Former Sri Lankan army commander Sarath Fonseka claimed that allegations of war crimes and the number of casualties from the final phase of the armed conflict are grossly exaggerated, ahead of elections later this year. 

Fonseka has split from the Opposition party Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) and is tipped to make his own presidential bid later this month, according to sources. 

Speaking at a recent event, he dismissed allegations of war crimes adding that the figures are exaggerated.

Sri Lanka's Inspector General of Police Deshabandu Tennakoon, whose appointment was tainted with controversy, has been forced to step away from performing his duties as the Inspector General of Police, following a Supreme Court decision to hear nine Fundamental Petitions that have been filed against him and his appointment to the post. 

Today marks 23 years since a team of 14 LTTE commandos infiltrated and attacked the Sri Lankan Air Force Base in Katunayake, destroying several aircraft and causing over US$500 million worth of damage without a single civilian fatality.

A Tamil agricultural labourer activist has been seriously injured after a shooting in Mullaitivu this week.

42-year-old Chelliah Krishnarajah, the secretary to the Kammakkara organization which looks after the welfare of agricultural labourers, was injured in the shooting that occurred in the Thunukkai area in the Mullaitivu district.

Krishnarajah had been resting after completing his paddy harvest at the time of the incident.

^{(Image courtesy: Amnesty International)}

Sri Lanka's Cabinet of Ministers has granted approval to gazette and table the controversial Online Safety Bill in Parliament, despite international condemnation of the recently passed legislation.

Ahead of Sri Lanka’s presidential election, Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister, Ali Sabry, lashed out at Tamils and claiming, “Tamil leadership have continuously refused to be part of the government” and has refused to be a part of a common “Sri Lankan identity”.

Canada’s Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, released a statement on the 41^st anniversary of the anti-Tamil Black July pogroms, which saw the slaughter of over 3,000 Tamils, and renewed the country’s commitment to “demand accountability for human rights violations” on the island.

Trudeau’s statement further noted that:

Tamils  gathered in Jaffna today to commemorate the 41st anniversary of the 1983 anti-Tamil pogrom, commonly referred to as Black July. 

This month marks, 41 years since the Welikada prison massacre which resulted in the murder of 53 political prisoners was instigated during the Black July pogrom by prison officials.