Guest Column - Jaffna Monitor (Page 10)

The Shepherd's Flock: Protecting the Human Rights of the Public Servant

By: Jeevan Thiagarajah At the heart of a functioning democracy lies a profound paradox: the public servant is both an instrument of the state and a citizen entitled to the full protection of the Constitution. Their service conditions — carefully stipulated by the Public Service Commission and relevant regulations — are not mere administrative guidelines. They are guarantees of dignity. Courts and tribunals have repeatedly reinforced this principle: a person does not surrender their fundamental

April 2026 Guest Column

Jeevan Thiyagaraja

Apr 5, 2026 — 6 min read

When machines think: Reframing the ethics of Artificial Intelligence in the global south

Mahesh Nirmalan MD, FRCA, PhD, FFICM and Roshan Ragel PhD Professor Mahesh Nirmalan is Associate Vice President for Responsible Research Practice at the University of Manchester, UK and Professor Roshan Ragel is Professor of Computer Engineering at the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka How we choose to conceptualise Artificial Intelligence (AI) is one of the cornerstones of the current debate on the ethics of AI. In this context, do we see AI as a tool that has been developed by humans

April 2026 Guest Column

Prof. Mahesh Nirmalan

Apr 4, 2026 — 8 min read

Exclusive: Iran’s Ambassador Sets Out Tehran’s Position on the Strait of Hormuz

By: Dr. Alireza Delkhosh, Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran to Sri Lanka On 28 February 2026, the United States and the Zionist regime, through an unlawful act of aggression contrary to the fundamental principles of international law, acted against the territorial integrity and national sovereignty of the Islamic Republic of Iran. In response, and within the framework of the inherent right of self-defense pursuant to Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations, the Government of th

Guest Column JM Exclusive

Dr. Alireza Delkhosh

Mar 31, 2026 — 4 min read

Trincomalee Oil Farm and Energy Hub: Sri Lanka’s Missed Opportunity Returns

By: Dr. Gamini Goonetilleke The Trincomalee Oil Tank Farm stands today as one of the most strategically significant yet historically underutilized energy assets in South Asia. Located in the deep natural harbour of Trincomalee, the facility embodies a convergence of history, geopolitics, and economic potential. In the current global context—marked by energy insecurity, shifting geopolitical alliances, and regional competition—the Trincomalee oil farm offers Sri Lanka a renewed opportunity

Guest Column OP-ED

Dr. Gamini Goonetilleke

Mar 24, 2026 — 10 min read

The Levantine Hummus Wars

By: Abbi Kanthasamy A dispatch from a tired restaurant owner watching cousins argue over the same recipe. If the conflict in Jerusalem had been about food instead of religion, it would have ended centuries ago. Because food fights — real ones — are easy. You gather everyone in a room. You put the dishes on the table. People shout a bit. Someone’s grandmother intervenes. And eventually everyone eats. Peace, or something very close to it. Religion, unfortunately, has proven far less coop

Guest Column March 2026

Abbi Kanthasamy

Mar 23, 2026 — 4 min read

Sri Lanka Cricket: From World Champions to a System in Crisis

By: Gamini Goonetilleke Cricket in Sri Lanka has long been more than a sport. It has functioned as a powerful social and cultural force, capable of transcending ethnic, religious, and class divisions, particularly during periods of political conflict and economic uncertainty. From village playgrounds to international stadiums, cricket has united communities and fostered a shared national identity. During the decades of civil conflict, the achievements of the national team created moments

Guest Column March 2026

Dr. Gamini Goonetilleke

Mar 20, 2026 — 10 min read

Voice of Tigers: The Rebel Radio That Echoed Through Sri Lanka’s War

By: M.R. Narayan Swamy Bettering the proverbial cat, the Tamil Tigers radio had two dozen lives! From its rudimentary beginnings in Jaffna, the Voice of Tigers (VOT), or Puligalin Kural, grew into a powerful radio station that broadcast news and other programmes in Tamil from the dense forests of Sri Lanka. The station chronicled the war fought by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), albeit with an inherent bias favouring the Tamil guerrillas, till May 2009 when the Sri Lankan m

Guest Column March 2026

M.R. Narayan Swamy

Mar 14, 2026 — 6 min read

Ethics of AI in an Asymmetric World: A Critical Examination of UNESCO’s 2021 Guidelines

By Mahesh Nirmalan, MBBS, MD, FRCA, PhD, FFICM & Roshan G. Ragel, PhD Mahesh Nirmalan is Associate Vice President for Responsible Research Practice at the University of Manchester, UK. Roshan G. Ragel is Professor of Computer Engineering at the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka. It is widely recognised that the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on human societies will be profound and is likely to impact all facets of human life. It has been described as the point of “technological sin

Guest Column March 2026

Prof. Mahesh Nirmalan

Mar 3, 2026 — 9 min read