August 2026

Jaffna Court Orders Gotabaya Rajapaksa to Give Evidence in Lalith-Kugan Case

Jaffna Court Orders Gotabaya Rajapaksa to Give Evidence in Lalith-Kugan Case

JAFFNA, Sri Lanka — The Jaffna Magistrate’s Court has ordered former Sri Lankan President and Defense Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa to appear before the Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court on Sept. 29 to give evidence via video link in the long-running judicial inquiry into the disappearance of activists Lalith Kumar Weeraraj and Kugan Muruganandan. The order was issued on Friday during proceedings in a habeas corpus petition filed by the families of the two men, who disappeared in December 2011.
August 2026 Monitor Memo
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Where Does the Fuel Money Go? Jaffna MP Points to the Ruling Party

Where Does the Fuel Money Go? Jaffna MP Points to the Ruling Party

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Independent Jaffna District MP Ramanathan Archchuna said the monthly fuel allowance paid to Members of Parliament had increased from 179,000 rupees to 244,000 rupees, and alleged that an amount equivalent to the allowance received by each of the Government's 159 MPs is deposited every month into accounts in Pelawatte, an apparent reference to the headquarters of the ruling Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP). The allegation was made in a Facebook post on Thursday. “The fuel al
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Twenty Years After Muttur Massacre, International Pressure Mounts for Justice

Twenty Years After Muttur Massacre, International Pressure Mounts for Justice

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Twenty years after the execution-style killing of 17 humanitarian workers from the French aid organization Action Against Hunger (ACF) in the eastern town of Muttur, a broad coalition of international governments, United Nations agencies and human rights organizations has renewed calls for Sri Lanka to deliver justice, warning that the failure to prosecute those responsible continues to fuel impunity for attacks on humanitarian personnel worldwide. The appeals, issued aroun
JM Exclusive August 2026
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Northern Central Hospital Convicted Over Expired Medicines in Jaffna

Northern Central Hospital Convicted Over Expired Medicines in Jaffna

JAFFNA, Sri Lanka — A private hospital in Jaffna has been fined 300,000 Sri Lankan rupees after pleading guilty to charges of possessing expired medicines and surgical supplies, while a private medical clinic was fined 100,000 rupees for charging patients above the government-approved maximum fee for a routine blood test, according to Sri Lanka’s Consumer Affairs Authority. The Jaffna Magistrate’s Court imposed the penalties on Aug. 4 after both institutions admitted the offences. In a further
August 2026
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India Presses Sri Lanka on Tamil Devolution, Unveils New Financing

India Presses Sri Lanka on Tamil Devolution, Unveils New Financing

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri called on Sri Lanka's government Wednesday to hold provincial council elections “at the earliest” and to fully implement the island’s constitutional provisions for the Tamil minority, India’s Ministry of External Affairs said, during his first stand-alone visit to Colombo since taking up the post. He met President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya, Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath, and Foreign Secretary Aruni Ra
JM Exclusive August 2026
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India's Foreign Secretary Arrives in Sri Lanka for High-Level Talks

India's Foreign Secretary Arrives in Sri Lanka for High-Level Talks

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — India's Foreign Secretary, Vikram Misri, arrived in Colombo on Wednesday for a one-day official visit, as New Delhi and Colombo seek to sustain momentum in their expanding bilateral relationship following a series of high-level engagements in recent months. Mr. Misri, a career diplomat who heads India's foreign service and previously served as ambassador to China, Spain, and Myanmar, is scheduled to meet President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya,
JM Exclusive August 2026
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MP Questions Government's Reliance on 'National Security' to Retain Civilian Lands

MP Questions Government's Reliance on 'National Security' to Retain Civilian Lands

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Batticaloa District MP Shanakiyan Rasamanickam on Tuesday accused the Government of continuing to rely on outdated wartime justifications to retain civilian lands under military occupation in the Northern and Eastern Provinces, arguing that nearly 17 years after the end of Sri Lanka's civil war, it could no longer invoke "national security" to deny displaced people the return of their properties. Raising a series of questions in Parliament, Mr. Rasamanickam sought detailed
August 2026
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India Signals Preference for Building on Existing Constitution as Tamil Alliance Seeks Political Progress

India Signals Preference for Building on Existing Constitution as Tamil Alliance Seeks Political Progress

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — India has privately indicated that Sri Lanka should exercise caution before abandoning its existing constitutional framework in favour of drafting an entirely new Constitution, according to leaders who attended a meeting Tuesday between the country’s newly formed alliance of six Tamil-speaking political parties and Indian High Commissioner Santosh Jha. Following the discussions, several participants told Jaffna Monitor that constitutional reform featured prominently during
JM Exclusive August 2026
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