Our Reporter

Our Reporter

‘Our Reporter’ is a collective byline representing a team of Jaffna- and Sri Lanka-based journalists and editorial staff who contribute to Jaffna Monitor.


Thirty Kilometres That Could Change a Region

Thirty Kilometres That Could Change a Region

India and Sri Lanka are separated by a sliver of sea. The cost of leaving it uncrossed grows by the year. COLOMBO — On the morning of May 2, the Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka stood before an audience of businesspeople, policymakers, and diplomats at the Grand Ballroom of a Colombo hotel and said something that diplomats rarely say in public: that his host country was making a historic mistake, and that it needed to stop. Santosh Jha, India's top envoy in Colombo, did not use those word


Our Reporter

Our Reporter

Archchuna’s ‘Give Jaffna to Tamil Nadu’ Remark Leaves Sri Lanka Scratching Its Head

Archchuna’s ‘Give Jaffna to Tamil Nadu’ Remark Leaves Sri Lanka Scratching Its Head

JAFFNA, Sri Lanka — In one of his more theatrical and illogical speeches in Parliament, Jaffna District MP Ramanathan Archchuna suggested that Sri Lanka should not only hand over Katchatheevu, but also give away Jaffna itself to Tamil Nadu — a remark that observers said seemed to have little connection between tongue and brain, if any. “Not only Katchatheevu — give Jaffna to Tamil Nadu too. The people of Tamil Nadu will look after us,” Mr. Archchuna declared during a speech that quickly drew at


Our Reporter

Our Reporter

Jaffna Fans Celebrate Vijay’s TVK Election Breakthrough in Tamil Nadu

Jaffna Fans Celebrate Vijay’s TVK Election Breakthrough in Tamil Nadu

JAFFNA, Sri Lanka — Supporters of Tamil film star Vijay gathered across parts of Jaffna on Monday night to celebrate the strong electoral showing of his party, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly elections. Groups of mostly young fans assembled in Jaffna town, Kakkaitheevu, Gurunagar, and other areas, waving TVK flags, lighting firecrackers, and staging spontaneous street celebrations as election results confirmed the party’s major gains in the southern Indian


Our Reporter

Our Reporter

Mannar Horror: Woman Held After Husband’s Body Found Dismembered in Toilet Pit

Mannar Horror: Woman Held After Husband’s Body Found Dismembered in Toilet Pit

MANNAR, Sri Lanka — A woman has been arrested in Mannar after allegedly killing her husband during a domestic dispute, dismembering his body, and concealing the remains in a toilet pit at their rented home, police said. The incident occurred in the Moor Street area of Mannar, where the couple had reportedly been living in a rented house for the past two months. According to preliminary investigations, a heated argument broke out between the husband and wife on Saturday night, during which the


Our Reporter

Our Reporter

Sri Lankan President Accepts Tamil Cultural Honor, Drawing Both Praise and Sharp Criticism

Sri Lankan President Accepts Tamil Cultural Honor, Drawing Both Praise and Sharp Criticism

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake accepted an award from one of Sri Lanka’s leading Tamil literary organizations on Sunday, using the occasion to pledge his commitment to eradicating racism and building lasting ethnic reconciliation — but the honor also triggered immediate praise alongside sharp controversy, with critics questioning both the president’s record and the decision to confer such recognition at a time when many longstanding Tamil grievances remain unresolved. Mr. Dissanayake was pr


Our Reporter

Our Reporter

Valikamam North Council Chief Accuses Police of Threats Over Effort to Reclaim Road Occupied by Thaiyiddy Vihara

Valikamam North Council Chief Accuses Police of Threats Over Effort to Reclaim Road Occupied by Thaiyiddy Vihara

JAFFNA, Sri Lanka — Tensions are escalating in Jaffna after S. Sugirthan, chairman of the Valikamam North Pradeshiya Sabha, accused police of attempting to obstruct efforts to reclaim a public road allegedly occupied by Tissa Rajamaha Viharaya, a Buddhist shrine constructed on disputed civilian land in Thaiyiddy. Mr. Sugirthan said he was summoned by Palaly Police and warned to abandon efforts to recover Bhavani Veethi, a road legally belonging to the local council but currently enclosed within


Our Reporter

Our Reporter

Sri Lankan Think Tank Seeks Closer Ties With Indonesia in Indian Ocean Push

Sri Lankan Think Tank Seeks Closer Ties With Indonesia in Indian Ocean Push

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Milinda Moragoda, founder of the Colombo-based Pathfinder Foundation, met this week with Indonesia’s ambassador to Sri Lanka, Dewi Gustina Tobing, to explore avenues for collaboration as Sri Lanka seeks to strengthen strategic ties with Southeast Asia’s largest economy. According to a statement released by the foundation, discussions focused on Indonesia’s growing geopolitical and economic influence in the Indo-Pacific, including its status as the world’s fourth most populo


Our Reporter

Our Reporter

Chemmani Mass Grave Probe Hinges on Fresh Forensic Evidence

Chemmani Mass Grave Probe Hinges on Fresh Forensic Evidence

JAFFNA, Sri Lanka — The future of ongoing excavations at the Chemmani mass grave site in northern Sri Lanka will depend on the results of a fresh round of ground-penetrating radar (GPR) scans after currently identified human skeletal remains are fully exhumed, according to a lawyer representing families of the disappeared. Attorney Ranitha Gnanarajah, who appears on behalf of relatives in the long-running Chemmani mass grave case, said investigators are presently focused on excavating areas wit


Our Reporter

Our Reporter