The government has presented key Committee Stage amendments to the proposed Prevention of Organised Crimes Bill following 26 petitions filed in the Supreme Court, though critics warn that extensive executive detention powers remain largely intact.
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Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa has urged Sri Lankan authorities to mobilize youth activists, environmentalists, and local scientific experts into a unified national movement for ecosystem and wildlife protection.
The National Child Protection Authority (NCPA) has taken steps to introduce a national set of guidelines aimed at strengthening child protection and minimising various forms of abuse in Sri Lanka.
A media briefing to raise awareness about the proposed guidelines was held at the Department of Government Information yesterday (09).
Speaking at the event, NCPA Director, Attorney-at-Law and Sociologist Shanika Malalgoda said the Authority receives nearly 10,000 complaints related to child abuse each year.
She explained that the need for a national framework had grown amid increasing challenges to children's safety, including sexual abuse, cruelty, online threats, teenage pregnancies and drug use.
Malalgoda stressed that protecting children should be the responsibility of every citizen, adding that a lack of awareness could also lead to actions that place children's safety at risk.
Meanwhile, Senior Information Security Engineer at the Sri Lanka Computer Emergency Readiness Team (Sri Lanka CERT), Charuka Damunupola, reported a significant rise in complaints involving online abuse of children.
He said 53 highly sensitive incidents involving children in online and digital media environments were reported in 2025, while the number had increased to 180 by November this year.
Damunupola pointed to social media exposure and the use of children's content to generate income through monetisation features as factors contributing to the growing risks.
He also noted that some parents share content featuring their children without fully understanding the potential consequences, warning that such practices could expose children to harm.
A 16-year-old boy from Devinuwara has died after being attacked with a sharp weapon following a dispute between two groups in the Akkara 18 area within the Gandara Police Division last night (09), police said.
The victim sustained cut injuries in the assault and was admitted to Thalalla Hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries.
According to police, preliminary investigations have revealed that the killing followed the escalation of an earlier dispute between the deceased and another group of individuals.
Gandara Police are conducting further investigations to identify and arrest the suspects.
Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB ) MP Nalin Bandara has defended his family business following the confiscation of 39 commercial camera drones by Sri Lanka Customs at Bandaranaike International Airport.
Speaking to reporters in Colombo, he said that the equipment was imported from Singapore by a venture directed by his wife and son for local sales and rentals.
The consignment included both drones and audio microphones intended for commercial video production.
Bandara clarified that the items were small photography devices rather than military grade equipment used in active combat zones such as Ukraine or the Middle East.
He rejected allegations of illegal smuggling, saying that the company had successfully secured initial clearances from both the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (TRCSL) and the Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka.
He admitted that defense ministry authorization was missing, but noted that notification of this oversight arrived only after customs officers had initially processed the shipment.
A group of demonstrators, including Buddhist monks, has defied a court order to leave Anuradhapura’s sacred area and continued a protest there for a third consecutive day on Sunday.
The Satyagraha, held near the Ruwanweli Maha Seya and the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi, began on the morning of 7 November at the dansal grounds and is led by the Venerable Balangoda Kassapa Thero, with monks and laypersons opposing the Anuradhapura Sacred City Development Plan.
Tensions flared at the site when the protesters tried to put up a temporary hut.
The Anuradhapura Headquarters Police Inspector then submitted a report to the Anuradhapura Magistrate’s Court.
The court ordered those taking part in the protest to vacate the sacred area, including the grounds surrounding the Ruwanweli Maha Seya and the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi.
The monks and other demonstrators have nevertheless stayed at the site.
Officers from the Anuradhapura Division Crimes Investigation Bureau arrived at the location on the night of 8 November to record a statement from the Venerable Balangoda Kassapa Thero.
Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) MP S. M. Marikar has demanded the immediate resignation or dismissal of Colombo Mayor Vraie Cally Balthazar following severe urban flooding across the capital.
Speaking in his capacity as a member of the Disaster Management Council on Sunday (08), the opposition lawmaker asserted that President Anura Kumara Dissanayake must step in to remove the civic leader if she refuses to step down voluntarily.
He highlighted that the Department of Meteorology had issued advance warnings regarding heavy El Nino rainfall expected during October and November.
Marikkar said that timely maintenance of city drains and culverts would have entirely prevented Friday’s widespread inundation.
He pointed out that major public institutions, including the Colombo National Hospital, remained unaffected during historical weather events such as the record 400mm rainfall in 1992.
He noted that even the Mayor's own electoral ward of Jawatte had suffered flooding during the recent deluge.
Marikkar also said that the Colombo Municipal Council had failed to protect local business communities, drawing a contrast with the administration of former mayor Muhammed Uvais Emitiyas.
He further claimed that opposition members of the municipal council were completely excluded from recent post-disaster administrative meetings.
The Frontline Socialist Party’s Pubudu Jayagoda has alleged that President Anura Kumara Dissanayake is using superficial concessions to hide critical legal flaws in the Prevention of Organised Crimes Bill.
The FSP’s Education Secretary made these remarks in response to the President announcing minor amendments to the draft legislation during an interfaith convention last week.
Official revisions proposed by the government include shortening initial suspect detention limits from 72 to 48 hours, removing references to physical tattoos, and dropping offences linked to the Excise Ordinance.
Jayagoda warned that these statutory adjustments fail to protect basic constitutional rights and judicial independence.
Under existing criminal law, law enforcement officers require reasonable suspicion of an actual offense before making an arrest.
