The Government of Hong Kong is the latest to place stringent restrictions on inbound Sri Lankan travellers as Sri Lanka continues to grapple with an ongoing surge in COVID cases, with daily deaths exceeding 150.

Already 21 countries have imposed travel restrictions on Sri Lanka whilst Sri Lanka’s Tourism Minister has denied that tourists and international travel had contributed to the pandemic.

In an interview, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian M.A. Sumanthiran said that he welcomes the European Union’s (EU) suspension of GSP+, a set of favourable trading preferences, to Sri Lanka due to human rights concerns.

Expanding on this Sumanthiran explained the position of the TNA.

Responding to Sri Lanka’s expansion of its draconian counter-terrorism legislation in March, a team of UN Special rapporteurs have published a damning report highlighting that the current legislation “risks jeopardizing the rights and liberties of persons who may be detained arbitrarily, especially religious and ethnic minorities, and may curtail political dissent”.

As Sri Lanka grapples with the ongoing COVID pandemic and economic crisis, the government has announced a cabinet reshuffle.

The reshuffle has appointed G.L. Peris to the position of Minister of Foreign Affairs, whilst former Foreign Affairs Minister, Dinesh Gunawardena has been appointed as Minister of Education. Sri Lanka's former Health Minister, Pavithra Wanniarachchi, has been appointed as Minister of Transport. Former Media Minister, Keheliya Rambukwella has been appointed Minister of Health.

File photo: Ali Sabry 

Sri Lankan Justice Minister, Ali Sabry, stated that cases pending and filed prior to 2016 under the draconian Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) will be concluded by the end of this year.

“People who are awaiting trial under the PTA should be charged. If there are no charges, they should be released," he stressed.

Responding to the going COVID crisis in Sri Lanka, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MP, M.A. Sumanthiran demanded that “the government take full responsibility” for this “grim situation” and heed the advice of medical experts.

“Due to the urgency of the situation the country must be locked down” Sumanthiran stated.

As the average daily death toll due to COVID surpasses 100, the country’s police have announced that they will begin arresting individuals for not wearing masks in public.

The announcement comes after the release of a damning Human Rights Watch report which highlights how Sri Lanka’s police have exploited the pandemic to excuse abuses which include arbitrary detention, police brutality, and extrajudicial killings.

Responding to Police Scotland’s suspension of its police training programme, due to human rights concerns, Sri Lanka’s Public Security Minister, Sarath Weerasekara, decried the decision as “unfair”.

“How can they level any such charges? Have they actually done any investigation to prove those claims? It is very unfair if they (Police Scotland) have suspended such a training programme simply on such claims,” the minister complained.

Swiss Tamils marked the 15th anniversary of the Sencholai massacre with a silent protest outside the United Nations in Geneva yesterday.  

On August 14 2006, four Sri Lankan air force jets flew over the Vanni and dropped sixteen bombs over the Sencholai children's home for orphans, killing 53 school girls and 3 teachers. 

Remembrance events for the victims of the 2006 Sencholai massacre, in which 53 school children and 3 teachers were killed, took place across the homeland yesterday, amidst the ongoing crackdown by the state on Tamil memorialisation.