Monitor Memo

The wife of notorious underworld figure Backhoe Saman, Shadika Lakshani, was produced before the Vavuniya Magistrate’s Court under heavy police security in connection with an alleged passport-fraud case. Backhoe Saman, identified by police as a leading member of Sri Lanka’s organized-crime network, was recently arrested in Indonesia along with his wife and four associates. The group was later deported to Sri Lanka and placed in custody under strict security measures. According to police invest

Three siblings from a single family in Akkaraipattu have excelled in the recently concluded Southeast Asian Mathematics Olympiad (SEAMO). The online competition, which drew participants from 28 countries across Southeast Asia, tested mathematical reasoning and problem-solving skills at an advanced international level. National-Level Winners The outstanding achievers are: * Mahboob Ahmed Yasri, a student of Akkaraipattu Muslim Central College (National School), secured first place nationall

Four children have permanently lost their sight in recent weeks due to severe chemical burns from lime used in betel chewing, health authorities revealed Tuesday, prompting urgent warnings about a disturbing rise in preventable eye injuries across Northern Province. Dr. M. Malaravan, an ophthalmologist at Jaffna Teaching Hospital, disclosed that six children suffered serious eye injuries from betel-related lime exposure in recent weeks alone, with four cases resulting in irreversible blindness.

Archbishop of Colombo, Cardinal Ranjith, has raised the alarm over what he dramatically termed an “inappropriate sexual education programme” being slipped into Sri Lanka’s school curriculum next year. Speaking recently at the reopening of the renovated St. Stephen’s Church in Meerigama, the Cardinal claimed the Education Ministry’s new curriculum aims to introduce sexual education from Grade 6, complete with teacher training and seminars. Sources close to the Education Ministry have confirmed

The Ministry of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs has appointed a 19-member Archaeology Advisory Committee, which lacks representation from Tamil and Muslim communities, triggering widespread criticism from historians, activists, and minority community leaders. The committee, appointed through an extraordinary gazette dated November 1, 2025, and signed by Minister Dr. Hiniduma Sunil Senevi, will serve from March 10, 2025, to March 9, 2027. It will advise the Department of Archaeology

This image was created using artificial intelligence. No real individuals are depicted. A 19-year-old man was beaten inside a Hindu temple in Kilinochchi District on Sunday evening in what police are investigating as a caste-based assault — marking yet another incident in the long, unending saga of caste discrimination in Sri Lanka’s Northern Province. The attack took place at the Kannagi Amman Temple in Vinayagapuram, Karaichi Division, when a group of men and women allegedly assaulted the yo

“We have conveyed the position of the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK) to the Democratic Tamil National Alliance (DTNA). Only if they agree to it can we once again function together as the Tamil National Alliance (TNA),” said ITAK General Secretary M.A. Sumanthiran. Ironically, both the DTNA and the Tamil National People’s Front (TNPF) had earlier accused Sumanthiran of being the key reason behind the disintegration of the once-powerful TNA. He also revealed that talks have begun with the TN

In what critics are calling a masterclass in mixed messaging, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake appealed for full media cooperation in his war against drugs—while simultaneously barring journalists from the very event where he made that appeal. The National Work Plan for Eradicating the Drug Menace was launched with much fanfare at the Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium, where the President delivered an impassioned address urging Sri Lanka's media to join hands with the government in combating the nar