Jaffna Monitor - Unafraid and Unbowed

Accountability for Others, Immunity for One’s Own

On March 27, Kumara Jayakody walked into the Colombo High Court, was formally indicted on corruption charges, posted bail, and had his fingerprints taken. Then he returned to his ministerial office. On April 10, 153 Members of Parliament from the National People's Power voted to keep him there. He remains Sri Lanka's Energy Minister today — attending Cabinet, drawing a public salary, governing a portfolio that just lost seven billion rupees of public money. If this had happened under Mahinda Ra

Kaniyan Pungundran

Apr 15, 2026 — 6 min read

Indian Vice President to Visit Sri Lanka as Bilateral Ties Deepen

April 2026 Monitor Memo

Our Reporter

Apr 13, 2026 — 2 min read

After Assurances, Thaiyiddy Landowners Agree to Survey in Temple Dispute

April 2026 JM Exclusive

Our Reporter

Apr 13, 2026 — 3 min read

The War That Reopened What Was Already Open

April 2026 Guest Column

Abbi Kanthasamy

Apr 12, 2026 — 4 min read

Colombo Eyes Control of Jaffna’s Cultural Centre

JAFFNA, Sri Lanka — Sri Lanka’s Cabinet is expected to consider a proposal to place the Jaffna Thiruvalluvar Cultural Centre under a new seven-member governing body dominated by central government representatives, according to officials familiar with the plan. If approved, the move would formalize national oversight of a complex built with Indian grant funding on land owned by the Jaffna Municipal Council — and presented, repeatedly, as a gift to the people of the North. The proposal has not b

April 2026 JM Exclusive

Our Reporter

Apr 15, 2026 — 3 min read

The Tamil Renaissance

By Jeevan Thiyagaraja Generations have scattered across the globe while others remained, tending to the soil of their ancestors through the unimaginable. Though separated by oceans and time, all share the same roots. The time has come for the North to reclaim its narrative—a Tamil Renaissance where a smart, confident, and contented North acts as catalyst for a proud, cultured, and developed community found around the world. I. The Ancient Maritime Spirit: A Legacy of Global Connection Long b

April 2026 Guest Column

Jeevan Thiyagaraja

Apr 15, 2026 — 10 min read

After Delays, Sri Lankan Government Releases Funds for Chemmani Mass Grave Investigation

JAFFNA, Sri Lanka — The Sri Lankan government has allocated 21 million rupees for the third phase of excavations at the Chemmani mass grave site, officials said. The release of funds follows repeated postponements caused by a lack of financial approval and adverse weather conditions that left the site waterlogged. The case is scheduled to be taken up again at the Jaffna Magistrate’s Court on April 21, when authorities are expected to indicate when excavation work will resume. Chemmani, a villa

April 2026 Monitor Memo

Our Reporter

Apr 13, 2026 — 2 min read

A Tale of Two Energy Landscapes: Trincomalee Oil Tanks and Jurong Island

By: Dr. Gamini Goonetilleke The contrasting stories of the oil tank farm in Trincomalee and the development of Jurong Island, located to the southwest of mainland Singapore, provide a powerful example of how vision, planning, and governance can shape the destiny of strategic assets. Both locations possess significant geographical advantages and lie along major maritime routes. Yet, while Jurong Island has grown into a global energy and petrochemical hub, the Trincomalee oil tanks have r

April 2026 Guest Column

Dr. Gamini Goonetilleke

Apr 12, 2026 — 5 min read

Unafraid and Unbowed

Archbishop, Archbishop, why hast thou forsaken us in our hour of sorrow and slaughter?

"Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins." - Isaiah 58:1 His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith, Archbishop of Colombo and chief shepherd of the Catholic flock in all of Sri Lanka, has recently marked fifty years in the sacred priesthood. As the highest-ranking prelate whose dominion spans the entire island, he now stands as a mighty voice crying for justice, calling upon the nations of the earth for interv

Editorial July 2025

Kaniyan Pungundran

Jul 14, 2025 — 12 min read

Jaffna Library Burning: The Day They Burned the buddha and his dhamma

Why South Asia Reveres Books-and Fears Their Destruction Irrespective of religion, across the Indian subcontinent, books have long held an exalted status. In the indigenous spiritual traditions that emerged from this land-Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism-knowledge is not merely valued; it is venerated in the highest order. In homes, temples, and schools across the region, people treat books with profound reverence-never touching them with their feet, and if done accidentally, offering a

Cover Story June 2025

Kaniyan Pungundran

Jun 16, 2025 — 14 min read

Chemmani: Where Justice Was Buried

The dead do not speak - but the earth does A few years ago, I visited Cambodia. My original aim was to see the Angkor Wat temple complex. But, as always, my journalistic instincts led me deeper into rural Cambodia, where I found myself in quiet conversations with a few former soldiers of the Pol Pot regime, now living ordinary lives as toddy tappers, farmers, and small shop owners. One of them - a former henchman of the Khmer Rouge - opened up after a few glasses of toddy. In a hauntingly calm

Editorial June 2025

Kaniyan Pungundran

Jun 16, 2025 — 7 min read

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China Assures Sri Lanka of Stable Fuel Supply Amid Middle East Tensions

KANDY, Sri Lanka — China’s ambassador to Sri Lanka, Qi Zhenhong, said on Saturday that Sri Lanka would not face a fuel shortage despite mounting global uncertainty linked to the conflict in the Middle East, offering strong assurances of continued Chinese support. Speaking to reporters after attending a program to distribute dry rations to 350 low-income families at Sri Chandananda Buddhist College in Kandy, the ambassador said that while several countries were experiencing disruptions to fuel s

April 2026 Monitor Memo

Our Reporter

Apr 12, 2026 — 2 min read

Dispute Grows as Government Moves to Formalise Buddhist Claim at Vedukkunari Hill

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — The Sri Lankan government is moving to designate Vedukunari Hill, a contested site in the Nedunkerny area of Vavuniya, as a protected forest zone, a step officials say is necessary to preserve an ancient Buddhist heritage site but one that has deepened unease among Tamil political leaders over how the island’s past is being officially defined. The issue resurfaced after the Minister of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs, Dr. Hiniduma Sunil Senevi, told Parliament

April 2026 Monitor Memo

Our Reporter

Apr 11, 2026 — 4 min read

ITAK Backs No-Confidence Motion but Balks at Confronting Government

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — April 11, 2026 — Lawmakers from the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Katchi (ITAK) unanimously agreed to support a no-confidence motion against Power and Energy Minister Kumara Jayakody on Friday, but several members hesitated to take a leading role in publicly confronting the government, according to multiple party sources familiar with internal discussions. The motion, taken up in Parliament on Friday, prompted an online meeting of ITAK’s political committee and parliamentary group a

April 2026 Monitor Memo

Our Reporter

Apr 11, 2026 — 2 min read

Hindu Groups Urge Official Recognition of Ancient Kathirgamam Pilgrimage Routeaft

KARAITHIVU, Sri Lanka — Hindu organizations from Sri Lanka’s Northern and Eastern provinces have called on the government to formally recognize the historic Kathirgamam (Kataragama) pilgrimage route as a sacred pilgrimage, urging authorities to issue a gazette notification granting it official status. The appeal was made during a meeting held on Saturday at the Swami Vipulananda Memorial Hall in Karaithivu, where government officials and religious representatives gathered to discuss the future

April 2026 Monitor Memo

Our Reporter

Apr 11, 2026 — 1 min read