The leader of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), R Sampanthan was seen marking the founding of China's People's Liberation Army with the former Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa and the former defence secretary, Gotabhaya Rajapaksa at an event held in Colombo.
Mr Sampanthan was seen to be engrossed in conversation with the former president, whose government was accused of committing mass atrocities against Tamils in 2009.
The event took place on the evening of July 23, when Tamils across the North-East and worldwide remembered the massacre of over 3000 in the pogrom of Black July 1983.