August 2026

They Found Justice for Easter. Why Can’t They Find It for Mullivaikkal?

They Found Justice for Easter. Why Can’t They Find It for Mullivaikkal?

By Che Ran The Easter Sunday bombings were one of the darkest days in Sri Lankan history. On 21 April 2019, suicide bombers walked into churches filled with families celebrating the resurrection of Christ and into luxury hotels serving breakfast. More than 260 people were killed. Hundreds more were injured. Children died in their mothers’ arms. Entire families disappeared in a matter of seconds. It was an atrocity. The people responsible—whether they built the bombs, funded them, or knowingl
Opinion Opinion & Analysis
Che Ran

Che Ran
How the LTTE Hollowed Out Tamil Society Long Before Its Military Defeat

How the LTTE Hollowed Out Tamil Society Long Before Its Military Defeat

By M.R. Narayan Swamy At a workshop for teenage Tamil girls in Jaffna, a teacher wanted to know who Nelson Mandela was. Several hands went up. Mandela fought for South Africa’s freedom and to end apartheid. The answer was apt. Okay, who was Mahatma Gandhi? Again, several hands went up. Gandhi led the Indian independence movement against the British. He was an apostle of non-violence. Correct. A third question followed: Who was (Appapillai) Amirthalingam? There was a silence in the classroo
Opinion Article
M.R. Narayan Swamy

M.R. Narayan Swamy
One Spoke of Karma. The Other Named a Conspiracy.

One Spoke of Karma. The Other Named a Conspiracy.

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Moments before a Colombo court sentenced them to death on Friday for failing to prevent the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings, Sri Lanka's former police chief and former defence secretary were each invited, as the law requires, to explain why they should not receive the death penalty. Their answers could hardly have been more different: one was a quiet surrender to fate; the other, a defiant insistence that the men he said truly bore responsibility for the massacre remained shield
JM COURTS August 2026
Aruliniyan Mahalingam

Aruliniyan Mahalingam
Tamil Parties to Meet President, Opposition

Tamil Parties to Meet President, Opposition

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka —Representatives of the six Tamil-speaking political parties, who announced last month their decision to work together to advance the interests of Tamil-speaking people, are scheduled to hold separate meetings on Monday (Aug. 3) with President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa The six parties — the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK), the All Ceylon Makkal Congress (ACMC), the Ceylon Workers' Congress (CWC), the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC), t
August 2026
Our Reporter

Our Reporter
Sudan and the Illusion of External Rescue: a mirror for Sri Lanka
Who should heal Sudan’s pain? Image obtained from Middle East Political and Economic Institute

Sudan and the Illusion of External Rescue: a mirror for Sri Lanka

Mr. Saifeldin Nemir and Prof Mahesh Nirmalan Mr Saifeldin Nemir is a Sudanese national and the current Chief of UNICEF Field Office, Ethiopia. He was also the former Deputy Country Director for Islamic Relief Worldwide; Professor Mahesh Nirmalan is the Associate Vice President for Responsible Research Practice at the University of Manchester and Consultant in Intensive Care Medicine at Manchester Royal Infirmary, UK Sudan is geographically distant from Sri Lanka, but its recent history carries
August 2026 Guest Column
Prof. Mahesh Nirmalan

Prof. Mahesh Nirmalan
India’s Foreign Secretary to Visit Sri Lanka Amid Growing Tamil Political Coordination
Vikram Misri

India’s Foreign Secretary to Visit Sri Lanka Amid Growing Tamil Political Coordination

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — India's Foreign Secretary, Vikram Misri, is expected to arrive in Sri Lanka next week for an official visit, as Tamil-speaking political parties seek to strengthen coordination ahead of renewed engagement with New Delhi, according to people familiar with the plans. Mr. Misri is expected to meet Sri Lanka's Foreign Minister and other senior government officials, as well as Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa and representatives of Tamil nationalist and up-country Tamil politi
Exclusive August 2026
Our Reporter

Our Reporter
The Easter Bombings: Anatomy of a State Failure

The Easter Bombings: Anatomy of a State Failure

By Aruliniyan Mahalingam At 8:27 on the morning of April 21, 2019, a foreign intelligence service sent one last message to the head of Sri Lanka’s State Intelligence Service. The bombers would probably move between six and ten that morning, it said, and one of their targets was a Methodist church in Colombo. Surveillance teams were being deployed. The police, it added, had already been warned. The first explosions came shortly before nine, less than twenty minutes later. Over the course of th
Cover Story JM COURTS
Aruliniyan Mahalingam

Aruliniyan Mahalingam
Nineteen Years After Nilakshan's Killing, Justice Remains Elusive

Nineteen Years After Nilakshan's Killing, Justice Remains Elusive

JAFFNA, Sri Lanka — Nineteen years after Sahathevan Nilakshan, a 22-year-old journalist and University of Jaffna student, was shot dead outside his home during a military curfew, no one has been charged in the case. His killing, former classmates and colleagues say, deprived not only Sri Lankan journalism of a promising young journalist but also the Tamil community of a potential future leader. Mr. Nilakshan, a former student of Jaffna Hindu College, was remembered by teachers and fellow studen
August 2026
Our Reporter

Our Reporter