DIFFERENT PRIORITIES IN THE SINHALA AND TAMIL PRESS |
Tamil Headlines
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Virakesari: “Full cooperation for rebuilding” – Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi assures Vijitha Herath; Two-hour talks held in Katunayake | Withdraw the education reforms; Prime Minister Harini must resign immediately; Wimal Weerawansa begins satyagraha protest Thinakaran: President’s concept ‘A Place for Oneself, a Beautiful Life’: National Housing Project to begin in the North on the 16th | President Anura Kumara Dissanayake will launch the inauguration ceremony of the ‘Rebuilding Sri Lanka’ national programme today |
Thinakkural: “Immediately abandon the education reforms, remove Harini, and reshuffle the Cabinet” – Ven. Elle Gunawansa Thera, Chair of the National Movement to Protect the Nation, in a letter to the President | ‘Go Home Harini’: Weerawansa begins satyagraha in front of the Ministry of Education Thamilan: ‘Harini Go Home!’ Satyagraha begins; Continuous protest in front of the Ministry of Education | Education reform controversy; If there is no immediate solution, protests will explode; Trade unions issue warning |
Sinhala Headlines
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Lankadeepa: Three in Mundalama: four in Kilinochchi; seven die in two vehicular accidents: seven injured Divaina: Wimal Weerawansa and group engage in a continuous hunger strike, pressuring Minister of Education PM Harini Amarasuriya to resign | CID records statements from five doctors who treated Ranil Wickremesinghe at the National Hospital | Seven accident-related deaths in a day: Paranthan bus-car accident kills four Mawbima: Hand over the snipers that were caught in front of the CID with firearms to the Commando Regiment – Court orders the CID: the arrest was made on intelligence information | “A manpower of at least 10,000 people must be deployed to protect the public from the elephants” – Minister of Public Security Ananda Wijepala
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Dinamina: National Housing Programme 2026: 31,318 houses for low-income earners: launch ceremony to be held under the patronage of the president in Jaffna Aruna: Rs. 22.25 billion out of the Rs. 27.8 billion given to the Samurdhi, to pay salaries of the staff: 23,000 Samurdhi employees; 320,000 Samurdhi benefactors Anidda: This paper is published only on Fridays |
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TAMIL PRESS PRIORITIES |
Photo credits: Ada Derana
“Immediately abandon the education reforms, remove Harini, and reshuffle the Cabinet” – Ven. Elle Gunawansa Thera, in a letter to the President
Thamilan, Thinakkural, Virakesari
The Patriotic National Movement sent a letter to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, urging him to immediately halt all education reforms and remove Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya from her position as the Minister of Education.
Ven. Elle Gunawansa Thera, the leader of the movement, asserted that “the current reforms are being implemented without a proper policy framework or consultations with teachers, education experts, and religious leaders.”
The Thera pointed out that these reforms “lack transparency” and warned that they could encourage “anti-social behaviour within the country.”
Additionally, he claimed that the Prime Minister is “unqualified for the portfolio and has violated the constitution, necessitating an immediate cabinet reshuffle to appoint a suitable successor.”
Ven. Elle Gunawansa Thera concluded that as a monk, it is his historical duty to ensure the nation, its people, and the Buddha Sasana are protected from such risks.
Ministry of Defence continues ban on 16 organisations and 206 individuals
Virakesari Secretary to the Ministry of Defence, Air Vice Marshal (Retd) Sampath Thuyacontha issued an extraordinary gazette notification re-listing 16 organisations and 206 individuals for their alleged involvement in terrorism. The list of proscribed organisations includes the LTTE, the Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam, the National Thowheeth Jama’ath, and the Sri Lanka Islamic Student Union. This gazette, issued under the United Nations Act, No. 45 of 1968, continues the government’s practice of periodically updating the list of organisations and individuals suspected of maintaining direct or indirect links to terrorist activities. The individuals named in the notification include Visuvanathan Rudrakumaran, Jesurasa Amalathas, and several others. |
Why do bans on Diaspora Tamils continue? Tamil leaders question the GovernmentVirakesari Tamil political leaders expressed strong dissatisfaction and concern following the government’s decision to renew the proscription of 16 organisations and 206 individuals under the United Nations Act, No. 45 of 1968. Democratic Tamil National Alliance (DTNA) spokesperson Suresh Premachandran noted that while President Anura Kumara Dissanayake previously invited the diaspora to invest in Sri Lanka, the continuation of these bans creates a climate of fear and contradicts the government’s development goals. ACTC MP Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam asserted that the government cannot attract necessary investments while simultaneously labelling diaspora members as terrorists, noting a lack of structural change in the North and East. Furthermore, Tamil People’s Alliance leader C.V. Wigneswaran claimed the move suggests the current administration is following the military-influenced policies of previous governments rather than addressing Tamil concerns. The leaders warned that maintaining these restrictions on non-combatant groups—who are exercising their democratic right to advocate for Tamil rights—will ultimately harm the national economy and hinder ethnic reconciliation. |
“The Thaiyiddy lands taken for building the vihara can no longer be returned” – Firm announcement from the Chief Prelate and the Ministry of Buddhasasana
Thinakkural, Thinakaran
Thinakkural: The chief incumbent of the Thaiyiddy Tissa Vihara and representatives from the Ministry of Buddhasasana have categorically refused to return any portion of the private lands acquired for the vihara.
This stance was conveyed during a special committee meeting held in Colombo last Friday, which was appointed by the cabinet to resolve the land dispute.
Although reports previously suggested that funds were allocated to the Tellippalai Divisional Secretariat to move the fences and return land not occupied by the vihara structures, the current refusal has disappointed landowners who expected an official announcement from the president during his upcoming visit to Jaffna on 15 January.
