Tamils demanded justice for murdered journalists today at a rally in Jaffna. 

The rally marked the 13th anniversary of the murdered Sudar Oli Tamil journalist, Subramaniyam Sugirdharajan, who was shot dead after exposing the Sri Lankan Special Task Force's killing of 5 Tamil students, known as the 'Trinco 5'.  

Sugirdharajan had published photos showing the students' bodies with point-blank gunshot injuries, thereby disproving government claims the students had been killed by a grenade explosion.

Four Tamil activists have been summoned before the magistrates court for organising a hartal which shut down business in several parts of Batticaloa district on Friday.

Eravur police said they had applied for the summons against the head of a Tamil activist group Kanapathipillai Mohan, Vanenthiran Surenthiran, Subramaniam Thasenthiran and Joseph Roshan on the grounds that they had caused a public disturbance.

The UK's Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is assisting Westminster Magistrate's Court in the case of the Sri Lanka's Defence Attaché, Brigadier Priyanka Fernando, who was filmed last year motioning a death threat to British Tamils in London. 

Speaking to Tamil Guardian today, the FCO spokesperson confirmed is was providing documentation to assist with the case. 

"The FCO, which is not a party to these legal proceedings, has been contacted by Westminster Magistrate’s Court seeking clarification of the Brigadier’s diplomatic status in the UK at the time of the incident. The FCO is providing documentation to assist the court." 

"We were deeply concerned by the incident involving the Sri Lankan Defence Attaché last year and made immediate representations to the Sri Lankan Government. The Defence Attaché was recalled by his Government soon after," the FCO spokesperson added. 

<p>Sri Lanka’s minister of Buddhist affairs has written to president Maithripala Sirisena, conveying requests to pardon and free the leader of the extremist Sinhala hate group Bodu Bala Sena (BBS).</p> <p>Gamini Jayawickrama Perera’s letter to Sirisena conveyed requests from other Buddhist leaders that the Galagodaaththe Gnanasara be released by Sri Lanka’s independence day on February 4th. Perera told the Daily Mirror that he had reportedly received several letters of support from other Buddhist leaders across the south for the jailed BBS monk.</p>

Whilst Tamils across the North-East celebrated the Tamil harvest festival of Thai Pongal this month, locals had to contend with the occupying Sri Lankan military holding several events of its own across the heavy militarised Tamil homeland.

The events across the North-East come despite continued criticism over the military’s involvement in civilian affairs, as tens of thousands of stationed remain stationed in the region.

Sri Lanka’s former president Mahinda Rajapaksa said he was in a “struggle against neo-imperialism” and vowed never to allow “terrorism” on the island, in a wide ranging interview with The Week earlier this month.

Rajapaksa, who oversaw a military offensive that killed tens of thousands of Tamils, said that there “are elements, both local and foreign, who do not want to see me coming back to power”.

^{Keppapulavu families marking 500 days of protest in July 2018} 

Over 100 Tamil families from the Mullaitivu village of Keppapulavu are planning to occupy their lands tomorrow after a decade of delays and false promises from the Sri Lankan government. 

The families made this decision after the government repeatedly failed to release the lands despite almost two years of protests, demanding the land to be returned today. 

Although almost ten years have passed since the end of the armed conflict the Sri Lankan military continues to control and occupy vast swathes of land in the Tamil homeland, forcing families to remain displaced. 

Students from a Jaffna school yesterday rallied against the increasing and widespread use of illicit drugs and associated violence. 

The rally comes as a number of Tamil politicians in the North-East accused the Sri Lankan military of tacit involvement or actively running drug cartels through gangs. 

<p>British MPs have welcomed the issuing of an arrest warrant for a Sri Lankan brigadier who was filmed motioning a death threat to Tamil protestors in 2018.</p> <p>The Westminster Magistrates Court issued an arrest warrant for Brigadier Priyanka Fernando of the Sri Lankan army earlier this week, after finding him guilty of committing public order offences whilst stationed in London.</p> <p>Fernando was found guilty of violating sections 5 and 4A of the Public Order Act, with the court stating that his actions were threatening, caused harassment, and that he intended them to be so.</p>

The Mullaitivu court has ordered an interim injunction on works to a disputed Buddha statue being constructed by a Tamil Hindu temple in Neeraviyadi in Semmalai.

The case regarding the legality of the statue, which was hurriedly declared open by Sinhala Buddhist monks on Wednesday, was heard before the Mullaitivu magistrates judge Lenin Kumar on Thursday.

The judge adjourned the case until February 12, until which an injunction has been placed on building works to the Buddha statue. The judge also ordered the Director General of the Sri Lankan archaeology department to appear before the court on this date.