Families of the disappeared in Vavuniya today urged the United Nations to ensure Sri Lanka was referred to the International Criminal Court (ICC) over its genocide of Tamils. 

Holding a demonstration in Vavuniya calling for justice and for answers over the tens of thousands of Tamils who were disappeared, families expressed anger and a feeling of betrayal over the current government's failure to fulfil its pledges. 

 

Families of the disappeared in Amparai yesterday held a demonstration and signature campaign, demanding answers over the unearthing of hundreds of skeletons at a mass grave in Mannar. 

"Tell us the truth about the skeletons excavated in Mannar and who those people are," demanded protesters as they marched from the 'Office for the Families of the Disappeared in Thirukkovil' to Amparai clock tower. 

A US military delegation held another meeting with the Sri Lankan army in Jaffna, where they discussed the prospects of more training programs between the two militaries this week.

The PACOM Augmentation Team of the Embassy of the United States of America met with the head of the Sri Lankan military in Jaffna, Major General Dharshana Hettiarrachchi.

The Sri Lankan military continued to consolidate its presence in the Tamil homeland, announcing that yet another building had been constructed at its headquarters in Jaffna.

The Tamil Nadu activist who self-immolated in protest at the Indian government's failure to stop the massacre of Eelam Tamils in Sri Lanka was remembered yesterday in Jaffna. 

Muthukumar, from Thooththukkudi, wrote for Pennea Nee feminist magazine. On January 29, 2009 he doused himself with petrol and set himself afire in front of the Shastri Bhavan, the Indian Central Government's Chennai Head office, condemning the futile visit by Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee, who failed to stop the war in Sri Lanka and save Eelam Tamils.

<p>Sri Lanka’s newly appointed chief of staff, who is accused of playing a leading role in the massacre of tens of thousands of Tamil civilians and breaking international law, warned that the military “was watching the country’s security situation carefully,” according to a report in The Island.</p> <p>Speaking to reporters after visiting senior Buddhist monks and praying at the Temple of the Tooth in Kandy, Major General Shavendra Silva, reportedly also added the military was continuing to recruit new troops “in keeping with manpower needs”.</p>

Tamils of Valikamam North who returned to view their lands found that during the Sri Lankan army’s 28 year occupation of the area their homes and lands had been converted into guesthouses and leisure resorts.

<p>Sri Lanka has failed to make progress in tackling corruption, maintaining the same score on Transparency International’s 2018 Corruption Perception Index (CPI) as the previous year.</p> <p>The global anti-corruption organisation’s index ranks countries by their perceived levels of public sector corruption according to experts and businesspeople, using a scale of 0 to 100, where 0 is highly corrupt and 100 is very clean.</p> <p>Sri Lanka retained its score of 38 from 2017, falling most closely in the range of Transparency International's definition of a 'hybrid regime', showing&nbsp;'elements of autocratic tendencies'</p>

Two India-funded school buildings in the Jaffna district were inaugurated by Indian officials on Monday.

The buildings in Navatkuli Mahavidyalayam and Drieberg College were opened by the Deputy High Commissioner of India for Sri Lanka Shilpak Ambule and the governor of the Northern Province Suren Raghavan.

<p>Sri Lanka's minister for ports and shipping, Sagala Ratnayaka pledged this week that the harbour in Trincomalee, along with Galle, would be operational by the end of this year.&nbsp;</p> <p>According to the minister Trincomalee harbour would commence night time operations by April. However, infrastructure, night navigation systems and radar systems are yet to be estabilished at the site.&nbsp;</p> <p>The project was part funded by Japan, which provided a grant of Japanese Yen 1 billion.&nbsp;</p>