Facebook icon
Twitter icon
e-mail icon

Sirisena clears name of Sinhala chiefs branded traitors by British empire

The Sri Lankan president cleared the names of Sinhala chiefs who were previously branded 'traitors' by the then British governor in 1818. 

After 198 years, I cleared the names of Wellassa heroes including Monarawila Keppetipola. pic.twitter.com/HWXD4jBxWQ

— Maithripala Sirisena (@MaithripalaS) December 8, 2016

The announcement came after Sinhala nationalists had lobbyed for the men who they described as "heroes" to have their names cleared. 

We need your support

Sri Lanka is one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a journalist. Tamil journalists are particularly at threat, with at least 41 media workers known to have been killed by the Sri Lankan state or its paramilitaries during and after the armed conflict.

Despite the risks, our team on the ground remain committed to providing detailed and accurate reporting of developments in the Tamil homeland, across the island and around the world, as well as providing expert analysis and insight from the Tamil point of view

We need your support in keeping our journalism going. Support our work today.

For more ways to donate visit https://donate.tamilguardian.com.