October 2026

JAFFNA, Sri Lanka, Oct. 21 — Douglas Devananda, the former Sri Lankan cabinet minister and leader of the Eelam People's Democratic Party (EPDP), has thanked President Anura Kumara Dissanayake's government for searching his party's offices, saying the operations would help clear its name of longstanding allegations. Officers of the Criminal Investigation Department, acting on a court warrant, first searched the EPDP’s office at 273 Stanley Road in Jaffna before proceeding to its office in Kayts

JAFFNA, Sri Lanka — The first expert report on the excavation at Chemmani, the largest mass grave recorded in Sri Lanka, suggests that some of the 583 people whose remains were recovered there may have died in an epidemic or natural disaster. The 190-page report, titled “Forensic Archaeological Excavation in Chemmani, Jaffna (2025/2026): A Summary Report on Findings,” was prepared by Professor Raj Somadeva, the lead archaeologist on the excavation, and the archaeologist Anusha Wanninayake. It w

JAFFNA, Sri Lanka, Oct. 19 — Officers from Sri Lanka’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID) conducted an extensive search of the Jaffna office of former cabinet minister and Eelam People’s Democratic Party (EPDP) leader Douglas Devananda on Monday, spending several hours examining the building and its surrounding premises. The search took place at No. 273, Stanley Road, Jaffna, where Mr. Devananda maintains his political office. According to CID officers, investigators obtained a search war