What Happened.
On The Record.

Postal workers' strike and Central Mail Exchange confrontation

Postal workers struck over overtime, attendance and other demands.

Provincial Council election timetable missed

The promised timetable for Provincial Council elections was not met.

Watagala urges emergency action against online critics

Deputy Minister Sunil Watagala told police to use emergency regulations against people he said were spreading malicious statements; AKD later publicly distanced himself from the remarks.

22nd Amendment — judges' retirement ages

Government proposals to extend appellate judges' retirement ages drew BASL and opposition challenges and petitions to the Supreme Court.

BASL island-wide court boycott over 'culture of killings'

The Bar Association of Sri Lanka called an island-wide withdrawal from court work after the Akuregoda double murder and urged the government to curb what it described as a culture of killings.

India defence MoU secrecy controversy

Sri Lanka and India signed a defence-cooperation MoU; the inability or unwillingness to disclose its contents generated sustained transparency criticism.

Trincomalee Buddha-statue dispute

Removal/reinstallation and security handling of a Buddha statue in Trincomalee became a national ethnic and political controversy; ITAK accused the government of majoritarian retreat.

Cyclone Ditwah preparedness / response criticism

Cyclone Ditwah struck in late November 2025, causing catastrophic floods and landslides.

Batalanda Commission Report tabled and referred for action

The government tabled the long-unimplemented Batalanda Commission Report in Parliament in March 2025 and said it would seek Attorney-General advice and further review.

Deshabandu Tennakoon removed as IGP

After a parliamentary inquiry into misconduct and abuse-of-power allegations, Parliament passed a resolution to remove IGP Deshabandu Tennakoon from office.

NPP vote share falls sharply at 2025 local elections

The NPP remained the largest force in the May 2025 local elections but won about 43.26% of the vote, down from about 61.56% at the November 2024 parliamentary election.

Ranil Wickremesinghe arrest controversy

Former President Ranil Wickremesinghe was arrested over alleged misuse of public funds connected to overseas travel, producing an intense debate over accountability versus selective prosecution.

Anti-corruption prosecutions / convictions advance

Investigations and prosecutions of former political figures advanced; some former politicians were convicted in cases relating to past conduct.

Former-president privileges removed

Parliament voted overwhelmingly to remove state-funded privileges for former presidents and widows.

Long-delayed local-government elections held

The NPP government held the long-delayed local-government elections, fulfilling an early democratic commitment.

300 murders recorded in first seven months of 2025

Police data reported by Daily Mirror recorded 300 murders in the first seven months of 2025, alongside rising concern over shootings and fatal road accidents.

Kalahara Dilshan killed during police weapons-recovery operation

Former army commando Kalahara Dilshan, arrested over the killing of a Buddhist monk, was shot by police after officers said he tried to escape using a concealed firearm while being taken to a weapons cache.

An allegation, arrest or indictment is not treated as guilt. This record documents that the allegation exists and how it was handled, not that it is true.

Ranwala crash / delayed alcohol-testing controversy

Police faced scrutiny over delays in testing former Speaker/NPP MP Asoka Ranwala after a road accident that injured a woman, infant and grandmother.

Revenge-killing wave after court shooting

Media reported a wave of retaliatory underworld violence after the Hulftsdorp assassination, prompting special police operations.

2026 shooting rate improves

By mid-August 2026 the reported shooting pace was substantially below the 2025 rate.

Trade Minister wealth / asset-declaration scrutiny

Social-media and media scrutiny focused on Trade Minister Wasantha Samarasinghe's declared wealth; he said wealth came from inheritance and long-running business activity.

An allegation, arrest or indictment is not treated as guilt. This record documents that the allegation exists and how it was handled, not that it is true.

CIABOC probes alleged assets of six ministers

CIABOC initiated an investigation concerning alleged assets of six ministers of the current government.

An allegation, arrest or indictment is not treated as guilt. This record documents that the allegation exists and how it was handled, not that it is true.

Further missing foreign payment documents

The Treasury cyber/payment scandal widened with additional missing-payment/document concerns reported after the first US$2.5m disclosure.

Political appointments to overseas missions

Media reported that the NPP government was preparing political appointments to key diplomatic missions despite its previous criticism of politicisation.

AI-distorted national emblem published

The Public Security Ministry published an AI-generated distorted national emblem, replaced it with another flawed version, and later restored the authentic emblem.