Contents

2024 in Sri Lanka

← 2023 2022 2021 2024 in Sri Lanka → 2025 2026 2027
Decades:	2000s 2010s 2020s
See also:	Other events of 2024 Timeline of Sri Lankan history

The following lists notable events that will occur and take place during 2024inSri Lanka.

Incumbents[edit]

National[edit]

President	Prime Minister	Speaker	Chief Justice	Opposition Leader
Ranil Wickremesinghe (Age 75)	Dinesh Gunawardena (Age 75)	Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena (Age 79)	Jayantha Jayasuriya	Sajith Premadasa (Age 57)
United National Party (since 21 July 2022)	Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (since 22 July 2022)	Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (since 20 August 2020)	Independent (since 29 April 2019)	Samagi Jana Balawegaya (since 3 January 2020)

Provincial[edit]

Ongoing events[edit]

• 2019–present Sri Lankan economic crisis
• Operation Yukthiya
• Red Sea crisis
  • Operation Prosperity Guardian

Events[edit]

January[edit]

• 9 January – Red Sea crisis: The Sri Lanka Navy announces it will join a US-led operation in the Red Sea against attacks by Houthi rebels. President Ranil Wickremesinghe and other government officials defend this decision.^[1][2]
• 13 January – 897 more suspects are arrested under Operation Yukthiya, during a 24-hour window which ended at 12:30 am.^[3][4]
• 18 January – A lorry driver is shot and killed by a plainclothes police officer during a stop-and-searchinNarammala.^[5]
• 21 January – Jaffna District parliamentarian S. Shritharan is elected as the new leader of the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi, the main constituent party of the Tamil National Alliance, defeating M. A. Sumanthiran and S. Yogeswaran and succeeding Mavai Senathirajah.^[6]
• 22 January – Five people are shot dead near the Beliatta exit of the Southern Expressway, including leader of the Our Power of People's Party Saman Perera.^[7][8]
• 23 January – Sri Lankan Test cricketer Dimuth Karunaratne is included in the ICC Test Team for the Year 2023.^[9] Women's cricketer Chamari Athapaththu is included in and appointed as the captain of both the Women's ODI Team and T20I team for the Year 2023.^[10][11]
• 24 January – The controversial Online Safety Bill is passed by the Parliament of Sri Lanka by a 108–62 vote. The bill is widely criticised by human rights groups, journalists and opposition politicians as a means of stifling freedom of speech in Sri Lanka.^[12][13][14]
• 25 January – Sri Lankan women's cricketer Chamari Athapaththu wins the ICC Women's ODI Cricketer of the Year award at the ICC Awards.^[15]
• 28 January – The International Cricket Council lifts the provisional suspension on Sri Lanka imposed last year.^[16]

February[edit]

• 2 February – Minister of Environment Keheliya Rambukwella and former Secretary to the Ministry of Health Janaka Chandragupta are arrested by the Criminal Investigation DepartmentinColombo and produced to Maligawatta courts following their connection to a scandal over the importation of substandard immunoglobulin injections. Around Rs. 130 million was believed to have been misappropriated. A judge ordered him to be remanded until 15 February.^[17][18]
• 3 February – Following his arrest, Minister of Environment Keheliya Rabukwella resigns from his ministerial post following public pressure.^[19]
• 23 February
  • ARussian-owned cafe in Unawatuna schedules a controversial "white only" party to be held on 24 February, where a face control policy would be employed to restrict entry solely to white individuals and attendees. The Russian DJ hosting the party elaborates by saying the party was open only to "white people, no locals." Following public backlash, the event is cancelled. The DJ later says on Instagram that he left Sri Lanka with his family.^[20][21]
  • The Department of Immigration and Emigration issues a notice granting 14 days, starting from 23 February, for Russian and Ukrainian tourists living long-term in Sri Lanka to leave the country. Many of these tourists had been residing in Sri Lanka on periodic extensions of their tourist visas since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.^[21][22] The notice is passed without prior approval from the Cabinet of Sri Lanka, thus prompting president Wickremesinghe to order an investigation into the announcement.^[23][24]
• 24 February – Red Sea crisis: The Sri Lanka Navy confirms that one of its ships has completed its maiden patrol in the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait and is set to return to the country.^[25] It was later revealed to be SLNS Gajabahu and the Sri Lankan government confirmed that patrols would continue.^[26][27]

March[edit]

• 6 March – 2024 Ottawa stabbing: A family of Sri Lankan Canadians are fatally stabbed in their residence in Barrhaven, a suburb of Ottawa, Canada. Six are killed, including four children, the mother, and a family friend, while the father is injured.^[28] The culprit is 19-year old Febrio De-Zoysa, a Sri Lankan Algonquin College student.^[29][30] The attack is condemned by Mayor of Ottawa Mark Sutcliffe and Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau.^[31]
• 19–21 March – After a three-day debate in the Parliament of Sri Lanka, a no-confidence motion against Speaker of the Parliament Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena is defeated, with 75 votes for and 117 votes against.^[32][33] The motion was filed by the Samagi Jana Balawegaya, the main opposition party, over his approval of the controversial Online Safety Bill.^[34][35][36] Abeywardena is the fifth speaker in Sri Lanka's history to face a no-confidence motion.^[37]

