DIFFERENT PRIORITIES IN THE SINHALA AND TAMIL PRESS |
Tamil Headlines
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Virakesari: “Why is India not showing concern? Is it India’s incompetence or lack of concern for Tamils?” – C.V. Wigneswaran asks | Decision on Chemmani burial site excavation to be made in January Thinakaran: Mysteries continue surrounding the death of a Vavuniya University student; University Grants Commission and the Ministry of Higher Education have launched separate investigations | Vatican Minister welcomed at the airport | Five individuals behind the murder of ‘Ganemulla Sanjeewa’; Ishara reveals details during ongoing investigations |
Thinakkural: “With the government holding a two-thirds majority, India should not miss the opportunity; Is India’s inaction on the 13th Amendment due to incapacity or lack of concern for Tamils? – Justice Wigneswaran questions | “Reintroduction of the Pongu Tamil Declaration is necessary” – says Shivajilingam | “Those who oppose the rally have a deal with the government?” – [Gammanpila] Thamilan: Sajith Premadasa visits India! Key meetings in New Delhi; Opposition Leader departs without informing alliance leaders | “Cold war among senior police officers” – MP Udaya Gammanpila criticises the actions of the IGP | Supreme Court dismisses the petition filed by Keheliya’s family |
Sinhala Headlines
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Lankadeepa: Property ban on assets worth Rs. 100 million: three petitions of the Keheliya family dismissed: appeal requesting to annul the High Court order, dismissed | Profits gained last year: a Rs. 13.2 billion loss for CEB within six months; profits of the fuel corporation has also reduced | Sajith Premadasa goes to India Divaina: Writ petition dismissed: bank account ban of the Keheliya family confirmed | “If you can, tell the police that it was me who came, I am Augustine”; two who berated a Meheniyan Wahanse [female monk] stating “do not conduct Bhana too loud” granted bail under strict conditions Mawbima: Request made to remove ban on the assets of the Keheliya family, dismissed | A petition requesting an Interim Injunction to stop chasing away elephants in Hambantota
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Dinamina: Petitions against freezing Keheliya’s family assets, dismissed | 10 were arrested for assaulting STF officers and helping a Kasippu (illicit liquor) racketeer escape: five women also among them | Four construction companies blacklisted Aruna: Officials refuse to give land to farmers despite minister’s request: “Forest Conservation opposes giving lands in reserve” – Wasantha Samarasinghe Anidda: This paper is published on Fridays only |
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TAMIL PRESS PRIORITIES |
Photo credits: The Sunday Times
Third phase of the Chemmani mass grave excavation to begin in 2026; recovered shoe dates back to around 1995
Thamilan, Thinakaran, Thinakkural, Virakesari
The Jaffna Magistrate’s Court has indefinitely postponed the third phase of excavation at the Chemmani Sithupathi mass grave site until after January next year, citing the accumulation of rainwater in the area.
Magistrate S. Lenin Kumar, along with the Judicial Medical Officer (JMO) and legal counsel, inspected the site and decided to revisit the location on 19 January to assess the feasibility of recommencing excavation.
So far, 239 human skeletal remains have been exhumed from the site, where 240 remains were identified during the first two phases.
Virakesari, Thinakkural and Thamilan quote attorney V. Niranjan, revealing that a slipper recovered from the grave site was confirmed to be from the period prior to 1995, based on a related company inquiry, while an expert panel has been recommended to conduct the analysis of all exhumed remains, pending budget approval.
“Land release should continue transparently” – Marc-André Franche urges
Thamilan United Nations (UN) Resident Coordinator for Sri Lanka, Marc-André Franche, stated that the government’s efforts to release private lands must proceed openly and fairly. “Reconciliation will only take root where rights are restored, voices are heard, and communities are empowered to flourish.” He noted this in a statement released yesterday (3). “Returning land to its rightful owners is about restoring dignity, healing wounds, and building trust. It helps families rebuild their lives and break the cycle of poverty.” |
Doctor shortage causes crisis in hospitals; GMOA urge immediate solution
Thamilan
A severe shortage of doctors is causing a major crisis in hospitals across the country, jeopardising patients’ right to quality healthcare, health sector professionals have warned. Dr. Prasad Colombage, a member of the Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) Executive Committee, stated that the Minister of Health and senior Ministry officials bear the full responsibility for resolving this issue. Colombage highlighted that the shortage means that even with the dedication of doctors, there are severe delays in treatment: surgical procedures are being postponed for years, laboratory tests for some treatments are being delayed by several years, and patients have to wait for months to secure an appointment with a doctor. The medical professionals stressed that the doctor shortage is the primary reason for the hospital crisis and the denial of quality service to patients. |
“With the government holding a two-thirds majority, India should not miss the opportunity; Is India’s inaction on the 13th Amendment due to incapacity or lack of concern for Tamils? – Justice Wigneswaran questions
Thinakkural, Virakesari Tamil People’s Alliance (TPA) Secretary-General, Justice C.V. Wigneswaran, expressed profound disappointment and suspicion over India’s continued reluctance to pressure the Sri Lankan government to fully implement the 13th Amendment and hold Provincial Council elections. Speaking at the opening of the TPA’s new headquarters in Jaffna, he stated that this inaction has led to a sense of distrust among both local and diaspora Tamils towards India, questioning if it stems from an inability or lack of concern. Wigneswaran noted that the current government “appears to share the previous regime’s mindset regarding land acquisition,” with 65,000 acres of state land still held by the military in the Northern Province, even as the government is commended for its efforts against corruption, economic decline, and organised crime. He urged India not to miss the opportune moment to leverage the current administration’s two-thirds majority to enforce the full implementation of the 13th Amendment, calling it a moral obligation based on his enduring faith in the bilateral relationship. |
“I was sent on compulsory retirement; I haven’t received a response to any of the four letters I sent to the President” – laments former High Court Judge IlancheliyanVirakesari
Former High Court Judge Manickavasagar Ilancheliyan claimed he was “forced into retirement” after being denied a promotion to the Court of Appeal, despite being the most senior High Court Judge when four vacancies arose in January 2025. The former judge, who retired on 20 January 2025, said this denial cost him an additional four years of service in the Appellate and Supreme Courts. He revealed that four letters sent to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake seeking clarification on the matter received no response, adding that he had only sought the legal right due to him, which was ultimately denied. |
SINHALA PRESS PRIORITIES |
Photo credits: Ceylon Today
The former General Manager of Railways and the former Working Director of the Engineering Corporation, who were arrested on corruption charges, granted bail
Divaina, Mawbima, Dinamina
Former General Manager of Sri Lanka Railways, Sumathipala Mahanama and former Working Director of the Sri Lanka Engineering Corporation, Sarathchandra Gunaratne, were arrested yesterday (3rd).
