March 2026


A Dangerous Precedent: When Tamil Leaders Use the Online Safety Act

A Dangerous Precedent: When Tamil Leaders Use the Online Safety Act

Let me say something at the outset. I respect Shanakiyan Rasamanickam. I respect him because, in my estimation, while many of our so-called leaders are busy merely talking, he is one of the few Tamil political leaders who has demonstrated the ability to deliver results. That was very much evident in the last parliamentary election. At the last parliamentary election, when the political tide across much of the North and East shifted dramatically, many Tamil voters were drawn toward the National


Kaniyan Pungundran

Kaniyan Pungundran

QR Fuel Pass System Relaunch Faces Technical Glitches

QR Fuel Pass System Relaunch Faces Technical Glitches

COLOMBO — March 16 Sri Lanka’s reinstated National Fuel Pass system, intended to regulate fuel distribution amid global supply uncertainties, ran into significant technical problems on its first mandatory day, leaving many motorists unable to register their vehicles and triggering criticism of the digital platform developed by the technology firm MillenniumIT ESP. The system, which requires motorists to present a QR code linked to their vehicle in order to obtain fuel, became compulsory nation


Our Reporter

Our Reporter

Government Reinstates QR Fuel Pass System, but Registration Remains Incomplete

Government Reinstates QR Fuel Pass System, but Registration Remains Incomplete

COLOMBO — March 15 — The government on Sunday reinstated the National Fuel Pass (QR code) system, requiring motorists to present a registered QR code in order to obtain fuel at filling stations, as authorities move to regulate distribution and maintain supply stability. The Ministry of Power and Energy said the measure came into effect at 6:00 a.m. on March 15, and that fuel will not be issued at any station without a valid QR code linked to a registered vehicle. The system, first introduced d


Our Reporter

Our Reporter

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

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


M.R. Narayan Swamy

M.R. Narayan Swamy

ITAK Leadership Moves to Distance Itself From Controversial Resolution

ITAK Leadership Moves to Distance Itself From Controversial Resolution

COLOMBO — The leadership of the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK) has sought to distance the party from a controversial resolution passed by the Pachchilaipalli Pradeshiya Sabha, a local council controlled by ITAK, supporting what it described as United States efforts to “maintain world peace.” In a Facebook status posted on social media on Friday, the party’s acting general secretary, M. A. Sumanthiran, said the resolution adopted by the local council had no connection to the party’s official


Our Reporter

Our Reporter

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

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


Our Special Correspondent

Our Special Correspondent

Northern Council’s Letter Backing U.S. War Effort Raises Questions for ITAK

Northern Council’s Letter Backing U.S. War Effort Raises Questions for ITAK

JAFFNA — A resolution passed by a local government council in Sri Lanka’s Northern Province endorsing what it described as the United States’ efforts to “maintain world peace” has triggered political controversy, exposing what critics describe as a stark contradiction within the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK) — a party that has long framed its politics around civilian protection and human rights. According to documents reviewed by Jaffna Monitor, the Pachchilaipalli Pradeshiya Sabha adopted


Our Reporter

Our Reporter

The Meccan Shawl

The Meccan Shawl

Translated from the original Tamil short story makkattuc cālvai (மக்கத்துச் சால்வை) from the eponymous 1992 collection of short stories by S.L.M. Hanifa. The original collection is available at noolaham.org. If you have any questions, please contact ez.iniyavan@gmail.com. “Thambi! Mammanifā, do you remember me, son? That day, your wāppā and everyone else remained mum. You were a little boy. But you spotted it like a vigilant crow. You shouted as if you were raise the alarm.” “He is hit, he i


Eḻuttukkiṉiyavaṉ

Eḻuttukkiṉiyavaṉ