News

A stock of military equipment has been discovered in the Weheragala Reservoir in Kataragama.

The recovery includes 74 T-56 magazines, 35 LMG drums, 5 MPMG drum boxes, along with several unidentified magazines. In addition, two boxes suspected to contain explosives and two sacks believed to hold weapons were also found at the site.

The discovery was made following an intelligence tip received by the Army. The stockpile had surfaced as a result of receding water levels in the reservoir. Since the location falls under the Gonaganara Police Division, the items were handed over to the Gonaganara Police Station for further investigation.

Sri Lanka’s inflation, measured by the Colombo Consumer Price Index (CCPI), edged up to 1.5% in September 2025, compared to 1.2% in August 2025, according to figures released by the Department of Census and Statistics.

The CCPI for September stood at 193.7 index points, showing a modest rise of 0.4 points from August’s value of 193.3.

Breaking down the data, the Food category recorded a sharper increase, with year-on-year inflation rising to 2.9% in September from 2.0% in August. Meanwhile, inflation in the Non-Food category eased slightly to 0.7%, compared to 0.8% in the previous month.

In terms of contributions to inflation, food commodities alone accounted for 0.94% on a year-on-year basis in June 2025, highlighting their continued influence on overall price levels.

At the invitation of the Japanese Government, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake met with Emperor Naruhito of Japan during his official visit to the country.

The meeting took place yesterday (30) at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo.

President Dissanayake was warmly received by Emperor Naruhito at the Imperial Residence, following which they engaged in a cordial discussion.

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism, Wijitha Herath, was also present at the occasion.

Senior Police Officer Satish Gamage of the Cultural Division at the Police Headquarters, who was in custody on bribery charges, has been granted bail by the Colombo Magistrate’s Court.

During his tenure as Senior Superintendent of Police in charge of the Galle and Ambilipitiya Police Divisions, he allegedly opened three private bank accounts under another person’s name. Through these accounts, he is accused of receiving approximately Rs. 14.5 million in bribes from organized criminals, individuals seeking police services, and other offenders. He also faced charges of money laundering.

The Bribery Commission had arrested him and presented him before the court. After considering the submissions made by Bribery Commission officials and the legal counsel, the court had remanded him in custody, from which he has now been granted bail.

The Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (Ceypetco) has announced a revision of fuel prices effective from midnight today (30).

According to the announcement, the price of Auto Diesel will be reduced by Rs. 6 to Rs. 277 per litre, and Petrol 95 Octane will be reduced by Rs. 6 to Rs. 335 per litre.

Kerosene will be reduced by Rs. 5 to Rs. 180 per litre.

Meanwhile, there will be no change in the prices of Petrol 92 Octane and Super Diesel.

The revised rates are as follows:

Auto Diesel – Rs. 277 (reduced by Rs. 6) Petrol 95 Octane – Rs. 335 (reduced by Rs. 6) Kerosene – Rs. 180 (reduced by Rs. 5)

Super Diesel – (not revised) Petrol 92 Octane – (not revised)

More than 40 students at Mandirigiriya Mandalagiriya National School fell ill suddenly this morning (30) during a community service activity and were admitted to Mandirigiriya Primary Hospital.

The students had been participating in a classroom cleaning program when symptoms of illness appeared. Several of them were hospitalized due to the severity of their symptoms.

At present, five children are receiving inpatient treatment, while the others have been treated and discharged from the hospital.

A major breakthrough has emerged in the long-running investigation into the death of national rugby player Wasim Thajudeen, who died under suspicious circumstances on May 17, 2012, near Shalika Grounds in Narahenpita.

Initially classified as a car accident, the case was investigated by the Narahenpita Police and the Borella Crimes Investigation Division. Based on their findings, the death was deemed accidental, and the case was closed.

However, in 2015, then-DIG of the Colombo Range, Gamini Mathurata, submitted a report to then-IGP N.K. Illangakoon, prompting the transfer of the case to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID). A comprehensive investigation followed, revealing that the initial post-mortem had been improperly conducted, raising serious doubts about the cause of death.

The CID obtained court approval to exhume Thajudeen’s body. A second post-mortem, led by then-Colombo Chief Judicial Medical Officer Dr. Ajith Tennakoon, revealed missing bones in the chest and neck areas. The findings confirmed that Thajudeen’s death was not accidental, but a homicide.

Treating the case as murder, CID detectives retraced Thajudeen’s final movements. CCTV footage showed him parking near a supermarket in Havelock Town to buy water. Upon leaving, another vehicle was seen tailing his car. The CID released footage of an unidentified individual near the second vehicle, but no identification was made at the time.

A new lead surfaced following the arrest of several wanted Sri Lankan criminals in Indonesia, including Kehelbaddara Padme, Commando Salinda, Panadura Nilanga, Backhoe Saman, and Thambili Lahiru. Among them, Backhoe Saman—a known member of an organized crime syndicate—was linked to the assassination of Aruna Shantha, alias Middeniye Kajja, who was gunned down in early 2025.

