Fresh scrutiny has emerged over Namal Rajapaksa’s entry into Sri Lanka Law College, after an investigation by The Examiner raised serious questions about whether he met the basic requirements for admission. 

A Tamil parliamentarian from the National People’s Power (NPP) has publicly refused to resign amidst growing criticism over the party’s handling of the Trincomalee Buddha statue controversy.

Arun Hemachandra, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and NPP MP representing Trincomalee, issued a lengthy statement responding to sustained pressure from Tamil parties who demanded his resignation after the government backtracked on the removal of an unauthorised Buddha statue installed on the coastal reservation.

The extremist Sinhala-Buddhist group Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) has entered the growing controversy in Trincomalee, as its General Secretary, Galagodaaththe Gnanasara, travelled to the district yesterday to condemn the Coast Conservation Department and police over the removal of an illegally placed Buddha statue on coastal land.