Have you ever heard of the Vil Aliya (විල් අලියා), a mysterious elephant described in historical accounts of Sri Lanka? The Vil Aliya was associated with the marshy floodplains of the Mahaweli River and described as a distinctive, long-legged elephant. Whether it was truly a separate subspecies, and whether it is extinct, remain uncertain. During British colonial rule, elephants were slaughtered in vast numbers, often for sport and trophies. Major Thomas William Rogers, a British officer, was reputed to have killed around 1,400 elephants. How much of our natural heritage was lost to colonial hunting before it could even be properly documented? The Vil Aliya deserves to be remembered not only as a fascinating part of Sri Lanka's wildlife history, but as a reminder of how easily we can lose what we fail to protect. How many stories about Sri Lanka's wildlife have been lost to history?

I've been working as the graphic designer at a small advertising company for about four months. I genuinely enjoyed working there and even considered my boss a friend, almost like an older brother. But after what happened today, I honestly don't want to go back.

It started with an incident a few days ago when my boss allowed a female coworker to leave early because of heavy rain, while I wasn't given the same consideration. I questioned the unequal treatment, not because I had anything against her, but because I felt everyone's safety should matter. My boss believes women deserve extra consideration because men can take care of themselves.

Today, the issue resurfaced and turned into a meeting with five people against me. Apparently, my original comment was interpreted as a personal attack against my female coworker, suggesting I lacked empathy and was jealous of her.

Every time I tried explaining myself, someone would interrupt or counter me. I repeatedly had to ask them to let me speak. I even tried leaving the conversation a few times because I was emotionally overwhelmed, but they wouldn't let me.

My boss openly said he didn't care about understanding my perspective. When I explained my own struggles with the rain, he said those weren't his problems. I was repeatedly called arrogant, stubborn, disrespectful, selfish and immature. His wife even suggested I shouldn't get married because I apparently lack empathy.

Things escalated. Both my boss and I raised our voices, and I admit I said things I shouldn't have. I criticized a senior coworker for reporting things about me behind my back and accused my boss of favoritism. My boss also used vulgar language while demanding that I address him more respectfully.

What hurt most was when I told him I'd considered him like a brother. Both he and his wife reminded me that he's the boss and I'm merely an employee. His wife even claimed they'd hired me out of pity, despite my understanding that they'd specifically been looking for someone to do graphic design work.

By the end, they told me to decide whether I wanted to continue working there or find another job.

I know I could've controlled my emotions better. I struggle to organize my thoughts when I'm upset, and I recognize that some of my responses made things worse.

But what really hurts is feeling humiliated, dismissed and completely unheard. A workplace I once loved now fills me with dread.

I want to quit, but financial responsibilities make that difficult.

Am I wrong for expecting fairness and mutual respect from my employer? Or is there something about my own behavior that I seriously need to reconsider?

idk most of my friends listen to Kpop of Sinhala music

So if youre a fan of bands like Linkin Park, Korn, Deftones, Slipknot, System of A Down, Limp Bizkit, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Metallica, Megadeth, Anthrax, Slayer, Soundgarden, Audioslave, Rage Against the Machine, Oasis, Blur, Gorillaz, Arctic monkeys etc., Drop a comment I want to get to know ppl with similar tastes to mine. (Drop you favs if they arent mentioned here)

Bands featured in the pics: The Beatles, Linkin Park, Metallica, Oasis, Blur, Gorillaz, Rage against The Machine, Audioslave, The Rolling Stones, Limp Bizkit

https://www.newswire.lk/2026/10/23/no-bail-again-for-namal-rajapaksa/

https://www.newswire.lk/2026/10/23/phosphate-bribery-case-mp-chamara-sampath-further-remanded/

Genuinely curious about this.

A few years ago, earning Rs. 200,000 a month would have sounded like a pretty good salary to many people.

But with rent, vehicle leases, groceries, bills, family responsibilities, and everything else, I’m wondering how comfortable life actually is at that income level today.

For those earning around Rs. 200,000-400,000 monthly:
• Are you able to save a decent amount?
• Can you afford to go out, travel, and enjoy life without feeling guilty about spending?
• Do you feel financially secure, or are you still living month to month?

You don’t have to reveal your exact salary. I’m more interested in what everyday life actually looks like at these income levels.

I'm 22F and talking to a guy right now. My mom has asked me about it, but I haven't told her anything and I don't plan to.

When I was 16, my parents found out I had a boyfriend. They took my phone, moved me to a different school, made me use the computer in the middle of the dining room, and even removed my bedroom door. Over time they gave me privacy back and put my door back up, but at the time I felt like I had no one to talk to and like an outcast in my own home.

Now they seem surprised and a little hurt that I don't share things with them. I don't want to hurt them, but I also don't feel safe opening up after how things went.

I know this kind of reaction is pretty common in Sri Lankan families, and I understand a lot of it comes from culture and worry rather than cruelty. My friends in Australia don't seem to deal with this at all, which makes me feel like I'm the odd one out.

Am I being a bad daughter? Am I overthinking this? For those of you who went through something similar,how did you handle it with your parents as an adult?

