Featured stories about Sri Lanka
Stories about Sri Lanka
Rescued at sea, why do Rohingya refugees end up in Sri Lankan detention centers?
" ... [T]hey had not landed illegally or even tried to enter Sri Lanka illegally but had been brought in by navy personnel who had rescued them from a boat in distress."
Research flags Sri Lanka where over 9.5 million people may descend into poverty
The ongoing economic crisis, food inflation, and job losses in Sri Lanka have impacted negatively on living conditions and are expected to increase poverty substantially in the country.
Sri Lanka: The evolution of the Gotagogama protest site and its periphery, in photos
Sri Lankan photographer Sandesh Bartlett captures how the peaceful occupy protest against the Rajapaksa government at Galle Face Green in the capital Colombo materialized, from March to July 2022.
A new era of politics begins in Sri Lanka
A peaceful mass uprising on July 9 brought about the end of a political era that started with the promulgation of the 1978 constitution of Sri Lanka, which undermined democracy.
In Sri Lanka, state-sponsored disinformation and suppression of dissent taint COVID-19 response
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Sri Lankan government has used the digital space to further an authoritarian agenda, affecting the digital rights and freedoms of citizens.
Sri Lanka: ‘We want the power of equality, justice and love — not love for power’
Women's groups from the north and east of Sri Lanka marched into the GotaGoGama protest site in Galle Face, Colombo, to express their concerns about the current crisis.
Covering the economic crisis in Sri Lanka: The cost of pursuing journalism
Journalists and media houses in Sri Lanka are facing many challenges covering the ongoing economic crisis and growing public protests; some newspapers have suspended publication and many journalists were injured.
In Sri Lanka, a people’s uprising for system change
Sri Lankan jurist, author, poet, and activist Basil Fernando contemplates what lies ahead of Sri Lanka amidst the intensified anti-government protests and the resignation of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa.
Thugs attacked peaceful protesters, Sri Lanka in turmoil
After 30 days of peaceful protests, the Rajapaksa regime unleashed its thugs on the anti-government protesters in Colombo. The resignation of the Prime Minister followed and violence broke out amid curfew.
Sri Lankan state of emergency condemned locally and internationally
In the span of five weeks, the government of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa declared another state of emergency amid ongoing anti-government protests highlighting the economic crisis in Sri Lanka.
Are ongoing peaceful, creative and spontaneous protests Sri Lanka's ‘Arab Spring moment'?
Peaceful and spontaneous protests have intensified across Sri Lanka over the past few weeks since March 31, 2022. The highlight of these protests is the protest at Colombo’s Galle Front.
Social media platforms in Sri Lanka briefly restricted amidst curfew and protests
Social media platforms in Sri Lanka, including Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, WhatsApp, and Viber, have been restored after a 16-hour ban imposed to quell anti-government protests amidst the ongoing economic crisis.
Podcast: A crisis, a royal tour, and the pandemic's impact on disabled Latinas
Today we visit Jamaica and Sri Lanka, and then heard about Latinas in different parts of the world.
Shortages hit hard in Sri Lanka as citizens protest and the government seeks IMF bailout
Widespread shortages, such as fuel, gas, medicines, or even car parts triggered by higher prices and insufficient foreign currency for import are making everyday life miserable in Sri Lanka.
Redefining identities: Land encroachment in Sri Lanka's Eastern Province
Trincomalee’s claim to being at the centrality of Sri Lanka’s pluralistic and multicultural identity continues to be re-interpreted as a place homogenous to one race, one religion, one ethnicity.
To flee or not to flee? That is the question in Sri Lanka
Sri Lankans are facing the bleak prospect of a full-blown economic crisis, and one in four, mainly the young and educated, say they want to leave the country.
2021 in retrospective: Authoritarian practices threatened journalists and restricted media freedom in South Asia
In this retrospective, we will review issues of online and press freedom, censorship, the safety of journalists and digital rights in South Asia that we covered during the year.
Sri Lanka sacks agricultural scientist for raising concerns over agro-chemical ban
The sudden move to total organic farming could be one of the multiple triggers for a Sri Lankan food crisis that has affected the availability of essential food in the market.
Who’s trying to silence the fearless voice of Sri Lankan journalist Tharindu Jayawardhana?
One of Sri Lanka’s most promising young journalists is facing intimidation following his reporting on the Presidential Commission of Inquiry probing the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings.
Amazon Prime TV series dangerously misrepresents Eelam Tamil narratives and histories
An Indian TV show, which launched its second season on Amazon Prime recently, landed deep in controversy for portraying the Lankan Tamils in a highly colourist and problematic manner.
Accident on a chemical-laden ship triggers one of the biggest environmental disasters in Sri Lanka
Singaporean container ship X-Press Pearl had an accident near the Sri Lankan coast and has since sent waves of microplastics and charred debris along the coast of the country’s capital.