The suspects, who were taken into custody by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC), were granted bail after being produced before the Colombo Chief Magistrate.
Upon considering the submissions, the Magistrate ordered that both suspects be released on two surety bails of Rs. 1 million each.
The Magistrate also imposed a travel ban on the two individuals.
An attack on STF officers that went for a raid in Kilinochchi: two officers hospitalised: ten suspects remanded
Mawbima, Dinamina Police Special Task Force (STF) officers raided an illegal liquor brewing site in the Sudakulam area of Ramanathapuram, Kilinochchi, on Sunday (2). During the operation, a racketeer who was placed under arrest was rescued by ten individuals, including five women, who assaulted the STF officers and helped the racketeer escape. The attackers and the racketeer were subsequently arrested by the Ramanathapuram Police. A Sub Inspector of Police and a Police Constable who were assaulted have been admitted to the Kilinochchi Hospital for treatment. Police state that a group of about 15 individuals were involved in the assault, and they attacked the STF officers using iron rods and wooden poles. |
Former presidents will not be joining the Nugegoda rallyAruna
Aruna reported that none of the four former presidents of Sri Lanka are scheduled to attend the rally, which is organised by the Joint Opposition and set to be held in Nugegoda on November 21. Former presidents Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, Mahinda Rajapaksa, Maithripala Sirisena, and Ranil Wickremesinghe have already indicated that they will not participate in this rally organised by the Joint Opposition against the government. |
“The only solution the people have is the SJB” – Premadasa
Dinamina
Leader of the Opposition Sajith Premadasa claimed that the SJB is the only alternative available to the public.
The Opposition Leader made this comment while attending a workshop held at the party headquarters, aimed at further enhancing the political and governance knowledge of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya’s local government members.
Premadasa further noted that “public representatives are forced to resolve the people’s problems in a dangerous environment.”
He remarked that the country has “entered an era where gunshots are fired daily, and that savages, murderers, drug gangs, and underworld groups have taken control of society.”
Premadasa asserted that “if their demands are not met, people face death, indicating that the rule of law has collapsed, the process of justice has been weakened, and democracy has suffered a fatal blow.”
COMMON PRIORITIES: SINHALA & TAMIL PRESS |
Photo credits: Sri Lanka Mirror
Property ban on assets worth Rs. 100 million: three petitions of the Keheliya family dismissed: appeal requesting to annul the High Court order, dismissed
Lankadeepa, Divaina, Mawbima, Dinamina, Virakesari, Thinakaran, Thamilan
The Supreme Court (SC) dismissed three petitions seeking a writ order to nullify a directive issued by the Colombo High Court (HC) to freeze assets belonging to family members of former Minister Keheliya Rambukwella.
The asset freeze was linked to an investigation conducted by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC).
After reviewing the preliminary facts of the petitions, a three-judge bench of the Supreme Court issued the order for the dismissal of the three petitions.
Sajith Premadasa goes to India
Lankadeepa, Virakesari, Thinakkural, Thamilan
Leader of the Opposition Sajith Premadasa has left for India on a personal visit.
Premadasa is scheduled to return to Sri Lanka in time for the presenting of the budget in parliament on November 7.
Thamilan: Although the meeting had been arranged by the Indian side as an open and routine one, it is learned that Sajith Premadasa had chosen to keep it highly confidential.
When media personnel contacted administrative members of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya last morning to inquire about Sajith’s trip, none of them were aware of it.
In fact, they themselves came to know from journalists that their party leader had left the country.
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Common priorities: Additional stories
1. “Will conduct an independent investigation into the incident of a student from the Wayamba University being molested” – PM Harini Amarasuriya – Divaina, Aruna, Thinakaran
2. “We are not able to save the electric fence that has been put up to keep out elephants, from drug addicts” – President states at Hela Siya Abhiman – Mawbima, Virakesari
3. “The Nugegoda rally is not an alliance that will build governments” – Gammanpila | “Those who oppose the rally have a deal with the government?” – Gammanpila – Dinamina, Thinakkural
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