Amidst ongoing protests demanding the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, war criminals, formerly aligned with the President, have switched alliances and joined the protests.

Several army & police officers, including Rtd. Maj. Gen. Nisshyanka Ranawana, (Dep. Commander of SL Army’s 57 Division in 2009), Rtd. Maj. Gen. Aruna Jayasekara (Dep. Commander of 3rd Contingent to Haiti,accused of child sexual exploitation) have joined #GoHomeGota2022 protest. pic.twitter.com/65UW19diIM

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam MP A Raja delivered a fiery speech in Nammakal this week, where he told the Central government to grant Tamil Nadu more autonomy and warned not to force the state to seek independence from India.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi says all states are to be seen the same, and Home Minister Amit Shah says if you want unity, learn Hindi,” Raja, who is the DMK deputy general secretary told the party meeting in the presence of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin.

Sri Lanka’s president was served a stark warning by Chief opposition whip Lakshman Kiriella this week, who cited the cases of Hitler, Mussolini and Gaddafi – three leaders who were killed or committed suicide – as to why Gotabaya Rajapaksa should resign immediately.

“History repeats itself,” warned the senior vice president of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB).

Myanmar’s military has been accused of shooting dead two Tamils in the country, with tensions raised across the border in Manipur’s town of Moreh.

The two Tamils have been identified as 28-year-old P. Mohan and 32-year-old M. Pyanar. They had reportedly travelled across the short border from Moreh where they lived to Tamu on Tuesday morning. Mohan had just gotten married two weeks ago.

According to reports, they were shot dead by Pyu Shaw Htee, a militia affiliated with Myanmar military.

Following the deaths of at least three Tamil asylum seekers in Swiss detention, campaigners have demanded an end to the policy of forcibly deporting Eelam Tamils to Sri Lanka and called for justice to be served.

Dozens of protestors gathered outside of a deportation prison Bässlergut last month shouting slogans and carrying placards that denounced Switzerland’s deportation of Tamils. Campaigners accused the Swiss government of working with the Sri Lankan state and being complicit in Colombo’s repression of Tamils.

As Tamils across the North-East continue to grapple with Sri Lanka’s economic crisis, there was a moment of joy in Mannar last month after fishermen caught a rare giant tropical sunfish.

Fishermen on the Gulf of Mannar noticed the unusual catch in their nets on June 22. As they pulled their nets up, they were stunned to see the large ocean sunfish.

As Sri Lanka’s economic crisis worsens, the British Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) advises against all but essential travel to Sri Lanka.

Responding to independent MP Claudia Webbe’s question on the Home Office’s investigation of war crimes committed by the Keenie Meenie Services (KMS) in Sri Lanka, Kit Malthouse, Minister of State in the Home Office and Ministry of Justice, refused to comment.

“It would not be appropriate to comment on ongoing investigations” he claimed.

Sri Lanka’s president was seen laughing in conversation with his newly appointed prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe in parliament this morning, shortly before lawmakers staged an impromptu protest demanding his resignation.

Gotabaya Rajapaksa, an accused war criminal who has overseen Sri Lanka’s recent economic crisis, is facing anti-government protests in the south of the island.

Sri Lanka’s prime minister admitted his government was negotiating with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as a “bankrupt country” and warned of more pain to come for the island’s crisis-hit economy.

Addressing parliament this morning, Ranil Wickremesinghe admitted that Sri Lanka will “face a more difficult and complicated situation than previous negotiations” with the IMF.