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

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

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