Twin elections in 2024 transformed Sri Lanka’s political landscape, bringing to power a president and parliamentarians who pledged sweeping reforms. So far, however, the new government has made little progress toward this end. It has work to do to show it can do politics differently. by International Crisis Group, Brussels, April 16, 2026 What’s new? Almost… Read more »
Notes on Reaching 70 Not Out – Part 11
An Auto-Obituary ahead in Time by Sachi Sri Kantha, April 12, 2026 Front Note by Sachi In Japan, during the past decade or so, the word ‘shu-katsu’ (終活Planning for the End), has become a popular one in mass media. Businesses have bloomed on this concept for the geriatric folks to prepare for their final… Read more »
India Today: Someetharan’s Anti-war Film is a Portrait of War’s Human Cost
by Janani K., India Today, Mumbai, April 2, 2026 Neelira movie review: Director Someetharan’s Neelira, starring Naveen Chandra, Roopa Koduvayur and Sananth Reddy, is a chamber drama set in the thick of the Sri Lankan civil war. The film is a straight-forward documentation of the effects of war on the lives of commoners. There is… Read more »
TG: Neelira – An Important Step
With a runtime of ninety minutes, ‘Neelira’ is a taut and tense thriller. . by Gop Selva, Tamil Guardian, London, April 2, 2026 . Having worked as an assistant director for Balu Mahendra and Karthik Subbaraj, Someetharan – who has previously created documentaries – has now directed his first narrative feature film. ‘Neelira’ is a… Read more »
Cinema Express: A Wedding, a War, and a Wounded History
by Akshay Kumar, Cinema Express, Mumbai, April 2, 2026 Neelira Movie Review: Neelira may not offer easy answers or closure, but it compels us to sit with discomfort, ensuring we hear stories that should neither be forgotten nor simplified When the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) were deployed in Sri Lanka, the Sri Lankan Tamils,… Read more »
TOI: Neelira Movie Review: Small-scale War Drama with Real Grit
by Abhinav Subramanian, Times of India, Mumbai, April 2, 2026 Neelira Movie Synopsis: A wedding eve in 1988 Sri Lanka turns into a hostage standoff when Indian Army soldiers occupy a family’s home overnight. The best hostage films don’t need explosions. They need a room, a locked door, and people who can’t afford to blink. Director Someetharan,… Read more »
ITJP: GSF Sexual Violence Consultation Report
by International Truth & Justice Project, South Africa, January 15, 2026 ITJP-GSFReportSriLanka-Final-January-2026_2026-01-14-222743_vgod Press Release Johannesburg: Survivors of systematic and widespread conflict-related sexual violence in Sri Lanka say they urgently need justice, accountability and sustained psychological and social support. The International Truth and Justice Project (ITJP) today launched the findings of a two-year consultation with Tamil… Read more »
From Sachi’s Files – Chapter 29
A tongue-in cheek appreciation to Lalith Athulathmudali (1936-1993) by Sachi Sri Kantha, April 2, 2026 Front Note by Sachi Early this year, I presented my compilation of ‘Sinhalese Intelligentsia and Dimwits I admire and Resent’ [the link is https://sangam.org/sinhalese-intelligentsia-and-dimwits-i-admire-and-resent/]. One missed individual was attorney-turned politician Lalith Athulathmudali (1936-1993). I would place him in the ‘Definite… Read more »
Israel’s Shadows behind Settlers Policy in Sri Lanka
by Dr. Punsara Amarasinghe, South Asia Monitor, October 7, 2025 This controversial project of the mid-1980s, inspired by Israeli models, ultimately failed to achieve its intended outcomes. Nevertheless, Israeli involvement left a lasting imprint on the Mahaweli Development Project and agricultural settlements in Sri Lanka. The continuing association between the military and the Mahaweli Development… Read more »
Devolution Without Power is Meaningless
by Raj Sivanathan, Groundviews, Colombo, March 26, 2026 A version of this article is also on Jaffna Post at The NPP Must Deliver Devolution and Economic Justice Now – Sri Lanka News Sri Lanka stands today at a decisive and defining moment in its post-war political and economic journey. For more than three decades, the… Read more »
