The heads of Sri Lanka’s diplomatic missions spent 7 hours on a call with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs discussing “strategic communication” on the issue of genocide, reports a column in the Sunday Times this week.

The call, part of what the Sunday Times called a “time-consuming exercise”, was part of a new drive of video conferences from Colombo.

During the “record” 7 hour discussion on genocide “the Ministry spokesperson maintained stoic silence throughout,” it added.

Sri Lanka's former Foreign Secretary has called on New Delhi and Colombo to “nourish the roots” of their relationship in a piece where he recalls ties between the two governments and makes the case for “special and differential treatment for Sri Lanka”.

Writing in The Hindu, Prasad Kariyawasam also recalled the Buddhist history between the two countries, stating “the advent of Buddhism to Sri Lanka during the time of Emperor Ashoka was the result of cross-border discourse”.

Reports of genocide committed by the Sri Lankan state against Eelam Tamils need to be “addressed and recognized” wrote Tasha Manoranjan and Meruba Sivaselvachandran in Opinio Juris last week, 37 years after the Black July pogroms that killed thousands of Tamils.

“Eelam Tamils have suffered at least two genocides: Black July of 1983 and the Mullivaikkal Massacre of 2009," said the piece.

Kumaran Pathmanathan, a former LTTE official who switched to become a staunch supporter of the Rajapaksas,  has heaped praise on Sri Lankan president Gotabaya Rajapaksa, calling him “the right leader for the country” and compared him to Nelson Mandela, in an interview where he sang the praises of the accused war criminal.

In a recent interview to FT Lanka, Pathmanathan, also known as KP, went on to slam the Tamil diaspora, downplayed reports of war crimes and claimed that civil-military relationship in the North-East is “excellent”.

A former Sri Lankan parliamentarian who has lobbied against an international inquiry mechanism into atrocities committed by state forces admitted that “obviously collateral damage” had occurred as the military launched an offensive that killed tens of thousnads of Tamil civilians in 2009.

Tamils from a village have complained about the Sri Lankan army for blocking them from carrying out farming activities on their land.

Last week, the Tamil farmers from villages bordering North Vavuniya, stated they were not given permission to access their 250 acres of land. The land was assigned to Tamil people of Paddikudiyiruppu and its bordering villages for agricultural activities. A well was also reconstructed and handed for agricultural activities for these people.

During the war, the Sri Lankan government approved the development of several villages that were adjacent to Tamil-populated farming land. The Sinhala settlers promptly took over this farming land.

The United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) General Secretary, Mahinda Amaraweera said that a few members of the UPFA are “preventing an opportunity for the party to gain a two-thirds majority in the general election”, during a public meeting held in Hambantota on Sunday.

Amaraweera said that voters are losing courage because of the comments made by some individuals. “Despite the President's advice not to cause conflict, they are acting without any regards to what he said”, he added.

Sri Lanka’s COVID-19 cases rose to 2,810 after five new persons tested positive on Tuesday, according to Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Health. 

The epidemiology unit’s latest situation report indicated 503 patients are currently receiving treatment in hospitals, with 80 suspected and hospitalised cases, pending diagnoses as of 10am IST on Tuesday.

Sri Lankan president, Gotabaya Rajapaksa insisted that Sri Lanka would be “free from drugs [the] same way as it was freed from terrorism” during a gathering organised by Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), according to Colombo Page.

Rajapaksa addressed the crowd last week and gave assurances that Sri Lanka will be “free from the drug menace for the future generations” and that “several measures are already in place to prevent drug infiltration and distribution.”

Tamil families of the disappeared were blocked by Sri Lankan police from holding their protest in Chenkalady, Batticaloa. 

The families were met by a heavy police presence who claimed to have obtained a court order from the Eravur Magistrate Court to stop the protest from going ahead.