3 April 2026 | Vol. 12, #61

DIFFERENT PRIORITIES IN THE SINHALA AND TAMIL PRESS

Virakesari: Ravindranath murdered at Sevanapitiya camp; main suspect Pillayan – CID reports to court; remanded after 359 days in detention | Attempt to extend judges’ tenure by two years – joint allegation by Professor G.L. Peiris and President’s Counsel Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe | President appoints special liaison to handle Hill Country affairs following request by the Tamil Progressive Alliance

Thinakaran: Tamil Progressive Alliance holds special meeting with the president | Risk of SMS being used for cyberattacks and financial fraud – Police Media Division issues urgent warning | Work from home: Government exploring possibilities, with focus on partial staff attendance | Pillayan remanded until legal advice is received from the Attorney General

Thinakkural: Main masterminds still alive after using Zahran as a scapegoat to escape – identifying that powerful force is the government’s duty, says MP Nalin Bandara | President behind the coal scam – Namal Rajapaksa alleges | Anura will face the same fate as Gotabaya – Government Medical Officers’ Association expresses anger | Was Sajith’s arrival an AI gimmick? – Nalin Bandara mocks | Water levels in reservoirs decline; water cuts begin outside Colombo

Thamilan: Special officer appointed at Presidential Secretariat to probe issues of upcountry and southern Tamils: MP Mano Ganesan announces move following meeting with president | New circular issued on fuel allocation for politicians | Maintaining discipline within schools – special circular issued to schools

Lankadeepa: The Airbus bribery incident: Arrest Shamindra – Kapila Chandrasena’s spouse on sight; Interpol Red Notices issued | A big match tragedy: Two students in Kandy fall prey to a bus; the Sylvester-Vidyartha “Battle of the Babes” halted

Divaina: “Hawa”, who witnessed the murder at the Pinwala Cemetery, killed and buried; Walana uncovers the violent crime committed by four underworld leaders, including Salindu and Nilanga

Dinamina: Attempt to extort Rs. 64 million to reclaim a land in Meethotamulla: Prasanna Ranatunga fined Rs. 25 million; trial continued for 11 years; Rs. 15 million extorted

Aruna: Water cuts from yesterday for many areas in Colombo; water remains only for 50 more days in the Labugama Reservoir and 22 days in the Kalatuwawa Reservoir

Anidda: Minister Kumara Jayakody, who is accused of corruption and is currently out on bail, will not resign, nor will he be removed; opinion within the government is that such a move would constitute a victory for the opposition

TAMIL PRESS PRIORITIES

Excavation at Kurukkalmadam mass grave suspended

Thinakaran

Excavation work at the Kurukkalmadam mass grave has been temporarily suspended after three days of searching yielded no human remains.

Despite digging to a depth of six feet at the identified site under the orders of the Kaluwanchikudy Magistrate’s Court, the area was refilled with soil on April 1.

The excavation aimed to locate the remains of 170 Muslims who were reportedly abducted and killed in 1990 while returning from Hajj.

Authorities have now decided to continue the search at a different location previously identified through scanning.

Archaeological restrictions hinder development at Thanthamalai Murugan Temple

Thinakkural

ITAK MP Shanakiyan Rasamanickam visited the historic Thanthamalai Murugan Temple in Batticaloa following reports that development and renovation projects have been stalled due to Archaeological Department regulations.

The temple is reportedly situated on land gazetted as an archaeological site, requiring formal department approval before any structural work can proceed.

While acknowledging the need to protect heritage sites, MP Rasamanickam asserted that archaeological designations should not be used as a pretext to seize ancestral Tamil lands.

He further highlighted similar restrictions in the Neyilikkal Mountain area of the Koralai Pattu South Divisional Secretariat Division and committed to discussing the matter with relevant ministers in parliament to secure the necessary permits.

SINHALA PRESS PRIORITIES

Attempt to extort Rs. 64 million to reclaim a land in Meethotamulla: Prasanna Ranatunga fined Rs. 25 million; trial continued for 11 years; Rs. 15 million extorted

Dinamina

The Colombo High Court ordered former Minister Prasanna Ranatunga to pay a fine of Rs. 25 million yesterday (2nd).

Ranatunga was previously found guilty of threatening a businessperson and attempting to extort Rs. 64 million as a bribe to approve the reclamation of a land in Meethotamulla, Kolonnawa.

While the court had sentenced him to two years of rigorous imprisonment suspended for five years, he was also ordered to pay Rs. 1 million in compensation to the victim.

The recent court order follows Ranatunga’s decision to withdraw his appeal against the 2022 conviction, provided that the court granted him sufficient time to pay the prescribed fine and compensation.

Consequently, the court permitted the withdrawal of the appeal while upholding the financial penalties.

Minister Kumara Jayakody, who is accused of corruption and is currently out on bail, will not resign, nor will he be removed

Anidda

Internal government sources indicate that Minister of Energy Kumara Jayakody, who has been indicted by the Colombo High Court on charges of corruption, will not resign from his ministerial post.

The sources also indicate that the president is unlikely to take steps to remove him.

The view being discussed among government leaders is that if he were to resign or be removed from his post, it would be seen as handing a victory to the opposition.

Charges filed by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) allege that he caused a loss of Rs. 8.8 million to the state in 2016 while employed at the Ceylon Fertiliser Company.

Cabinet Spokesperson Nalinda Jayatissa confirmed on March 31 that no decision has been made to remove the minister.

However, the Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) has called for his immediate resignation, arguing that his continued tenure undermines the independence of the CIABOC and the public trust placed in that institution.

COMMON PRIORITIES: SINHALA & TAMIL PRESS