MGR Remembered – Part 86
Beginning his Second Tenure as the Chief Minister by Sachi Sri Kantha, March 24, 2026 Comments from R. Kannan MGR biographer Kannan’s comments for Part 85 was received on Jan 31, 2026. These were as follows: “I read your Part 85 with interest, and as always, it excels in its research. I had met Pandian… Read more »
ITJP: Allegations of Human Rights Violations against Daya Ratnayake
by International Truth & Justice Sri Lanka, South Africa, March 13, 2026 ITJP Daya-Ratnayake_public Mar 2026 Section 1. Summary Daya Ratnayake is a retired army general who has allegedly been involved in a wide range of human rights violations and war crimes during his service in the army. Allegations against him range across two phases… Read more »
ITJP: Pathfinder for Norwegian Archive – Briefing Note
by International Truth & Justice Sri Lanka, South Africa, February 25, 2026 ITJP Pathfinder-for-Norwegian-Archive_2026-02-25-233802_jggz On 27 January 2026, Norwegian diplomat and former politician Erik Solheim (also the former Norwegian Special Envoy to the Sri Lanka peace process) inaugurated a repository of documents related to the ceasefire negotiations during the Sri Lanka civil war.1 The repository… Read more »
A Public Holiday Every Week?
Sri Lankans Bemoan the Enforced Day Off. The island’s government, rationing fuel amid shortages from the Iran war, surprised residents by imposing an unusual four-day week. by Pamodi Waravita and Anupreeta Das, The New York Times, March 21, 2026 A vendor waiting for customers at a railway station in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on Wednesday, after… Read more »
Notes on Reaching 70 Not Out – Part 10
Life and Learning with Six Muses by Sachi Sri Kantha, March 13, 2026 In the previous installment (Part 9), I wrote about the influence of two of my teachers (the link is https://sangam.org/notes-on-reaching-70-not-out-part-9/ But my creativity story will be incomplete, if I fail to acknowledge the sparks thrown by my six muses. Not to be… Read more »
Trump Is Playing Chess. China Is Playing Go
by Raghu Raman, TheWire.In, March 19, 2026 Trump believes he is playing chess against Iran and winning. He is not only wrong about the chess, he is catastrophically wrong about the game. Chess originated in India. It is played on a board of 64 squares, with 16 pieces per side arrayed against each other from… Read more »
Declassified Documents Detail Israel’s Role at the Start of Sri Lanka’s Civil War
by Eitay Mack, TheWire.In, March 17, 2026 Not only did Israel ignore the severity of the human rights situation, it also knew from the outset that its military assistance had limited prospects of success. The Sri Lankan government has acknowledged that there could be as many as 65,000 people missing following three decades of civil… Read more »
The Vaddukoddai Resolution at 50
Historical Context, Political Impact, Legal Claims, and Contemporary Significance by Wimal Navaratnam‘s blog, Canada, March 9, 2026 Introduction The Vaddukoddai Resolution, adopted on May 14, 1976, in Jaffna, Sri Lanka, stands as a pivotal moment in the political history of the island and in the evolution of Tamil nationalism. As the resolution marks its 50th… Read more »
US Global Magnitsky Sanctions Report 2025
by Human Rights First, New York, March 9, 2026 Magnitsky_0725to1225_FINAL This briefing provides an overview of recent developments in the U.S. government’s use of its targeted human rights and anticorruption sanctions programs from July 1, 2025 to December 31, 2025. Notable Developments and Patterns of Use Infrequent Use of Targeted Human Rights and Corruption Sanctions:… Read more »
5th Anniversary of the Pottuvil to Polikandy People’s Uprising
and the Five-Year Journey of the Pottuvil to Polikandy People’s Uprising Movement by Pottuvil to Polikandy People’s Uprising, February 10, 2026 P2P 5th Anniversary After the Tamil people’s liberation struggle, which marched forward with determination until 2009, was brought down through injustice and betrayal, false propaganda was introduced claiming that the Eelam Tamil nation had… Read more »