Major stories in the Sinhala and Tamil press: Jun.2 – 15

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

Over the past two weeks the Sinhala and Tamil press converged in relation to six main stories. The six stories were on the: (i) declaration of the National Tax Week; (ii) reported misuse of the pardons provided by the president to release prisoners unlawfully; (iii) tussle among political parties to establish control in the Colombo Municipal Council; (iv) enforcement of the law against politicians from past governments; (v) increase of the electricity tariffs by 15 percent; and (vi) reported rise in the spread of dengue, chikungunya and COVID-19. The Sinhala press exclusively featured one main story, and it was on the celebration of the Poson Week. The Tamil press exclusively featured three main stories, and they were on the: (i) excavations at the Chemmani mass grave site in Jaffna; (ii) tussle among political parties to establish control in local government bodies in the Northern and Eastern Provinces; and (iii) demands to fulfil the government’s promises towards the minority communities, including the enactment of a new constitution.