Jaffna Indoor Stadium Funds to Be Returned

Jaffna Indoor Stadium Funds to Be Returned

In a classic case of Tamils undermining Tamil upliftment, nearly Rs. 169 million allocated by the Ministry for the construction of a world-class indoor sports stadium in the Jaffna District is set to be returned and transferred to the Buildings Department, as the funds remain unutilised due to ongoing legal obstacles. Jaffna Government Agent Maruthalingam Piratheepan disclosed this while responding to a query on the proposed indoor stadium at a recent District Development Committee meeting held
Monitor Memo January 2026
Jaffna Monitor

Jaffna Monitor
ITAK Directs MP Sritharan to Resign from Constitutional Council over Pro-Government Votes

ITAK Directs MP Sritharan to Resign from Constitutional Council over Pro-Government Votes

The Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK) Political Committee has directed Member of Parliament Sivagnanam Sritharan to resign from his position on Sri Lanka’s Constitutional Council, citing his repeated support for government positions, including on matters related to militarisation. The decision was taken at a recent Political Committee meeting in Vavuniya, attended by party leader C.V.K. Sivagnanam, General Secretary M.A. Sumanthiran, and other senior members. Sritharan did not attend the meeti
Monitor Memo January 2026
Jaffna Monitor

Jaffna Monitor
Sri Lanka placing roadblocks on Tamil refugees’ return from India

Sri Lanka placing roadblocks on Tamil refugees’ return from India

By: M.R. Narayan Swamy Even as many Tamils who fled Sri Lanka to escape the ethnic conflict want to settle down in India, those who seek to return to their homes are facing numerous governmental challenges in the island nation, a leading NGO based in India says. An estimated 58,000 Tamil refugees are spread across 105 camps set up by Indian authorities in 29 districts of Tamil Nadu, while another 30-40,000 live on their own in the southern state separated from Sri Lanka by a narrow strip
Article January 2026
M.R. Narayan Swamy

M.R. Narayan Swamy
“ICCR scholars have shaped Sri Lanka’s higher education landscape,” says Ankuran Dutta

“ICCR scholars have shaped Sri Lanka’s higher education landscape,” says Ankuran Dutta

Prof. (Dr.) Ankuran Dutta is an academic and public intellectual who serves as the Director of the Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre (SVCC), the cultural arm of the High Commission of India in Sri Lanka. SVCC functions under the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), which oversees India’s cultural and educational outreach abroad. He recently visited Jaffna, where SVCC is a major partner of the Jaffna International Cinema Festival. In this interview with us, Prof. Dutta discusses SVCC’s
Special Interview January 2026
Our Special Correspondent

Our Special Correspondent
The Man the LTTE Couldn’t Kill

The Man the LTTE Couldn’t Kill

Most Sri Lankans may not know that veteran former minister and MP Douglas Devananda, now jailed over a pistol allegedly found with a criminal after being given to his party, employed many former Tamil Tigers in his office even as he passionately opposed the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). When Douglas, as he is widely known, was a minister in Colombo, his personal secretary responsible for fixing his appointments was one Gowri, who was earlier a high-ranking operative in the rebels’ ba
Article January 2026
M.R. Narayan Swamy

M.R. Narayan Swamy
“My Fellow Russians, Avoid Europe and Unfriendly Countries—Visit Sri Lanka Instead,” Says Russian Ambassador Levan S. Dzhagaryan

“My Fellow Russians, Avoid Europe and Unfriendly Countries—Visit Sri Lanka Instead,” Says Russian Ambassador Levan S. Dzhagaryan

On January 5 and 6, Jaffna received a rare diplomatic visitor. Levan S. Dzhagaryan, Ambassador of the Russian Federation to Sri Lanka and the Maldives, spent two days in the Northern Province at a time when international attention is slowly returning to the region. Against this backdrop, Jaffna Monitor sat down with him for an exclusive conversation, discussing geopolitics, cultural ties, tourism, education, and Russia’s engagement with Sri Lanka’s North and East. How has your visit to Jaffna b
Special Interview January 2026
Our Special Correspondent

Our Special Correspondent
"Prabhakaran Was Very Clear-Eyed That He and His Family May Die Fighting for Tamil Eelam” — Anita Prathap Speaks Exclusively to Jaffna Monitor

"Prabhakaran Was Very Clear-Eyed That He and His Family May Die Fighting for Tamil Eelam” — Anita Prathap Speaks Exclusively to Jaffna Monitor

If not for the bravery and persistence of Indian journalist Anita Prathap, the Sri Lankan state might well have succeeded in burying the truth about Black July 1983. At a time when the government was determined to deny that any pogrom had taken place—and when the state machinery worked overtime to suppress every whisper of anti-Tamil violence—it was Anita Prathap who broke the silence on the international stage. Defying the odds, she travelled to Sri Lanka and became one of the first foreign jou
December 2025 Exclusive Interview
Aruliniyan Mahalingam

Aruliniyan Mahalingam
Bridges of Belief: Tamil- Buddhist Synergy in Sri Lanka’s Spiritual Tapestry

Bridges of Belief: Tamil- Buddhist Synergy in Sri Lanka’s Spiritual Tapestry

In Sri Lanka Buddhism is often associated with the Sinhalese and the ancient capitals of Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa and Kandy. There is no doubt that the Sinhala speaking people in general and many erudite monks in particular have largely been responsible for the preservation and growth of Buddhism in Sri Lanka for over two millennia. Historically however Buddhism also had a significant presence in South India and Northern Sri Lanka. Literary and archaeological evidence from South India and the J
Article December 2025
Prof. Mahesh Nirmalan

Prof. Mahesh Nirmalan