Major stories in the Sinhala and Tamil press: Jul.21 – 27

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) amendments to the government’s tax policy and the imposition of a 30 percent tariff by the U.S.; (ii) government’s proposals to reform education; (iii) views for and against the government; (iv) investigations into the Easter Sunday attacks; and (v) enforcement of the law against politicians of past governments. The Sinhala press exclusively featured two main stories, and they were on the: (i) Committee of Inquiry (CoI) appointed to investigate allegations against Deshabandu Tennakoon finding him guilty of gross abuse of power and (ii) Supreme Court’s majority decision that the emergency regulations imposed by former President Ranil Wickremesinghe to quell the aragalaya violated fundamental rights. The Tamil press exclusively featured four main stories, and they were on the: (i) 42nd anniversary of the Black July pogrom of 1983; (ii) escalating humanitarian crisis in Gaza; (iii) investigations into the Chemmani mass grave in Jaffna and the skeletal remains discovered in Sampur, Trincomalee; and (iv) protests demanding the release of Tamil political prisoners and the lands occupied by the military.