Our Special Correspondent

Our Special Correspondent

The writer behind the byline ‘Our Special Correspondent’ is also the editor-in-chief of Jaffna Monitor.

"Why Not?" — Dr. Gamini Goonetilleke, Sri Lanka’s Daredevil Surgeon, Speaks Exclusively to Jaffna Monitor
Dr. Gamini Goonetilleke

"Why Not?" — Dr. Gamini Goonetilleke, Sri Lanka’s Daredevil Surgeon, Speaks Exclusively to Jaffna Monitor

What drives a surgeon born into a well-to-do Colombo family, educated at prestigious schools, and trained in Manchester’s finest hospitals, to choose rural Polonnaruwa as his first consultant posting? For Dr. Gamini Goonetilleke, the answer lies in his daredevil spirit—a trait that has defined his extraordinary four-decade career and continues to shape the man he is today. While most surgeons sought comfortable urban postings, Dr. Goonetilleke made a deliberate choice—to become the sole surgeon
Interview July 2025
Our Special Correspondent

Our Special Correspondent
Noolaham.org:A Digital Middle Finger to the Arsonists Who Burned Jaffna’s Treasure Trove

Noolaham.org:A Digital Middle Finger to the Arsonists Who Burned Jaffna’s Treasure Trove

In the decades since the Jaffna Public Library was reduced to ashes-its nearly 97,000 books and manuscripts deliberately set alight in what remains one of the most egregious acts of cultural genocide in Sri Lankan history-a quiet yet determined renaissance has taken root. A new generation of Sri Lankan Tamils, both at home and across the diaspora, has come together to build a library that no racist mob can ever burn again. That library is Noolaham.org-Tamil for "repository of books." Today, thi
Cover Story June 2025
Our Special Correspondent

Our Special Correspondent
“We’ve Funded Temples. We’ve Funded Bullets. Maybe It’s Time We Fund Trauma Centres and Teacher Salaries”:

“We’ve Funded Temples. We’ve Funded Bullets. Maybe It’s Time We Fund Trauma Centres and Teacher Salaries”:

When entrepreneur and strategist Abbi Kanthasamy published his deeply personal essay, ''A Beacon Amidst the Bleeding: What Jaffna’s Doctors Taught Me About Life'', he may not have anticipated the resonance it would spark. Yet within hours, the piece went viral across social media — striking a nerve in a nation numbed by crisis. Born in Jaffna to a Director of Education father and a university lecturer mother, Abbi spent much of his early life in the North. Today, he is a dynamic figure in globa
June 2025 Special Interview
Our Special Correspondent

Our Special Correspondent
Untreated War Trauma Can Turn Soldiers Into Agents of Violence

Untreated War Trauma Can Turn Soldiers Into Agents of Violence

Dr. Ruwan M. Jayatunge is a Sri Lankan born medical doctor and mental health professional whose work has spanned continents and conflict zones. A former commissioned officer in the Sri Lankan Army, he treated soldiers at the Colombo Military Hospital, becoming one of the first in the country to study and document the psychosocial effects of PTSD. With advanced training in psychiatry, trauma informed therapy, addiction psychology, and neuropsychology from institutions in Canada, the UK, and the
June 2025 Interview
Our Special Correspondent

Our Special Correspondent