A Tamil mother, whose son was forcibly disappeared after surrendering to the Sri Lankan security forces during the final days of the 2009 genocide, has demanded that authorities reveal his whereabouts during a court hearing last month, after more than 15 years of searching.

The Canadian Court of Appeal for Ontario has affirmed the constitutionality of the Tamil Genocide Education Week Act (TGEWA), rejecting an appeal by Sri Lankan groups challenging the law.

(Ottawa, 11 April, 2009. Photo Credit: Ninaivukal)

The National People’s Power is the only political party in Sri Lanka that can ensure the safety and security of all citizens as it is the only one that does not tolerate extremism in any form, leader of the party and presidential candidate Anura Kumara Dissanayake recently told a rally. 

Speaking in Batticaloa, he said that Sri Lankans must reject politicians who exploit racism for political gain and sow divisions among communities. 

Pakkiyaselvam Ariyanenthiran, the common Tamil candidate, held a press briefing in Mannar this week, stating that his candidacy in the upcoming Sri Lankan Presidential election serves as both a lesson for the Sri Lankan government and an opportunity for Tamils in the homeland to stand united.

Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe unveiled his manifesto ahead of the presidential polls, stopping short of fully implementing the 13^th amendment and devolving land and police powers to the Tamil North-East

The manifesto states that power will be devolved to the Provincial Councils “as per the constitution” but that the vesting of police powers “will be decided by the new Parliament”. It goes on to list the select few powers that Provincial Councils will have, including “tourism promotion” and “vocational training”.

The Northern Province Fisher People Unit association has announced a collective protest by fisherfolk, civil society, and other organizations which is scheduled to take place on the 10th of this month. 

The central committee of the Ilankai Arasu Tamil Katchi (ITAK) announced that it would back Sajith Premadasa at the upcoming Sri Lankan presidential elections, in a move that has highlighted the splits and turmoil within the already troubled Tamil political party.

India’s leading low-cost airline, IndiGo, launched its newest international route from Chennai to Jaffna this week, becoming the second Indian airline to operate the route.

The new route is a daily non-stop flight lasting 75 minutes, and is the 34^th international destination for IndiGo. This route holds significant potential to further strengthen ties between the Eelam Tamil and Indian Tamil communities. 

The European Union Election Observation Mission (EU EOM) will send 26 long-term observers to Sri Lanka by tomorrow, intending to increase observers closer to the presidential elections.

Observations will take place before, during and after elections, monitoring activities such as the opening of polling stations, the voting process, the counting of ballots, and the tabulation of results around election day.

The EU EOM has also announced it will recruit 32 short-term observers from the EU diplomatic community and other partner countries.