^{Photograph: A Sinhalese mob beats a Tamil passenger after pulling him out of his car. 1958. (Courtesy Victor Ivan)}

On this day in 1958, Sinhala mobs began to attack, rape and murder Tamils across the island, in what was to become another in a series of deadly anti-Tamil pogroms.

Estimates range from between 300 and 1,500 Tamils murdered in the days of violence which resulted in many more injured and the arson, looting and destruction of Tamil homes and businesses.

Senthamizhan Seeman, leader of the Tamil nationalist Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK), has called for a ban on “The Family Man 2” and warned of “dire consequence” if the web series is released as opposition mounts against its demeaning portrayal of Tamils. 

In a press release, Seeman wrote, “The visuals featured in the trailer of the web series The Family Man 2, which is set to release on Amazon Prime, are shocking. The series seeks to intentionally portray the LTTE as terrorists and Thamizhs as vicious people.” 

Over 2,000 people who have contracted the coronavirus have been quarantined in Mullaitivu, District Secretary K. Vimalanathan said in a press briefing yesterday. 

“In Mullaitivu, 2,158 people belonging to 538 families have been quarantined as a result of contracting the coronavirus,” he said.  

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin wrote to India’s Ram Nath Kovind demanding the release of seven people convicted for their alleged involvement in the assassination of India’s 6th Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi who served from 1984 to 1989 and oversaw the notorious Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF).

The seven convicts are S. Nalini, Murugan, Santhan, A.G. Perarivalan, Jayakumar, Robert Payas and P. Ravichandran.

On the 12^th anniversary of the massacre at Mullivaikkal, which killed tens of thousands of Tamil civilians, Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa promoted 452 officers in the Sri Lankan army and 4289 officials of other ranks.

This was reported to be one of the biggest promotions in recent times.

Yesterday marked 13 years since the death of Brigadier Balraj, a senior commander with the LTTE, who passed away from a sudden heart attack in 2008.

Brig. Balraj was famed for his courage, leadership and skills on the battlefield.

Senior Tamil politicians from the Ilankai Thamil Arasu Kadchi (ITAK) held a Mullivaikkal memorial at the party's Jaffna headquarters on May 18.

Speaking at the memorial, former MP Mavai Senathirajah condemned the Sri Lankan state's crackdown on Tamil memorial efforts.

Former Northern Provincial Council member and Mullaitivu politician Thurairasa Ravikaran also held a personal vigil at his home.

The Tamil politician M K Sivajilingam was pursued and harassed throughout the day by Sri Lankan military and police on May 18, as he attempted to hold vigil and mark Tamil Genocide Day privately at different significant sites.

After defying the Sri Lankan state’s crackdown on Mullivaikkal commemoration in Mullaitivu, by holding a small vigil at the Nandikadal lagoon with other politicians, Sivajilingam was stopped and threatened with arrest by police near Jaffna town.

Marking 12 years since the massacre at Mullivaikkal, Australian parliamentarians spoke out against the Tamil genocide, which killed an estimated 40,000 Tamil civilians during the final phase of the conflict, and demanded accountability for the war crimes committed.