Modi seeks increased connectivity during two day visit of Sri Lanka

India's prime minister Narendra Modi called for increased economic and developmental connectivity with Sri Lanka whilst on a two day visit to the island. "I believe we are at a moment of great opportunity in our ties with Sri Lanka. An opportunity to achieve a quantum jump in our partnership across different fields. And, for us, the most relevant benchmark for the success of our friendship is your progress and success," said Mr Modi speaking as the chief guest for Vesak Day celebrations in Colombo.

Protest in Pungudutivu over transfer of murder case

A demonstration took place in Pungudutivu on Thursday, with dozens of Tamils protesting against a move to transfer the case of the rape and murder of a Tamil schoolgirl to a court in Colombo, in front of three Sinhala speaking judges. The rape and murder of schoolgirl Sivaloganathan Vithya set off massive protests across the Tamil North-East, with demands that the perpetrators be held accountable. Two years on, and a trial is yet to begin. Relatives of the murdered schoolgirl, alongside other locals, protested against an attempt to move the case to Colombo, instead of letting the trial take...

Mullivaikkaal remembrance week commences in Chemmani

Mullivaikkaal remembrance week commenced on Friday with a vigil held at Chemmani, Jaffna.

Militarisation is primary cause of Mullaitivu's poverty representative tells NPC

Militarisation is the primary cause of Mullaitivu’s deprivation, Northern Provincial Councillor T. Ravikaran has said. Identified as the poorest district on the island, Ravikaran said ongoing occupation of Mullaitivu’s land and sea by the tri-forces is the main reason poverty persists. The councillor said that without demilitarisation and returning lands and coastal areas to civilians, any poverty eradication schemes would be pointless. Mr Ravikaran referred to a proposed poverty eradication programme for which the Sri Lankan president is planning to visit Mullaitivu on May 18th.

NPC calls for development of Palaly and KKS with India involvement

The Northern Provincial Council has called for the reconstruction of the Palaly airport into a regional airport. Passing a resolution at its 92nd sitting, the council voted unanimously in favour of developing the airport into one with regional international flights. The resolution however stipulated that the airport development should be carried out without any land grabs of Tamil civilian properties. Calls for redevelopment of the Kankesanthurai port were also included in the resolution. The council called for Indian government involvement in the development activities.

Sri Lanka government must address pressing demands of families of disappeared before discussing Office of Missing Persons says Adayaalam

Jaffna-based think-tank, the Adayaalam Centre for Policy Research, today released a brief examining whether there was a path forward for addressing the issue of disappearances and the Office of Missing Persons (OMP). The brief notes that families of the disappeared having been roadside in protest for over two months now are completely disillusioned with the current government, and are demanding urgent and immediate action. ACPR finds that before a discussion about the OMP can be had, the government must address pressing demands of the families, including releasing a list of surrendees/...

Marichukatty protest suspended pending talks on amending forest gazette

The people of Marichukatty suspended their protest against a gazette notification, which declared their lands as nature reserve, after 44 days of protest on Monday evening. The residents of the Muslim village in Mannar agreed to suspend the protest after their political representatives, including ministers Rishad Bathiudeen and Faiszer Musthapha, stated an understanding had been reached in talks with President Sirisena to find ways to fairly amend the gazette notification. The villagers were told they would receive a permanent solution after talks with the President’s Secretary on Saturday.

Day 80: Families of disappeared protest while soldiers celebrate Wesak in Kilinochchi

Families of the disappeared in Kilinochchi continued their protest for the 80th day, to a backdrop of Wesak celebrations by Sri Lankan soldiers in the area.

Sri Lanka’s Counter Terrorism Act - A license for oppression, intimidation and torture

Civil society groups slammed the Sri Lankan cabinet’s approval of the new Counter Terrorism Act (CTA) last week, stating that it has failed to meet full compliance with international standards and “leaves the door open for future abuse”. The newly passed act builds on the “draconian” Prevention of Terrorism Act of 1978, which "has been used by successive Sri Lankan governments to quash dissent and penalize resistance", said the Adayaalam Centre for Policy Research, the International Truth and Justice Project , People for Equality and Relief in Lanka, Sri Lanka Campaign and the Tamil Civil...

Sri Lankan military forces hold 'war heroes day' event in Palaly

Sri Lankan military forces based in Jaffna held ‘war heroes day’ in Palaly today.

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