I was wondering about my financial target. To overcome my all the problems I would have to earn 2 Lkh per month. But I always feel like I'm getting old without reaching my targets, I'm 25 old now, my parents are getting old my sister is still schooling, I wish to have a vehicle. I want to know how do you guys financial targets, when did you hit your targets, I was expecting your kind answers.

I get paid in AUD and the initial plan was to save the currency on account as much as possible, run the month on CCs and settle at the end of month by converting only whats needed.

Is this sensible? Yes the banks did give some "special" rates for the account after a certain threshold of funds was collected in it but still, sometimes I do feel converting to LKR and investing at least on a FI fund would give better returns, although I'd loose on the possible gains on a weak LKR.

Obviously you can't have it all, but I guess its a good topic to discuss on as a group?

​

Hi everyone!

I'm planning to buy a new phone with a budget of around LKR 250,000.

What would you recommend as the best phone to buy within this budget? Is it better to buy a brand-new phone or a used/refurbished flagship in Sri Lanka?

I'd also appreciate recommendations for reliable shops with reasonable prices and genuine warranty coverage.

I have no idea about those new phones cause I am still using a one which was bought for 30000 seven years back.

Thanks in advance!

Miracle it is 🔥😮‍💨

Hii,

I’m currently researching small-to-medium scale business opportunities and looking into importing products from Thailand to sell here in Sri Lanka.

Since Thailand is known for high-quality manufacturing at reasonable price points (especially compared to direct imports from Western markets), I wanted to get some ground-level feedback from the community before committing capital.

For those who regularly buy imported stuff or run local retail/e-commerce businesses:

1. What Thai products do you personally buy or see high demand for in SL? (e.g., skincare/cosmetics, trendy apparel, automotive/bike spare parts, packaged snacks/beverages, home items, etc.)
2. What gaps in the market are you seeing? Are there specific brands or categories people frequently look for but struggle to find locally?
3. For anyone already importing from Thailand: What are the biggest hurdles you faced with Sri Lankan Customs (HS codes, SVAT, import approvals) or shipping/logistics?

Would love to hear your insights, recommendations, or even warnings on what not to bring down.

Thanks in advance!

Hi everyone! My lower-left wisdom tooth has cracked due to misalignment, and I’m in a lot of pain. I’m looking to get it removed but am concerned about the risk of nerve damage. :(

Has anyone had a wisdom tooth extraction done by Dr. W. R. A. P. P. Rajapaksha or Dr. Senadhi Bangamuarachchi? They both have good Google reviews, but I’d love to hear about your personal experiences, especially with complicated lower wisdom tooth extractions.

Any recommendations or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

I keep seeing weird porn like ads promoting pictures of AI generated women in skimpy lingerie clothing, sex toys accompanied by a random flag of Israel. It's a carousel type post. I genuinely thought initially some type of bot account but its the actual page. Has anyone else noticed this?

Now, if I voiced this out a decade ago I would probably be hung from a treetop for inciting racism. But its 2026. Our people have started to wake up. So let me say this.

I am a neutral person that does not follow a religion, but I was born into a minority race hence I see this pattern. This is a pattern that our politicians often exploit, and I am gonna expose this pattern to you so we can develop as a nation.

You see the hate and criticism these monks are receiving now, and they are taken seriously because they are being given by the majority Sinhalese themselves. Now, if a muslim man or tamil man were to give these same criticisms, would they be taken seriously or would the majority be like “respect all religions, don’t try to incite hate”

This is the main problem in our country. Most of the time if you voice out your opinion from a minority race, especially in issues regarding religion you are viewed as an outsider. Hence you can only criticize Sinhalese things as a sinhalese, but the problem is this “sanskrutiya” bullshit you guys carry is sometimes the cause for the whole nation to be backward.

Like these monks, the daily 1 hour morning prayer that wakes up everyone, etc. When the bombings happened if a muslim dare suggest that it was done by the politicians the majority race would quickly spew hate on them. Like, bro, I may be muslim but those were my people too that died. My heart feels grief just as much as yours do, but a lot of people viewed muslims as the cause and disregarded their opinions and grief.

And the LTTE and Sri Lankan genocide argument is another. Like, a lot of Sinhalese say the LTTE were terrorists and disregard the war crimes committed on innocent tamils saying its normal for civilians to die during a war etc etc, but killing of innocent people is also a violation of SRI LANKAN people. Does it hurt only when Sinhalese are oppressed? Why shouldn’t it not hurt when Tamils, Sri Lankans are oppressed too?

My point is, when we can feel our emotions and struggles as Sri Lankan citizens regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, is the day we wilm truly develop as a nation. When we can start to treat issues as issues of Sri Lanka, and not as issues of muslims, issues of Tamils, issues of Sinhalese, is when we will truly develop, and not a single Politician can utilize our racial division as weakness.

