2019 in Sri Lanka

• President – Maithripala Sirisena (until 18 November 2019), Gotabaya Rajapaksa (from 18 November 2019)
• Prime Minister – Ranil Wickremesinghe (until 21 November 2019), Mahinda Rajapaksa (from 21 November 2019)
• Chief Justice – Nalin Perera (until 29 April 2019), Jayantha Jayasuriya (from 29 April 2019)
• Attorney General – Jayantha Jayasuriya (until 29 April 2019), Dappula de Livera (from 29 April 2019)
• Solicitor General – Dappula de Livera (until May 2019), Dilrukshi Dias Wickramasinghe (from May 2019)

Governors

• Central Province –
• Eastern Province –
• North Central Province –
• Northern Province –
• North Western Province –
• Sabaragamuwa Province –
• Southern Province –
• Uva Province –
• Western Province –

Chief Ministers

• Central Province –
• Eastern Province –
• North Central Province –
• Northern Province –
• North Western Province –
• Sabaragamuwa Province –
• Southern Province –
• Uva Province –
• Western Province –

• 6 February - Sri Lanka's President Maithripala Sirisena stressed in parliament that the death sentence would be implemented within the next two months on those who are convicted for drug offences, ending a 43-year moratorium on capital punishment.[2][3]
• 23 February - Sri Lanka registered their first ever test series win against South Africa in South Africa and became the first ever Asian side to achieve the feat.[4]

• 8 March - Marini de Livera claimed the 2019 International Women of Courage Award and became the first Sri Lankan to receive the prestigious award.[5][6]
• 14 March - 21 March - Sri Lankan contingent claimed a tally of 4 medals at the 2019 Special Olympics World Summer Games.[7]
• 24 March - 2019 Sri Lanka electricity crisis started after the Ceylon Electricity Board decided to impose four-hour rolling power cut on a scheduled basis throughout the country after the national grid capacity failed to meet the increased demand for power due to dry climate, and due to limited power generation.[8][9]
• 31 March - Sri Lankan test captain Dimuth Karunaratne was arrested for a drink-drive incident in Colombo, which injured another motorist and was later released on bail. His driving license was also cancelled off after the accident.[10][11]

• 1 April - 100th death anniversary of late entrepreneur Jacob De Mel was remembered.[12]
• 4 April - Janaka Kanchana created a new Guinness World Record for breaking 50 concrete slabs on his chest within 5 minutes and 40 seconds.
• 17 April - Dimuth Karunaratne was officially appointed by the Sri Lanka Cricket as the captain of the national team and was named in the squad for the 2019 Cricket World Cup.[13][14]
• 18 April - Raavana 1, Sri Lanka's first research satellite was sent to the International Space Station at around morning 2.16 am the satellite was launched successfully.[15][16][17]
• 21 April - Easter Sunday bombings happened in three churches and three hotels killing 259 people.
• 29 April - 2019 Kalmunai shootout

• 6 May - 16 May - 2019 anti-Muslim riots in Sri Lanka
• 19 May - 2019 cyberattacks on Sri Lanka[18]

• 3 June - After a protest led by hardline Buddhist group Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) and its leader Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara who demanded the resignations of Muslim ministers and governors. All of Sri Lanka's Muslim ministers and their deputies resigned from their portfolios.[19][20]
• 6 June - The Sri Lankan Airlines was rated as the world's most punctual airline for the second successive year[21]
• 26 June - President Maithripala Sirisena signed death warrants with the execution dates for four convicts with drug-related offenses, the first time that executions were ordered in 43 years.[22]
• 29 June - Sri Lanka still continues to be the Lonely Planet's top destination for 2019 despite the April/21 attacks.[23][24]

• 1 July - Sri Lanka was promoted as the upper middle income earning country from being a lower middle income earning country according to the updated classification of the World Bank due to the increase in Gross national income.[25]
• 24 July - Sri Lankan veteran seamer Nuwan Kulasekara retired from all forms of cricket.
• 26 July - Sri Lankan veteran seamer Lasith Malinga retired from ODI cricket after featuring in his last ODI against Bangladesh.

