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.


Controversial Jaffna MP Ramanathan Archchuna Brandishes Handgun in Land Dispute

Controversial Jaffna MP Ramanathan Archchuna Brandishes Handgun in Land Dispute

JAFFNA, Sri Lanka — Ramanathan Archchuna, a controversial Member of Parliament from Jaffna, is again facing scrutiny after he was seen brandishing a handgun during a land dispute, according to video reviewed by Jaffna Monitor and interviews with witnesses — an episode that has also raised fresh questions about the authorities who authorized him to carry a firearm. The episode occurred on Saturday in the Periyavilaan area of Jaffna, where the property at the center of the confrontation is curren


Our Reporter

Our Reporter

Air Force Denies Radar Plan at Trincomalee Temple Site

Air Force Denies Radar Plan at Trincomalee Temple Site

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — The Sri Lanka Air Force has denied that it plans to install a radar system within the Fort Frederick precinct in Trincomalee, rejecting concerns raised by trustees of the Thirukoneswaram Temple, who had urged the public to oppose what they called a fresh encroachment on sacred land. Air Force officials, speaking to Jaffna Monitor on condition of anonymity in line with service protocols, said no proposal had been advanced to place radar equipment within the temple grounds or


Our Reporter

Our Reporter

Air Force Radar Plan Near Thirukoneswaram Temple Draws Opposition

Air Force Radar Plan Near Thirukoneswaram Temple Draws Opposition

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — A proposal by the Sri Lanka Air Force to install a radar system on land within the historic Fort Frederick precinct in Trincomalee has drawn opposition from trustees of the Thirukoneswaram Temple, who say the move threatens the sanctity of the site and extends a decades-long pattern of military encroachment. The temple, which is associated in local tradition with King Ravana, is a Hindu shrine perched on a rocky promontory overlooking the Indian Ocean in eastern Sri Lanka.


Our Reporter

Our Reporter

Death of Tamil Man in Canada Draws Scrutiny of Police Response

Death of Tamil Man in Canada Draws Scrutiny of Police Response

BRAMPTON, Ontario — A 30-year-old Tamil man from Jaffna has died in this Toronto-area city under circumstances that have drawn allegations of police negligence and calls for an independent investigation from within the Tamil community in Canada and Sri Lanka. The man, Robert Kennedy, a native of Palaly in Jaffna and an alumnus of St. Patrick’s College, collapsed on a street in Brampton on April 13, according to family members and community sources familiar with the case. He was taken to hospita


Our Reporter

Our Reporter

Balangoda Kassapa Thero’s Remarks Draw Contempt Plea as Chavakachcheri Court Weighs Next Step

Balangoda Kassapa Thero’s Remarks Draw Contempt Plea as Chavakachcheri Court Weighs Next Step

CHAVAKACHCHERI, Sri Lanka — The Chavakachcheri Magistrate’s Court is to decide next week whether to initiate contempt of court proceedings against Balangoda Kassapa Thero, following submissions by a group of lawyers who allege that statements he made at a press conference in Colombo amount to contempt. The issue arises in connection with an ongoing case involving a Buddhist monk accused of attempting to sexually assault a minor at the Navatkuli Vihara. The accused monk was arrested, remanded, a


Our Reporter

Our Reporter

Measles Returns to Sri Lanka, Testing a Hard-Won Public Health Victory

Measles Returns to Sri Lanka, Testing a Hard-Won Public Health Victory

April 24, 2026 COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Measles, a disease Sri Lanka declared eliminated six years ago, has reappeared, with health authorities confirming this week that two children in the Colombo District have contracted the virus — the first reported cases since January and a sign that the island’s immunization shield may be weakening. The Ministry of Health said laboratory analysis conducted in India determined that at least one of the infections was imported. Sri Lanka was certified measles-


Our Reporter

Our Reporter

Rhetoric and Reality Collide in Jaffna During Minister’s Visit

Rhetoric and Reality Collide in Jaffna During Minister’s Visit

JAFFNA, Sri Lanka — Sri Lanka’s minister of transport, highways, and urban development, Bimal Rathnayake, declared on Wednesday that his government had no place for “racism” and would not indulge what he called demands from southern voters for an anti-Tamil administration — even as journalists invited to cover one of his own meetings in the northern capital were ordered out of the room. Critics said the two episodes — unfolding just hours apart during the same ministerial visit to the Northern


Our Reporter

Our Reporter

Douglas Devananda Slams Tamil Leaders for “Wasting” Meeting With Indian Vice President

Douglas Devananda Slams Tamil Leaders for “Wasting” Meeting With Indian Vice President

COLOMBO — Douglas Devananda, a former minister and leader of the Eelam People’s Democratic Party, has sharply criticized fellow Tamil leaders for what he described as a missed opportunity during a recent meeting with C. P. Radhakrishnan, saying they failed to effectively press the needs of the Tamil people. Mr. Douglas Devananda said the discussions appeared to focus more on internal disagreements among Tamil politicians than on substantive demands affecting their constituents. Speaking to rep


Our Reporter

Our Reporter