230,000 people lost in a day: Asia remembers Indian Ocean tsunami
Communities across Asia commemorated the 230,000 victims of the Indian Ocean tsunami on Thursday, the 15th anniversary of one of the world's deadliest disasters. On the morning after Christmas Day in 2004, a 9.1 magnitude quake off northern Sumatra triggered tsunami as high as 17.4 ...
100,000 who fled Sri Lankan war can't get Indian citizenship under new law
Nearly 100,000 Sri Lankan refugees who are living in India are not eligible for citizenship under a new law, sparking concerns that they may be forced to return to the island nation they fled during a decadeslong civil war, many with no homes to ...
Sri Lanka president says he is 'victim' of Swiss kidnap claim
Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa said Thursday the alleged kidnapping of a Swiss Embassy staffer that triggered a diplomatic spat between Colombo and Bern had been concocted to discredit his election victory. A Sri Lankan national working for the Swiss mission in Colombo was arrested ...
After 16 years in Japan, Sri Lankan woman still classified as an exchange student
Dakshini Siriwardena never expected that the failure of her father's business in Japan would leave her with no choice but to live here as an exchange student — despite having resided in the country for more than 16 years. "It's ridiculous that I had the ...
The return to power of the Rajapaksa clan could redirect the country's geopolitical orientation toward China, a potentially important shift given the island's location astride vital sea lanes.
Tamil-taming, China-friendly Rajapaksa clan make presidential comeback in Sri Lanka
A family of strongmen who tilted Sri Lanka toward a deep reliance on China claimed victory on Sunday in a tightly fought presidential election. With two-thirds of the polling divisions declared, Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, 70, whose brother Mahinda had close ties with Beijing during his 10-year ...
Chandika Hathurusingha insisted Monday he would remain Sri Lanka's cricket coach despite pressure to step down after their World Cup exit. Sri Lanka started the tournament as a rank outsider and finished sixth of the nine teams, registering one of three wins against the world's ...
Wahhabism confronted: Sri Lanka curbs Saudi influence after bombings
Sri Lanka is moving to curtail Saudi Arabian influence, after some politicians and Buddhist monks blamed the spread of the kingdom's ultraconservative Wahhabi school of Islam for planting the seeds of militancy that culminated in deadly Easter bomb attacks. On April 21, nine Sri Lankans ...
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday honored those killed by Islamist militants in Sri Lanka's Easter bombings, vowing support for the island nation as New Delhi seeks to counter the rise of China in the region. The hours-long stop in Sri Lanka was part ...
'Mother of Satan' bombs show foreign hand in Sri Lanka bombings, investigators say
One month after the Sri Lanka suicide attacks that killed more than 250 people, investigators have said the bombers used "Mother of Satan" explosives favored by the Islamic State group that are a new sign of foreign involvement. Detectives said the backpack bombs used in ...
What Sri Lanka has to teach the world
Japan and other countries around the world can learn from the South Asian nation's private sector effort to address public policy issues.
Sri Lankans mark 10th anniversary of end of war; thousands are still missing
Still reeling from the Easter Sunday terrorist attacks, this weekend Sri Lanka commemorates 10 years since the end of a bloody civil war that killed at least 100,000 people, from which the scars are still not healed. Security was tight in the north of the ...
