Monitor Memo

JAFFNA, Sri Lanka — The Sri Lankan government has allocated 21 million rupees for the third phase of excavations at the Chemmani mass grave site, officials said. The release of funds follows repeated postponements caused by a lack of financial approval and adverse weather conditions that left the site waterlogged. The case is scheduled to be taken up again at the Jaffna Magistrate’s Court on April 21, when authorities are expected to indicate when excavation work will resume. Chemmani, a villa

KANDY, Sri Lanka — China’s ambassador to Sri Lanka, Qi Zhenhong, said on Saturday that Sri Lanka would not face a fuel shortage despite mounting global uncertainty linked to the conflict in the Middle East, offering strong assurances of continued Chinese support. Speaking to reporters after attending a program to distribute dry rations to 350 low-income families at Sri Chandananda Buddhist College in Kandy, the ambassador said that while several countries were experiencing disruptions to fuel s

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — The Sri Lankan government is moving to designate Vedukunari Hill, a contested site in the Nedunkerny area of Vavuniya, as a protected forest zone, a step officials say is necessary to preserve an ancient Buddhist heritage site but one that has deepened unease among Tamil political leaders over how the island’s past is being officially defined. The issue resurfaced after the Minister of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs, Dr. Hiniduma Sunil Senevi, told Parliament

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — April 11, 2026 — Lawmakers from the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Katchi (ITAK) unanimously agreed to support a no-confidence motion against Power and Energy Minister Kumara Jayakody on Friday, but several members hesitated to take a leading role in publicly confronting the government, according to multiple party sources familiar with internal discussions. The motion, taken up in Parliament on Friday, prompted an online meeting of ITAK’s political committee and parliamentary group a

KARAITHIVU, Sri Lanka — Hindu organizations from Sri Lanka’s Northern and Eastern provinces have called on the government to formally recognize the historic Kathirgamam (Kataragama) pilgrimage route as a sacred pilgrimage, urging authorities to issue a gazette notification granting it official status. The appeal was made during a meeting held on Saturday at the Swami Vipulananda Memorial Hall in Karaithivu, where government officials and religious representatives gathered to discuss the future

KILINOCHCHI, Sri Lanka — A former member of the LTTE has publicly endorsed M. A. Sumanthiran as a candidate for Chief Minister of Sri Lanka’s Northern Province, urging Tamils to rally behind him and challenging critics to propose a more suitable alternative. The endorsement came from Tharan Sri, a former fighter of the LTTE’s Charles Anthony Brigade who now leads a regional civil group, the Vanni Tamil People’s Union, in a Facebook post. He said M. A. Sumanthiran had invited former militants to