Despite this deadlock, the Minister of Fisheries stated that the government is continuing its efforts to release the lands and expressed optimism that the next round of discussions would yield a positive outcome.
Thinakaran: Minister of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Ramalingam Chandrasekar stated that no one has claimed that the lands encroached upon for the Thaiyiddy Tissa Vihara in Jaffna cannot be released.
He urged individuals not to exaggerate the issue or create unnecessary controversy where none exists.
The minister reiterated that the government is continuously working toward the release of these lands and remains optimistic about a positive resolution in upcoming discussions.
SINHALA PRESS PRIORITIES |
Photo credits: Sri Lanka Mirror
Hand over the snipers that were caught in front of the CID with firearms to the Commando Regiment – Court orders the CID: the arrest was made on intelligence information
Divaina, Mawbima, Dinamina
It was reported yesterday (12th) that the two individuals arrested in front of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) while in possession of a sniper-type firearm are officers of the Army Commando Regiment.
This was informed to the Fort Acting Magistrate by the lawyer appearing on behalf of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA).
The arrest took place while the CID had received information regarding a potential attack on the department and its detainees.
The lawyer representing the Army made these submissions after the two suspects arrested with firearms were produced in court.
The lawyer further notified the court that the two individuals were arrested while they were returning from a training session.
Following this, the Fort Acting Magistrate ordered the CID to hand over the two suspect officers to the head of the respective regiment.
“We will not be supporting the NCM” – MP ShritharanLankadeepa, Dinamina Leader of the Illankai Tamil Arasu Kadchi (ITAK) MP Sivagnanam Shritharan stated that the ITAK will not support the No-Confidence Motion (NCM) scheduled to be brought against the Minister of Education, Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya. Calling a press conference yesterday (12th), the MP declared that his party will not sign the relevant NCM. Shritharan further stated that his party took this decision due to the lack of proper evidence presented regarding the allegations levelled against the Prime Minister. He added that in a context where it has already been declared that the controversial learning modules will be removed, his party considers the demand for her removal from office to be an act of political revenge. |
The Grade 6 module: the obscene website was included due to the irresponsible actions of an officer; Investigations revealDinamina Investigations conducted by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) regarding the Grade 6 English module have revealed that the controversial website code was included due to the irresponsible action of a certain official. Although the names of several officials who are stated to have supervised this module are included in it, the investigation has not uncovered information that any of those officials conducted proper supervision for the printing of the module. The CID has already recorded statements from the officials involved in the process from the drafting to the printing of this module, as well as from the scholars who contributed to the preparation of the module.
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“The Indian-Sri Lankan partnership is in a better position than ever” – Indian HC to SL
Dinamina
High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka Santosh Jha emphasised that as Sri Lanka’s closest neighbour, India is always the country that responds first to Sri Lanka.
The High Commissioner also stated that with the deepening of economic ties and the diversification of trade activities between the two countries, India will continue to be Sri Lanka’s primary trade, tourism, and investment partner, and that the Indian-Sri Lankan partnership is stronger than ever before.
COMMON PRIORITIES: SINHALA & TAMIL PRESS |
Photo credits: Ada Derana
Wimal Weerawansa and group engage in a continuous hunger strike, pressuring Minister of Education PM Harini Amarasuriya to resign
Lankadeepa, Divaina, Mawbima, Aruna, Virakesari, Thinakkural, Thamilan
Former Minister Wimal Weerawansa, together with representatives of several civil organisations, launched a satyagraha (hunger strike) campaign yesterday (12th).
The campaign demands the withdrawal of the new education reforms and calls on Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya to resign from her post as Minister of Education.
Additionally, the Thalangama Police requested a court order to remove the satyagraha, citing public inconvenience.
However, Kaduwela Magistrate Aruna Indrajith Buddhadasa rejected the request, allowing the campaign to continue under several conditions.
According to the court order, protesters have been instructed that the road near the Ministry should not be obstructed and that no sound amplification equipment should be used while the G.C.E. Advanced Level (A/L) examination is in progress.
Minister Vijitha Herath meets Chinese Foreign Minister
Divaina, Mawbima, Dinamina, Virakesari, Thinakaran, Thinakkural, Thamilan
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism Vijitha Herath met with the Foreign Minister of the People’s Republic of China yesterday (12th), during the latter’s brief visit to Sri Lanka.
The meeting focused on further strengthening bilateral engagement and advancing the Strategic Cooperative Partnership between the two countries.
The discussion also focused on enhancing partnership in the areas of trade, investment, development cooperation and tourism.
Minister Herath extended deep appreciation to the Government and the people of China for the support extended to Sri Lanka following Cyclone Ditwah and requested further support to aid the second phase of resettlement, relocation and rebuilding, particularly for the restoration of affected infrastructure, including identified roads, railways and bridges.
Minister Wang assured China’s fullest support for this initiative and expressed confidence that Sri Lanka will continue its rapid recovery under the leadership of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.
He also welcomed the people-centric policies of the government and expressed optimism that Sri Lanka is on the right path toward fulfilling the aspirations of its people.
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Common priorities: Additional stories
1. Three in Mundalama: four in Kilinochchi; seven die in two vehicular accidents: seven injured – Lankadeepa, Divaina, Mawbima, Dinamina, Aruna, Virakesari, Thinakaran
2. Launch of the ‘Rebuilding Sri Lanka’ national programme to be held today – Divaina, Mawbima, Dinamina, Thinakaran
3. National Housing Programme 2026: 31,318 houses for low-income earners: launch ceremony to be held under the patronage of the president in Jaffna – Dinamina, Thinakaran
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