National Award-winning film-maker Vetrimaaran called on the Tamil film industry to remain political and “connected”, as he slammed attempts to distort the secular nature of Tamil Nadu.

Speaking at the 60th birthday celebrations of Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) leader Thol. Thirumavalavan, the celebrated film director said “constantly our identities are being taken away from us”.

Sri Lankan soldiers have been accused of providing protection for fishermen who have been involved in illegal activities in Mullaitivu, after police fired tear gas at demonstrators this week.

Tamil National Alliance MP MA Sumanthiran said that he and fellow party member Shanakiyan Rasamanickam had been followed by a Sri Lankan intelligence officer as they left for a meeting in Colombo, labelling the move “a threat to our lives”.

Speaking in parliament Sumanthiran spoke of how an unidentified man had followed them on motorbike as they left parliament on Wednesday.

Sri Lanka’s president was forced to backtrack this week, after his claim that Japan had agreed to co-chair a meeting with negotiators over Colombo’s international debt was denied by government officials in Tokyo.

"We have not reached such an agreement. It might be their wishful thinking but the situation remains unchanged," a senior Japanese government official with knowledge of the matter told Reuters on condition of anonymity.

Sri Lanka’s foreign minister told Economy Next that he expected that a United Nations Human Rights Council resolution on accountability for mass atrocities would be passed, despite lobbying member states to water down the text of the document.

“This is nothing unexpected,” Ali Sabry said from Geneva. “There was so much pressure on some countries to vote in favour of the resolution. So we knew this… The composition has changed and some of our friendly nations are not there and some abstained.”

Reacting to the latest UN resolution on Sri Lanka, UK Minister of State for the Middle East, South Asia, and the UN, Lord Tariq Ahmad said it was "integral to establish truth and achieve lasting justice and reconciliation."

The UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) adopted resolution 51/L1 on Sri Lanka yesterday, which will “extend and reinforce the capacity of the Office of the High Commissioner to collect, consolidate, analyse and preserve” evidence that may be used in future war crimes trials.

Sri Lanka’s foreign minister slammed an upcoming United Nations Human Rights Council resolution that is due to be voted on today and blamed the Tamil diaspora for “heavy lobbying” for such moves at the global body.

Speaking to Sri Lankan journalists this week, Ali Sabry reportedly claimed that the member states driving the resolution “are greatly influenced by domestic-level lobbying by pressure groups from the Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora”.

The UN Human Rights Council has adopted resolution 51/L1 on Sri Lanka, which will “extend and reinforce the capacity of the Office of the High Commissioner to collect, consolidate, analyse and preserve” evidence that may be used in future war crimes trials.

The resolution was passed with 20 votes in favour, 7 against and 20 abstentions.

As the United Nations Human Rights Council votes on yet another resolution on Sri Lanka, students at the University of Jaffna said the move “completely ignored” calls demanding international accountability for “atrocity crimes committed against the Tamil people".

In a statement released the day before the UN vote, the University Students’ Union at the University of Jaffna said their hopes of justice for atrocity crimes “were dashed by this resolution”.