4 February – The Australian Public Interest Advocacy Centre publishes theIsland of impunity? Investigation into international crimes in the final stages of the Sri Lankan civil war report which claims that not only were theSri Lankan military responsible for most of thealleged war crimes during the final months of thecivil war but also that they systematically destroyed evidence war crimes.[45][46][47][48]
5 February – 29 people are injured after a bus veered off the road and toppled over at Dimbulapathana,Hatton.[49][50]
10 February – The body of missingUniversity of Peradeniya student Dikovita Kankanamlage Nishantha is found in bushes near student accommodation.[53][54]
11 February – Five people are killed after a van collides with a stationary tipper truck on theA9 betweenMankulam andKilinochchi.[55][56]
British citizen Visvalingam Gobithas, who was convicted in 2012 of supporting theLiberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam after being detained since 2007 without charge, dies inWelikada Prison in what his family describe as suspicious circumstances.[66][67]
7 March – Customs officials inColombo seize 36 kilograms (79 lb) ofheroin, worth about Rs.360 million, at the Rank Container Terminal in Orugodawatte.[74][75]
S. Sathiyasudhan and his young son S. Dinoyan from Sundurampuram are killed after being hit by an express train travelling fromPallai toColombo as they crossed at alevel crossing nearPuliyankulam.[78][79]
9 March –
UK broadcasterChannel 4 airs more video which it claims shows Sinhala-speaking soldiers belonging to special forces "laughing and cheering, as they celebrate the deaths of the Tiger fighters and perform acts of grotesque sexual violation on the bodies".[80][81][82]
Four people are killed and two injured inKataragama after a man stabs several members of his family before setting the house on fire.[83][84]
Two police officers attempt to rape a 27-year-old German tourist at Ella,Badulla District.[88][89]
Kilinochchi magistrates order human rights defender Jeyakumari Balendran to be detained for 16 days under anti-terrorism law and her daughter Vithushaini is placed incare.[90][91][92]
15 March
The second phase of theSouthern Expressway, between Pinnaduwa (Galle) to Godagama (Matara), is officially opened by President Mahinda Rajapaksa.[93][94]
Residents ofHanwella protest against contamination of ground water by the Hanwella Rubber Products factory, resulting in violent clashes with the police which lead to the death of Chief Inspector Prasad Siriwardhana, the Officer In Charge ofBorella.[100][101]
17 March – Indian broadcasterNewsX airs video which allegedly shows a Sri Lankan soldier claiming that the Sri Lankan military used chemical weapons on civilians.[102][103]
18 March
Human rights defenders Ruki Fernando and Father Praveen Mahesan are released by the Terrorist Investigation Division following widespread international condemnation.[104][105][106][107]
The Kandy High Court sentences ten people to death for the murder of anautorickshaw driver in Nagala,Rattota on 8 April 2004.[130][131]
28 March
President Rajapaksa orders the release of all Indian fisherman detained for fishing illegally in Sri Lankan waters, as gratitude for India abstaining during the UNHRC vote.[132][133][134]
Three people are killed and nine injured following a head-on collision between a bus and a tipper truck on the Colombo–Kandy road in Tholangamuwa near Warakapola.[135][136]
A group of twenty Buddhist monks disrupt and break up a US-funded seminar for journalists inPolonnaruwa.[137]
18 April – Ten people are killed when the tractor they were travelling on topples into the ZD canal in Aluthoya, Aralaganwila,Polonnaruwa District.[162][163]
19 April – Five people are killed when the van they were travelling in skidded off the road and fell into Detagamuwa tank inKataragama.[164][165]
21 April – British tourist Naomi Coleman is arrested atBandaranaike International Airport and threatened with deportation because she had hurt "others' religious feelings" by having a tattoo ofBuddha on her arm.[166][167]
24 April –Parliament passes the controversial Strategic Development Project Act Gazette No. 01 (extraordinary gazette no. 1847/35) which gives approval forDhammika Perera's $300 million 500 room Queensbury Resort (The Queensbury Leisure Limited) at D. R. Wijewardena Mawatha,Colombo, an "Integrated Super Luxury Tourist Resort" with "associated facilities"" which opponents claim includes casinos.[170][171][172]
25 April – Parliament passes the controversial Strategic Development Project Act Gazette No. 02 (extraordinary gazette no. 1847/36) and Strategic Development Project Act Gazette No. 03 (extraordinary gazette no. 1847/37) which give approval forJohn Keells Holdings' $650 million Water Front Resort (Waterfront Properties (Private) Limited) at Glennie Street/Justice Akbar Mawatha, Colombo andKerry Packer's $350 million 400 roomCrown Resort (Lake Leisure Holdings (Private) Limited) at D. R. Wijewardena Mawatha, Colombo respectively, two "Integrated Super Luxury Tourist Resorts" with "associated facilities"" which opponents claim includes casinos.[173][174][175][176]
Colombo High Court sentences former Deputy Commissioner of Inland Revenue Gnanasiri de Soyza Jayathilake to 102 years rigorous imprisonment to be spent in three years and fines him Rs.12 billion for committing Rs. 4 billion VAT fraud.[191][192]
9 May
A Muslim owned supermarket inAluthgama is attacked and burnt down by a mob led by Buddhist monks.[193][194]
18-year-old Sandun Malinga, who had been arrested on 7 May for treasure hunting in Bogahalanda forest reserve, dies after being assaulted by police officers from Kandeketiya Police Station.[195][196][197]
12 May – Peliyagoda Urban Council member Chamila Sandaruwan is shot dead inKelaniya.[198][199]
3 June – At least 22 people are killed and over 27,000 displaced due to floods and landslides in south western Sri Lanka over the last few days.[225][226]
4 June – Bus conductor Prabhath Chandana is shot dead inTangalle by two unidentified men on a motor cycle.[227][228]
7 June – ATransparency International workshop at the Goldie Sands Hotel,Negombo for Tamil speaking journalists is abandoned following threats and intimidation by a group of "protesters".[229][230]
8 June – Journalists from the abandoned Transparency International in Negombo are forced to leave the Galadari Hotel, Colombo following threatening calls.[231]
Moderate Buddhist monk Watareka Vijitha, who had threatened by theBodu Bala Sena, is abducted and assaulted in the Bandaragama area.[243][244][245][246]
20 June – The Kamaal Mosque in Navanthurai,Jaffna District is attacked by unidentified persons.[250][251]
21 June – The Muslim ownedNo-Limit clothing store inPanadura is destroyed by fire in the early hours, causing Rs.400 million in damage.[252][253][254][255]
24 October – The Sri Lankan parliament pass a law banning land purchases by foreigners. The new act will allow foreigners to acquire land only on a lease basis of up to 99 years with an annual 15 percent tax on the total rental paid upfront.[256][257]
29 October – a 3 km longlandslide in Badulla kills at least 16 and leaves 200 missing.
.JPG)
