Today marks the 14th anniversary of the massacre of 53 school girls by the Sri Lankan Air Force. 

Malaysia's Deputy Home Minister, Datuk Seri Dr Ismail Mohamed Said, said the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) will remain listed as 'terror group' in the country. 

When questioned as to why the LTTE remains listed as a terror group despite being inactive since 2009, the Minister replied that group was listed as such based on Section 66 B(1) of the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001.

The Metropolitan Police has opened an investigation into allegations of war crimes committed by British mercenaries against Tamils in Sri Lanka, decades after UK military veterans trained and assisted government troops on the island.

The investigation, which is being led by the Metropolitan Police War Crimes Team, comes after the publication of a book by investigative journalist Phil Miller earlier this year, detailing how mercenaries with Keenie Meenie Services (KMS) effectively set up one of Sri Lanka’s most notorious military units and even took part in massacres.

The State of Palestine President Mahmoud Abbas sent his congratulations to Sri Lanka’s war crimes accused Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa last week, after elections left his Sinhala nationalist party with a super-majority in parliament.

Abbas praised Rajapaksa’s victory, stating “it is our great pleasure to send to you and to the friendly Sri Lankan people, on behalf of the State of Palestine, its people and on my own behalf, our greetings and heartfelt congratulations for your impending appointment as Prime Minister for the new Government, after the remarkable success at the General Election”.

The President of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and the leader of the opposition in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly M K Stalin has written a letter to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him to halt the implementation of the recently unveiled National Education Policy 2020 (NEP 2020), which he stated would seek to impose Hindi in Tamil Nadu

Talks have begun between Sri Lanka and Myanmar regarding establishing direct air connectivity between the two countries, the FT Lanka reported., as ties between the two governments continue to expand.

Nalin de Silva, the Ambassador-designate of Colombo to Myanmar has been reported to have had a meeting with the top echelons of the Myanmar Airways International, a privately owned airlines based in Yangon, and discussed the possibility of flying passenger planes without the need for a transit.

The Maha Sangha of the three Nikayas extended their blessings to the newly appointed government held by the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) party for their victory in Sri Lanka’s general election last week, following the party’s staunchly Sinhala nationalist campaigning.

Sri Lanka’s newly announced cabinet was sworn in at the Temple of the Tooth in Kandy this morning, amidst an elaborate Sinhala Buddhist ceremony overseen by the clergy and the military.

Taking place at the Temple of Sacred Tooth Relic premises in Kandy, dozens of the senior Sinhala Buddhist clergy were present, whilst senior military officials overseeing the swearing in.

The Kandy Municipal Council confirmed that ‘Sinhala only’ lion flags had been raised in the town ahead of the swearing-in of Sri Lanka’s newly appointed ministers at the ‘Temple of the Tooth’, stating that they had now been removed.

^{Photograph: Army.lk}

The US Defence Attaché in Sri Lanka, Lt. Colonel Travis Cox, met Sri Lankan army chief and credibly accused war criminal Shavendra Silva for a ‘periodical review’ meeting on Friday, the day after Sri Lanka's parliamentary elections results were announced.

An official Sri Lankan military page posted photographs of the meeting, stating that the two exchanged mementoes and the "cordial discussion that followed focused on matters related, to bilateral importance and updates".