Jaffna Monitor - Unafraid and Unbowed

The Business of Hope: How IMHO Helped Rebuild Lives in Sri Lanka

Two decades ago, a small group of Tamil professionals in the United States asked a simple question: instead of meeting and eating, why not do something for our people? What grew from that conversation has transformed hospitals, restored sight, saved hearts, and quietly rewritten the story of a community that war nearly erased. By: Aruliniyan Mahalingam I have no formal connection to the medical profession. Yet, in a way that feels almost inevitable, I have always found myself surrounded by do

Aruliniyan Mahalingam

Mar 29, 2026 — 24 min read

India Sends Lifeline Fuel to Sri Lanka as Supplies Collapse

JM Exclusive March 2026

Our Reporter

Mar 28, 2026 — 1 min read

NPP’s Delay on Provincial Polls Fuels Fears of a Silent Rollback

March 2026 OP-ED

M.R. Narayan Swamy

Mar 28, 2026 — 4 min read

Iran Says Sri Lanka Invited Warship Before U.S. Strike, Confirming Jaffna Monitor Report

JM Exclusive March 2026

Our Special Correspondent

Mar 24, 2026 — 2 min read

Tharanga’s 89.37m Puts Sri Lanka on the Global Javelin Map

COLOMBO — March 29, 2026 — In a performance that could redefine the trajectory of Sri Lankan athletics, Rumesh Tharanga launched the javelin to a staggering 89.37 meters, the longest throw ever recorded by a Sri Lankan athlete in any discipline, pending official ratification. The distance places Tharanga firmly within the elite tier of global javelin throwing — not merely as a national record-holder, but as a potential medal contender on the world stage. A comparison with results from the Worl

March 2026 Monitor Memo

Sports Desk

Mar 29, 2026 — 2 min read

Health Director Testifies Against Jaffna MP Archchuna in Defamation Case Over Drug Allegations

JAFFNA, Sri Lanka — March 28, 2026 — Ramanathan Archchuna, a Member of Parliament for the Jaffna Electoral District, is facing a defamation case filed by Dr. A. Ketheeswaran, Jaffna’s Regional Director of Health Services, who testified in court on Friday that allegations made against him by the lawmaker were false, damaging, and deeply personal. Appearing before the Point Pedro Magistrate’s Court, Dr. Ketheeswaran delivered nearly two hours of testimony, firmly rejecting claims made by Archchu

JM Exclusive March 2026

Our Reporter

Mar 28, 2026 — 2 min read

Sand Mafia Tractor Kills Policeman in Jaffna

JAFFNA, Sri Lanka — March 28, 2026 — A police sergeant was killed and another officer critically injured on Saturday morning after a tractor allegedly linked to illegal sand mining rammed into them in northern Sri Lanka, police said. The incident occurred near a temple in the Kerpeli area of Kodikamam on the Jaffna peninsula, after officers responded to a tip-off about unlawful sand excavation. According to police, two officers dispatched to the site attempted to intercept a tractor transporti

March 2026 Monitor Memo

Our Reporter

Mar 28, 2026 — 1 min read

Machete Attack Leaves Young Man Critically Injured in Jaffna as Drug-Linked Violence Surges

JAFFNA, Sri Lanka — A young man was left fighting for his life after a brutal machete attack in the Pannai area of Jaffna on Thursday evening. According to police, the victim, Soundirarajah Majith, in his early twenties, was riding a motorcycle when he was chased down by a group of assailants on two other bikes. The attackers overtook him, hacked him with machetes and other sharp weapons, and fled. During the assault, Majith lost control of his motorcycle and plunged into the nearby sea. Offic

March 2026 Monitor Memo

Our Reporter

Mar 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

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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U.N. Envoy Urges Sri Lanka to Resolve Northern Land Disputes

JAFFNA, Sri Lanka — March 26, 2026 — The United Nations’ top representative in Sri Lanka on Thursday called for urgent action to resolve long-standing land disputes in the country’s north, after meeting farmers who have been barred from accessing their lands for nearly a decade despite holding legal title. Marc-André Franche, the U.N. Resident Coordinator and representative of the Secretary-General in Sri Lanka, visited Kovilvayal, a village in the Kilinochchi district, where he met with affect

March 2026 Monitor Memo

Our Reporter

Mar 26, 2026 — 2 min read

Elephant Incursion in Jaffna Fuels Claims of Engineered Land Seizure

JAFFNA, Sri Lanka — March 26 — A herd of wild elephants that suddenly appeared in farmland in the Vadamarachchi East area of Jaffna this week has ignited fresh accusations that Sri Lanka’s wildlife authorities may be using animals to strengthen claims over disputed territory. Residents and a local Catholic priest said the elephants destroyed at least 36 coconut trees in the Kattaikadu–Keavil area earlier this week, describing the incident as unprecedented in a region with no historical record o

JM Exclusive March 2026

Our Reporter

Mar 26, 2026 — 2 min read

Velnampy Assumes Office as Jaffna University’s 11th Vice Chancellor.

JAFFNA, Sri Lanka — March 25 — Senior Professor of Accounting at the University of Jaffna, Prof. T. Velnampy, assumed office on Wednesday as the institution’s 11th Vice Chancellor, succeeding Prof. C. Srisatkunarajah, whose term concluded a day earlier. Prof. Velnampy, an academic known for his administrative experience, has in recent years been seen engaging in public forums associated with the National People’s Power (NPP), including attending some of its meetings. His appointment by Preside

March 2026 Monitor Memo

Our Reporter

Mar 25, 2026 — 1 min read

Book Reviews: “The Overthinker and the Elephant” by Vinayak Nirmalan

Dr: Mrs N Rodrigo, Colombo, Sri Lanka The Overthinker and the Elephant is a must read for all thinkers - not necessarily “overthinkers”! It is a thought-provoking, honest, humane, soul searching, spiritual journey in the quest for happiness. The narrative is set against the stunning, luminous backdrop of the night sky in the Himalayas, written in a fluid, friendly, down-to-earth style, enlivened with good humor. Authored by a young second-generation doctor of Sri Lankan origin, domicil

Book Review March 2026