COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — The Government of Japan and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), in partnership with the Sri Lankan government, have launched a $1.33 million initiative aimed at restoring inland fisheries and strengthening the resilience of fishing communities affected by Cyclone Ditwah in Sri Lanka’s Eastern Province. The project, which will run from June 2026 through November 2027, will focus on the districts of Ampara, Batticaloa, and Trincomalee, where severe flo

MAYILIDDY, Sri Lanka — S. Sritharan, a lawmaker representing the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK), on Friday called on President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to immediately release military-held lands in Valikamam North, where displaced residents have been staging weekly protests demanding the return of their ancestral properties nearly 17 years after the end of Sri Lanka’s civil war. Mr. Sritharan made the appeal while addressing a black-flag demonstration that entered its sixth consecutive week

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Sri Lanka's Media Minister said Tuesday that future appointments to the top editorial position at the state-run Tamil daily Thinakaran would be made on the basis of qualifications, as the newspaper's management faces criticism over the interim appointment it made following the suspension of its Editor-in-Chief over alleged financial misconduct. The minister, Nalinda Jayatissa, made the remarks at a government media briefing held to announce Cabinet decisions, after journali