Monitor Memo

KILINOCHCHI, Sri Lanka — March 30, 2026 — M. A. Sumanthiran, general secretary of the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK), said on Sunday that former combatants who had sacrificed their lives, education, and families for a political cause were the most qualified to join the party. Speaking at a meeting with former LTTE combatants in Kilinochchi, Mr. Sumanthiran said those who had “considered their lives insignificant” and were prepared to give their “life, body and soul” for a goal possessed th

BATTICALOA, Sri Lanka — March 31, 2026 — Authorities have begun excavating a suspected mass grave in eastern Sri Lanka where the remains of more than 170 Muslim civilians — including pilgrims returning from Hajj — are believed to be buried, more than three decades after they were abducted and killed during the country’s civil war. The court-ordered excavation is underway at Kurukkalmadam, in the Kaluwanchikudy police division of Batticaloa district, under the supervision of a magistrate and wit

JAFFNA, Sri Lanka — March 28, 2026 — A police sergeant was killed and another officer critically injured on Saturday morning after a tractor allegedly linked to illegal sand mining rammed into them in northern Sri Lanka, police said. The incident occurred near a temple in the Kerpeli area of Kodikamam on the Jaffna peninsula, after officers responded to a tip-off about unlawful sand excavation. According to police, two officers dispatched to the site attempted to intercept a tractor transporti

JAFFNA, Sri Lanka — A young man was left fighting for his life after a brutal machete attack in the Pannai area of Jaffna on Thursday evening. According to police, the victim, Soundirarajah Majith, in his early twenties, was riding a motorcycle when he was chased down by a group of assailants on two other bikes. The attackers overtook him, hacked him with machetes and other sharp weapons, and fled. During the assault, Majith lost control of his motorcycle and plunged into the nearby sea. Offic

JAFFNA, Sri Lanka — March 26, 2026 — The United Nations’ top representative in Sri Lanka on Thursday called for urgent action to resolve long-standing land disputes in the country’s north, after meeting farmers who have been barred from accessing their lands for nearly a decade despite holding legal title. Marc-André Franche, the U.N. Resident Coordinator and representative of the Secretary-General in Sri Lanka, visited Kovilvayal, a village in the Kilinochchi district, where he met with affect

JAFFNA, Sri Lanka — March 25 — Senior Professor of Accounting at the University of Jaffna, Prof. T. Velnampy, assumed office on Wednesday as the institution’s 11th Vice Chancellor, succeeding Prof. C. Srisatkunarajah, whose term concluded a day earlier. Prof. Velnampy, an academic known for his administrative experience, has in recent years been seen engaging in public forums associated with the National People’s Power (NPP), including attending some of its meetings. His appointment by Preside