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DIFFERENT PRIORITIES IN THE SINHALA AND TAMIL PRESS |
Tamil Headlines
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Virakesari: “President Anura has followed the footsteps of Mahinda and Gota; appointing Harshana as the secretary to the Ministry of Finance is a bad example” – Champika Ranawaka | Photograph: Five officials from the Indian foreign service who took part in a workshop meet Minister Bimal Rathnayake Thinakaran: A special team from Colombo to analyse soil samples from Chemmani with the permission of the court | “We are not in a position to hand over Katchatheevu Island” – Chandrasekar | “Dream Destination”: A project to modernise 100 railway stations |
Thinakkural: “There are Tamil Rajapaksas in the North; do not be trapped by them; Sumanthiran, who was in the government, did not do anything” – Bimal Rathnayake | “Establish a carbon lab in Sri Lanka to analyse the human skeletons found” – Bimal claims he requested the UN high commissioner [for human rights] | “Katchatheevu cannot be reclaimed by India” – Bimal Rathnayake | “Justice cannot be delivered for Chemmani by the UN high commissioner [for human rights] who cannot condemn Israel’s massacres” – Former Deputy Minister Abdullah Maharoof Thamilan: Affected due to the halting of development projects: Private companies demand Rs. 40 billion as compensation from the government |
Sinhala Headlines
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Lankadeepa: Actual prices concealed to evade taxes: 300 vehicles to be re-exported; discrepancy between the vehicles’ bills and the auction’s bill | The NPP chairperson of the Norwood [Pradeshiya Sabha] threatened by the NPP itself; all six members become independent; “No one can be allowed to go beyond the instructions of the party” – Nuwara Eliya District NPP MP Manjula Suraweera Arachchi Divaina: Seven who flocked to the seas in a struggle to make a living, hidden among the waves (four fishing vessels meet with accidents); seven dead, four bodies recovered and three still missing; in Moragolla, the younger brother’s body recovered not far from the older brother’s; the navy and the air force lunach a search operation to locate the missing persons Ada: Five fishing vessels meet with accidents over three days; five fishers dead, one missing and 12 rescued | Drugs worth Rs. 23 billion seized in 2025 |
Mawbima: A hunt for the “captain” of the vehicle assembly racket; three illegal vehicles worth more than 50 million seized; the mastermind is a close associate of a former minister and a resident of Bandaragama | The Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) to be repealed in September Dinamina: Four fishing boat accidents in 48 hours; six dead, two missing Aruna: Police protection for fuel stations: The acting IGP issues orders to the SDIGs Anidda: This paper is published on Fridays only |
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TAMIL PRESS PRIORITIES |
Photo credits: Daily News
“Establish a carbon lab in Sri Lanka to analyse the human skeletons found” – Bimal claims he requested the UN high commissioner | “Reclaiming of Katchatheevu by India is not possible | There are Tamil Rajapaksas in the North; do not be trapped by them; Sumanthiran, who was in the government, did not do anything” – Bimal Rathnayake
Thinakkural, Thamilan
Thinakkural: Speaking to the media in Jaffna, Minister of Transport, Highways, Ports and Civil Aviation Bimal Rathnayake stated that the government has requested the UN high commissioner for human rights to establish a carbon lab in Sri Lanka to analyse the human skeletons recovered not only in the North but also across the country so that justice could be delivered without delay.
Thinakkural, Thamilan: Rathnayake also noted that, according to the international agreement, Katchatheevu Island will not be given to India. He added that politicians in India speak of reclaiming it for their political purposes. Rathnayake further stated that Tamil Rajapaksas have emerged in the North, and that the public should not be trapped by them. He claimed that former ITAK MP M.A. Sumanthiran did not do anything, although he was in the government from 2015 to 2020 and held an unofficial ministerial post.
“President Anura has followed the footsteps of Mahinda and Gota; appointing Harshana as the secretary to the Ministry of Finance is a bad example” – Champika Ranawaka
Virakesari Leader of the United Republic Front (URF) Patali Champika Ranawaka claimed that President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has appointed former Deputy Minister of Finance and Planning Harshana Suriyapperuma as the secretary to the Ministry of Finance, which is a bad example. Ranawaka added that thus, the president has followed the footsteps of former Presidents Mahinda Rajapaksa and Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who had made political appointments to the ministries of finance and defence. |
A special team from Colombo to analyse soil samples from Chemmani with the permission of the court | 33 skeletons found from the Chemmani mass grave so far
Thinakaran, Thinakkural, Thamilan Thinakkural, Thamilan: 33 skeletons have been found so far during the ongoing exhumation of the mass grave in Chemmani. Among them were the skeletons of children, a bag and pieces of clothing. The skeleton of an infant was also found yesterday (29th). Thinakaran reports that a special team from Colombo visited the site of the Chemmani mass grave to collect soil samples for laboratory tests, with permission obtained from the court.
