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Drugs & Crime

Case-by-case reporting on drugs, gangs and crime, with follow-ups grouped under each case. Reports naming accused individuals or alleging sexual violence are reviewed by an editor before publication.

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People's Struggle Movement protests against proposed anti-terrorism and organised crime bills

People's Struggle Movement protests against proposed anti-terrorism and organised crime bills by Thara Thu, 05/11/2026 - 17:29 Body The People's Struggle Movement staged a demonstration near Sri Lanka's Parliament on Wednesday, demanding the withdrawal of the proposed Protection of the State from Terrorism Bill (PSTA) and Prevention of Organised Crime Bill (POCA), amid a heavy police presence and traffic disruption. The protest began at Polduwa

Source: Tamil Guardian

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Northern fishermen lose crores in ten days as Indian trawlers cross in hundreds

Northern fishermen lose crores in ten days as Indian trawlers cross in hundreds by Thusi test Thu, 05/11/2026 - 15:05 Body N.M. Alam speaks to reporters at the federation’s office in Mannar on Tuesday. Fishermen across the North have lost nets and gear worth crores of rupees in ten days due to the presence of hundreds of Indian trawlers, the secretary of the Northern Province Fishermen’s Federation said on Tuesday, accusing the Sri Lankan Navy

Source: Tamil Guardian

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TNPF’s Kajendren condemns police order to demolish Thileepan memorial

TNPF’s Kajendren condemns police order to demolish Thileepan memorial by Thusi test Thu, 05/11/2026 - 00:17 Body Selvarajah Kajendren, general secretary of the Tamil National People’s Front The Tamil National People’s Front has condemned an order from Sri Lanka’s Jaffna deputy inspector general of police directing the Jaffna Municipal Council to demolish structures at the Thileepan memorial in Nallur, with the party’s secretary Selvarajah

Source: Tamil Guardian

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From phone records to police detention: 11 concerns raised by UN over Sri Lanka's new crime Bill

Source: Newswire

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Sri Lanka seeks to fast-track police clearances for ICT professionals

Source: EconomyNext

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1 related update
  • Sri Lanka seeks to fast-track police clearances for ICT professionals Source: EconomyNext · 04 Nov 2026, 07:00 UTC

1 year in police custody, restrictions on media: UN raises alarm over Sri Lanka's new crime Bill

Source: Newswire

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Sri Lanka’s Rajapaksa granted bail in bribery case

Source: Daily Pioneer

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2 related updates
  • Sri Lanka’s Namal Rajapaksa granted bail in bribery case linked to hotel project Source: The Meghalayan Express · 03 Nov 2026, 12:34 UTC
  • Sri Lanka’s Namal Rajapaksa granted bail in bribery case linked to hotel project Source: DT Next · 03 Nov 2026, 11:09 UTC

Three Indians among 21 foreigners arrested in Sri Lanka for visa overstaying

Source: Daily Excelsior

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2 related updates
  • 3 Indians arrested in Sri Lanka for visa overstay Source: Rediff · 03 Nov 2026, 07:43 UTC
  • Three Indians Among 21 Foreigners Arrested in Sri Lanka for Visa Overstaying Source: Deccan Chronicle · 03 Nov 2026, 07:29 UTC

3 Indians,12 Chinese among 24 arrested in Sri Lanka over visa violations

Source: Firstpost

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1 related update
  • 3 Indians,12 Chinese among 24 arrested in Sri Lanka over visa violations Source: Firstpost · 03 Nov 2026, 07:10 UTC
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Thamilselvan remembered at his bust in France 19 years on

Thamilselvan remembered at his bust in France 19 years on by Thusi test Mon, 02/11/2026 - 22:17 Body Thamilselvan’s daughter garlands the bust in La Courneuve, 1 November 2026. Photograph: Thaarakam Tamils gathered in the French town of La Courneuve to mark 19 years since the killing of Brigadier S P Thamilselvan, laying garlands at a bust of the LTTE political head that stands on a public street with the backing of the town council. The

Source: Tamil Guardian

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Court order halts Batticaloa protest for Mayilaththamadu cattle farmers

Court order halts Batticaloa protest for Mayilaththamadu cattle farmers by Thara Mon, 02/11/2026 - 18:21 Body Protesters outside the Batticaloa District Secretariat demand justice for Mayilaththamadu and Mathavanai cattle farmers Hundreds of people protested outside the Batticaloa District Secretariat on Monday (2 November) demanding the removal of illegal settlers from the Mayilaththamadu and Mathavanai grazing lands, before a court order

