Sri Lankan police withdrew a case this week against Eelam Tamil protesters in the Olaithuvadai area of Mannar, who were opposing a heavy mineral sand mining project proposed by the Australian company Titanium Sands Limited (TSL).

For the first time in 34 years, Tamils in Jaffna have been allowed to worship at the Sri Rajarajeswari Amman Temple in Palaly, but much of the surrounding area remains occupied by the Sri Lankan military and off limit to locals.

In yet another incident of alleged Sri Lankan police misconduct, two officers from the occupying Palaly Police Station have been accused of threatening a Tamil woman by visiting her home and coercing her over intimate photographs with her boyfriend. The officers reportedly demanded a ransom of 1.2 million rupees (12 lakhs), threatening to release the private images if their demands were not met.

A Sri Lankan Navy Captain was arrested on November 18 by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in connection with the abduction, unlawful detention, and enforced disappearance of a Sinhalese individual, Ganeralalage Shantha Samaraweera, 13 years ago. 

In his first address to Sri Lanka’s newly elected Parliament, current president Anura Kumara Dissanayake emphasized a commitment to justice for "controversial crimes" and spoke out against religious extremism.

Sri Lanka’s newly installed government, led by Anura Kumara Dissanayake, has reversed its pre-election stance on rice imports, confirming plans to bring in 70,000 metric tonnes of rice to address market shortages. The announcement, made by Minister of Trade, Commerce, Food Security, and Cooperative Development Wasantha Samarasinghe, comes after weeks of assurances that the country would not need to import rice.

Tamil volunteers in Batticaloa preparing for Maaveerar Naal, an annual commemoration for fallen Tamil fighters, have been summoned by police over their preparation activities, in a reported attempt to disrupt preparations.

The Tamil homeland marked the commencement of Maaveerar Remembrance Week today, paying tribute to the fallen heroes of the Tamil Eelam liberation struggle in the run up to November 27.

Shaun Chen, Member of Parliament for Scarborough North, Ontario, addressed Canada's House of Commons to present a petition calling for Ottawa to take Sri Lanka to the International Court of Justice (ICJ)  and support an independence referendum.

Marit Stiles, Leader of the Official Opposition of Ontario said she was "proud to stand in solidarity with the Tamil community,"  as Tamil Eelam National Flag Day was marked today.