U.S. Ambassador-designate Eric Meyer arrived in Colombo, Sri Lanka on the evening of August 22, 2026, to assume his duties as the United States Ambassador to Sri Lanka.

According to the US Embassy in Colombo, Ambassador-designate Meyer expressed his enthusiasm for the opportunity to serve as the 29th U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka, stating:

“It is an honor to represent the United States in Sri Lanka. I look forward to building on the strong foundation between our two democracies to advance a U.S.-Sri Lanka partnership that creates new opportunities for American businesses, furthers our shared security interests, and delivers greater prosperity for both Americans and Sri Lankans.”

Prior to his assignment in Sri Lanka, he served as Chargé d’Affaires, a.i., at the U.S. Mission to Norway and, before that, as Senior Bureau Official for the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs at the Department of State.

A private member’s motion has been submitted to Parliament calling for the appointment of a Presidential Commission of Inquiry into the 1983 ‘Black July’ ethnic violence and the killings at Welikada Prison, with the aim of establishing the truth, assessing damages caused, and putting forward recommendations to prevent such incidents from recurring.

The motion, presented by TELO Leader and Member of Parliament Selvam Adaikkalanathan, has been listed under P. 132/2026 on the Order Paper of Parliament dated Friday, 11 September 2026.

The motion states that national integration, social structure and the economy suffered serious setbacks as a result of the Black July violence and the Welikada Prison killings. It notes that thousands of people lost their lives, tens of thousands were displaced, and considerable property, including homes and businesses, was destroyed.

The motion further points out that more than forty years on, those responsible for the violence have still not been identified, and that no comprehensive and independent investigation has been carried out into the human rights violations and property damage that occurred at the time.

The motion emphasises the timely need to build lasting harmony among all communities in Sri Lanka and to ensure that ethnic conflict of this nature never recurs in the country.

It calls on Parliament to appoint a fully empowered Presidential Commission of Inquiry tasked with uncovering the complete truth surrounding the events of 1983, accurately assessing the damage caused, and presenting policy recommendations to the government aimed at preventing a repeat of such violence in future.

The United Nations has welcomed Sri Lanka’s decision to simplify immigration procedures aimed at expediting the voluntary return of refugees who fled to India during the country’s civil war without valid documents.

UN Resident Coordinator Marc-Andre Franche said the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees would continue to facilitate the return and resettlement of these refugees through the world body.

In a post on “X”, Franche said he welcomed the Cabinet’s decision on procedures for the voluntary return of Sri Lankan refugees, describing it as a key step towards ensuring a safe and dignified return to the country after years of displacement.

The Sri Lankan government made special arrangements earlier this month for the initiative, which is intended to streamline the process and facilitate the return of refugees currently residing in India.

Sri Lankan refugees began arriving in large numbers in Tamil Nadu following the outbreak of ethnic violence on the island in 1983, and the subsequent escalation of the armed conflict between government forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.

According to figures cited, around 18,000 refugees returned home between 2002 and 2022, while approximately 90,000 continue to reside in the southern Indian state.

The Campaign for Free and Fair Elections (CaFFE) has sought Opposition Leader and Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) leader Sajith Premadasa’s support for its campaign to pressure the Government to hold the long-delayed Provincial Council elections.

CaFFE Executive Director Manas Makeen and Director of Administration Surangi Ariyawansha met Premadasa at his office last Monday (17) as part of a campaign to rally political parties behind the demand for the elections to be held without further delay.

The discussions covered several issues relating to the electoral process, including the Provincial Council elections, campaign finance laws, women’s political participation, voter registration, advance voting and constitutional reforms.

The CaFFE representatives outlined several concerns they had identified in relation to the electoral process and the need for reforms, while Premadasa shared his views on the issues raised.

Premadasa also agreed to support CaFFE’s campaign calling for the immediate conduct of the Provincial Council elections.

Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who will visit Sri Lanka in the first week of next month, is expected to push for implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on defence cooperation signed between the two countries in April last year, the Sunday Times learns.

During his first visit in his capacity as defence minister, Mr Singh will have discussions with President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who holds the defence portfolio; Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya; and Defence Ministry Secretary Air Vice Marshal (Rtd) Sampath Thuyacontha. He will also meet the tri-force commanders during his two-day stay.

Mr Singh’s trip follows Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri’s visit to Colombo earlier this month. Minister Singh’s visit is part of India’s drive for the speedy implementation of agreements reached during previous high-level visits by leaders of both countries.

An Indian External Affairs Ministry statement said, among other things, that the two sides discussed “modalities for expediting implementation” of energy projects, including the electricity grid interconnection project, the Sampur solar power project and the development of Trincomalee as an energy hub. They agreed to work towards “the earliest possible conclusion” of the tender process for implementation of the Sri Lanka Unique Digital Identity project. And they also directed that discussions be initiated “at the earliest” to conclude an MoU on rehabilitation and modernisation of the Kankesanthurai harbour project, to be implemented under a grant of US $61.5 million.

According to publicly available information, the defence MoU is an umbrella document that makes existing defence cooperation initiatives more structured and covers areas such as more joint exercises, capacity-building in various areas, exchanges in Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR), increasing port calls by naval units of both countries and exploring defence industry cooperation between the two sides. It will be in force for five years, with the parties having the option of terminating it with three months’ advance notice or continuing it for three more years.

The full MoU has not been made public, either in New Delhi or Colombo. While the Indian government has officially catalogued the document, its public bilateral-documents page provides the title/outcome rather than the actual agreement text. It was one of seven bilateral documents exchanged during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Sri Lanka on April 5 last year.

India’s official list of outcomes identifies it under the heading “Defence Cooperation” and says the MoU was signed by India’s High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Santosh Jha, and Sri Lanka’s Defence Secretary, Air Vice Marshal Sampath Thuyacontha.

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has instructed the security forces to expedite the release and return of lands in the Northern and Eastern Provinces that were taken over during the conflict and have now been identified as no longer required for security purposes.

The President issued these instructions while participating in a discussion held at the Parliamentary Complex yesterday on expediting the release and return to the relevant parties of private lands acquired to establish military camps during the conflict in the Northern and Eastern Provinces, as well as State lands previously used by local communities.

The President emphasised that national security remains of paramount importance and that determining where military camps and other security installations are required is the responsibility of the Tri-Forces, the Police and other relevant security authorities.

Based on these requirements, he instructed officials to reach a final determination on which lands can be released and which must be retained for security purposes.

The President further instructed officials to adopt a people-centred approach when determining the extent of land that is essential for security purposes and to release the maximum possible area of land that can be returned to the public. He also stressed the need to provide livelihood opportunities for the people alongside the return of their lands.

Accordingly, President Dissanayake instructed the Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Land and Irrigation to introduce projects incorporating modern agricultural technologies capable of achieving higher productivity and creating sustainable livelihood opportunities.