CALL TO ACTION: Will We Watch Our History Be Buried? By the Save Kanniya Heritage  TRINCOMALEE — As of January 2026, the silence at the Kanniya Hot Water Wells is broken not by the prayers of devotees, but by the roar of heavy excavators. Our history is being rewritten in real-time. For centuries, Kanniya has been the bedrock of our identity—a place where the legend of King Ravana meets the sacred waters used for our Aadi Amavasai rites. This is not "archaeological restoration." This is archaeological aggression . While the Department of Archaeology claims to be protecting the past, they are physically removing the foundations of the ancient Pillaiyar Temple , a landmark documented as far back as the 1834 Ceylon Gazetteer . The Failure of Leadership Despite local "prohibition orders" from the Trincomalee Town and Gravets Pradeshiya Sabha, the state continues its work with impunity. The question we must ask today is: Where are our representatives? We cannot afford ...

JAFFNA, SRI LANKA – In a significant development regarding the controversial Thaiyetti Vihara, a prominent Buddhist monk from Nainativu has publicly sided with Tamil landowners, calling for the return of private property currently occupied by a newly constructed Buddhist temple and military structures. The visit by the Nainativu Bhikkhu to the Thaiyetti site on Thursday has injected fresh momentum into a long-standing dispute that has become a flashpoint for ethnic and religious tensions in the North. Confirmation of Encroachment Standing alongside local residents and pointing to the sprawling temple complex, the Bhikkhu confirmed that the Tissa Vihara was built on the wrong site. According to historical records and land deeds, the monk identified a separate, specific plot of land where the temple should have been located, acknowledging that the current construction encroaches significantly on private ancestral lands. "The monks who built this did so without proper documentati...

Sri Lankan Government’s Plans for the Northern and Eastern Provinces in 2026: Customs, Economic Stabilization, Anti-Corruption, Digitalization, and Presidential Policy Editor’s Note This section reflects an advocacy-oriented perspective contributed by members of the Tamil diaspora who emphasize governance reform, financial discipline, and regional development as foundational steps toward long-term political aspirations. It is included to contextualize community-driven expectations for public administration in the Northern, Eastern, and Central (Malaiyagam) Provinces. Disclaimer This section represents the analytical and advocacy views of the contributing researcher. It does not constitute legal advice, does not claim to represent the official position of any government or institution, and should be interpreted within the broader context of public policy analysis and community development discourse. Methodology This advocacy section was developed using: Review of public budget ...