March-2026

Investigations Find No Evidence of Sexual Abuse in Dickoya Hospital Mortuary Case

Investigations Find No Evidence of Sexual Abuse in Dickoya Hospital Mortuary Case

NUWARA ELIYA, Sri Lanka — March 9, 2026 A series of official investigations — including a review of CCTV footage, forensic examinations, and an inquiry by a special panel of doctors — has found no evidence that the body of a 23-year-old woman was sexually abused while stored at the mortuary of Dickoya Base Hospital in Sri Lanka’s central hill country. The conclusion follows weeks of public outrage, protests by plantation workers and residents, and political pressure that pushed the case into n
JM Exclusive March-2026
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India Offers 200 Fully Funded Scholarships to Sri Lankan Students for 2026–27

India Offers 200 Fully Funded Scholarships to Sri Lankan Students for 2026–27

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — India has opened applications for 200 fully funded scholarships for Sri Lankan students to pursue higher education at Indian universities during the 2026–27 academic year, in a program officials say reflects New Delhi’s continuing effort to deepen educational ties with its southern neighbor. The scholarships are administered by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) and are offered under four schemes: the Nehru Memorial Scholarship Scheme, the Maulana Azad Scholar
March-2026
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Sri Lankan Tamil Refugee Camp Leader Hacked to Death in Tamil Nadu; Six Arrested

Sri Lankan Tamil Refugee Camp Leader Hacked to Death in Tamil Nadu; Six Arrested

CHENNAI, India — A Sri Lankan Tamil refugee who served as chairman of a rehabilitation camp management committee in India’s southern state of Tamil Nadu was hacked to death recently in an attack police say may have stemmed from internal disputes within the camp. The victim, Sivakumar, also known as Kanna, 42, was originally from Murungan in Mannar district in northern Sri Lanka. Police said he was attacked by a group of assailants while walking near the Sri Lankan Tamils Rehabilitation Camp in
March-2026 Monitor Memo
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Jaffna Court to Decide Gotabaya Rajapaksa Testimony in 2011 Disappearance Case

Jaffna Court to Decide Gotabaya Rajapaksa Testimony in 2011 Disappearance Case

JAFFNA, Sri Lanka — A magistrate’s court in Jaffna has set April 28 as the date it will decide how former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa must provide testimony in the long-running case of two Tamil activists who vanished in 2011 amid allegations of enforced disappearance in the aftermath of Sri Lanka’s civil war. Lalith Kumar Weeraraj and Kugan Muruganandan, members of the leftist Frontline Socialist Party and organizers of protests demanding justice for victims of enforced disappearances, were l
JM Exclusive March-2026
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“Tamil Elites May Call the NPP ‘Old Sinhala Nationalism in Disguise,’ but Ordinary Tamils See a Progressive Force” — Jayadeva Uyangoda

“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

Aruliniyan Mahalingam
U.N. Chief Warns Gender Inequality Is the World’s “Greatest Human Rights Challenge”

U.N. Chief Warns Gender Inequality Is the World’s “Greatest Human Rights Challenge”

UNITED NATIONS — Marking International Women’s Day, the United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, issued a stark warning about the global state of women’s rights, describing gender inequality as “the greatest human rights challenge of our time” and urging governments to take concrete steps to close the gap between men and women. In an opinion essay released ahead of the March 8 observance, Mr. Guterres outlined eight actions he said governments, businesses, and international instituti
March-2026 Monitor Memo
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Late Partnership Lifts Jaffna Central to Victory in 119th Battle of the North

Late Partnership Lifts Jaffna Central to Victory in 119th Battle of the North

JAFFNA, Sri Lanka — Jaffna Central College secured a dramatic three-wicket victory over St. John's College Jaffna in the 119th edition of the “Battle of the North,” one of Sri Lanka’s oldest and most celebrated school cricket rivalries. Chasing 248 for victory, Jaffna Central found themselves in deep trouble at the end of the second day, struggling at 120 for 6 and staring at the prospect of defeat. The match, however, took a dramatic turn on the final day when Murali Thison and Jesuthasan Nith
March-2026 Sports
Jaffna Monitor

Jaffna Monitor
Sri Lanka Lawmaker Says Post-Cyclone Emergency Powers Threaten Civil Liberties

Sri Lanka Lawmaker Says Post-Cyclone Emergency Powers Threaten Civil Liberties

COLOMBO — Sri Lanka’s Parliament became the scene of a pointed constitutional challenge on Friday when Faiszer Musthapha, an opposition member of Parliament, pressed the government to justify maintaining emergency regulations three months after Cyclone Ditwah, warning that the legal framework now in place mirrors the decrees used to suppress protests during the 2022 Aragalaya uprising. “Today, the government claims that while the Ditwah crisis is over, emergency regulations are still required t
March-2026 Monitor Memo
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