Vavuniya police issued a summons yesterday to V. Thavabalan, a Tamil National People’s Front (TNPF) activist, for allegedly "delivering relief provisions for people below the poverty line". 

The police went to Thavabalan's house, when he was out for work and handed the official order written in Sinhala language, which ordered that he arrive at the police station on July 12 for an inquiry. 

Thavabalan, along with other social activists and political parties who have been assisting the poor during the COVID-19 pandemic, has been engaged in the provision of relief goods to those hard hit by the virus. 

The latest British Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) “Human Rights and Democracy” report slams the continued deterioration of rights in Sri Lanka but reaffirms Britain’s commitment to supporting Sri Lanka through the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) programme.

The Sri Lankan army seized large areas of local-owned land around the Jaffna Security Forces Headquarters (SFH) and declared it a "High Security Zone". Thereafter, military-owned agricultural farms were set up and chillies produced at the Palaly SFH farm, were distributed to local markets.

India’s High Commissioner for Sri Lanka, Gopal Baglay, reiterated India’s commitment to devolution in Sri Lanka whilst meeting with members of the Tamil Progressive Alliance (TPA).

Members of the Sannar Rural Development Department in Mannar district have complained that state lands meant for public distribution are being allotted to the wealthy instead of the poor people in the village.

Speaking about this issue to the press this morning, the Department’s head Ramasamy Jeyaranjan said, “Even though there are over 100 acres of state-owned land where we live, there is not even half an acre for us to pursue agriculture.”

Sri Lankan police have arrested 18 people today for protesting the killing of a Tamil man who was shot in the head last month, by a Sri Lankan Ministerial Security Division (MSD) officer attached to parliamentarian Sathasivam Viyalendiran.

The parents of murdered man, Mahalingam Balasundaram, were among those arrested with other local demonstrators at Gandhi Park, Batticaloa who came to seek justice for the murder of the 34-year-old. 

Sri Lankan police blocked Tamils in Kilinochchi from marking the three year anniversary of the statue built of Tamil King Akkarayan on Monday and accused demonstrators of "commemorating the Black Tigers". 

Following the announcement by Sri Lanka’s Justice Minister, Ali Sabry, that amendments would be made to the country’s draconian 1979 Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) and 1994 Convention against Torture, Tamil National Alliance parliamentarian M.A Sumanthiran slammed the move as simply “window dressing” and demanded a full repeal of the PTA.

^{Environmental damage due to Illegal sand mining, Mullaitivu, July 2020}

Four Sri Lankan Special Task Force (STF) personnel were injured and admitted to Jaffna Teaching hospital after a scuffle with illegal sand miners in Ariyalai, Jaffna, around 2am this morning. 

Mannar police seized more than 700 kilograms of turmeric yesterday evening and destroyed it by setting fire to the stock. 

It was alleged that the turmeric had been "illegally smuggled" into Sri Lanka from India through the seas. 

Mannar police have been destroying alleged contraband turmeric being brought into the territory under their jurisdiction for the past month.