffering” need LTTE insignia and LTTE propaganda. Why are only pro-LTTE supporters present. Why are mothers of rival Tamil militant groups excluded as are the families of those LTTE killed. These are unpalatable questions that never receive answers. Civilian suffering was real. No one denies. That suffering is relevant to not only Tamils. Sinhalese, Muslims... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 16/05/26)
KAMALIKA PIERIS
Palm leaf manuscripts are now valued as historical documents and collections of palm leaf manuscripts are carefully preserved in libraries, in Sri Lanka and abroad. Most of the palm leaf manuscripts available in these collections date only from 18th and 19th century. The palm leaf is a perishable item. Manuscripts of an earlier period are rare and are greatly valued. Sri Lanka has the greatest number of these palm leaf manuscript collections. This indicates the value placed on palm leaf manuscripts in this country. The largest collection in Sri Lanka and possibly in the... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 16/05/26)
Senaka Weeraratna
The architect of the "Player Referral" concept—which granted players the right to appeal field umpires' decisions and became the foundation for cricket's Decision Review System (DRS) and similar review systems across global sports—is Sri Lankan lawyer Senaka Weeraratna 📜 Origin of the Concept The 1997 Proposal: Weeraratna first formalised and published his idea in a letter to the editor of The Australian newspaper on March 25, 1997, under the title "Allow Appeals to the Third Umpire". The Legal Analogy: Drawing directly from his background in law,... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 16/05/26)
