Jaffna Monitor - Unafraid and Unbowed

The Mahavamsa Shashi Tharoor Left Out

By Aruliniyan Mahalingam Shashi Tharoor gave the sort of speech he is known for at the Colombo Literary Festival last week: fluent, warm, faintly flattering to its hosts. Standing in the Arcade at Independence Square, he called Sri Lanka a land “profoundly steeped in rich, mesmerising oral traditions,” and traced its historical pulse to two ancient chronicles: the Mahavamsa, or Great Chronicle, and its predecessor the Dipavamsa, or Island Chronicle. These, he said, were “a library of cultural m

Aruliniyan Mahalingam

Jul 27, 2026 — 8 min read

How a Pilgrim's Dog Led to a Sri Lankan Worker's Prison Sentence in Saudi Arabia

JM Exclusive July 2026

Our Reporter

Jul 27, 2026 — 3 min read

‘Our People Were Failed by Both National and International Justice Systems’: Shankari Chandran

Exclusive Interview JM Exclusive

Aruliniyan Mahalingam

Jul 25, 2026 — 20 min read

The Audacious and Troubled Life of Panagoda Maheswaran

JM Exclusive July 2026

Aruliniyan Mahalingam

Jul 23, 2026 — 10 min read

JUSTICE, APPARENTLY, HAS A GUEST LIST

By Che Ran Sri Lanka has discovered prison justice. Wonderful. Only took us forty-three years. Twenty-eight people are dead after the July 2026 violence at Negombo Prison: 20 prisoners and eight prison officials. More than 100 were injured. The government appointed an investigative committee. Police investigations began. The Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka launched its own inquiry. Ministers went to Parliament. Families demanded answers. Newspapers carried photographs of grieving relati

Guest Column July 2026

Che Ran

Jul 29, 2026 — 13 min read

"Sri Lanka's Strategic Importance Is Greater Than Ever Amid Middle East Tensions": Japanese Ambassador

COLOMBO — Citing escalating geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and Sri Lanka's growing importance as a maritime hub in the Indian Ocean, Japan on Tuesday said strengthening the island nation's border health infrastructure had become essential to safeguarding global trade and public health, as it inaugurated a new Port Health Office at the Port of Colombo. "Amid ongoing geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, Sri Lanka's strategic importance as a safe and reliable maritime hub in the Ind

July 2026 Monitor Memo

Our Reporter

Jul 29, 2026 — 2 min read

Why the President Needs the August 3 Meeting as Much as Tamil Leaders Do

By M.R. Narayan Swamy There is an important reason President Anura Dissanayake must be equally looking forward to a meeting on August 3 with leaders of six Tamil and Muslim parties in Sri Lanka. In the first major initiative since coming together on July 13 to flag issues of common concern, the six parties sought a meeting with Dissanayake to address a string of unresolved issues plaguing the Tamil-speaking communities. Immediately after Batticaloa MP Shanakiyan Rasamanickam sent a letter req

Guest Column July 2026

M.R. Narayan Swamy

Jul 28, 2026 — 3 min read

Buddhist Monks Challenge NPP Government Over Constitution and Archaeological Lands

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Thousands of Buddhist monks gathered in Colombo on Monday for a conference where speakers voiced concern over possible constitutional reforms, the administration of archaeological lands in Sri Lanka's Northern and Eastern provinces, and what they said was growing criticism of the Buddhist clergy. The Maha Sangha Conference, held at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall under the theme "Sukhā Sanghassa Sāmaggī" ("The Unity of the Sangha Brings Happiness"),

JM Exclusive July 2026

Our Reporter

Jul 27, 2026 — 2 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

Aruliniyan Mahalingam

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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Senior NPP Insider Says Coalition Never Approved Judges' Retirement Age Plan

COLOMBO — A senior lawyer who sits on the governing National People's Power's leadership council and executive council has publicly broken with the government over its bid to extend the retirement age of judges, saying neither body ever took such a decision — and that he was told to keep his mouth shut when he raised the question internally. Speaking at a media briefing attended by President's Counsel and senior members of the Bar, Attorney-at-Law Lal Wijenayake, a veteran of the country's left

July 2026 Monitor Memo

Our Reporter

Jul 27, 2026 — 3 min read

1987: The Year Sri Lanka's War Could Have Ended

By M.R. Narayan Swamy It was close to midnight on July 28, 1987, when I got a tip I had been waiting for: Velupillai Prabhakaran and Anton Balasingham were in a meeting with Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, ahead of his trip to Colombo to sign the India-Sri Lanka Agreement. My source was the indefatigable Shankar Rajee of EROS. This was breaking news. The Tamil Tigers, we knew, were unhappy with the proposed accord and were avoiding Gandhi. The TULF and other militants had given their approval, ev

Guest Column July 2026

M.R. Narayan Swamy

Jul 26, 2026 — 5 min read

Six Tamil-Speaking Parties Seek Meeting With President

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — A coalition of six Tamil-speaking political parties has formally requested a meeting with President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, in what could be the first coordinated political initiative since the parties agreed earlier this month to work together on issues affecting Sri Lanka's Tamil-speaking communities despite their longstanding political differences. The request, made in a letter to the president following a meeting on Friday at the Parliament complex, comes as the gover

July 2026 Monitor Memo

Our Reporter

Jul 25, 2026 — 2 min read

As El Niño Builds, Sri Lanka’s North Faces Heat, Water Stress and the Risk of Floods

JAFFNA, Sri Lanka — Northern Sri Lanka should brace for a long spell of heat, growing strain on its water, and sharp swings from drought to downpour as El Niño gathers strength in the Pacific, a University of Jaffna climate scholar has warned. Prof. Nagamuthu Pratheeparajah, a professor of geography and dean of the university’s Faculty of Arts, said people should start conserving water now and managing their wells, tanks, and reservoirs with more care, especially in districts that already run s

JM Exclusive July 2026

Our Reporter

Jul 25, 2026 — 7 min read