13 January – Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption investigations: Former MP Duminda Silva, who had been arrested for failing declare assets in 2011, 2012 and 2013, is released on bail.[1][2]
21 January – Financial Crimes Investigation Division investigations: Nalaka Godahewa, R. Ibrahim and Dhammika Manjira Perera, who had been arrested in December 2015 in connection with misappropriation of funds at the Securities and Exchange Commission, are released on bail.[5][6]
16 February – Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption investigations: Former minister Kumara Welgama, who had been arrested in connection with financial irregularities at the Sri Lanka Transport Board, is released on bail.[18][19][20]
29 March – A suicide kit, mines, explosives and ammunition are discovered at a house in Maravanpulavu near Chavakachcheri.[31][32][33]
30 March – Former Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) cadre Ramesh (Edward Julian) is arrested in Iluppaikkadavai in connection with the Chavakachcheri explosives find.[34][35]
Apriledit
11 April
A further state minister and two deputy ministers are appointed.[36][37]
A 59-year-old woman and her 33-year-old daughter are killed when the autorickshaw they are traveling in is hit by a speeding military vehicle near Vigneswara College in Trincomalee.[38]
23 April – Former LTTE cadre Damotharan Jayakanth is arrested by the Terrorist Investigation Division (TID) for not having undergone "rehabilitation".[42]
24 April – Colonel Ram (Ethirmannasingham Harichandran), the LTTE's former commander for Ampara District, is abducted from his home in Thampiluvil by three unidentified men in a blue van.[43][44][45] The abductors are later identified as the police's TID.[46]
26 April – Lieutenant Colonel Kalaiarasan (Ganeshapillai Arivalahan), the LTTE's chief of intelligence for Trincomalee District, is arrested in Trincomalee by the TID in connection with the Chavakachcheri explosives find.[49][50][51]
27 April
V. S. Sivakaran, the leader of the Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi's youth wing and editor of the Puthiyavan, is arrested in Mannar by the TID in connection with the Chavakachcheri explosives find.[52][53] He is released on bail the following day.[54][55]
Lieutenant Colonel Nagulan (Kanapathipillai Sivamoorthy), the former commander of the LTTE's Charles Anthony Brigade, who was thought to have been killed by the military in 2007, is arrested in Kopay by the TID.[49][56][57]
Mayedit
2 May – Lieutenant Colonel Praba (Krishnapillai Kalainesan), the LTTE's chief of intelligence for Batticaloa District, is arrested in Eravur.[58][59][60]
14 May – Cyclone Roanu: Beginning of days of torrential rain across Sri Lanka which cause floods and landslides affecting half a million people, killing at least 82 and leaving more than 100 missing.[64][65][66][67][68]
2 June – British citizen Velauthapillai Renukaruban is assaulted and tortured after being detained by the police in Jaffna.[72][73][74]
5 June – A fire at the Salawa army camp near Kosgama causes a series of explosions which results in the death of one soldier and the evacuation of thousands living nearby.[75][76][77]
9 June – Pradeep Kumara Perera kills himself and two women (Walpola Mudiyanselage Buddhika Neelanyani and Sirimathi Walpola) using a hand grenade.[78][79]
11 June – Murali (Sivarasa Sivakulan), a government backed paramilitary operative and close confidant of former Janna Commander Major General Mahinda Hathurusinghe, is arrested by the TID in connection with the Chavakachcheri explosives find.[80]
16 July – Violent clashes between Sinhalese and Tamil students at the University of Jaffna leads to the evacuation of all Sinhalese students and closure of the university.[86][87][88]
12 August – President of the Galle Cricket Association, Halambage Premasiri is murdered around Friday night by two individuals who were arrived in a white motor car near the residence of him at Manimulla area in Ambalangoda. Premasiri was shot dead by the unknown suspects while he was driving home with his 12-year old son.[93][94]
15 August – Financial Crimes Investigation Division investigations: MP Namal Rajapaksa is arrested in connection with laundering Rs. 45 million through two companies he owns (NR Consultation Private Limited and Gowers Corporation Private Limited) and using it to buy shares in Hello Corp Private Limited.[95][96]
Septemberedit
8 September – Kolonnawa shootings: Sarath Bandara, Withanalage Anura Thushara de Mel, Janaka Bandara Galagoda, Chaminda Ravi Jayanath (Dematagoda Chaminda) and former MP Duminda Silva are convicted of the murder of Mohamed Azmi, Dharshana Jayathilake, Manivel Kumaraswamy and former MP Bharatha Lakshman Premachandra in October 2011 and sentenced to death.[97][98][99][100][101]
9 September – Sri Lankan cricketer Tillakaratne Dilshan retires from all international cricket. He ends his 17-year career as 11th highest ODI scorer and 2nd highest T20I scorer of all time.[102]
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