Dr. Gamini Goonetilleke

Dr. Gamini Goonetilleke

Dr. Gamini Goonetilleke, a Colombo-born surgeon trained in Manchester, was the first Sinhalese doctor in 12 years to enter LTTE-held Jaffna. A pioneer in medical documentation, he authored books merging surgical cases with Sri Lanka’s war and peace.

The Battle for Elephant Pass – 1991

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
Dr. Gamini Goonetilleke

Dr. Gamini Goonetilleke
Cricket in Jaffna: Past, Present, Future and the Debate Over a New International Stadium

Cricket in Jaffna: Past, Present, Future and the Debate Over a New International Stadium

Cricket occupies a unique and powerful place in Sri Lanka’s national identity. No other sport evokes the same depth of passion or collective pride. The 1996 Cricket World Cup victory transformed cricket from a popular pastime into a unifying national obsession—an emblem of hope, joy, resilience, and belonging. For decades, Sri Lankans have believed that cricket transcends geography, ethnicity, class, and political divisions. From the urban centres of Colombo, Galle, and Kandy to the rural heartl
Opinion January 2026
Dr. Gamini Goonetilleke

Dr. Gamini Goonetilleke
Peace Road to Jaffna: The 2002 A9 Odyssey

Peace Road to Jaffna: The 2002 A9 Odyssey

By air, by sea, and now—after almost two decades—by land. My journeys to Jaffna had always been shaped by the shifting tides of Sri Lanka’s civil war. I had flown many times into the heavily fortified Palaly Base Hospital to treat injured soldiers. I had sailed across the uncertain seas in 1994 with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to assist the medical students of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Jaffna, in completing the final examination for the medical degree (MBBS-
December 2025 Special Article
Dr. Gamini Goonetilleke

Dr. Gamini Goonetilleke
Inside the Siege: A Sinhala Doctor’s Account of Jaffna Fort, 1990
Dr. Gamini Goonetilleke at the Jaffna Fort as a young surgeon.

Inside the Siege: A Sinhala Doctor’s Account of Jaffna Fort, 1990

The first mortar shell screamed just after dawn on 10 June 1990. It tore through the coral-stone ramparts of Jaffna Fort, the blast rattling every window in the city. Inside the pentagonal walls, 130 men—soldiers of the Sinha Regiment and young police recruits—looked at one another and knew: this was no skirmish. This was a siege. For 107 days, the old Portuguese-Dutch-British fortress became the eye of a storm that swallowed the peninsula. Outside, LTTE snipers hid in the Public Library, mort
Article November 2025
Dr. Gamini Goonetilleke

Dr. Gamini Goonetilleke
From Philanthropy to Academia: The Evolution of Jaffna Teaching Hospital and Its Medical Institutions
The First Dispensary in Pandatherippu, Jaffna

From Philanthropy to Academia: The Evolution of Jaffna Teaching Hospital and Its Medical Institutions

The origins of organized healthcare in Jaffna, in the North of Ceylon can be traced to the pioneering efforts of the American Ceylon Mission in the early 19th century. Rev. Dr. John Scudder, the first medical missionary to Ceylon, arrived in Jaffna in 1819 and, in June 1820, established a small dispensary at Pandatherippu—the first medical mission dispensary in the world. This modest initiative marked the beginning of Western medical practice in the region. Combining Christian service with medic
Article October 2025
Dr. Gamini Goonetilleke

Dr. Gamini Goonetilleke
Can Sri Lanka Really Go Mine-Free by 2028?
Can Sri Lanka Really Go Mine-Free by 2028?

Can Sri Lanka Really Go Mine-Free by 2028?

In Sri Lanka, landmines claimed countless lives and left many more—combatants and civilians alike—crippled, limbless, or permanently scarred. Yet their true infamy is often traced to one shattering moment: the first-ever landmine explosion in Jaffna on 23 July 1983, an event that many regard as the spark that ignited the civil war. On that fateful day, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) buried a landmine on the Jaffna–Palaly main road, barely two kilometers from the heart of the city.
Article September 2025
Dr. Gamini Goonetilleke

Dr. Gamini Goonetilleke
Island Echoes: A Journey Through Pungudutivu – Where Time Stands Still and Care Struggles to Keep Up

Island Echoes: A Journey Through Pungudutivu – Where Time Stands Still and Care Struggles to Keep Up

Just off the western coast of the Jaffna peninsula, across causeways and narrow spits of land edged by prawn and sea cucumber farms, lie the quiet islands of Pungudutivu and Nainativu—places rich in history, hardship, and humanity. Though I had previously set foot on nearby islands like Mandativu, Kayts, Nainativu, and Karainagar during the war years, Pungudutivu remained a name I’d only heard in passing—until now. Prompted by a doctor’s account of the resilience and trials faced at the Pungudu
Article August 2025
Dr. Gamini Goonetilleke

Dr. Gamini Goonetilleke