The prospect of a Biden-Harris administration at the White House has brought both hope and trepidation around the world. In Sri Lanka, some in Colombo’s polity are nervous. Amongst the Tamils, there is both wariness and tempered optimism about what the new administration may bring. A hope that come January, there will be opportunities to help address past failures.

The United Nations (UN) reiterated their concerns with Sri Lanka's mandatory cremation policy as "the only method for the disposal of bodies suspected of COVID-19 infection," in a letter to Sri Lanka's prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa. 

"I deem it important to inform you that I have received impassioned appeals from within and outside the Muslim community that perceive the current policy on burials as discriminatory," UN Resident Coordinator, Hanaa Singer wrote. 

The Indian government has reportedly "shared information" with Britain, in an attempt to ensure that the UK upholds the ban on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) as a terrorist organisation.

In response to a question from WION, Acting British High Commissioner to India Jan Thompson said that though they “can't comment on individual conversations we had... we had detailed discussion on a range of issues including around this type of issue with Indian govt in a different format”.

Sri Lanka’s sports minister, Namal Rajapaksa, has announced plans to renovate the Duraippah football stadium in Jaffna, the site of a mass grave which held dozens of bodies.

The announcement came during his visit to Duraippah stadium, where he was accompanied by SLFP MP Angajan Ramanthan; Mayor of Jaffna Emmanuel Arnold; and Minister Thenuka Vithanagamage.

The stadium was previously renovated by India’s government and reopened in 2016, costing an approximate, 70 million.

The Tamil National Alliance sent out a congratulatory tweet to US President-elect Joe Biden and US Vice President-elect Kamala Harris this week, as they reacted to their US electoral victory.

“As the premier political party representing the Tamil People in Sri Lanka, we congratulate (Biden and Harris) on a momentous victory,” said the tweet.

Local Tamils have expressed concern and outrage after an area previously known as Kachchal Samalankulam in Vavuniya has become ‘Sinhalised’ and has had its name changed to Sapumalgaskada and a signboard labelled ‘Sapumalgaskada Archaeological Site’ was put up in the area, last week.

The Sinhalisation adds to the expansion of colonisation across the North-East of Tamil areas, where Tamil names have been erased and converted to Sinhala names, and Tamil areas are becoming occupied by Sinhala settlers with the support of Sri Lankan military and government officials.

A Jaffna-based journalist, was attacked and had his phone stolen by a group of unidentified persons, last Wednesday. 

Mukunthan posted a Facebook post the day before the attack, alleging that the organisation, Tamil Kodi (translated – Tamil Flag) hosted relief activities that did not follow social distancing measures, despite the growing threat of a second wave of coronavirus across the island. Mukunthan also urged the concerned local authorities to take the necessary action against the organisation. 

The appointment of Mavai Senathirajah to the position of General Secretary of Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK), following the resignation of S. Thuraisingham, has caused friction within the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), as some members claim that he cannot serve the post whilst also serving as leader of the TNA.

Deepa Mehta's 'Funny Boy' is facing calls for a boycott as criticism mounts over the lack of Tamil representation in the film and Mehta's links to the Rajapaksa regime. 

The film, which is based on the 1994 novel written by Shyam Selvadurai, follows a queer Tamil boy in the years leading up to the 1983 anti-Tamil pogroms in Colombo, when thousands of Tamils were killed by Sinhala mobs backed by the then UNP government and state forces.

Tensions reportedly rose in the overcrowded Welikada Jail in Colombo as 71 prisoners tested positive for COVID-19, with inmates claiming they will protest the conditions. 

The prison currently houses 4,500 inmates even though the prison was built to accommodate only 2,000 inmates. After mass COVID-19 testing within the overcrowded facility, 71 inmates tested positive, only 7 of which were male.