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“The military officials responsible for Chemmani [mass grave] are holding high posts” – The People’s Struggle Alliance
Thinakkural
Rajkumar Rajeevkanth, an activist from the People’s Struggle Alliance, claimed that Somaratne Rajapaksa, a soldier who was sentenced to death for the gang-rape and murder of Krishanti Kumaraswamy, had stated in his confession that the military personnel who were responsible for the death of Krishanti are all holding high posts in the military. Rajeevkanth called for immediate investigations in this regard.
SINHALA PRESS PRIORITIES |
Photo credits: AsianMirror
Shani appointed as CID director
Lankadeepa, Divaina, Aruna, Ada
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Shani Abeysekara has been appointed as the director of the CID. The appointment was approved by the National Police Commission following a request made by acting Inspector General of Police (IGP) Priyantha Weerasooriya. Abeysekara has also served in the same position previously, during which he led several high-profile investigations.
The US slashes funding for investigating war crimes
Lankadeepa, Divaina President Donald Trump has ordered his administration to slash US funding for global accountability initiatives. This includes funding for programmes in Sri Lanka to investigate alleged war crimes. Consequently, Sri Lanka’s ongoing accountability efforts are expected to encounter serious funding shortages in the future.
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51% of the Colombo Dockyard’s shares handed over to an Indian company
Ada, Aruna FSP Education Secretary Pubudu Jayagoda announced that an agreement has been signed to sell 51% of the Colombo Dockyard’s shares to Indian company Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited, and that the said company is a manufacturer of battleships and attack submarines. Jayagoda stated that this agreement will result in Sri Lanka being entangled in a geopolitical trap. He further claimed that this and other similar incidents occurring around the ports of Colombo and Trincomalee pose a threat to national security. |
The PTA to be repealed in September
Mawbima
Mawbima reports that Minister of Justice and National Integration Harshana Nanayakkara stated that the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) will be repealed in September. He has further stated that the new bill with regard to the repealing of the PTA is expected to be presented to the parliament by September, and that a majority will pass the repealing of the PTA.
COMMON PRIORITIES: SINHALA & TAMIL PRESS |
Photo credits: The Ministry of Fisheries website
“We are not in a position to hand over Katchatheevu Island” – Chandrasekar
Thinakaran, Virakesari, Aruna
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk yesterday (26th) called for the repeal of Sri Lanka’s Online Safety Act and a moratorium on the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA). During his visit to Sri Lanka, he also urged the expedited review and release of long-term PTA detainees, expressed support for decriminalising same-sex relations, and called for police reforms. Türk visited several areas across Sri Lanka engaging with officials, political leaders and civil society representatives. While the Sinhala press highlights the PTA and the Online Safety Act, the Tamil Press highlighted several other key issues the commissioner had spoken about. Türk visited the recently re-opened mass grave at Chemmani and stated that it was a compelling reminder that the past haunts the lives of many in Sri Lanka. He added that he was very grateful for the access granted to see the grave. Volker Türk further added that investigations on the Easter Sunday attacks need to be advanced. He also spoke on several issues including ensuring access to lands, increasing wages for plantation workers and on how the Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act needs to be amended. He stated further that with the support of international experts who can find the truth, solutions to the suffering of the families of the disappeared can be achieved soon. He also suggested that the Sri Lankan government establish a domestic mechanism in line with international standards for human rights violations.
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Common priorities: Additional stories
1. “Sri Lanka will end up becoming the 29th state of India” – Ven. (Prof.) Medagoda Abayatissa Thera – Aruna, Virakesari
2. “Rs. 23 billion worth of drugs have been seized at sea over two months” – The police headquarters – Ada, Mawbima, Thinakkural
3. “The container congestion at the Colombo Port has ended” – Customs spokesperson – Divaina, Virakesari
3. Four fishing vessels meet with accidents over the last 48 hours; six dead and two missing. A search operation launched by the navy and the air force to find the missing persons – Divaina, Mawbima, Aruna, Virakesari
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