Colombo, March 19, 2026 —Opposition MP and President’s Counsel Faiszer Musthapha on Thursday urged the government to act swiftly to attract global capital relocating from conflict-affected regions, warning that Sri Lanka risks missing a rare strategic opening if it remains slow, rigid, and overly constrained by policy orthodoxy. Speaking during a parliamentary debate, Faiszer Musthapha said rising instability in parts of the Middle East was already prompting investors to seek safer destinations

After Jaffna Monitor published its editorial on Sunday questioning Batticaloa District MP Shanakiyan Rasamanickam’s decision to invoke Sri Lanka’s Online Safety Act against dozens of Tamil critics, media figures, and political actors, the lawmaker telephoned this office to present his version of events. Speaking at length, Mr. Shanakiyan defended his decision to seek relief through the courts and described what he said was a prolonged, coordinated campaign of personal defamation directed not on