A tense situation arose during the Mannar District Development Committee meeting held this week when several Tamils questioned the basis upon which the government of Sri Lanka had de-gazetted the Vidattaltivu Nature Reserve, allowing private companies to set up an aquaculture industrial farm. 

Weeks after the US Navy and Marine Corps conducted joint maritime exercises, the United States has transferred equipment to the Sri Lankan military, as defence ties between the two governments continues to grow.

Hundreds of landless Tamil farmers who have been engaged in paddy cultivation in the Illupaikadavai area in Manthai West in Mannar have written to Sri Lanka’s president demanding he issue them land deeds, so that their rightful ownership of the land can be recognised.

The Sri Lanka Navy confirmed that a sailor had “succumbed to his injuries,” after the security forces launched an operation that ended with the arrest of 10 Indian fishermen and the seizure of a trawler in Jaffna earlier today.

Official reports from the navy state that the 10 fishermen were apprehended Kankesanthurai in Jaffna.

Tamil families of the disappeared held a rally today in Gandhi Park, Batticaloa, as they continue to search for answers and justice for their forcibly disappeared loved ones. 

Tamil mothers and fathers clutched photographs of their children who were forcibly disappeared by Sri Lanka’s security forces or government-aligned paramilitary forces. 

Tamil devotees were subjected to surveillance by Sri Lankan police officers during a pooja at the  Athi Aiyanar temple in Kurunthurmalai last Tuesday. 

The Athi Aiyanar temple, a native place of worship of Tamils located in the Thannimurippu area, has been targeted by intense land grab efforts by Sinhala Buddhist monks over recent years.

The Tamil Guardian hosted the first ever British Tamil community hustings event in London on Thursday evening. The event was historic - not only for its senior level of representation from British political parties, but also for showcasing how deeply important justice for genocide and securing Tamil rights remains for hundreds of thousands across the United Kingdom. With a new British government set to be formed in just a few short weeks, the issues of justice for mass atrocities and the quest for Tamil liberation will clearly continue to remain firmly on the agenda. Whoever looks to steer Britain on the global stage next cannot afford to ignore them.

Fishermen in Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu, have initiated a day-long strike demanding the release of 22 Indian fishermen detained by the Sri Lankan Navy. The detainees are accused of trespassing in waters near Jaffna.

The Mullaitivu Press Club (MPC) has called for an international monitoring mechanism to investigate the oppression and intimidation faced by journalists, following a recent arson attack on a Tamil journalist in Jaffna. 

Earlier this month, Tamil freelance journalist Pradeepan Thambithurai was attacked by masked assailants at his home in Achchuveli, Jaffna. The assailants, arriving on motorbikes, vandalised his property, including setting fire to his motorbike and damaging a three-wheeler belonging to a relative. Leaflets were left at the scene with a message about transgender representation. 

Ahead of Britain’s general election on 4 July, representatives from the Conservatives, Labour and Green Party addressed the first-ever British Tamil hustings, as they all pledged to work towards justice and accountability for mass atrocities in Sri Lanka.

The event, hosted by the Tamil Guardian and British Tamil Alliance, took place in Westminster, London last week, as party representatives laid out their vision for the country and shared commitment to the British Tamil community.