Jaffna Monitor - Unafraid and Unbowed

400 Kilometres for a Fingerprint

JAFFNA, Sri Lanka — At the Jaffna bus stand, the overnight service to Colombo fills steadily. Some passengers carry small backpacks; others clutch thick plastic folders secured with elastic bands. Many have made this journey before. They are not travelling for work or leisure. They are heading south to fulfill a visa requirement — specifically, to provide biometric fingerprints at a visa application centre. The appointment itself may take only a few minutes. The journey will consume most of a n

Aruliniyan Mahalingam

Feb 21, 2026 — 4 min read

Former LTTE Fighter Says Debt Cost Her a Kidney

February 2026

Our Special Correspondent

Feb 20, 2026 — 6 min read

The Black Day Delusion: How Political Opportunism Is Cannibalising the Tamil Future

Editorial February 2026

Kaniyan Pungundran

Feb 15, 2026 — 14 min read

‘Because I Loved It’: The Jaffna Tamil Hailed as ‘Father of Italian Cricket’ Speaks to Jaffna Monitor

Exclusive Interview February 2026

Aruliniyan Mahalingam

Feb 14, 2026 — 10 min read

Colombo Accused of Governing Tamil North Through the Back Door

Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam, leader of the Tamil National People's Front (TNPF) and a member of Parliament, has accused Sri Lanka's government of attempting to administer the country's Tamil-majority Northern Province through a network of unofficial "shadow ministers," bypassing a long-dormant elected provincial council and effectively concentrating power in the hands of the ruling party. He made the allegations on the floor of Parliament this week, warning that the move amounted to an unconstitu

February 2026 Monitor Memo

Our Reporter

Feb 21, 2026 — 2 min read

RDA Signals Need for Permanent Mullaitivu Bridge, India Open if Asked

MULLAITIVU, Sri Lanka — Sri Lanka’s Road Development Authority (RDA) has confirmed that the temporary Bailey bridge installed on the Paranthan–Karaichchi–Mullaitivu (A035) road after Cyclone Ditwa was never intended to serve as a long-term solution, as pressure grows for the construction of a permanent structure along one of the district’s most vital transport corridors. In an interview with Jaffna Monitor, a senior engineer attached to the RDA’s Northern Province office, speaking on condition

February 2026 Monitor Memo

Our Reporter

Feb 20, 2026 — 3 min read

The Cultural Heritage and History of Kataragama

Historical Context and Religious Co-existence According to Professor Ellawala in Social History of Early Ceylon, the conditions of pre-Buddhist Ceylon mirrored those of contemporary India. He suggests that due to this proximity, the people of Ceylon likely adopted forms of worship such as Saivism, which existed alongside Brahmanism [1]. With the subsequent spread of Buddhism to the villages, Buddhist viharas were often established near earlier Hindu shrines, symbolizing a long-standing traditio

February 2026 Guest Column

Jeevan Thiyagaraja

Feb 20, 2026 — 7 min read

Residents of Mullaitivu Appeal to India for Permanent Bridge After Temporary Structure Faces Restrictions

MULLAITIVU, Sri Lanka —Residents of Mullaitivu District are appealing to the Government of India to replace the temporary bridge on the Paranthan–Karaichchi–Mullaitivu (A035) road with a permanent structure, arguing that while the emergency installation restored vital connectivity after a devastating cyclone, it is no longer sufficient to meet the region’s daily transportation demands. The bridge was installed by India following Cyclone Ditwa, which caused extensive damage to infrastructure acr

February 2026 Monitor Memo

Our Reporter

Feb 19, 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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Namal Rajapaksa Event Cancelled at Cambridge After Protests — But Who Benefits?

The Cambridge Union has cancelled a scheduled speaking event featuring Namal Rajapaksa following sustained pressure from the Tamil diaspora. The decision, announced after what the Union described as “urgent and serious discussions,” was justified on the grounds that it did not believe “a balanced and open discussion on this subject” was possible at present. The invitation had sparked coordinated opposition from Tamil student organisations across the United Kingdom, who accused both the Cambridg

February 2026 Monitor Memo

Our Reporter

Feb 19, 2026 — 3 min read

Jaffna Alumni Honour Classmate Killed at 17 by Building a Study Hall

On a humid morning inside the premises of Jaffna Hindu College, a group of middle-aged men stood quietly as a plaque was unveiled on a newly constructed study hall for hostel students. They were not donors in the conventional sense. They were former classmates — members of the school’s 2001 Advanced Level batch — returning more than a quarter century later to honour a friend whose life was cut short when he was killed by the military during the civil war. The facility, completed at a cost of 1

February 2026 Monitor Memo

Our Reporter

Feb 17, 2026 — 3 min read

The Cosmic Dance of Shiva: A Journey through Time and Philosophy

The temporal evolution of Hindu iconography was the result of changes in the philosophical understanding on the nature of existence and the ability to express these insights through suitable artistic media. In addition to being a source of artistic inspiration these changes also trigger reflection and introspection amongst religious seekers. The journey from the abstract and amorphic Shivalinga through the early anthropomorphic ‘Pasupathi’ of the Indus Valley civilisation and the further exubera

February 2026 Guest Column

Prof. Mahesh Nirmalan

Feb 17, 2026 — 10 min read

The Battle for Elephant Pass – 1991

Editor’s Note The Battle of Elephant Pass has long been remembered through differing — and often opposing — narratives. Many Tamils are familiar with the version told from the LTTE’s perspective. The account that follows offers another vantage point: that of a surgeon who was on duty at Palaly during the siege and witnessed its human cost firsthand. It is presented as a personal historical recollection. Documenting multiple perspectives is essential to understanding the full complexity of Sri

February 2026 Guest Column