All articles tagged with #sri lanka
Police in Colombo arrested 71-year-old Pallegama Hemarathana, a senior Buddhist monk and chief custodian of a revered Bodhi-tree temple, on allegations he sexually abused an 11-year-old girl in 2022 at a temple in Anuradhapura. The case prompted a foreign travel ban and the victim’s mother was arrested for allegedly aiding the monk; he is due in court soon, marking Sri Lanka’s most high-profile clergy abuse case to date.
Police in Sri Lanka arrested Pallegama Hemarathana, one of the country’s most senior Buddhist monks and chief custodian of a Bodhi-tree shrine, on suspicion of abusing a minor in 2022; the survivor’s mother was also arrested for alleged abetting. Hemarathana was taken from hospital and will appear in Colombo court as authorities imposed a travel ban while investigating an alleged abduction and prolonged sexual abuse of the girl. The case marks the highest‑ranking monk to face such allegations in Sri Lanka, arising after a March complaint and ongoing child-protection inquiries.
Sri Lankan police arrested 22 Buddhist monks after 110kg of cannabis concealed in their luggage was found at Colombo's Bandaranaike International Airport—the largest drug seizure at the airport. A 23rd monk was later arrested; the haul is valued at about 1.1 billion rupees (£2.5m). The group had spent four days on holiday in Bangkok, and authorities suggest the trip may have been funded by donations, with some social-media footage of the monks aboard in lay clothing.
Twenty-two Buddhist monks returning from a four-day trip to Thailand were arrested at Sri Lanka's international airport after customs found 242 pounds of marijuana—worth about $3.4 million—hidden behind false walls in their luggage; a 23rd monk who organized the trip was later arrested. Investigators said the narcotics were carried by monks-in-training from various temples and schools, funded by an unnamed sponsor as a supposed 'donation' for their return. The seizure is the airport's largest kush detection in history, and the monks were remanded for seven days for further questioning.
Sri Lankan authorities arrested 22 Buddhist monks after police found more than 110 kilograms of cannabis in their luggage at Colombo's Bandaranaike International Airport. The drugs, reportedly hidden in modified false bottoms, were valued at over $3.45 million and involved travelers returning from Thailand. The case marks the largest drug seizure at the airport, with investigators probing possible connections to local drug-running networks; the monks are due before Negombo Magistrate's Court for further proceedings.
At Sri Lanka's main international airport, 22 student monks were arrested for attempting to smuggle about 242 pounds (roughly 110 kg) of cannabis, concealed in false walls in their luggage. The group had been returning from a Thailand trip; the organizer, a 23rd monk, was later arrested in Colombo. Police said it was the largest Kush seizure at the airport, and the students remain in custody for further questioning.
At Colombo airport, customs intercepted 22 Sri Lankan monks returning from Thailand with about 110 kg of cannabis hidden in luggage; a 23rd monk believed to have organized the trip was arrested later. Police recovered photos showing the group enjoying their holiday, and the monks were remanded for seven days for further questioning.
Sri Lanka's navy rescued 238 Iranian sailors from the IRIS Dena after a U.S. torpedo attack and repatriated them to Iran.
Sri Lanka repatriated over 200 Iranian sailors who had been stranded after a US torpedo attack: 32 from the Iris Dena and 206 from Irins Bushehr left the country after being granted 30‑day visas and housed at military facilities. The Iris Dena sank on March 4 after an apparent torpedo strike by a US submarine, killing 104 sailors. Irins Bushehr had sought docking due to engine trouble and was subsequently seized by Sri Lanka on March 5. A US DoD video of the strike has circulated.
Sri Lanka has implemented a temporary four-day workweek by declaring Wednesdays a public holiday to conserve fuel amid shortages tied to the Iran war, resulting in quieter streets, reduced commerce, and concerns about schooling and travel.
The bodies of 84 Iranian sailors killed when a US submarine torpedoed the Iris Dena are being flown back to Iran via Sri Lanka, while 32 survivors remain in Sri Lanka; the incident near Sri Lanka and the release of the bodies to Iran have intensified tensions.
An Iranian Iris Dena frigate, guest of India’s Milan exercises and the International Fleet Review, was struck by a US submarine’s Mark-48 torpedo off Sri Lanka and sank within minutes, with about 87 dead and 32 survivors; the international-waters attack broadens US–Iranian hostilities and puts India in a delicate diplomatic position amid ongoing regional tensions and responses from Sri Lanka and Iran.
Sri Lanka began transferring more than 200 sailors from the Iranian vessel IRIS Bushehr to shore after the ship sought assistance outside Sri Lankan waters, with some crew remaining aboard to guide the ship to Trincomalee while others are taken to a naval base for medical checks and immigration; the move follows the U.S. sinking of the Iranian warship IRIS Dena and underscores Sri Lanka’s neutrality and commitment to international maritime law.
Sri Lanka, sticking to neutrality, allowed the Iranian auxiliary ship IRINS Bushehr to dock and take its 208 crew into Colombo after the IRIS Dena was torpedoed, with the vessel placed in Sri Lanka’s EEZ. The move tests Colombo’s ties with Iran while balancing potential backlash from the United States and Israel and grappling with possible economic fallout as oil prices rise and rescue efforts for missing sailors continue.
A Iranian frigate, IRIS Dena, was sunk by a U.S. submarine in international waters off Sri Lanka as it returned from participation in India's MILAN 2026 naval exercises and the International Fleet Review. Sri Lanka recovered 87 bodies and rescued 32 sailors, with about 130 crew reportedly aboard. DoD released footage of the torpedo strike; Iran condemned the attack. India had said the ship participated as a guest; the incident sparked debate over maritime security in the Indian Ocean and drew reactions from regional governments.