by Sachi Sri Kantha Prelude In 2023, I was engaged in a double-handed correspondence duel (debate) in the ‘Tuppahi’s blog site, maintained by Prof. Michael Roberts. My two opponents were Sinhalese – namely Prof. Chandre Dharmawardena and Mr. Edward T. Upali. Their premise was ‘Mahavamsa is a reliable historical document’. I was opposed to this… Read more »
OSLAP 2026-2027 Update
by OHCHR Sri Lanka Accountability Project (OSLAP), Geneva, April 21, 2026 2026-2027 update on OHCHR Sri Lanka accountability project …Supporting relevant judicial and other proceedings, including in Member States,with competent jurisdiction Main Achievements (2025) In the absence of effective domestic accountability, OSLap prioritised support to formal Requests for Assistance (RFAs) from jurisdictions pursuing cases under… Read more »
Karaitivu 1985
A Forgotten Anti-Tamil pogrom in the Shadow of Sri Lanka’s Genocide by Seelan Rasathurai, Tamil Guardian, London, April 21, 2025 It was a quiet morning on 12 April 1985 when Karaitivu, a small coastal Tamil village in the Amparai district of Sri Lanka’s Eastern Province, was plunged into terror. As villagers prepared to celebrate the… Read more »
‘India’s Fiscal Federalism Must Be Reimagined’
To ensure every vote carries equal weight’ Shruti Rajagopalan, economist and professor at George Mason University, argues that any future effort to enlarge the Lok Sabha and apportion seats by population requires fundamental changes to the Indian polity by: Shruti Rajagopalan, Indian Express, Mumbai, April 20, 2026 Delimitation is the act of drawing political lines…. Read more »
Decentralise or Decline: The South’s Warning
by Nilakantan RS, Off Beat Concerns, India, April 19, 2026 Though the move for delimitation has for now, failed in Parliament, the concerns it raised about federal balance, representation, and transparency remain unresolved—especially for the southern states. In this conversation with Shahina KK, author and commentator Nilakantan RS, known for his work South vs North, examines… Read more »
TG: New Book by Tamil Historian
Re-examines early Jaffna civilisation through inscriptions and archaeology by Tamil Guardian, London, April 18, 2026 A new research volume by veteran historian and former University of Jaffna Chancellor Professor S. Pathmanathan, exploring early Tamil society in the island’s North, was launched on April 11, marking the culmination of more than five decades of scholarship. Titled… Read more »
Intl Crisis Group: Sri Lanka’s Bumpy Road to a Political Reset
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 »