• 17 August - Shavendra Silva was officially appointed as new Army Commander replacing Mahesh Senanayake.[26]
• 18 August - Shavendra Silva officially commenced his new term as Sri Lanka Army Commander.
• 28 August - Sri Lankan spinner who is known for inventing carrom ball Ajantha Mendis retired from all forms of cricket.[27]

• 13 September - 26 September - At least two persons reportedly dead and 282 houses completely damaged due to floods in Colombo, Galle and Matara.[28][29]
• 16 September - Sri Lanka's and South Asia's tallest tower Lotus Tower was opened following a grand opening ceremony.[30]
• 23 September - Maithripala Sirisena claimed allegations against Ranil Wickramasinghe for requesting to appoint Solicitor General Dilrukshi Dias Wickramasinghe as new Supreme Court of Sri Lanka. In the same month, Dilrukshi Dias involved in a controversial discussion with Avant Garde chairman Nissanka Senadhipathi.[31][32]
• 25 September - 29 September - So Sri Lanka Pro 2019 concluded with Mitch Parkinson of Australia defeating Indonesia's Oney Anwar in the final.[33][34]
• 25 September - 7 October - rail strikes took place for 12 consecutive days.[35][36]
• 27 September - Sri Lankan cricket team toured Pakistan to play 3 ODIs and 3 T20Is, which also marked Sri Lanka's first full-fledged cricket tour to Pakistan since 2009. Sri Lanka historically won their first T20I series win over Pakistan.[37][38]

• 5 October - First ever public debate among Presidential candidates took place for the upcoming election.[39]
• 7 October - Presidential nominations for the upcoming election were held at Rajagiriya.[40]
• 17 October - Jaffna International Airport was officially opened as the country's third international airport.[41]

• 8 November - One Galle Face mall which belongs to Shangri La was opened to the public for the first time.[42]
• 10 November - Outgoing President Maithripala Sirisena gave pardon to the convict of Royal Park Murder of a Swedish teenage girl.[43][44][45]
• 16 November - The 8th Sri Lankan presidential election was held with a record 35 candidates and Gotabhaya Rajapaksa recorded a landslide victory.[46][47]
• 25 November - A Sri Lankan Swiss embassy staff member who works in Colombo claimed that she was abducted by unidentified men and was detained in their custody for an investigation. She was released on the same day after two hours of inquiry. The Swiss government immediately requested the Sri Lankan authorities to conduct inquiry regarding the probe.[48][49]

Sri Lankan officials launched investigations regarding the alleged kidnapping and mentioned that the attack was possibly in relation to a former top police officer Nishantha de Silva who pledged asylum from Switzerland.[50] The issue has become a significant diplomatic standoff between the two countries with Sri Lanka accusing Switzerland of throwing mud.[51] Sri Lanka Foreign minister further stated that the sequence of events and timeline of the alleged incident, as formally presented by the Swiss Mission on behalf of the alleged victim to the CID, did not in any way correspond with the actual movements of the alleged victim on that date, as borne out by witness interviews and technical evidence, including Uber records, CCTV footage, telephone records and the GPS data.[52] Switzerland government further stated that it will take the issue seriously and called the attack on the employee as unacceptable which would affect the diplomatic ties between the nations.[53][54] The case is considered to be a mysterious circumstance.[55]

The issue became a prime focus after Nishantha de Silva, a top police officer who was known for inquiring high profile cases since 2015 had reportedly fled to Switzerland with his family in order to seek asylum following the conclusion of the 2019 Sri Lankan presidential election where Gotabaya Rajapaksa emerged victorious.[48][56] Silva is believed to have received death threats and left the country without proper permission.[57]

On 25 November 2019, the local embassy employee was dragged into a car by a gang of unknown men to obtain information related to the Swiss embassy and information about Silva.[58] The kidnapped woman was forced to disclose the mobile phone data of Sri Lankan citizens who applied for asylum in Switzerland. On the same day she returned to the embassy with minor injuries from her abduction.[59] Newly appointed Major General Kamal Gunaratne met with the ambassador for Switzerland in Sri Lanka and explained the results of the investigation.[60] The Government of Sri Lanka rejected the request from Swiss authorities to send one of its staff members to Switzerland for medical treatment.[61]

In December 2019, the Sri Lankan magistrate court ordered the embassy staff worker to remain in Sri Lanka for inquiries and blocked the staff member from leaving the country until 9 December 2019 without making a police statement.[62][63][64][65] However, the Swiss government stated that the health of the woman deteriorated and further stated that the inquiry would be unfair.[66] On 9 December 2019, the magistrate court further extended the travel ban on the staff member until 12 December 2019 and it was reported that the staff issued a statement before the Criminal Investigation Department regarding the alleged abduction of her.[67][68][69]

