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LGBTQ+ community celebrates pride with vibrant parade in Colombo

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Hundreds of members of Sri Lanka’s LGBTQ+ community paraded through the streets of Colombo on Sunday (16) to mark Pride Month and demand an end to discrimination. 

The marchers carried rainbow flags and placards calling for a ban on conversion therapies, an end to police harassment, and equal treatment.

However, last year’s anti-government protests amid an unprecedented economic crisis have emboldened the LGBTQ+ community, organizers said.

Despite the growing visibility, Sri Lanka’s laws still criminalize homosexuality, with a bill pending before Parliament to decriminalize it.

The event, themed “Stronger Together,” was one of many organized by Sri Lanka’s LGBT+ community.

For Equal Ground, the organization behind Sunday’s march, this year marks the 20th anniversary of Pride celebrations.

“The Colombo Pride Festival started during the war. We didn’t take to the streets because it wasn’t safe,” Rosanna Flamer-Caldera, LGBTQ+ rights activist and founder of Equal Ground, told the media.

Rosanna, emphasized that this year’s march had the character of a silent protest for community rights, adding, “We want it to be a safe and happy place for everyone.”

Navoda Bennet, a non-binary trans fashion designer who identifies as feminine, wore an outfit of her own design and enthusiastically joined the LGBTQ+ community in Narahenpita, Colombo, to celebrate her culture.

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Former Eastern Provincial Council member arrested

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Ampara District Organizer of the Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal party and former member of the Eastern Provincial Council K. Pushpakumar alias Iniya Bharathi has been arrested.

He was arrested over the abduction and disappearance of the former Vice Chancellor of the Eastern University Prof. Subramaniyam Ravindranath.

Sivanathurai Chandrakanthan, alias Pillayan, the leader of the Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal (TMVP) and former State Minister, was arrested by the Colombo Criminal Investigation Department at his office in Batticaloa on April 8, over this incident.

He was later detained for 3 months under the Prevention of Terrorism Act.

Iniya Bharathi, also known as Kumaraswamy Pushpakumar, was arrested based on information revealed during the interrogation of Pillayan.

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e-Revenue Licence system down due to technical glitch, ICTA says

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The Information and Communication Technology Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA) said the electronic Revenue Licence system (eRL 2.0) is currently unavailable due to a critical technical infrastructure issue.

According to the ICTA, the disruption began on July 3, 2025, and has made vehicle revenue licence issuing services inaccessible.

The unavailability is expected to continue until July 9, 2025.

The ICTA expressed regret for the inconvenience caused to the public and assured that technical teams are working urgently to resolve the issue.

The agency also said that further updates will be shared as work progresses, with an official notice to be issued once services are restored.

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Three injured in Kosgama shooting, including 12-year-old girl

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Three people, including a 12-year-old girl, were injured in a shooting incident at Suduwella, Kosgama, early this morning (6), police said.

They said the victims were travelling in a three-wheeler when two individuals on a motorcycle opened fire using a pistol-type weapon.

The injured include a 30-year-old woman and her 12-year-old daughter, both residents of Avissawella, as well as a 44-year-old man.

All three have been admitted to Avissawella Hospital for treatment.

Police said the motive for the attack and the identities of the suspects have not yet been established.

Kosgama Police are conducting further investigations into the incident.

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