Sri Lanka Raises Fuel Prices Despite Month-Long Stocks, Sparking Transparency Debate

Sri Lanka Raises Fuel Prices Despite Month-Long Stocks, Sparking Transparency Debate

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — March 10, 2026 Sri Lanka’s decision to raise fuel prices this week, despite government assurances that the country holds more than a month’s supply of petroleum products, has sparked renewed debate about how domestic fuel prices are determined and how transparent the system is. The state-run Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) announced the increase effective from midnight on March 9. Under the revised rates, Petrol 92 Octane rose by 24 rupees to 317 rupees per litre, whil
March 2026 Opinion & Analysis
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Russia and Netherlands Clash in Sri Lanka Over War Photos at World Press Photo Exhibition

Russia and Netherlands Clash in Sri Lanka Over War Photos at World Press Photo Exhibition

COLOMBO — March 11, 2026 The Russian Embassy in Sri Lanka has demanded the removal of photographs depicting Russia’s war in Ukraine from the 2025 World Press Photo exhibition, currently on display in Colombo and scheduled to move to Kandy. The Dutch Embassy, a co-organizer of the event, has rejected the request, calling it an infringement on freedom of expression. The exhibition, organized by the World Press Photo Foundation, the Sri Lanka Press Institute, and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the
JM Exclusive March 2026
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Global Oil Surge Hits Sri Lanka: Fuel Prices Rise Across All Categories

Global Oil Surge Hits Sri Lanka: Fuel Prices Rise Across All Categories

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Sri Lanka raised fuel prices across all categories on Monday, delivering a fresh blow to middle- and working-class households as the country — heavily dependent on imported energy — begins to feel the economic shock of surging global oil prices driven by escalating conflict in the Middle East. The state-run Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (Ceypetco) announced the revisions under the country’s fuel pricing formula, with the new rates taking effect from midnight. Under the revi
March 2026
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Two Countries Sliding Toward a War Neither Can Afford

Two Countries Sliding Toward a War Neither Can Afford

Somewhere along the Afghan-Pakistan border this week, a family is on the move again. They have done this before — through Soviet tanks, civil war, the Taliban’s first rule, twenty years of American military presence, and the Taliban’s return to power. Each time they gathered what remained of their lives and began again. Now, artillery and airstrikes are forcing them to do it once more. The United Nations estimates that nearly 118,000 people have been displaced since fighting escalated in late
March 2026 OP-ED
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Investigations Find No Evidence of Sexual Abuse in Dickoya Hospital Mortuary Case

Investigations Find No Evidence of Sexual Abuse in Dickoya Hospital Mortuary Case

NUWARA ELIYA, Sri Lanka — March 9, 2026 A series of official investigations — including a review of CCTV footage, forensic examinations, and an inquiry by a special panel of doctors — has found no evidence that the body of a 23-year-old woman was sexually abused while stored at the mortuary of Dickoya Base Hospital in Sri Lanka’s central hill country. The conclusion follows weeks of public outrage, protests by plantation workers and residents, and political pressure that pushed the case into n
JM Exclusive March 2026
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India Offers 200 Fully Funded Scholarships to Sri Lankan Students for 2026–27

India Offers 200 Fully Funded Scholarships to Sri Lankan Students for 2026–27

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — India has opened applications for 200 fully funded scholarships for Sri Lankan students to pursue higher education at Indian universities during the 2026–27 academic year, in a program officials say reflects New Delhi’s continuing effort to deepen educational ties with its southern neighbor. The scholarships are administered by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) and are offered under four schemes: the Nehru Memorial Scholarship Scheme, the Maulana Azad Scholar
March 2026
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Sri Lankan Tamil Refugee Camp Leader Hacked to Death in Tamil Nadu; Six Arrested

Sri Lankan Tamil Refugee Camp Leader Hacked to Death in Tamil Nadu; Six Arrested

CHENNAI, India — A Sri Lankan Tamil refugee who served as chairman of a rehabilitation camp management committee in India’s southern state of Tamil Nadu was hacked to death recently in an attack police say may have stemmed from internal disputes within the camp. The victim, Sivakumar, also known as Kanna, 42, was originally from Murungan in Mannar district in northern Sri Lanka. Police said he was attacked by a group of assailants while walking near the Sri Lankan Tamils Rehabilitation Camp in
March 2026 Monitor Memo
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Jaffna Court to Decide Gotabaya Rajapaksa Testimony in 2011 Disappearance Case

Jaffna Court to Decide Gotabaya Rajapaksa Testimony in 2011 Disappearance Case

JAFFNA, Sri Lanka — A magistrate’s court in Jaffna has set April 28 as the date it will decide how former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa must provide testimony in the long-running case of two Tamil activists who vanished in 2011 amid allegations of enforced disappearance in the aftermath of Sri Lanka’s civil war. Lalith Kumar Weeraraj and Kugan Muruganandan, members of the leftist Frontline Socialist Party and organizers of protests demanding justice for victims of enforced disappearances, were l
JM Exclusive March 2026
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