CID investigators received a voluntary statement from Kajja’s wife, who confirmed her husband had received threats and had publicly spoken about the Thajudeen case in a 2023 YouTube interview.

When shown the CCTV image of the individual near the second vehicle in Thajudeen case, she identified the person as her late husband, citing specific traits such as his posture—placing hands on hips due to chronic hip pain.

Her statement strongly suggests that the previously unidentified individual in the footage is indeed Aruna Shantha, alias Kajja.

This identification marks a significant development in a case that has spanned over a decade, marred by delays and controversy.The CID continues to pursue leads and is actively investigating the murder of Wasim Thajudeen.

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President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has invited the Japanese business community to explore emerging economic opportunities in Sri Lanka, while further strengthening bilateral trade and investment relations and encouraging private sector participation.

The President made these remarks yesterday (29) at the Japan-Sri Lanka Business Forum held at the headquarters of the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO).

The meeting at JETRO brought together around 200 senior members of the Japanese business community. It was organized jointly by JETRO, Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Japan, the Japan-Sri Lanka Business Cooperation Committee, and the Board of Investment of Sri Lanka (BOI).

During the forum, Dr. Hans Wijayasuriya, Presidential Chief Advisor on Digital Economy, highlighted the Sri Lankan government’s strategic initiatives for the national digitalization process.

Special emphasis was placed on positioning Sri Lanka as a regional hub for data center development, and on opportunities for growth in areas such as digital transformation and artificial intelligence (AI).

The BOI also highlighted key sectors prioritized for Japanese investment, including manufacturing, information and communication technology, renewable energy, and tourism.

The forum underscored Sri Lanka’s readiness to facilitate investments through strong policy support and streamlined processes.

A central networking session was also held between Sri Lankan business representatives and members of the Japanese business community.

Additionally, a discussion took place between President Dissanayake and JETRO Chairman Ishiguro Norihiko, during which the Chairman reaffirmed JETRO’s commitment to serving as a bridge between the business communities of both countries and to promoting continuous, mutually beneficial partnerships with Sri Lanka.

Former State Minister Prasanna Ranaweera, who was in remand custody over allegations of fraudulent land transactions, was released on bail today by the Gampaha High Court.

High Court Judge Nayana Senaviratne granted bail under strict conditions, including a cash bail of Rs. 500,000 and five sureties of Rs. 500,000 each.

In addition, the court imposed a foreign travel ban and ordered the surrender of his passport.

Ranaweera had been remanded in connection with a case involving the sale of state-owned land in Kiribathgoda using forged deeds.

Former State Minister Shashinendra Rajapaksa, who was taken into custody by the Bribery Commission over allegations of corruption, has been remanded in custody by the Colombo Magistrate’s Court until October 14.

Magistrate Asanka S. Bodaragama issued this order after considering the submissions made by officials of the Bribery Commission and the suspect’s lawyers.

The magistrate also instructed the prison authorities to submit a full report to the court on the medical treatments provided to the suspect at the prison hospital and other hospitals on the next hearing date.

The case involves allegations that certain government officials, who were responsible for the office handling the properties, exerted undue influence to obtain Rs. 8,850,000 in compensation for damage caused to property, including an unauthorized building located in the Sevanagala and Kiriibbenwewa areas belonging to the Mahaweli Authority, following a protest on May 9, 2022. This act is suspected to constitute “corruption” and “misappropriation of public property” under the law.

Ten hand grenades have been discovered inside a sack in the Modara Aluth Mawatha area in Colombo.

Police stated that the discovery was made during a search operation carried out based on information received by the Terrorism Investigation Division.

The Western Province Road Passenger Transport Authority has announced that, effective tomorrow (01), passengers traveling without tickets on buses operating within the province will be fined.

Operations Manager of the Authority, Jeevinda Keerthirathna, stated that conductors who fail to issue tickets to passengers will also face penalties. He emphasized that, from tomorrow onwards, it will be mandatory for all passengers traveling on Western Province buses to carry a valid ticket.

Meanwhile, Chairman of the Authority, Gamini Jasinghe, confirmed that the issuance of tickets to passengers on all public transport buses in the Western Province will become compulsory from tomorrow (01).

Accordingly, both the passenger’s responsibility to obtain a ticket and the conductor’s duty to issue one will be strictly enforced.

Mr. Jasinghe further explained: “From the moment a passenger boards, it is mandatory for the conductor to issue a ticket containing details such as the bus number, journey start and endpoint, serial number, and fare. Likewise, the passenger is responsible for obtaining a ticket before starting the journey and keeping it until the destination.

The Authority has decided that, from October 01, ticket issuance and possession will be compulsory. In any instance where a conductor fails to issue a ticket, legal action will be taken against him. Similarly, if a passenger does not obtain a ticket, legal measures will also apply. In such cases, the passenger will be fined Rs. 100 in addition to being charged double the fare for the journey.”