Source: Tamil Guardian

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Organised crime bill to pass within a month, says minister as he admits PTA used against gangs

Organised crime bill to pass within a month, says minister as he admits PTA used against gangs by Thara Mon, 02/11/2026 - 17:14 Body Sri Lankan Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala Sri Lanka’s Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala has said the proposed Organised Crime Prevention Bill will be passed within a month, while admitting that the government has been detaining alleged gang leaders under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) it

Source: Tamil Guardian

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Joseph Stalin accuses JVP of abandoning opposition to repressive laws

Joseph Stalin accuses JVP of abandoning opposition to repressive laws by Thara Mon, 02/11/2026 - 12:47 Body Joseph Stalin, general secretary of the Ceylon Teachers’ Union Ceylon Teachers’ Union general secretary Joseph Stalin has accused the ruling Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) of abandoning its opposition to repressive laws, warning that the proposed Protection of the State from Terrorism Bill (PSTA) is aimed at crushing trade unions,

Source: Tamil Guardian

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Sri Lanka Navy arrests seven Indian fishermen off Talaimannar

Sri Lanka Navy arrests seven Indian fishermen off Talaimannar by Thara Mon, 02/11/2026 - 11:57 Body Photograph: Sri Lanka Navy The Sri Lanka Navy arrested seven Indian fishermen and seized their trawler for allegedly fishing illegally in waters north of Talaimannar on Sunday (1 November). The arrests were made by the navy’s North Central Naval Command after it detected several Indian trawlers operating in Sri Lankan waters, the navy said . The

Source: Tamil Guardian

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3 related updates
  • Sri Lanka Navy arrests seven Indian fishermen off Talaimannar Source: Tamil Guardian · 02 Nov 2026, 10:43 UTC
  • Sri Lanka Navy arrests seven Indian fishermen off Talaimannar Source: Tamil Guardian · 02 Nov 2026, 10:43 UTC
  • Sri Lankan Navy arrests seven Rameswaram fishermen Source: The New Indian Express · 01 Nov 2026, 04:32 UTC

EXPLAINER – How Sri Lanka’s proposed PST, POC bills threaten business confidence, investment

Both bills are seen giving excess powers to police with vaguely defined clauses, legal experts say

Source: EconomyNext

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68 Interpol Red Notice suspects brought back to Sri Lanka, 112 more identified overseas

Source: Newswire

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Indian national arrested at Sri Lanka airport with drugs worth over US$4.7 million

Source: CNA

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Sri Lanka Police: Service, sacrifice and unfinished quest for institutional independence

Source: Island.lk

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British TUI Flight Attendant Arrested in Sri Lanka Over Alleged 100-Pound Drug Smuggling Attempt

Source: AeroXplorer

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'Give us time', Sri Lankan deputy minister tells Tamil journalists over murdered colleagues

'Give us time', Sri Lankan deputy minister tells Tamil journalists over murdered colleagues by Thara Wed, 28/10/2026 - 15:49 Body The Sri Lankan deputy minister Sundaralingam Pradeep at the Jaffna Press Club on Monday, beneath portraits of murdered Tamil journalists A Sri Lankan deputy minister has promised to arrange a meeting between Tamil journalists and the Sri Lankan president Anura Kumara Dissanayake on investigating the killings of

Source: Tamil Guardian

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Tamils in Paris mark 30 years since killing of Nathan and Gajan

Tamils in Paris mark 30 years since killing of Nathan and Gajan by Thusi test Wed, 28/10/2026 - 14:55 Body The graves of Lt Col Nathan and Captain Gajan at the Cimetière Parisien de Pantin, 26 October 2026. Photograph: Thaarakam Eelam Tamils gathered at the Paris cemetery where Kandiah Perinpanathan and Kandiah Gajendran are buried to mark thirty years since the two were shot dead in the city, a double killing that has never been solved and for

Source: Tamil Guardian

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Former LTTE member arrested at Colombo airport after deportation from India

Former LTTE member arrested at Colombo airport after deportation from India by Thara Tue, 27/10/2026 - 18:00 Body Bandaranaike International Airport near Colombo. File photograph A former member of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) has been arrested on arrival at Bandaranaike International Airport after being deported from India, where he had served a 10-year prison sentence, and is being held for interrogation by Sri Lanka’s

