At Jaffna Hindu College, a Former Student Returns With a Message on Resilience

At Jaffna Hindu College, a Former Student Returns With a Message on Resilience

JAFFNA, Sri Lanka — March 20, 2026 — “They tried to silence this ground once… but tonight, listen carefully — it is still speaking.” With that line, Abethan “Abbi” Kanthasamy brought a hushed sports field to stillness on Friday evening, addressing students, teachers, and alumni gathered at the grounds of Jaffna Hindu College. Nearly four decades after he last stood there as a schoolboy, Abbi Kanthasamy — now a Malaysia-based entrepreneur and managing director of the Cinnamon Group — returned a


Our Reporter

Our Reporter

Sri Lanka Cricket: From World Champions to a System in Crisis

Sri Lanka Cricket: From World Champions to a System in Crisis

By: Gamini Goonetilleke Cricket in Sri Lanka has long been more than a sport. It has functioned as a powerful social and cultural force, capable of transcending ethnic, religious, and class divisions, particularly during periods of political conflict and economic uncertainty. From village playgrounds to international stadiums, cricket has united communities and fostered a shared national identity. During the decades of civil conflict, the achievements of the national team created moments


Dr. Gamini Goonetilleke

Dr. Gamini Goonetilleke

“The Diaspora Must Move Beyond Remittances to Structured Investment,” Says Ana Pararajasingham
Ana Pararajasingham

“The Diaspora Must Move Beyond Remittances to Structured Investment,” Says Ana Pararajasingham

Ana Pararajasingham, the author of Uprooted — a work that documents the journeys and successes of the Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora across the world — is an independent researcher and writer based in Australia. His work has long engaged with questions of justice, displacement and identity. His earlier publication, Sri Lanka: A Victor’s Peace (2019), brought together a series of essays originally published in international journals and newspapers, offering a critical perspective on post-war Sri Lank


Aruliniyan Mahalingam

Aruliniyan Mahalingam

Sinhalese March in Jaffna Highlights Minority Concerns in Sri Lanka’s North

Sinhalese March in Jaffna Highlights Minority Concerns in Sri Lanka’s North

JAFFNA, March 19— A march and vehicle procession organised by a group of activists began in Jaffna on Thursday, aiming to draw national attention to the concerns of Sinhalese communities living in Sri Lanka’s Northern Province. The initiative is expected to travel along the A9 highway through several towns before concluding in Colombo, where participants plan to meet President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and submit a memorandum. Organizers said the campaign seeks to highlight grievances related t


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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Faiszer Musthapha Urges Sri Lanka to Seize Opportunity Amid Global Instability

Faiszer Musthapha Urges Sri Lanka to Seize Opportunity Amid Global Instability

Colombo, March 19, 2026 —Opposition MP and President’s Counsel Faiszer Musthapha on Thursday urged the government to act swiftly to attract global capital relocating from conflict-affected regions, warning that Sri Lanka risks missing a rare strategic opening if it remains slow, rigid, and overly constrained by policy orthodoxy. Speaking during a parliamentary debate, Faiszer Musthapha said rising instability in parts of the Middle East was already prompting investors to seek safer destinations


Our Reporter

Our Reporter

Shanakiyan Disputes Key Claims in Jaffna Monitor Editorial on Online Safety Act Case

Shanakiyan Disputes Key Claims in Jaffna Monitor Editorial on Online Safety Act Case

After Jaffna Monitor published its editorial on Sunday questioning Batticaloa District MP Shanakiyan Rasamanickam’s decision to invoke Sri Lanka’s Online Safety Act against dozens of Tamil critics, media figures, and political actors, the lawmaker telephoned this office to present his version of events. Speaking at length, Mr. Shanakiyan defended his decision to seek relief through the courts and described what he said was a prolonged, coordinated campaign of personal defamation directed not on


Our Special Correspondent

Our Special Correspondent

Sri Lanka to Close Government Offices Every Wednesday to Save Fuel

Sri Lanka to Close Government Offices Every Wednesday to Save Fuel

Colombo, March 17, 2026 After days of assuring citizens that fuel supplies were sufficient, the Sri Lankan government said on Monday that it would close government offices, courts, state schools, and universities every Wednesday until further notice to manage fuel consumption. The announcement comes as rising tensions in the Middle East have stirred fresh concerns about energy supplies in a country still clawing its way back from one of the worst economic crises in its modern history. The orde


Our Reporter

Our Reporter

A Dangerous Precedent: When Tamil Leaders Use the Online Safety Act

A Dangerous Precedent: When Tamil Leaders Use the Online Safety Act

Let me say something at the outset. I respect Shanakiyan Rasamanickam. I respect him because, in my estimation, while many of our so-called leaders are busy merely talking, he is one of the few Tamil political leaders who has demonstrated the ability to deliver results. That was very much evident in the last parliamentary election. At the last parliamentary election, when the political tide across much of the North and East shifted dramatically, many Tamil voters were drawn toward the National


Kaniyan Pungundran

Kaniyan Pungundran

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