Around noon on 9th April, a Buddha statue mysteriously appeared in Cheddikulam, Vavuniya.

The statue, about a foot and half in height, was placed atop a few bricks that were stacked by unknown persons, in front of the old railway station, by the side of the Cheddikulam - Mannar highway.

On 23rd March 2023, the Sri Lankan naval forces arrested 12 fisherfolk on two boats near Analaitivu for illegal fishing within the Exclusive Economic Zone of Sri Lanka. They were then presented to the Kayts Magistrate Court for their charges.

One of the 12 individuals arrested had previously been arrested and produced in court for the same charges within the last 12 months, as was revealed during the court proceedings. This person was subsequently sentenced to 14 months in prison, while the other 11 fisherfolk were released.

Furthermore, since the owners of one of the boats were among the arrested fisherfolk, the boat was seized by the government of Sri Lanka. Meanwhile, the owner of the other boat was not present during the hearing, and the date for the next hearing on the case has been fixed to the 8th of May.

The 17th anniversary of the assassination of Tamil activist Vanniasingham Vigneswaran was commemorated by the Tamil National People’s Front (TNPF) last week.

Several Tamil families in the village of Manarkerni have called on the Mullaitivu District Secretariat to clear their occuiped lands so they can engage in agricultural activities.

The families hold the deeds to the lands although they are currently occuiped by Sinhala settlers. 

A grand midnight mass was held at the St. Sebastian Cathedral in Mannar to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ on Easter Sunday. The service was a joint service that combined the congregations of many parishes in Mannar and was led by Right Reverend Dr. Fidelis Lionel Emmanuel Fernando and other priests from neighbouring churches. Security for the service was provided by the Police and the Army, following the Easter Bombings, in 2019.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has called on the Sri Lankan government to repeal its proposed replacement to the Prevention of Terrorism Act and urged international partners that a failure to comply with international human rights standards may risk trade benefits.

The Sri Lanka Army is considering exporting army-farmed ration packs to foreign militaries in order to generate foreign exchange. 

This week marks 14 years since thousands of British Tamils continuously occupied Parliament Square in London for 72 days as Sri Lanka intensifed its military offensive which led to the massacre of tens of thousands of Tamils in Mullivaikkal. 

Speaking with Economy Next, Denis Chaibi, the European Union’s (EU) Ambassador to Sri Lanka and the Maldives, raised alarm over Sri Lanka’s proposed replacement to the draconian Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), highlighting the centralisation of power within the presidency and lack of transparency.

A Buddhist temple is being constructed around the land that belongs to the Malaiyadi Pillaiyar Temple, in Muttur, Trincomalee, which is currently being occupied with a statue of the Buddha. The Buddhist temple, Kottiyarama Shri Badra Thaathu Raja Maha Viharaya is being constructed with the assistance of the Sri Lankan army and naval forces.