Court Orders Arrest of Custodian of Anuradhapura’s Eight Sacred Sites in Child Abuse Case

Court Orders Arrest of Custodian of Anuradhapura’s Eight Sacred Sites in Child Abuse Case

ANURADHAPURA, Sri Lanka — A chief magistrate in Sri Lanka on Friday ordered the immediate arrest of one of the country’s most senior Buddhist monks over allegations of grave sexual abuse involving a 15-year-old girl, in a case that has shaken both religious and legal institutions. Chief Magistrate Siyapath Sasindu Wickramaratne of Anuradhapura directed police to arrest Ven. Pallegama Hemarathana Thera, the Chief Incumbent of the Atamasthana, which comprises the eight most sacred Buddhist sites
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Vijay Crosses Majority Threshold, Bringing Dravidian Duopoly to Historic End

Vijay Crosses Majority Threshold, Bringing Dravidian Duopoly to Historic End

By M.R. Narayan Swamy After days of uncertainty, movie heartthrob Vijay is finally set to be Tamil Nadu’s new chief minister after securing the support of three smaller parties, which helped him cross the magic number needed to form a government in the southern state. Losing no time, Vijay, 51, one of India’s highest-paid film stars, on Friday staked claim to form a government at his third meeting in as many days with Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, who until now refused to let him take
JM Exclusive May 2026
M.R. Narayan Swamy

M.R. Narayan Swamy
Former SriLankan Airlines Chief Found Dead After Court Orders Rearrest in Bribery Case

Former SriLankan Airlines Chief Found Dead After Court Orders Rearrest in Bribery Case

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Kapila Chandrasena, the former chief executive of SriLankan Airlines who was facing charges in one of Sri Lanka’s most consequential corruption investigations, was found dead on Thursday at a residence in Colombo’s Kollupitiya neighborhood, police said. He was 58. The death came one day after a Colombo court ordered his rearrest over what prosecutors described as violations of his bail conditions. Police said they suspected suicide. Investigations are continuing. Mr. Chand
May 2026 Monitor Memo
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The Ones Who Warn Power: Why Every Nation Needs Its Brave Dissenters
Ngiam Tong Dow

The Ones Who Warn Power: Why Every Nation Needs Its Brave Dissenters

By Jeevan Thiyagaraja There is a particular species of public servant that institutions simultaneously need and resent. They are not contrarians for sport. They are not leakers or rebels. They are people who have earned, through decades of credibility and demonstrated competence, the standing to say the thing that everyone in the room has already thought but nobody will speak aloud. Call them institutional dissenters. Call them honest brokers. The label matters less than the function: they exi
May 2026 OP-ED
Jeevan Thiyagaraja

Jeevan Thiyagaraja
In Jaffna Killing, Family Seeks Justice as Police Conduct Comes Under Scrutiny

In Jaffna Killing, Family Seeks Justice as Police Conduct Comes Under Scrutiny

JAFFNA, Sri Lanka — The family of Arul Payas, the youth killed in a police shooting in Jaffna’s Allaipiddy area earlier this year, publicly accused Sri Lankan authorities on Wednesday of denying them justice, alleging intimidation, institutional indifference, and political abandonment in the months following his death. Speaking through tears at a press conference held at the Jaffna Media Centre, relatives said their efforts to seek accountability, including a visit to Colombo in hopes of meetin
May 2026 Monitor Memo
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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
Editorial July 2025
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
Cover Story June 2025
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
Editorial June 2025
Kaniyan Pungundran

Kaniyan Pungundran

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Tamil Nadu Thrown Into Political Turmoil as Governor Blocks Vijay’s Path

Tamil Nadu Thrown Into Political Turmoil as Governor Blocks Vijay’s Path

By M.R. Narayan Swamy Tamil Nadu was in a state of unexpected flux as superstar Vijay battled with the New Delhi-appointed governor to get a crucial invite to prove his legislative majority, with some political parties saying the drama was being orchestrated by the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. After leading his Tamilga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) to stunning victories in 108 seats in the 234-member Assembly, Vijay faced a sudden googly from Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, who sa
May 2026 OP-ED
M.R. Narayan Swamy

M.R. Narayan Swamy
Chandrika Congratulates Vijay, Signaling Regional Interest in Tamil Nadu’s New Political Era

Chandrika Congratulates Vijay, Signaling Regional Interest in Tamil Nadu’s New Political Era

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Former Sri Lankan President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga has formally congratulated Tamil film star-turned-politician C. Joseph Vijay on his election as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, praising his rise as a “remarkable achievement” and expressing hope for stronger ties between Sri Lanka and the southern Indian state. In a letter dated May 6, 2026, addressed to Vijay, Kumaratunga acknowledged his electoral victory and highlighted the longstanding relationship between Ta
May 2026 Monitor Memo
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As Vietnam's Leader Visits Colombo, Sri Lanka Studies the Lessons of a Marxist Economic Success

As Vietnam's Leader Visits Colombo, Sri Lanka Studies the Lessons of a Marxist Economic Success

COLOMBO — Vietnam’s President and Communist Party General Secretary Tô Lâm is set to arrive in Sri Lanka today for a two-day state visit that officials in both countries describe as the most consequential diplomatic engagement between Hanoi and Colombo since formal ties were established more than five decades ago — a visit freighted with economic ambition, ideological affinity and the careful optimism of two nations seeking to build something more durable than goodwill. His motorcade from Banda
JM Exclusive May 2026
Jaffna Monitor

Jaffna Monitor
Vijay’s Victory Inspires Jaffna Activist’s Satirical Broadside Against Dynastic and Caste Politics

Vijay’s Victory Inspires Jaffna Activist’s Satirical Broadside Against Dynastic and Caste Politics

A Jaffna-based civil activist has used Tamil actor Vijay’s landmark electoral victory in Tamil Nadu as a launchpad for a biting satirical open letter that says far more about Sri Lankan Tamil political culture than it does about the film star himself — lampooning dynastic privilege, and caste hierarchy. Arun Siddharth, Jaffna District Coordinator of Sarvajana Balaya, addressed the letter to Vijay at his party’s Chennai headquarters, opening with a salutation to the “Honorable ‘Excellency’ Comma
May 2026 Monitor Memo
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