“Tamil Elites May Call the NPP ‘Old Sinhala Nationalism in Disguise,’ but Ordinary Tamils See a Progressive Force” — Jayadeva Uyangoda

“Tamil Elites May Call the NPP ‘Old Sinhala Nationalism in Disguise,’ but Ordinary Tamils See a Progressive Force” — Jayadeva Uyangoda

Jayadeva Uyangoda, Professor Emeritus of Political Science at the University of Colombo, is one of Sri Lanka’s leading scholars on ethnic conflict, peace processes, nationalism, democracy, and leftist politics. Before becoming one of the country’s most influential political scientists, Uyangoda had been briefly involved with the early Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) movement founded by Rohana Wijeweera and was imprisoned after the 1971 uprising. A former activist with a Ph.D. from Colombo, he h
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U.N. Chief Warns Gender Inequality Is the World’s “Greatest Human Rights Challenge”

U.N. Chief Warns Gender Inequality Is the World’s “Greatest Human Rights Challenge”

UNITED NATIONS — Marking International Women’s Day, the United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, issued a stark warning about the global state of women’s rights, describing gender inequality as “the greatest human rights challenge of our time” and urging governments to take concrete steps to close the gap between men and women. In an opinion essay released ahead of the March 8 observance, Mr. Guterres outlined eight actions he said governments, businesses, and international instituti
March 2026 Monitor Memo
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Late Partnership Lifts Jaffna Central to Victory in 119th Battle of the North

Late Partnership Lifts Jaffna Central to Victory in 119th Battle of the North

JAFFNA, Sri Lanka — Jaffna Central College secured a dramatic three-wicket victory over St. John's College Jaffna in the 119th edition of the “Battle of the North,” one of Sri Lanka’s oldest and most celebrated school cricket rivalries. Chasing 248 for victory, Jaffna Central found themselves in deep trouble at the end of the second day, struggling at 120 for 6 and staring at the prospect of defeat. The match, however, took a dramatic turn on the final day when Murali Thison and Jesuthasan Nith
March 2026 Sports
Jaffna Monitor

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Sri Lanka Lawmaker Says Post-Cyclone Emergency Powers Threaten Civil Liberties

Sri Lanka Lawmaker Says Post-Cyclone Emergency Powers Threaten Civil Liberties

COLOMBO — Sri Lanka’s Parliament became the scene of a pointed constitutional challenge on Friday when Faiszer Musthapha, an opposition member of Parliament, pressed the government to justify maintaining emergency regulations three months after Cyclone Ditwah, warning that the legal framework now in place mirrors the decrees used to suppress protests during the 2022 Aragalaya uprising. “Today, the government claims that while the Ditwah crisis is over, emergency regulations are still required t
March 2026 Monitor Memo
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Boat Carrying Pilgrims Capsizes Off Jaffna, Killing Two; Safety Concerns Resurface

Boat Carrying Pilgrims Capsizes Off Jaffna, Killing Two; Safety Concerns Resurface

JAFFNA, Sri Lanka — A boat not designed for passenger transport, but carrying devotees to a Catholic church festival, capsized off the coast of northern Sri Lanka on Thursday morning, killing at least two people and injuring more than a dozen others and renewing concerns about maritime safety in the waters around the Jaffna peninsula. The vessel had departed from the fishing harbor at Kurunagar in Jaffna, carrying pilgrims to the annual feast of St. Anthony’s Church in Palaitivu, a small island
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Sri Lankan Supreme Court Judge Takes Defamation Fight to India

Sri Lankan Supreme Court Judge Takes Defamation Fight to India

COLOMBO — A sitting judge of Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court has taken an unusual step beyond the country’s borders, turning to the Indian judiciary in an effort to force Google to remove online articles he says have shadowed his reputation for nearly a decade. Justice A.H.M.D. Nawaz, who sits on Sri Lanka’s highest court and previously served as President of the Court of Appeal, has petitioned the High Court of Karnataka in Bengaluru, asking it to direct Google India to remove links to articles publ
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Invited, Then Turned Away: The 11-Hour Wait That Preceded IRIS Dena’s Sinking.

Invited, Then Turned Away: The 11-Hour Wait That Preceded IRIS Dena’s Sinking.

COLOMBO, March 6 — In the final days before it was destroyed by a United States submarine in the Indian Ocean, the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena was sailing toward Sri Lanka in response to what sources say was a diplomatic invitation extended weeks earlier by Sri Lankan authorities during a multinational naval gathering in India. The IRIS Dena, a domestically built Moudge-class frigate commissioned into the Iranian Navy in 2021, was part of the country’s Southern Fleet. The vessel was torpedoed so
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U.S. Submarine Sinks Iranian Warship Near Sri Lanka, Drawing Island Into Expanding Conflict

U.S. Submarine Sinks Iranian Warship Near Sri Lanka, Drawing Island Into Expanding Conflict

GALLE, Sri Lanka — Sri Lanka found itself unexpectedly drawn into a widening Middle East conflict on Wednesday after the United States confirmed that one of its submarines had torpedoed and sunk an Iranian warship in waters less than 40 nautical miles off the island’s southern coast. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said at a briefing in Washington that an American submarine had destroyed the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena with a torpedo. The strike, he said, was part of a broader campaign target
March 2026
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