April 2026

Colombo Eyes Control of Jaffna’s Cultural Centre

Colombo Eyes Control of Jaffna’s Cultural Centre

JAFFNA, Sri Lanka — Sri Lanka’s Cabinet is expected to consider a proposal to place the Jaffna Thiruvalluvar Cultural Centre under a new seven-member governing body dominated by central government representatives, according to officials familiar with the plan. If approved, the move would formalize national oversight of a complex built with Indian grant funding on land owned by the Jaffna Municipal Council — and presented, repeatedly, as a gift to the people of the North. The proposal has not b
April 2026 JM Exclusive
Our Reporter

Our Reporter
Accountability for Others, Immunity for One’s Own

Accountability for Others, Immunity for One’s Own

On March 27, Kumara Jayakody walked into the Colombo High Court, was formally indicted on corruption charges, posted bail, and had his fingerprints taken. Then he returned to his ministerial office. On April 10, 153 Members of Parliament from the National People's Power voted to keep him there. He remains Sri Lanka's Energy Minister today — attending Cabinet, drawing a public salary, governing a portfolio that just lost seven billion rupees of public money. If this had happened under Mahinda Ra
April 2026 Editorial
Kaniyan Pungundran

Kaniyan Pungundran
The Tamil Renaissance

The Tamil Renaissance

By Jeevan Thiyagaraja Generations have scattered across the globe while others remained, tending to the soil of their ancestors through the unimaginable. Though separated by oceans and time, all share the same roots. The time has come for the North to reclaim its narrative—a Tamil Renaissance where a smart, confident, and contented North acts as catalyst for a proud, cultured, and developed community found around the world. I. The Ancient Maritime Spirit: A Legacy of Global Connection Long b
April 2026 Guest Column
Jeevan Thiyagaraja

Jeevan Thiyagaraja
Iluppai Tree and the Young Generation

Iluppai Tree and the Young Generation

Translated from the original Tamil short story iluppai maramum iḷanñcantatiyum (இலுப்பை மரமும் இளஞ்சந்ததியும்) from the 1976 collection of short stories titled kōṭukaḷum kōlaṅkalum (கோடுகளும் கோலங்களும்) by Kuppilan Ai. Shanmugan. He woke up at around seven in the morning, when it was already rather bright. His little sister shook him awake, calling out, “aṇṇai, aṇṇai.” He stretched lazily, rolled up the reed mat and stood it next to the wall. The house was buzzing with activity. His sibling
April 2026 Story
Eḻuttukkiṉiyavaṉ

Eḻuttukkiṉiyavaṉ
Indian Vice President to Visit Sri Lanka as Bilateral Ties Deepen

Indian Vice President to Visit Sri Lanka as Bilateral Ties Deepen

COLOMBO — India’s Vice President, C. P. Radhakrishnan, will undertake a two-day official visit to Sri Lanka from April 19 to 20, in a trip expected to highlight expanding cooperation between the two countries across energy, infrastructure and regional development. The visit, made at the invitation of the Sri Lankan government, is being coordinated through the Presidential Secretariat and the High Commission of India in Colombo, officials said. Mr. Radhakrishnan is scheduled to hold formal talk
April 2026 Monitor Memo
Our Reporter

Our Reporter
After Assurances, Thaiyiddy Landowners Agree to Survey in Temple Dispute

After Assurances, Thaiyiddy Landowners Agree to Survey in Temple Dispute

THAIYIDDY, Sri Lanka — For more than three decades, Sarujan Sukumari and many others were unable to set foot on their family lands. Seized by the military and designated a High Security Zone, the area remained inaccessible even after the war ended in 2009. Years later, as the country settled into an uneasy peace, a Buddhist temple rose on what had once been their ancestral property. Recently, she and other landowners sat in a government conference room in Jaffna as a cabinet minister and senio
April 2026 JM Exclusive
Our Reporter

Our Reporter
After Delays, Sri Lankan Government Releases Funds for Chemmani Mass Grave Investigation

After Delays, Sri Lankan Government Releases Funds for Chemmani Mass Grave Investigation

JAFFNA, Sri Lanka — The Sri Lankan government has allocated 21 million rupees for the third phase of excavations at the Chemmani mass grave site, officials said. The release of funds follows repeated postponements caused by a lack of financial approval and adverse weather conditions that left the site waterlogged. The case is scheduled to be taken up again at the Jaffna Magistrate’s Court on April 21, when authorities are expected to indicate when excavation work will resume. Chemmani, a villa
April 2026 Monitor Memo
Our Reporter

Our Reporter
The War That Reopened What Was Already Open

The War That Reopened What Was Already Open

By Abbi Kanthasamy The real winners of this war were not the Iranian people, not the Lebanese, not the Gulf Arabs, not the Americans, and certainly not the poor fools told to clap every time a missile takes off on television. The winners were the people who always win. The weapons manufacturers. The oil traders. The consultants in expensive suits using phrases like maritime de-risking and regional deterrence posture. The lobbyists. The think-tank parasites. The men who can turn blood into bil
April 2026 Guest Column
Abbi Kanthasamy

Abbi Kanthasamy