Jaffna Monitor - Unafraid and Unbowed

“Sri Lanka Now Has No Foreign Policy,” Former Foreign Minister G.L. Peiris Says

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka- Former Foreign Minister G. L. Peiris delivered a blistering indictment of the Sri Lankan government Wednesday, accusing it of abandoning the nation's economic interests and diplomatic standing in the wake of the torpedoing of the Iranian warship IRIS Dena, declaring that the country now "has no foreign policy whatsoever." Speaking at a joint opposition media briefing on Wednesday, Mr. Peiris described the sinking of the IRIS Dena as an unprecedented event since World War II,

Our Reporter

Mar 12, 2026 — 5 min read

Malaiyaha Tamils ‘No Longer Just a Labour Community,’ TPA Leader Tells Japanese Ambassador

March 2026 Monitor Memo

Our Reporter

Mar 11, 2026 — 2 min read

Russia and Netherlands Clash in Sri Lanka Over War Photos at World Press Photo Exhibition

JM Exclusive March 2026

Our Reporter

Mar 10, 2026 — 2 min read

India Offers 200 Fully Funded Scholarships to Sri Lankan Students for 2026–27

March 2026

Our Reporter

Mar 9, 2026 — 2 min read

The Meccan Shawl

Translated from the original Tamil short story makkattuc cālvai (மக்கத்துச் சால்வை) from the eponymous 1992 collection of short stories by S.L.M. Hanifa. The original collection is available at noolaham.org. If you have any questions, please contact ez.iniyavan@gmail.com. “Thambi! Mammanifā, do you remember me, son? That day, your wāppā and everyone else remained mum. You were a little boy. But you spotted it like a vigilant crow. You shouted as if you were raise the alarm.” “He is hit, he i

March 2026 Story

Eḻuttukkiṉiyavaṉ

Mar 11, 2026 — 10 min read

Dutch Ambassador Says Russia Tried to Censor Ukraine War Photos in Sri Lanka

COLOMBO — March 11, 2026 The Netherlands’ ambassador to Sri Lanka, Wiebe de Boer, has accused Russia of attempting to restrict what Sri Lankan audiences can see after the Russian Embassy demanded that photographs depicting Moscow’s war in Ukraine be removed from a traveling international photojournalism exhibition currently on display in the country. In an exclusive interview with Jaffna Monitor, Ambassador de Boer said the objections raised by the Russian Embassy reflected an effort to impose

Exclusive Interview March 2026

Our Special Correspondent

Mar 11, 2026 — 3 min read

A Strategic Framework for Sea Transport and Tourism in the Northern Provin

By: Jeevan Thiagarajah The High Price of Neglect For the residents of Sri Lanka’s Northern Province, the Palk Strait and the Jaffna Lagoon are not merely bodies of water; they are lifelines. The islands of Delft, Kayts, Karainagar, Pungudutivu, and Nainathivu are tethered to the Jaffna mainland by a fragile network of ferries. Every day, students, patients, and traders entrust their lives to these vessels. Yet, despite the existence of comprehensive maritime laws, the reality of compliance in

March 2026 OP-ED

Jeevan Thiyagaraja

Mar 11, 2026 — 5 min read

Sri Lanka Fuel Price Hike Defended by CPC Chief, but Data Raises Questions

COLOMBO, March 10, 2026 The chairman of Sri Lanka’s state-run Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC), D.A. Rajakaruna, appeared before the media on March 10 to defend a sharp retail fuel price increase that took effect the same day. The explanation he offered centred on two claims: that global oil prices had risen “nearly 100 percent between the 1st and the 27th” of February into early March, and that a domestic panic-buying surge had drained reserves far sooner than anticipated. Both claims conta

Economics March 2026

Jaffna Monitor Economic Desk

Mar 11, 2026 — 4 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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Sri Lanka Raises Fuel Prices Despite Month-Long Stocks, Sparking Transparency Debate

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — March 10, 2026 Sri Lanka’s decision to raise fuel prices this week, despite government assurances that the country holds more than a month’s supply of petroleum products, has sparked renewed debate about how domestic fuel prices are determined and how transparent the system is. The state-run Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) announced the increase effective from midnight on March 9. Under the revised rates, Petrol 92 Octane rose by 24 rupees to 317 rupees per litre, whil

March 2026 Opinion & Analysis

Our Special Correspondent

Mar 10, 2026 — 5 min read

Global Oil Surge Hits Sri Lanka: Fuel Prices Rise Across All Categories

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Sri Lanka raised fuel prices across all categories on Monday, delivering a fresh blow to middle- and working-class households as the country — heavily dependent on imported energy — begins to feel the economic shock of surging global oil prices driven by escalating conflict in the Middle East. The state-run Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (Ceypetco) announced the revisions under the country’s fuel pricing formula, with the new rates taking effect from midnight. Under the revi

March 2026

Our Reporter

Mar 9, 2026 — 2 min read

Two Countries Sliding Toward a War Neither Can Afford

Somewhere along the Afghan-Pakistan border this week, a family is on the move again. They have done this before — through Soviet tanks, civil war, the Taliban’s first rule, twenty years of American military presence, and the Taliban’s return to power. Each time they gathered what remained of their lives and began again. Now, artillery and airstrikes are forcing them to do it once more. The United Nations estimates that nearly 118,000 people have been displaced since fighting escalated in late

March 2026 OP-ED

Our Reporter

Mar 9, 2026 — 4 min read

Investigations Find No Evidence of Sexual Abuse in Dickoya Hospital Mortuary Case

NUWARA ELIYA, Sri Lanka — March 9, 2026 A series of official investigations — including a review of CCTV footage, forensic examinations, and an inquiry by a special panel of doctors — has found no evidence that the body of a 23-year-old woman was sexually abused while stored at the mortuary of Dickoya Base Hospital in Sri Lanka’s central hill country. The conclusion follows weeks of public outrage, protests by plantation workers and residents, and political pressure that pushed the case into n

JM Exclusive March 2026

Our Reporter

Mar 9, 2026 — 3 min read