During Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s state visit to Colombo in April 2025, India and Sri Lanka signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Defence Cooperation—an agreement that both governments say is rooted in shared security interests and mutual trust.

What the agreement includes

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he hoped Sri Lanka would “meet the aspirations of the Tamil people” during a state visit to the island this weekend, while unveiling a slate of development projects and signing a defence agreement with Colombo.

Addressing the media alongside Sri Lankan president Anura Kumara Dissanayake in Colombo, Modi stated, “We hope that the Sri Lankan Government will meet the aspirations of the Tamil people and fulfil its commitment towards fully implementing the Constitution of Sri Lanka, and conducting Provincial Council Elections.”

In a wide-ranging and reflective online discussion, Eelam Tamil writer and researcher Sinthujan Varatharajah joined Palestinian journalist Hebh Jamal to explore the politics of international solidarity, hierarchies of attention, and the contradictions faced by oppressed peoples organising for liberation. 

The event, titled “Hierarchies of Solidarity”, drew on themes from the book co-authored by Varatharajah and Moshtari Hilal.

The United Kingdom has announced sanctions against four individuals implicated in “serious human rights violations”, in a move it says is aimed at promoting accountability and challenging the culture of impunity that continues to shield perpetrators.

A heated battle is unfolding between Tamil Nadu and India’s central government over the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, a sweeping reform introduced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's administration. 

Tamil Nadu’s Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has led the opposition, labelling the policy a “Hindutva policy” that prioritises Hindi and Sanskrit over regional languages and threatens Tamil Nadu’s progressive education system.

China’s Minister of the National Ethnic Affairs Commission, Pan Yue, led a high-profile delegation to Colombo last month, where he discussed ‘ethnic harmony’ and ‘reconciliation efforts’ with Sri Lankan officials.

Gary Anandasangaree has been appointed as Canada’s Minister of Justice, in a historic move that will see him become the first ever Tamil-Canadian to hold the post.

Anandasangaree, a lawyer and long-time advocate for Tamil rights, has played a key role in pushing for justice for war crimes and accountability for the genocide in Sri Lanka.

Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has left Manila for The Hague, hours after the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant against him over crimes against humanity linked to his brutal “war on drugs”, which saw as many as 30,000 people killed. 

While Duterte now faces international prosecution, we examine Sri Lanka’s past associations with his policies and his government’s opposition to international accountability efforts.

Sri Lanka’s endorsement of Duterte’s brutality