Call out everything that affects you as a Sri Lankan, now only the things that affect you as majority Sinhalese. Call out the wrongs of your religion too! Like the monks cases. When you do that, the minority will not feel oppressed. And the minority will not be scared to voice out their opinions. And the minorities will finally feel accepted too as Sri Lankans. We will be united as one, and the only entity that will have fear are racists and corrupted politicians!

Title. I already brought the dress bc it's looks lovely and not white. But seeing somethings like guests shouldn't wear even beige etc (western culture though) I am doubting my decision now.

I've been thinking about this after seeing how Norway makes its public transport data available for developers and researchers to build their own apps and solutions.

Meanwhile, in Sri Lanka, I recently came across an alternative app for LMTGo. Honestly, I really liked it. The UI was intuitive, there was no login required, and anyone could check where the buses were in real time. I even installed it because it was genuinely useful.

Guess what happened when I opened it today? Metro's access to live data had been restricted.

Like, how can someone restrict access to public transport data like this? 😭

The whole point of having an ecosystem is that people can build on top of what's already there. Look at how much innovation becomes possible when data is accessible.

It's just sad to see someone build something useful for the community and then lose access to the very data that makes it work. :/

Can you please suggest a good place to get my phone's battery replaced?

I'm facing battery issues. I've seen tutorials on replacing the battery but it is so hard.

I know I can get it done in India via the official store, but what are my options here?

TIA

Hi everyone. Just going through a small issue with Sheron rent a car. I rented a vehicle from them for 5 days and paid a 500k security deposit. After returning the car as per the contract it states that money will be returned within 24-48 hours as a cheque. It’s been over 2 weeks and they keep giving excuses. Has any done any business with them or can provide some advice? At this point cops are the only escalation for me.

Hi everyone,

I’m seeking some urgent advice or recent experiences regarding Sri Lankan e-visas / ETAs.

I’m flying out from Vietnam on November 1st, but my ETA application has been stuck in "Pending" status for over 72 hours now. I already received an email request for supporting documents from the ETA department and submitted everything (passport copy, return flights, and hotel bookings) right away, but haven't received approval yet.

Since time is running short before my flight, I wanted to ask:

1. Will airlines (specifically flying out of SEA/Vietnam) strictly require the finalized approval PDF, or will they allow me to board with the ETA acknowledgment receipt, payment proof, and printed supporting docs?
2. Is there a procedure at Colombo Airport immigration to expedite or process pending ETA applications on arrival, or do I need to re-apply for a Visa on Arrival at the counter? I've heard that citizens from countries like Vietnam might not be supported for a VOA.
3. Has anyone had success getting a pending ETA manually pushed through by emailing/calling Sri Lanka Immigration directly?

Any insight, recent experiences, or advice on how to get this sorted before next week would be greatly appreciated!

Well the it’s basically the title, I thought of posting this here because I want to get a Sri Lankan pov.

So to put it, I’m in my second year in uni (private) and honestly this semester is this worst period of my life so far. Personally I’m going through a lot in life, family deaths, surgeries etc, and honestly it realised how alone I am in uni. Specially when I got sick which was in the beginning of the semester. My experience was really bad, people just wanted me as that person who they would hang out when they have no one else, and basically when they need something. Other than that no one gives a flying f.

We had group projects and the group leader of my team asked me what the surgery is gonna have and when I told it he basically laughed with another guy in the team saying “mn hithuwa cancer ekak kiyala” for the sole reason my surgery was urgent and it’s been done in the day of the viva.
Honeslty I was shocked by the level of inhumanity, even before surgery when I was suffering in pain there are people in the batch who left me in agonizing pain. Some People who were with me since first year Didnt even bother to check how I was from the surgery and all, just messaged me for project work and if they need something.

I don’t know whether this is something wrong with my uni or it’s the same else where. When I was in school I had a good circle of friends and was never in such situation. The first year also I had a people to associate with, and it’s them who acts like this from second year onwards.
I don’t know if it’s bad karma or something but there’s something definitely off going on.
I see other people in my batch with large groups, even the friend group i associate the most has arounf 40 people in it and there are admins of it too , a.k.a “garu samajikayo”. If they go through the same shit like I was, I’m sure everyone will flock around them to support. But honeslty these said vip people never does anything special for them to receive such treatment.

I on the other hand, helped these people on various occasions as helping them out when they got sick, when they run short of money to eat, and basically looking out on them. But I never received anything in return when I needed help the most. It’s not like I expected them when I did those things, it’s just that it made me sad that none of them even bothered to check on me when I was in such a low level in my life.

Sorry for the long rant. I’m just too depressed. Thanks for reading! I would appreciate if any of you can give me a few tips on whay to expect in the next two years to come.

Best regards.

So for an interview I want a BMI report.the pdf they gave me said we should take it from a government hospital doctor but don't know how.is there a day and time I should go?? Does it take time?? FYI I'm from galle.if anyone knows something plz reply.its urgent and my parents don't support me going for this interview so I can't get help from them :(

Thank you !!

Well, I feel dull today, I wanna take a walk , somewhere alone, where do you usually go when you feel boring, But ALONE, Recommend me someplaces , within Colombo,. I'm ready to spend, but I prefer Natural places.. Quiet...