JVP Councillor’s Post Likening AKD to Lord Murugan Sparks Controversy in Jaffna

JVP Councillor’s Post Likening AKD to Lord Murugan Sparks Controversy in Jaffna

A JVP member and NPP Pradeshiya Sabha councillor from the Vadamaradchi South West Pradeshiya Sabha in Karaveddy has ignited a religious and political controversy in Jaffna after posting an AI-generated image depicting President Anura Kumara Dissanayake (AKD) holding a vel, the sacred spear associated with Lord Murugan (Kartikeya, Kataragama deviyo) The councillor, Santhirakumar Kanesaruban, shared the image on social media with the Tamil caption, “AKD முருகனுக்கு நிகரானவர்” (“AKD is equal to Lo


Our Reporter

Our Reporter

“We Are Being Discriminated”: Hill Country Tamils Accuse Sri Lankan State

“We Are Being Discriminated”: Hill Country Tamils Accuse Sri Lankan State

By: M.R. Narayan Swamy Hundreds of thousands of Tamils living in Sri Lanka’s prosperous tea estates want justice and quicker rehabilitation after suffering the worst of deaths and destruction in a catastrophic cyclone that ravaged the island nation in late November. A prominent MP and leader of the hill country, or “Malaiyaha,” Tamils—who are of Indian origin—has accused the government of President Anura Dissanayake, whom he otherwise counts as a friend, of discriminating against Tamil workers


M.R. Narayan Swamy

M.R. Narayan Swamy

“Prove It in Parliament”: Sritharan Dares Dayasiri as War of Words Escalates

“Prove It in Parliament”: Sritharan Dares Dayasiri as War of Words Escalates

Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK) MP Sivagnanam Sritharan on Friday firmly rejected corruption allegations made against him by Opposition MP Dayasiri Jayasekara, and challenged him to substantiate the claims with evidence in Parliament. Responding to accusations raised the previous day, Sritharan said he was prepared to face any scrutiny and called on Jayasekara to formally prove the allegations if they were true. “If MP Dayasiri Jayasekara is truly an upright Sinhala Buddhist, I challenge him


Our Reporter

Our Reporter

Tamil MPs Raise Alarm Over Kivul Oya Irrigation Scheme

Tamil MPs Raise Alarm Over Kivul Oya Irrigation Scheme

Two Members of Parliament from the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK) have raised serious concerns in Parliament and parliamentary committee meetings over the implementation of the Kivul Oya Irrigation Project, alleging that the scheme would lead to the submersion of Tamil villages, the destruction of traditional irrigation systems, and potential changes to the demographic composition of Tamil areas in the region. The objections come as the government prepares to resume the long-stalled project


Our Reporter

Our Reporter

ITAK and dTNA Float Common Tamil Political Document Amid Internal Rifts

ITAK and dTNA Float Common Tamil Political Document Amid Internal Rifts

The Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK) and the Democratic Tamil National Alliance (dTNA)—a grouping formed by parties that broke away from the Tamil National Alliance (TNA)—have decided to jointly prepare a political document which they describe as reflecting the aspirations of the Tamil people. The two sides have also invited other Tamil political parties operating within the Tamil national political space to participate in the process. Addressing a joint media briefing alongside EPRLF Leader


Our Special Correspondent

Our Special Correspondent

Voice of 1970s Tamil Student Activism, Muthukumaarasamy, Dies in Exile

Voice of 1970s Tamil Student Activism, Muthukumaarasamy, Dies in Exile

T. Muthukumaarasamy, popularly known as Kumar, a veteran Tamil political activist and one of the early pioneers of Tamil political mobilisation during the pre-militant phase of the Eelam Tamil struggle, passed away in the United States, where he had lived for several decades. He was in his late seventies. Muthukumaarasamy, who hailed from Thirunelveli, was the youngest son of the late Magistrate Thambithurai, a well-known judicial figure of his time. He became politically active during his stud


Jaffna Monitor

Jaffna Monitor

“Colombo Was a Global Port—and a City of Inequality”: Ajay Kamalakaran

“Colombo Was a Global Port—and a City of Inequality”: Ajay Kamalakaran

Few foreign writers understand Sri Lanka as deeply as Ajay Kamalakaran does. Since falling for the island in 2003, this Mumbai-born, Palakkad-rooted journalist—raised in New York and seasoned in Russia—has returned almost every year, travelling from Colombo to Jaffna, learning Sinhala, and excavating the forgotten histories that lie beneath Sri Lanka’s surface. Over time, his writing has brought back into view stories that quietly slipped out of public memory: the old Boat Mail that once carrie


Aruliniyan Mahalingam

Aruliniyan Mahalingam

ITAK Slams ‘Political Showmanship’ During President’s Jaffna Visit

ITAK Slams ‘Political Showmanship’ During President’s Jaffna Visit

The Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK) has strongly criticised the National People’s Power (NPP) for what it described as “political showmanship” during President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s recent visit to Jaffna, accusing the ruling alliance of using public funds to stage partisan events while sidelining other political representatives. Addressing a media briefing at his office in Jaffna on Monday, ITAK Leader C.V.K. Sivagnanam said the NPP had no mandate to interfere in ITAK’s internal affai


Our Reporter

Our Reporter