On 16 December 2019, Sri Lankan officials arrested the staff member for claiming false abduction allegations according to the reports.[70][71][72] The officials officially revealed the name of the perpetrator as Gania Banister Francis and she was subjected to medical tests and psychiatric analysis based upon her claims.[73] CID revealed there is no such evidence to prove Francis' claim that she was kidnapped and molested.[74]

On 19 December, the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs announced that it had sent an experienced diplomat to Sri Lanka to try to resolve the incident.[75][76] On the same day, Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa said the foreign press had been reporting on the alleged abduction before the facts were established, calling himself the victim of a "planned thing to discredit me and the government."[77]

On 30 December, the embassy employee was released on bail but banned from traveling abroad.[78]

Investigations on mobile phones found that she was in contact with the former CID Director Shani Abeysekara, former Lake House Chairman Krishantha Cooray and Darisha Bastian, the former Editor in Chief of the Sunday Observer days before she claimed to have been abducted. Krishantha Cooray traveled to Malaysia in December as investigation happened while Dharisha Bastian travelled to Switzerland before the "abduction".[79]

• 7 December - Caroline Jurie of Sri Lanka was crowned as the winner of 2020 Mrs. World contest.[80]

• 19 January - Mark Samson, 62 (actor) [81]
• 20 January - Mithra Wettimuny, 67 (cricketer) [82]
• 19 January - Nisitha Warnasuriya, 58 (broadcaster) [83]
• 23 January - Jayathissa Alahakoon, 86 (music director) [84]

• 3 February - Berty Gunasekara, 79 (cinematographer) [85]
• 14 February - Gunaratne Hapuarachchi, 69 (film production manager) [86]
• 14 February - V. Vamadevan, 83 (cinematographer) [87]

• 4 March - Devi Sakunthala, (actress) [88]
• 13 March - Sarath Namalgama, 61 (actor) [89]
• 28 March - Kalalakshmi Thevarajah, (writer)
• 29 March - Daya Abeysekara, 80 (journalist) [90]

• 18 April - H. M. Jayawardena, 68 (musician) [91]
• 21 April - Shantha Mayadunne, 68 (chef) [she was killed along with her daughter during the Easter bomb blast at Shangri-La Hotel].[92]
• 25 April - Leela Asoka, 92 (songstress) [93]
• 29 April - Upali Meththananda, 74 (choreographer) [94]

• 5 May - Asoka Hewawitharana, (actor) [95]
• 21 May - Ranjith Weerasinghe, 69 (journalist) [96]
• 27 May - Gamini Hettiarachchi, 68 (dramatist) [97]
• 31 May - Chitra Wakishta, 82 (actress) [98]

• 23 June - Indrani Wijebandara, 83 (songstress) [99]

• 13 July - Upali Leelaratne, 61 (writer) [100]
• 19 July - Sanda Ahubudu, 84 (writer) [101]
• 21 July - Kusum Pieris, 71 (radio announcer) [102]
• 28 July - Reuben Weliwatta, 87 (film editor) [103]

• 5 August - Salinda Dissanayake, 61 (politician) [104]
• 12 August – Daya Wimalaweera, 81 (filmmaker) [105]
• 21 August – Sriya Ratnakara, 85 (journalist) [106]

• 2 September - Carlo Fonseka, 86 (physician) [107]
• 14 September - Martin Trust, 85 (entrepreneur) [father of modern Sri Lankan apparel industry].[108]
• 24 September - Tikiri, a 70 year old Asian elephant
• 29 September - Michael de Zoysa, 72 (cricketer) [109]

• 20 October - Mellony Wijesinghe, 17, (netball player).[110]
• 20 October - Shelton Weeraratne, 71 (lyricist) [111]

• 1 November - Dr. Tissa Ranasinghe, 94 (sculptor) [112]
• 4 November - Samaraweera Wijayasinghe, 78 (author) [113]
• 12 November - Sirima Anasta Marceline, 76 (songstress) [114]
• 19 November - D. M. Jayaratne, 88, (former Prime Minister of Sri Lanka (2010-2015)[115]

• 2 December - Vini Vitharana, 91, (academic).[116]
• 4 December - Ranjith de Zoysa, 57, (politician) [117]