Major stories in the Sinhala and Tamil press: Mar.17 – 23

Signposts the differences and nuances in reporting between Sinhala and Tamil language newspapers.

Over the past week the Sinhala and Tamil press converged in relation to five main stories. The five stories were on the: (i) tabling of the Batalanda Commission report in parliament; (ii) arrest of Deshabandu Tennakoon; (iii) preparations for the local government elections; (iv) passing of the third reading of the 2025 Budget and (v) demands to provide justice for the victims of the Easter Sunday attacks. There were two stories featured exclusively in the Sinhala press. They were on the: (i) reported re-emergence of organised crime in the country and (ii) reported plans to take legal action against tax evaders. The Tamil press exclusively featured three main stories, and they were on the: (i) demands for justice for past atrocities faced by minority communities; (ii) calls against the reported encroachment of Tamil lands in the Northern and Eastern Provinces and (iii) reported tussle within and among the Tamil political parties.