October 2025 - Jaffna Monitor

Jaffna Swami

Translated from the original Tamil short story yāḻppānaccāmi (யாழ்ப்பாணச் சாமி) by Shobasakthi. The original story is available at his website. If you have any questions or feedback, please contact ez.iniyavan@gmail.com. This story is not about the Aruḷampalam Swami who was immortalized in song by the great Tamil poet Bharathiyār, calling him the eye of the world and the enlightened vessel that delivers sinners from their suffering. I am about to tell you the story of a different Jaffna Swami

Story October 2025

Eḻuttukkiṉiyavaṉ

Oct 27, 2025 — 20 min read

WE ARE SORRY

Editorial Thirty-Five Years of Silence, Thirty-Five Years of Shame On October 30, 1990 — thirty-five years ago — the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, with we Tamils as mute spectators, committed an atrocity that erased whatever moral or ethical ground our struggle once stood upon. In an orchestrated act of ethnic cleansing — not in scale, but in spirit comparable to the mass expulsion of the Rohingya from Myanmar; reminiscent of the 1948 Palestinian Nakba; echoing the forced displacement of

Editorial October 2025

Kaniyan Pungundran

Oct 26, 2025 — 7 min read

Bimal Rathnayake’s Ports Docked and Aviation Grounded by His Own Racist Politics

Bimal Rathnayake, arguably the most controversial minister in Anura Kumara Dissanayake's government and widely accused by Tamil parties of obstructing Northern development for racist reasons, has been removed from his powerful Ports and Aviation portfolio and reassigned as Minister of Transport, Highways and Urban Development. Tamil political circles have long accused Rathnayake of personally blocking the development of Palaly Airport and Kankesanthurai (KKS) Harbour — two projects viewed as cr

Article October 2025

Our Reporter

Oct 24, 2025 — 3 min read

From Philanthropy to Academia: The Evolution of Jaffna Teaching Hospital and Its Medical Institutions

The origins of organized healthcare in Jaffna, in the North of Ceylon can be traced to the pioneering efforts of the American Ceylon Mission in the early 19th century. Rev. Dr. John Scudder, the first medical missionary to Ceylon, arrived in Jaffna in 1819 and, in June 1820, established a small dispensary at Pandatherippu—the first medical mission dispensary in the world. This modest initiative marked the beginning of Western medical practice in the region. Combining Christian service with medic

Article October 2025

Dr. Gamini Goonetilleke

Oct 23, 2025 — 11 min read

Unholy Deals? ‘Not Signed, Just Prayed,’ Says Bishop

The Bishop of Mannar, Antonypillai Gnanapragasam, has said that the government remains determined to proceed with the installation of all 14 wind turbines in the district, despite ongoing public opposition to the project. He also vehemently rejected claims that he had struck a deal with the government. Speaking at a recent discussion with representatives of the interfaith group, civil organizations, and the people’s protest committee in Mannar, Bishop Gnanapragasam disclosed details of his meet

Monitor Memo October 2025

Jaffna Monitor

Oct 16, 2025 — 2 min read

Don’t Give Stones to Haters to Throw at You

Dear Editor, When I first came across Jaffna Monitor, I was flabbergasted. Here was something our Tamil community had never seen — a publication unafraid to say what the mainstream Tamil narrative refuses to say, unconcerned about being branded or sidelined. Intrigued and concerned, I reached out through my channels and met your editor, known as Kaniyan Pungundran. I expected a well-funded operation with strong backers. Instead, I met a man who had walked to our meeting, explaining that nearly

Letter to the Editor October 2025

Reader's Voice

Oct 16, 2025 — 2 min read

The War That Reached the Temple Gates: Father of LTTE Brigadier Vithusha Passes Away in Jaffna

Kanthiah Kurukkal, father of late LTTE commander Brigadier Vithusha and fallen cadre Vithushan, passed away in Jaffna this week. Hailing from a respected Tamil Brahmin family in Kappoothu, Karaveddy, Kanthiah Kurukkal lost both his daughter and son to the armed struggle. His passing has rekindled reflections on how the war reached even the most traditional families — those once devoted entirely to temple service and religious life. Born in the Vadamarachchi region, Kanthiah Kurukkal was known

Monitor Memo October 2025

Jaffna Monitor

Oct 16, 2025 — 2 min read

Business Cycles: Why Balance Sheet Economic Truths Should Guide Sri Lanka's Recovery

Modern economic discourse is often fractured by ideological debates that obscure a more fundamental, mechanical reality. Beneath the surface of political agendas and economic schools of thought lies an immutable operating system: the universal framework of double-entry accounting. This is not merely a corporate bookkeeping tool but the fundamental grammar of all economic activity. Every transaction, from a local purchase to a sovereign debt issuance, creates an inseparable duality—an asset for o

Opinion & Analysis October 2025

Dr. Kenneth De Zilwa

Oct 16, 2025 — 9 min read