Exclusive Interview - Jaffna Monitor

Land, the PTA and a Postponed Vote: Europe's Ambassadors on the North's Unfinished Business

By: Aruliniyan Mahalingam When the French Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Rémi Lambert, and the German Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Dr. Felix Neumann, travelled together to Jaffna, the visit was more than a diplomatic stop in the island’s north. Over a series of meetings with political leaders, civil society representatives, academics and other local stakeholders, the two envoys heard first-hand about the region’s potential, hopes and frustrations as well as its unresolved challenges. In a joint intervie

Exclusive Interview JULY 2026

Aruliniyan Mahalingam

Jul 13, 2026 — 24 min read

Patience, Policy Consistency and Inclusive Growth Drive Viet Nam’s Success, Envoy Tells Jaffna Monitor

Viet Nam—a country that endured one of the most devastating wars of the 20th century and one of the heaviest aerial bombardments in modern history, its cities reduced to rubble and its society fractured by ideology and superpower rivalry—today stands among the fastest-growing economies in the world. The war left behind not only physical destruction but also enduring human images, none more searing than that of nine-year-old Phan Thị Kim Phúc, captured running in agony after a napalm attack. Nea

Exclusive Interview JM Exclusive

Aruliniyan Mahalingam

Mar 20, 2026 — 11 min read

Dutch Ambassador Says Russia Tried to Censor Ukraine War Photos in Sri Lanka

COLOMBO — March 11, 2026 The Netherlands’ ambassador to Sri Lanka, Wiebe de Boer, has accused Russia of attempting to restrict what Sri Lankan audiences can see after the Russian Embassy demanded that photographs depicting Moscow’s war in Ukraine be removed from a traveling international photojournalism exhibition currently on display in the country. In an exclusive interview with Jaffna Monitor, Ambassador de Boer said the objections raised by the Russian Embassy reflected an effort to impose

Exclusive Interview March 2026

Our Special Correspondent

Mar 14, 2026 — 3 min read

“Tamil Elites May Call the NPP ‘Old Sinhala Nationalism in Disguise,’ but Ordinary Tamils See a Progressive Force” — Jayadeva Uyangoda

Jayadeva Uyangoda, Professor Emeritus of Political Science at the University of Colombo, is one of Sri Lanka’s leading scholars on ethnic conflict, peace processes, nationalism, democracy, and leftist politics. Before becoming one of the country’s most influential political scientists, Uyangoda had been briefly involved with the early Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) movement founded by Rohana Wijeweera and was imprisoned after the 1971 uprising. A former activist with a Ph.D. from Colombo, he h

Exclusive Interview March 2026

Aruliniyan Mahalingam

Mar 8, 2026 — 24 min read

‘Because I Loved It’: The Jaffna Tamil Hailed as ‘Father of Italian Cricket’ Speaks to Jaffna Monitor

Italy’s recent victory over Nepal — a side widely regarded as far superior in the associate cricketing world — has raised more than a few eyebrows. For many, it was an upset. For those who know the deeper story of Italian cricket, it was something else entirely: a reminder of a forgotten past making itself heard once again. Cricket was once a visible presence in Italy. One of the country’s oldest sporting institutions, the Genoa Cricket and Football Club, founded in 1893, still carries the name

Exclusive Interview February 2026

Aruliniyan Mahalingam

Feb 14, 2026 — 10 min read

“Had Prabhakaran Accepted the International Rescue Plan, Thousands — Including Himself — Would Have Survived” — Erik Solheim

For a generation of Sri Lankans who came of age during the ceasefire years, the name Erik Solheim was never far from the headlines. As Norway’s chief peace facilitator in Sri Lanka’s conflict, he was a constant presence. For me personally, his name was woven into my teenage years. He was on the news almost daily — praised by some, vilified by others — yet always central to the unfolding drama of a country at war and searching, however briefly, for peace. Today, Solheim is known globally as an

Exclusive Interview February 2026

Aruliniyan Mahalingam

Feb 8, 2026 — 29 min read

“Balasingham Saw the End — Prabhakaran Believed He Was Invincible”: G. L. Peiris on Sri Lanka’s Failed Peace Process

G. L. Peiris was at the epicentre of Sri Lanka’s peace negotiations with the LTTE and occupied senior office under three successive governments during one of the most consequential phases of the conflict. In his new book, The Sri Lanka Peace Process: An Inside View, he revisits that period with the benefit of temporal distance and retrospective clarity. In this interview with Jaffna Monitor, Peiris confronts the charge that his narrative assumes the posture of a detached observer and explains w

Exclusive Interview January 2026

Aruliniyan Mahalingam

Jan 30, 2026 — 26 min read

“India Has Not Softened Its Position on the 13th Amendment”: Indian High Commissioner Santosh Jha Tells Jaffna Monitor

On India’s 77th Republic Day, Jaffna Monitor sat down with Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Santosh Jha, for a wide-ranging conversation on constitutional devolution, cyclone relief, fishermen’s disputes, stalled port projects, and other key issues. Jha is no stranger to Sri Lanka's complex political terrain. He first served in Colombo from 2007 to 2010 as Counsellor at the High Commission, handling commercial and economic affairs during the critical post-conflict transition. It was durin

Exclusive Interview January 2026

Aruliniyan Mahalingam

Jan 26, 2026 — 17 min read