Monitor Memo

Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK) MP Sivagnanam Sritharan on Friday firmly rejected corruption allegations made against him by Opposition MP Dayasiri Jayasekara, and challenged him to substantiate the claims with evidence in Parliament. Responding to accusations raised the previous day, Sritharan said he was prepared to face any scrutiny and called on Jayasekara to formally prove the allegations if they were true. “If MP Dayasiri Jayasekara is truly an upright Sinhala Buddhist, I challenge him

T. Muthukumaarasamy, popularly known as Kumar, a veteran Tamil political activist and one of the early pioneers of Tamil political mobilisation during the pre-militant phase of the Eelam Tamil struggle, passed away in the United States, where he had lived for several decades. He was in his late seventies. Muthukumaarasamy, who hailed from Thirunelveli, was the youngest son of the late Magistrate Thambithurai, a well-known judicial figure of his time. He became politically active during his stud

Veteran leftist politician and former Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) leader Nandana Gunathilake passed away on Sunday morning, prompting an outpouring of tributes as well as sharp criticism from sections of his former political comrades, particularly within the JVP-led National People’s Power (NPP). While many across the political spectrum remembered Gunathilake for his simplicity, organisational skills, and role in rebuilding the JVP after the brutal repression of the late 1980s, some current

The United States has nominated Eric Meyer, a senior career diplomat currently overseeing South and Central Asian policy at the U.S. Department of State, as its next Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Sri Lanka, though the appointment is yet to be finalised pending Senate confirmation. President Donald Trump submitted Meyer’s nomination to the U.S. Senate on July 9, 2025, where it was referred to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee as Presidential Nomination PN380-2 during the 1

Public criticism of Tamil Nadu political leaders by Sri Lankan Tamils risks alienating millions of their supporters and weakening long-standing political solidarity, P. Ayngaranesan, leader of the Tamil National Green Movement, has warned. Ayngaranesan made these remarks while addressing a contemporary political discourse organised by the Tamil National Green Movement at the Divine Life Society Hall in Nallur (Divya Jeevana Sangam) recently. He said that indiscriminate public attacks on Tamil

Ilankai Tamil Arasu Katchi (ITAK) leader C.V.K. Sivagnanam has publicly challenged Tamil National People's Front (TNPF) leader Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam over what he describes as inconsistencies between his constitutional criticisms and electoral participation. Speaking to reporters in Jaffna recently, Sivagnanam questioned how Ponnambalam can reject the 13th Amendment as a framework that "traps Tamils within a unitary state" while simultaneously contesting elections under that same constitutio

In a classic case of Tamils undermining Tamil upliftment, nearly Rs. 169 million allocated by the Ministry for the construction of a world-class indoor sports stadium in the Jaffna District is set to be returned and transferred to the Buildings Department, as the funds remain unutilised due to ongoing legal obstacles. Jaffna Government Agent Maruthalingam Piratheepan disclosed this while responding to a query on the proposed indoor stadium at a recent District Development Committee meeting held

The Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK) Political Committee has directed Member of Parliament Sivagnanam Sritharan to resign from his position on Sri Lanka’s Constitutional Council, citing his repeated support for government positions, including on matters related to militarisation. The decision was taken at a recent Political Committee meeting in Vavuniya, attended by party leader C.V.K. Sivagnanam, General Secretary M.A. Sumanthiran, and other senior members. Sritharan did not attend the meeti