Source: Tamil Guardian

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Organised crime Bill could repeat PTA abuses of Tamil youths, warns Nuwan Bopage

Organised crime Bill could repeat PTA abuses of Tamil youths, warns Nuwan Bopage by Thara Tue, 27/10/2026 - 17:31 Body Nuwan Bopage of the People’s Struggle Alliance. File photograph Sri Lanka’s proposed organised crime law could open the way to the same abuses committed under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), when Tamil youths who could not read Sinhala were forced to sign confessions written in the language and convicted on them, Nuwan

Source: Tamil Guardian

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Palaly land protest enters 19th week as case against five protesters postponed

Palaly land protest enters 19th week as case against five protesters postponed by Thara Tue, 27/10/2026 - 15:06 Body Palaly residents protest at Palaly Junction in the rain on Sunday Tamil residents in Palaly have protested for a 19th consecutive week for the return of their land from the Sri Lankan military, as a court case against five people over an earlier land protest was put off until December. Residents gathered at Palaly Junction on

Source: Tamil Guardian

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Mullaitivu Press Club marks five years with awards across seven fields

Mullaitivu Press Club marks five years with awards across seven fields by Thusi test Fri, 23/10/2026 - 11:23 Body Those honoured at the Mullaitivu Press Club’s fifth anniversary, with members of the club. The Mullaitivu Press Club marked five years since it opened its own premises with an event on Monday that honoured seven people for their work in the district from the war years to the present, and opened with a silence for journalists who were

Source: Tamil Guardian

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Sri Lankan police question 14 over Thileepan statue in Jaffna

Sri Lankan police question 14 over Thileepan statue in Jaffna by Thara Thu, 22/10/2026 - 16:57 Body The statue of Lt Col Thileepan at the Nallur memorial before its removal. File photograph Sri Lankan police have questioned 14 people, including politicians, in an investigation into the statue of Lt Col Thileepan, the Tamil liberation fighter who fasted to death in 1987, which police removed from his memorial in Nallur last month. The Sri Lankan

Source: Tamil Guardian

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7 Indians arrested in Sri Lanka for attempting to smuggle kendu leaves

Source: The Meghalayan Express

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3 related updates
  • 7 Indians Arrested in Sri Lanka for Smuggling Kendu Leaves Source: Deccan Chronicle · 22 Oct 2026, 10:09 UTC
  • 7 Indians arrested in Sri Lanka for attempting to smuggle kendu leaves Source: Deccan Herald · 22 Oct 2026, 09:06 UTC
  • 7 Indians Arrested In Sri Lanka For Attempting To Smuggle Kendu Leaves Source: ETV Bharat · 22 Oct 2026, 08:17 UTC
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Vavuniya municipal councillor summoned for questioning by Sri Lankan police

Vavuniya municipal councillor summoned for questioning by Sri Lankan police by Thusi test Thu, 22/10/2026 - 14:04 Body Vavuniya Municipal Council member Sivasubramaniam Premadas. A Tamil municipal councillor in Vavuniya was summoned for questioning by Sri Lanka’s Criminal Investigation Department on Tuesday morning, in a notice issued to him in Sinhala that gave no indication of what he was being investigated for. Sivasubramaniam Premadas, who

Source: Tamil Guardian

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Sri Lanka NDB Sept quarter profit down 21-pct to Rs.2.8bn

The Bank said its financial fraud is being thoroughly investigated

Source: EconomyNext

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'What is the answer for our daughter’s tears?'

'What is the answer for our daughter’s tears?' by Rahul Thu, 22/10/2026 - 02:27 Body Community-led protest on 7 October. Photo courtesy of Thedipar Directory. URUTHIRAPURAM, KILINOCHCHI On 7 October 2026, six community organizations in Uruthirapuram staged a protest and submitted a written letter to senior police officials, demanding they reopen the investigation into the death of 17-year-old Samarazhagi. On 1 October, World Children’s Day,

Source: Tamil Guardian

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Sri Lanka hosts International Police Association World Congress for first time in Asia

Source: Newswire

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Challenges Persist in Sourcing Medication; Free Psychiatric Drugs from Sri Lanka Expected Next Week: State Pharma

Source: Howl.link

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Sri Lanka to buy 200 Tata Yodha pickups for police duties

The cabinet approved a proposal to award the contract to DIMO.

Source: EconomyNext

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1 related update
  • Sri Lanka to buy 200 Tata pickups for police duties Source: EconomyNext · 20 Oct 2026, 08:42 UTC

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