Jaffna Monitor

08/10/2026

“My personal preference must not become the law.”

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake defended prison officials over the removal of Gnanasara Thero’s robes, telling senior Buddhist monks he would not override prison regulations. He called for reforms within two weeks.

Jaffna Monitor publishes his remarks in full, translated from Sinhala.

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — President Anura Kumara Dissanayake told senior Buddhist monks on Thursday that he understood the distress caused by seeing a revered monk brought before court in prison clothing, but insisted that he would not intervene to set aside prison regulations for an individual, declar...

08/10/2026

A former Jaffna fisheries leader has accused an associate of Sri Lanka’s fisheries minister of pressuring officials to secure land for a sea cucumber hatchery for a local leader of the ruling NPP’s Praja Shakthi programme. He warned of protests over the farms’ environmental impact.

Ex-fisheries federation chief accuses minister's associate of pushing a sea cucumber hatchery deal in Jaffna, warns of mass fishermen protests.

08/10/2026

Canadian poet Anne Carson, whose inventive work brings ancient Greek myths into modern literature, has won the Nobel Prize in Literature.

An early admirer was Sri Lankan-born novelist Michael Ondaatje, who once called her “the most exciting poet writing in English today.”

Read More:

STOCKHOLM: Anne Carson, the Canadian poet, essayist and translator whose books fold ancient Greek literature into verse novels, essays, performance pieces and comics, won the Nobel Prize in Literature on Thursday. The Swedish Academy cited Ms. Carson "for her bold and inventive oeuvre that, in playf...

08/10/2026

Senior Buddhist clergy objected after a jailed monk was stripped of his robes by prison officials — now the president has ordered a review of the rules. Full story on Jaffna Monitor.

https://www.jaffnamonitor.com/president-orders-review-of-prison-rules-after-gnanasara-thero-was-stripped-of-robes/

08/10/2026

Sri Lanka’s government is scrambling to contain a backlash over the removal of Gnanasara Thero’s robes. President Dissanayake clashed with Justice Minister Harshana Nanayakkara, sources say, and is set to meet senior Buddhist clergy representatives as the controversy deepens.

President Dissanayake clashed with his justice minister over Gnanasara Thero's prison robe removal, as Buddhist clergy pressure mounts on the government.

08/10/2026

A Kalmunai student preparing for his A/Levels was found dead at home, just four months after his father's death. Full story on Jaffna Monitor.

https://www.jaffnamonitor.com/19-year-old-student-found-dead-at-home-in-eastern-sri-lanka/

07/10/2026

Shiranthi Rajapaksa, wife of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, has been remanded over state funds meant for a CT scanner at Lady Ridgeway Hospital. Full story on Jaffna Monitor.

https://www.jaffnamonitor.com/shiranthi-rajapaksa-remanded-in-corruption-case-over-funds-for-childrens-hospital-scanner/

07/10/2026

Who has the authority to strip a monk of his robes — the state or the Maha Sangha? The heads of Sri Lanka's four main Buddhist orders have weighed in on the Gnanasara Thero case. Full story on Jaffna Monitor.

https://www.jaffnamonitor.com/featured/who-can-take-away-a-monks-robe-heads-of-sri-lankas-four-main-buddhist-orders-challenge-the-state/

07/10/2026

A Sri Lankan diplomat bypassed official channels and sent a personal letter into the Saudi royal court to save a maid from ex*****on. Full story on Jaffna Monitor.

https://www.jaffnamonitor.com/a-letter-to-the-palace-how-a-sri-lankan-diplomat-helped-save-a-maid-from-ex*****on/

07/10/2026

Sri Lanka’s government says it is replacing the Prevention of Terrorism Act.

But a Jaffna Monitor examination of the Protection of the State from Terrorism Bill and the Prevention of Organised Crimes Bill finds overlapping powers of prolonged detention and surveillance — while the organised-crime bill revives police confessions, a rule the terrorism bill abandons.

Two Bills, One Machine: Sri Lanka’s New Architecture of State Power

Sri Lanka's new terrorism and organised crime bills revive PTA-era detention and confession rules, raising fears of abuse against activists and press.