Large numbers of Sri Lankan army and police officers were deployed across Jaffna, as stores were forced to close following a sharp increase in the district’s COVID-19 cases. 

Following a damning report by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on the deteriorating human rights conditions in Sri Lanka, Shadow Minister for International Trade, Gareth Thomas, questioned when the British government planned to impose sanctions on General Shavendra Silva, General Kamal Gunaratne, and other residents in Sri Lanka credibly accused of gross human rights violations and war crimes.

The State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) in Switzerland states that there will be no changes to the Swiss asylum policy towards Tamil refugees from Sri Lanka, stating that there is “currently no reason to assume a general risk of danger in Sri Lanka or that entire ethnic groups were at risk” according to Swiss Info.  

A satyagraha protest, which demands an end to the occupation of the Vavuniya ponds in order to build a tourist centre, was initiated by the People's Action for Vavuniya in front of the Vavuniya District Secretariat on Friday morning. 

Tamil National People's Front (TNPF) leader Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam, has urged the German government to "immediately halt" its planned mass deportation of Tamil asylum seekers which will put them in "harm's way."

In a letter addressed to the German government, he wrote:

Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian, Shritharan conveys that the party embraces the United Nations Human Rights Council (UN HRC) resolution on accountability for mass atrocities passed earlier this week, despite uncertainty of achieving it.

“While we welcome the resolution passed at the Human Rights Council, for Eelam Tamils it is doubtful whether the motion will be achieved” stated Sivagnanam Shritharan.

The son of Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MP Sivagnanam Shritharan was assaulted in an unprovoked attack by unknown assailants on Friday afternoon.

The parliamentarian's son Shritharan Sarangan was pursued to his home in Jaffna by youths on several motorcycles and assaulted in front of the house. 

German authorities have conducted mass detentions of Tamil refugees across the country, but particularly in Nordrhein-Westfalen and Baden-Württemberg, and may deport as many as 100.

Authorities reportedly invited asylum seekers to renew their permits to remain but upon arrival at the building were detained by police officers who confiscated their phones and prevented them from communicating with their relatives and loved ones who do not know about their whereabouts. The German authorities are set to be deported on 30 March despite ongoing reports of torture by Sri Lanka’s security forces. This has caused shock and outrage throughout the German Tamil community and the wider Tamil diaspora.

Responding to a question posted by Britain’s Opposition Deputy Chief Whip, Minister of State for Defence, Baroness Goldie revealed that the UK was continuing its training of Sri Lankan armed forces despite having raised concerns over possible war crimes and the deteriorating human rights conditions in Sri Lanka at the UN Human Rights Council.

Following a claim of victory at the UN Human Rights Council, Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister, Dinesh Gunawardena, has decried the passage of the resolution as “unwarranted, unjustified”, and “illegal”.

In his statement, he maintained that the majority of UN members opposed the resolution whilst only 14 states voted in opposition of the resolution and 22 voted in favour and 11 abstained. This resolution marks the lowest number of votes in favour of Sri Lanka since the end of the armed conflict.

Seeds of future violence