April[edit]

• 21 April – 2024 Fox Hill Supercross race crash: Seven people are killed and 18 others are injured after a racecar plows into spectators at a racing event organised by the Sri Lanka Military AcademyinDiyatalawa.^[38]

May[edit]

• 1 May – 2024 Sri Lankan presidential election: Minister of Justice Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe announces he will run for president.^[39][40]
• 8 May – The Supreme Court of Sri Lanka rules that SJBMPDiana Gamage holds no Sri Lankan citizenship, and is thus disqualified from her parliamentary seat.^[41][42]
• 10 May – Mujibur Rahman is reappointed to parliament as a National List MP, replacing the unseated Diana Gamage. Rahman had previously resigned from his seat in 2023 to run for Mayor of Colombo.^[43]
• 21 May–2 June – At least 14 people are killed in flooding and mudslides caused by monsoon rains across the country.^[44]

June[edit]

• 11 June – The Foreign Ministry of Sri Lanka says it has received assurances from Russia that it would stop recruiting Sri Lankan citizens to fight in Ukraine.^[45]
• 26 June – The Sri Lankan government reaches an agreement with external lenders to restructure $5.8 billion in public debt.^[46]
• 29 June – Four fishermen are reported dead aboard a vessel after drinking liquids from bottles found floating off the coast of Tangalle.^[47]

July[edit]

• 7 July – Thirteen people are injured after a panicked elephant chases a crowd during a Hindu religious procession at the Kataragama temple.^[48]
• 10 July – Members of the Station Masters’ Union go on strike over administrative and human resource issues, resulting in the cancellation of hundreds of scheduled train journeys nationwide.^[49]

Predicted and scheduled events[edit]

• 21 August–10 September – Sri Lankan cricket team in England in 2024^[50]
• September or October – 2024 Sri Lankan presidential election^[51]

Deaths[edit]

Chandra Kumara Kandanarachchi (b. 1947)

Nagalingam Ethirveerasingam (b. 1934)

R. Sampanthan (b. 1933)

January[edit]

• 23 January – Saman Prasanna Perera, 48, politician, leader of the Our Power of People's Party^[7][8]
• 25 January – Sanath Nishantha, 48, politician, minister of state for water supply (2020–2022, since 2022) and MP (since 2015)^[52][53]

February[edit]

• 7 February – Thalangama Jayasinghe, 88, cartoonist^[54]
• 15 February – Yasmine Gooneratne, 88, writer^[55]
• 17 February – Gamini Jayawickrama Perera, 83, politician, MP (1977–1989, 1994–2020) and minister of Buddha Sasana (2017–2019)^[56]
• 27 February – Ronnie de Mel, 98, economist and politician, minister of finance (1977–1988) and MP (1970–1989, 1994–2004)^[57]

March[edit]

• 8 March – Ramya Wanigasekara, 73, actress, singer, journalist and radio news anchor^[58]
• 26 March – Chandra Kumara Kandanarachchi, 76, singer^[59]
• 27 March – Russell Hamer, 76–77, national team cricketer^[60]

April[edit]

• 4 April – K. H. Nandasena, 69, politician, MP (since 2020), and member of North Central Provincial Council (1999–2017)^[61]
• 16 April
  • Sri Lankabhimanya A. T. Ariyaratne, 92, activist, founder and president of the Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement^[62]
  • Palitha Thewarapperuma, 63, politician, MP (2010–2020)^[63]
• 18 April – Nagalingam Ethirveerasingam, 89, track and field athlete^[64]
• 22 April – Chandrasiri Bandara, 63, astrologer^[65]
• 28 April – M. K. Eelaventhan, 91, politician, MP (2004–2007)^[66]
• 29 April – Premadasa Mudunkotuwa, 91, musician^[67]

May[edit]

• 1 May – Sarath Fernando, musician^[68]
• 2 May – Nalin de Silva, 79, physicist and philosopher^[69]
• 10 May – A. D. Ranjith Kumara, 77, journalist^[70]
• 13 May – Vincent Marius Joseph Peiris, 82, Roman Catholic prelate, auxiliary bishop of Colombo (2000–2018)^[71]
• 26 May – Ananda Perera, 67, musician^[72]
• 30 May – Shelton Premaratne, 94, musician^[73]

June[edit]

• 6 June – B. T. Mendis, 88, lyricist^[74]
• 7 June – Siri Kannangara, Sri Lankan-Australian sports medical doctor and trainer^[75]
• 13 June – Sirinal de Mel, 82, politician, MP (2015–2019)^[76]
• 27 June – Hugh Aldons, 99, field hockey (national team), cricket (national team), and rugby union (national team) player^[77]
• 30 June – R. Sampanthan, 91, politician, MP (1977–1983, 1997–2000, 2001–2024), Leader of the Opposition (2015–2018)^[78]

July[edit]

• 4 July – Sumana Jayathilaka, 87, journalist^[79]
• 6 July – Lionel Fernando, 88, civil servant, diplomat, ambassador to France (2008–2010) and governor of North Eastern Province (1993–1994)^[80]

References[edit]

External links[edit]

• Online calendar