Brother of church suicide bomber in custody

Sri Lankan authorities accused of using PTA to target innocent people

Sri Lankan authorities continue to use the notorious Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) to target perceived opponents and minority communities without credible evidence to support the allegations despite repeated pledges to end the practice, Human Rights Watch said. While some victims have suffered years of arbitrary detention and torture, others are persecuted even after the case against them is dropped, HRW said. The law, widely known as the PTA, has provisions allowing for extended administr

18 Jul, 2024

Sri Lanka scraps plan to sell loss-making national airline

Sri Lanka has scrapped plans to sell off its indebted national airline despite shortlisting three potential buyers, the Government?s privatisation agency said Friday. Colombo called for bids in September to sell SriLankan Airlines, a key IMF demand when granting a bailout loan to the country last year. Six firms had initially expressed interest in taking a stake in the airline, which owed more than $2.0 billion at the end of the 2022/2023 financial year. The government announced in April a sh

19 Jul, 2024

State land occupied by plantation workers to be designated as settlement villages

State land occupied by plantation workers will be designated as settlement villages, President Ranil Wickremesinghe said. The President’s office said that the Cabinet has approved a proposal presented by President Ranil Wickremesinghe to identify areas occupied by plantation workers on state-owned plantation lands managed by the State Plantation Corporation and regional plantation companies and to draft legislation to formally designate these areas as new settlement villages. A special discuss

18 Jul, 2024