Dozens of Tamils remain in custody with trials pending under Sri Lanka’s Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), according to a list of cases published by Ceylon Today this weekend.

A report obtained by Ceylon Today lists the names of 84 persons, mostly Tamils from the North-East, as being held for a variety of terrorism related offences, as of 12 July 2017.

A further 12 persons are being held “pending advice of legal action by the Attorney General” as of 20 July 2017.

British politicians and Non Governmental Organisations met last week to remember the Black July anti-Tamil pogrom of 1983, participating in a panel discussion on the current situation in Sri Lanka and state sponsored genocide.

The panel, organised by the British Tamil Forum, included All Party Parliamentary Group For Tamils (APPGT) Chair MP Paul Scully, Conservative MP for Chipping Barnet and former Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Theresa Villiers, Director of Sri Lanka Campaign, Richard Gowing, Advocacy Officer at Together Against Genocide (TAG) Andrew Thorpe and was chaired by Sutharshan Sukumaran of the Tamil Guardian.

Sri Lanka announced the re-opening of a police station in Batticaloa this week, nearly 30 years after the station had been shut down.

Two Sri Lankan policemen are injured after being attacked with swords in Kokkuvil, Jaffna, earlier today.

The two police officers of Koppay police station were reportedly attacked around 1.30pm by over ten men on four motorcycles while walking down Nanthavil Amman Kovil road.

Special Task Force troops and police were patrolling the area and questioning locals until around 5pm. CID intelligence personnel remain visible in the area.

Named as Suren and Thambikka, the officers are receiving treatment for their injuries at Jaffna Teaching Hospital.

The people of Iranaitivu have now been protesting for over three months for the return of their land from the Sri Lankan Navy.

For months relatives of the forcibly disappeared have been protesting on the streets across the North-East, demanding to know the whereabouts of their loved ones. Despite years, sometimes decades, of various government mechanisms and pledges, their search for answers continues.

In this series, Tamil Guardian goes behind the protest to the individual stories that make up this unyielding movement of Tamil families of the disappeared.

Ratheeswaran

Ratheeswaran was 27 years old when he was disappeared, last seen with the Sri Lankan military in June 2008.

Myliddy fishermen are struggling to work from the recently released Myliddy fishing harbour, having received no support or compensation from the Sri Lankan government.

The Myliddy Fishing Union said that although fishermen have shown enthusiasm to fish from their traditional jetty, they have had almost no support in resettling their livelihood there.

While around 300 fishermen have wanted to use the jetty, the resettlement ministry has only provided 5 fishing boats. The Myliddy Fishing Union which was made responsible for the boats has said that with so few boats, the organisation struggles to divide and assign time on the boats to members.

The chief minister of Tamil Nadu, Edappadi K Palaniswami on Saturday expressed his thanks to the Indian premier, Narendra Modi for securing the release of 75 Tamil Nadu fishermen who were detained in Sri Lanka, however he urged Mr Modi to ensure release of over 107 fishing boats impounded by the Sri Lankan navy. 

The Sri Lankan navy on Saturday detained twelve local fishermen for allegedly using unauthorised nets off the coast of Viduthalaitivu. 

The men and their equipment were handed over to Viduthalaitivu fisheries inspector, Colombo Page reported. 

Viduthalaitivu, which was a former stronghold of the Sea Tigers unit of the LTTE, continues to have Sri Lankan navy personnel stationed there 8 years after the end of armed conflict.

Sri Lanka's minister of ports and shipping, Mahinda Samarasinghe on Saturday welcomed the signing of the Hambantota deal arguing it would help to alleviate the country's considerable debt burden. 

"According to the ultimate agreement signed today, the Treasury will directly receive a sum of US$ 1.12 billion. In addition the Chinese Company has agreed to invest another US$ 600 million in the future," Mr Samarasinghe was quoted by Colombo Page as saying at the signing ceremony.