Jayagoda pointed out that the new draft replaces this safeguard with vague criteria involving physical appearance, personal associations, internet communications, and local slang.
Substantial concerns were also raised regarding clauses that allow executive authorities to enforce prolonged detentions without judicial oversight.
Provisions within the draft permit detention orders to be renewed for up to twelve months.
Magistrates would be stripped of their discretionary power to grant bail even when an arrest lacks sufficient legal grounds.
Furthermore, critics noted that while the administration agreed to engage with human rights organisations on select provisions, wider anti-terror laws and other non-violent statutory offences remain intact within the proposal.
The Supreme Court has already begun hearing 26 petitions challenging the constitutional validity of the bill.
A prison inmate undergoing rehabilitation at the Open Prison Camp in Weerawila has died after reportedly being gored by a deer while engaged in cleaning work within the camp premises.
According to the police, the incident occurred yesterday (08), when the inmate was attacked by a deer roaming freely within the prison camp.
Following the attack, he was admitted to Debarawewa Hospital for treatment but later succumbed to his injuries.
The deceased has been identified as a 30-year-old resident of Warapalana, police said.
His body has been placed in the mortuary of Debarawewa Hospital, and a post-mortem examination is scheduled to be conducted today (November 9).
Weerawila Police have commenced further investigations into the incident.
Sri Lanka’s upcoming 2027 Budget faces a formidable challenge in balancing household tax relief with the strict fiscal discipline required to safeguard economic recovery.
The National People's Power (NPP) government will present the financial proposals in Parliament on 12 November, setting out public spending plans amidst rising living costs and an approaching conclusion to the nation's 2.9 billion US dollar International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout programme in March 2027.
Moving away from strict crisis-era consolidation, the Treasury plans to pivot towards targeted welfare programmes, job creation, and developmental investment.
Treasury Secretary Dr. Harshana Suriyapperuma indicated that corporate tax rates and the Social Security Contribution Levy would remain largely unchanged, with authorities relying instead on broader compliance, administrative digitisation, and the elimination of revenue leakages to prevent further tax increases.
Lower- and middle-income earners could see financial pressure ease through proposed adjustments to direct taxation, including an expected increase to the monthly Pay-As-You-Earn tax threshold beyond the current Rs. 150,000 baseline alongside potential raises to the Advance Personal Income Tax threshold up to Rs. 200,000.
Further relief measures under consideration include expanded cash transfers via the Aswesuma scheme, targeted energy subsidies for vulnerable sectors, concessionary financing for domestic solar installations, and increased funding for youth technical training.
These planned concessions must be delivered without undermining the target of maintaining a primary surplus of 2.6 percent of gross domestic product.
State revenue performance has recorded a substantial rise from 7.3 percent of gross domestic product in 2021 to 15.4 percent, yet experts stress that future sustainability requires tackling tax arrears, administrative inefficiencies, and unwarranted exemptions.
The government must now prove that public funds are being deployed effectively to generate measurable economic benefits while preserving long-term stability.
Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) National Organizer and Member of Parliament Namal Rajapaksa said that the government has increased fuel taxes beyond previous levels, ultimately placing the financial burden squarely on the public.
He made these remarks during a discussion with a group of MPs in Parliament.
Elaborating further, Rajapaksa highlighted the growing cost of living, noting that while the government claimed to offer minor relief, fuel prices continue to rise due to increased taxation.
"The promise was to provide fuel at the landed import cost and to eliminate commissions. They pledged to reduce the practical fuel tax currently in place. Instead, they have increased fuel taxes beyond what they originally were, leaving the public to suffer the consequences," Rajapaksa said.
He further pointed out that the rising costs of milk powder and other essential food items have drastically inflated the overall cost of living, while wages remain stagnant.
Addressing claims by government ministers regarding the absence of queues, Rajapaksa asserted that discussions and visual evidence of fuel and gas shortages remain prevalent in rural and urban areas alike.
"What is the government's solution to this? Is it to impose yet another new tax, or to rely on their usual routine of conducting investigations under the guise of catching thieves? Are they trying to suppress the opposition and the public by fabricating false evidence? Whenever the government faces a problem, their only response is to imprison someone," he added.
Rajapaksa criticised the government's performance, stating that over the past two and a half years, no effective programme has been implemented to control the cost of living, reduce educational expenses for schoolchildren, or strengthen household economies.
He also noted that while reported inflation has crossed 8%, the actual financial strain on families continues to escalate month by month.
The government has spent Rs. 98 billion on fuel subsidies this year while evaluating whether to extend financial relief into the coming month, Labour Minister and Deputy Minister of Finance and Planning Dr Anil Jayantha Fernando said.
He made these remarks in parliament recently.
He said that State relief mechanisms have cushioned key power sectors alongside general consumers, with specific measures preventing electricity tariff hikes for households consuming under 180 units.
Financial relief has also been directed to the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) and subsidiaries of the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) during monthly adjustments guided by the national pricing formula.
Addressing concerns over global market volatility, Minister Fernando stated that the government had acted to secure domestic fuel reserves and maintain domestic price stability following the outbreak of conflict in the Middle East.
Treasury allocations reserved for the final quarter of the year stand at Rs. 41 billion, forming part of the total expenditure incurred to cushion energy costs.
However, current funding for the fuel subsidy programme will be completely exhausted by 31 December, leading officials to examine the feasibility of extending treasury support into January if conditions require further intervention.
