India’s External Affairs Minister Salman Kurshid has confirmed his attendance at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Sri Lanka next month, despite a resolution passed unanimously in Tamil Nadu’s assembly, calling for an Indian boycott of the summit.

“I can say I will be there. The issue of Sri Lankan Tamils remains important to us,” Khurshid told Times Now.

The director of the Commission for Justice and Peace of the Catholic Diocese of Jaffna, Father Managalarajah, has written to the Holy See’s representative in Colombo, explaining that development alone has not helped to settle the “basic unresolved issues of the people in the North and East.”

In the letter Mangalarajah describes human rights violations and lack of accountability for the ‘killing of thousands of innocent civilians’ in the final stages of the war, and also details threats and intimidation faced by Tamils wishing to register disappearances or give witness statements.

The Sri Lankan High Commissioner to India, Prasad Kariyawasam, warned that India will be isolated if PM Manmohan Singh boycotts the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.

“If PM Singh doesn’t go, we have to think about who it will affect. Who will be isolated? Every other country barring Canada is attending. So those who don’t attend will be in isolation.

In an unprecedented show of political solidarity, parties within the Tamil Nadu state assembly and outside, all backed a resolution brought forward by Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, calling for India to boycott the upcoming CHOGM.

The Hindu reported Congress Legislative party leader K. Gopinatha asy saying,

"We welcome the resolution. But we should take care to ensure that our stand in no way affect the Sri Lankan Tamils”.

 A trade union in Sri Lanka’s education sector deplored the withdrawal of allowances granted to teaching assistants in the North-East, today.

According to the Ceylon Teachers Union, teachings assistants were granted Rs. 4000 in the months of July August and September.

Sri Lankan President, Mahinda Rajapaksa said today that expenses incurred by the government to host the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Colombo next month will be  an investment for the future of the country and its people.

The dead body of a 47-year old Tamil woman was found on the premises of Naachchimaar Kovil in Jaffna this month, badly mutilated and raped according to medical sources.

The Sri Lankan military has been accused of the rape and murder.

The victim was identified as 47-year-old Markandu Yogarany, a war displaced woman from Vavuniya who was suffering from mental health issues, following the end of the armed conflict. She was staying with the Holy Family Convent who had reported her missing since the 4th of October.

The body was discovered on the temple premises on the 17th of October.

WARNING: Graphic images are featured below.

In a recent report from the North-East of Sri Lanka, BBC correspondent heard the stories of  Tamil victims of torture, rape and arbitrary detention by the Sri Lankan military.

Click here for the full interview.

The Tamil Nadu Assembly, convened today to unanimously pass a resolution that called on India to ‘completely’ boycott the upcoming Common Wealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Colombo.

The Sri Lankan Army Commander Daya Ratnayake attended the 60th annual meeting of the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) in Washington earlier this week.