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Iran Says Sri Lanka Invited Warship Before U.S. Strike, Confirming Jaffna Monitor Report

Iran Says Sri Lanka Invited Warship Before U.S. Strike, Confirming Jaffna Monitor Report

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — March 24 — Iran’s ambassador to Sri Lanka said Monday that Sri Lankan naval authorities had invited Iranian vessels — including the ill-fated IRIS Dena — to visit the island, reinforcing an account first reported by Jaffna Monitor earlier this month. Speaking at a media briefing in Colombo on March 23, the ambassador, Dr. Alireza Delkhosh, said the invitation was extended during MILAN 2026, a multinational naval exercise held in Visakhapatnam, India. “During the exercise i


Our Special Correspondent

Our Special Correspondent

Jaffna Lecturer Killed in Alleged Family Plot Laid to Rest

Jaffna Lecturer Killed in Alleged Family Plot Laid to Rest

JAFFNA, Sri Lanka — March 22, 2026 — A senior University of Jaffna lecturer killed in an alleged family plot was buried Sunday, as new details from police investigations painted a disturbing picture of the crime. Dr. (Mrs.) Thayalini Thileepan, 54, a Senior Lecturer at the Faculty of Siddha Medicine, was laid to rest following funeral rites held at her residence in Jaffna. Her 19-year-old daughter, one of the main suspects in the case, was permitted by court order to attend the funeral under


Our Reporter

Our Reporter

Government Signals Fresh Delays in Provincial Elections as Panel to Submit Only ‘Initial Report’

Government Signals Fresh Delays in Provincial Elections as Panel to Submit Only ‘Initial Report’

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Sri Lanka’s long-delayed provincial council elections appear set for further postponement, with a parliamentary panel now expected to submit only an initial report within three months. The select committee, chaired by Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath, had originally been tasked with producing a report within that timeframe. But at its first meeting last week, Mr. Vijitha Herath indicated that only a preliminary report would be delivered, suggesting that further stages of rev


Our Special Correspondent

Our Special Correspondent

JVP may move towards one-party rule, says Tamil leader

JVP may move towards one-party rule, says Tamil leader

By M.R. Narayan Swamy Sri Lanka faces the risk of its dominant Marxist ruling party pushing the country toward a one-party state, M.A. Sumanthiran, Acting General Secretary of the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK), said, adding that the government is already setting up a parallel power structure in the Tamil-majority North. At the same time, lawyer-cum-politician M.A. Sumanthiran underlines that while President Anura Dissanayake is pragmatic, he is surrounded by some who the former Tami


M.R. Narayan Swamy

M.R. Narayan Swamy

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

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


Aruliniyan Mahalingam

Aruliniyan Mahalingam

Faiszer Musthapha Urges Sri Lanka to Seize Opportunity Amid Global Instability

Faiszer Musthapha Urges Sri Lanka to Seize Opportunity Amid Global Instability

Colombo, March 19, 2026 —Opposition MP and President’s Counsel Faiszer Musthapha on Thursday urged the government to act swiftly to attract global capital relocating from conflict-affected regions, warning that Sri Lanka risks missing a rare strategic opening if it remains slow, rigid, and overly constrained by policy orthodoxy. Speaking during a parliamentary debate, Faiszer Musthapha said rising instability in parts of the Middle East was already prompting investors to seek safer destinations


Our Reporter

Our Reporter

Shanakiyan Disputes Key Claims in Jaffna Monitor Editorial on Online Safety Act Case

Shanakiyan Disputes Key Claims in Jaffna Monitor Editorial on Online Safety Act Case

After Jaffna Monitor published its editorial on Sunday questioning Batticaloa District MP Shanakiyan Rasamanickam’s decision to invoke Sri Lanka’s Online Safety Act against dozens of Tamil critics, media figures, and political actors, the lawmaker telephoned this office to present his version of events. Speaking at length, Mr. Shanakiyan defended his decision to seek relief through the courts and described what he said was a prolonged, coordinated campaign of personal defamation directed not on


Our Special Correspondent

Our Special Correspondent

Sri Lanka to Close Government Offices Every Wednesday to Save Fuel

Sri Lanka to Close Government Offices Every Wednesday to Save Fuel

Colombo, March 17, 2026 After days of assuring citizens that fuel supplies were sufficient, the Sri Lankan government said on Monday that it would close government offices, courts, state schools, and universities every Wednesday until further notice to manage fuel consumption. The announcement comes as rising tensions in the Middle East have stirred fresh concerns about energy supplies in a country still clawing its way back from one of the worst economic crises in its modern history. The orde


Our Reporter

Our Reporter