The Man the LTTE Couldn’t Kill

The Man the LTTE Couldn’t Kill

Most Sri Lankans may not know that veteran former minister and MP Douglas Devananda, now jailed over a pistol allegedly found with a criminal after being given to his party, employed many former Tamil Tigers in his office even as he passionately opposed the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). When Douglas, as he is widely known, was a minister in Colombo, his personal secretary responsible for fixing his appointments was one Gowri, who was earlier a high-ranking operative in the rebels’ ba


M.R. Narayan Swamy

M.R. Narayan Swamy

Bridges of Belief: Tamil- Buddhist Synergy in Sri Lanka’s Spiritual Tapestry

Bridges of Belief: Tamil- Buddhist Synergy in Sri Lanka’s Spiritual Tapestry

In Sri Lanka Buddhism is often associated with the Sinhalese and the ancient capitals of Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa and Kandy. There is no doubt that the Sinhala speaking people in general and many erudite monks in particular have largely been responsible for the preservation and growth of Buddhism in Sri Lanka for over two millennia. Historically however Buddhism also had a significant presence in South India and Northern Sri Lanka. Literary and archaeological evidence from South India and the J


Prof. Mahesh Nirmalan

Prof. Mahesh Nirmalan

Peace Road to Jaffna: The 2002 A9 Odyssey

Peace Road to Jaffna: The 2002 A9 Odyssey

By air, by sea, and now—after almost two decades—by land. My journeys to Jaffna had always been shaped by the shifting tides of Sri Lanka’s civil war. I had flown many times into the heavily fortified Palaly Base Hospital to treat injured soldiers. I had sailed across the uncertain seas in 1994 with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to assist the medical students of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Jaffna, in completing the final examination for the medical degree (MBBS-


Dr. Gamini Goonetilleke

Dr. Gamini Goonetilleke

Lalith–Kugan Case Reaches Critical Stage as Court Presses Gotabaya Rajapaksa

Lalith–Kugan Case Reaches Critical Stage as Court Presses Gotabaya Rajapaksa

The Jaffna Magistrate's Court has ordered former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to submit a sworn affidavit by February 6, 2026, detailing the death threats he claims are preventing his appearance in court for a case involving the enforced disappearance of two political activists 14 years ago. The directive came after Rajapaksa's legal team informed the court that the former president was unable to travel to Jaffna due to security concerns, specifically citing death threats against him. The cour


Our Reporter

Our Reporter

Unafraid and Unbowed

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

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


Kaniyan Pungundran

Kaniyan Pungundran

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

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


Kaniyan Pungundran

Kaniyan Pungundran

Chemmani: Where Justice Was Buried

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


Kaniyan Pungundran

Kaniyan Pungundran

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Emeritus Professor Velupillai Tharmaratnam, Pioneer of Jaffna University's Science Faculty, Passes Away

Emeritus Professor Velupillai Tharmaratnam, Pioneer of Jaffna University's Science Faculty, Passes Away

Emeritus Professor Velupillai Tharmaratnam, the founding Dean of the Faculty of Science at the University of Jaffna and a distinguished mathematician, has passed away. Professor Tharmaratnam, who served as Dean from 1978 to 1984, was instrumental in establishing the foundational infrastructure and academic standards of the Faculty of Science during the institution's formative years following its separation from the University of Sri Lanka. Joining the University of Jaffna in the late 1970s aft


Our Reporter

Our Reporter

Karaituraiyappattu PS Chairman Found Passed Out Drunk on the Road

Karaituraiyappattu PS Chairman Found Passed Out Drunk on the Road

In an incident that has triggered both public anger and quiet amusement across the Northern Province, Karaituraiyappattu Pradeshiya Sabha Chairman Chinnarasa Logeswaran was found passed out under the influence of alcohol on a narrow lane in broad daylight. The episode occurred during Maaveerar Week, a period of solemn remembrance for the Tamil community, further intensifying public condemnation of the chairman’s behaviour. Social Media Turns Incident into Satire Photos and video clips of Log


Our Reporter

Our Reporter

LTTE Maaveerar Yesterday, Army “War Heroes” Today: Floods Perform Historic Reconciliation for Archchuna MP

LTTE Maaveerar Yesterday, Army “War Heroes” Today: Floods Perform Historic Reconciliation for Archchuna MP

In an unusual turn of events, Jaffna District MP Ramanathan Archchuna found himself rescued by Sri Lankan military personnel — just hours after attending Maaveerar Naal commemorations honouring fallen LTTE cadres the previous night. Adding to the irony, he appeared to be wearing the same shirt he had worn at the Maaveerar event, indicating he was likely returning from the previous night’s ceremony when the army stepped in to rescue him around midday. Speaking in Parliament, Archchuna described


Our Reporter

Our Reporter

Anti-Sand Mining Whistleblower Killed; Family Alleges Deliberate Hit-and-Kill

Anti-Sand Mining Whistleblower Killed; Family Alleges Deliberate Hit-and-Kill

A 35-year-old activist who had repeatedly reported illegal sand mining was killed after being struck by a tipper lorry carrying illicitly mined sand — in what his family alleges was a deliberate attack. Selvaratnam Sopanath, a resident of Thiruvaiyāru, died on the spot near Mottai Bridge on Wilson Road in Kilinochchi. According to relatives, Sopanath was travelling on a motorcycle with his wife from Kilinochchi town towards Iranamadu when the incident occurred. As he attempted to pull over to


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Our Reporter

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