The third day of Tamil genocide remembrance week was marked in Jaffna today, at the site of a school that was bombed by the Sri Lankan air force in 1995.

Members of the Tamil National People's Front (TNPF) lit flames at the Nagarkovil school this morning, as part of commemorative events taking place this week.

Jaffna University students held a memorial yesterday, as part of Tamil Genocide Remembrance week despite intimidation by Sri Lankan police. 

The students lit lamps in remembrance of the many lives lost at Mullivaikkal 11 years ago. Jaffna Police arrived at the memorial and asked for the names of the students who organised the event. 

Tamil National Alliance (TNA) leader R Sampanthan said the “failure of the majority leadership” led to the emergence of the LTTE, as he hit out at a Sinhala interviewer for “promoting mischief” when he grilled the party’s spokesperson M A Sumanthiran on the Tamil struggle last week.

“Mr. Sumanthiran has been frank and forthright in his answers to questions that have been asked with the deliberate purpose of promoting mischief and disunity amongst the people of this country,” said the TNA leader in a statement emailed to the press this morning.

A Tamil man was hospitalised at the Manthikai Base Hospital, Point Pedro following a gun attack by army soldiers, that left him with several gunshot wounds. 

Pasupathy Anusan, a 22-year old, from Puloly, was shot at his arm and leg, this morning at 1am.

The leader of the Tamil National People's Front, Gajen Ponnambalam, visited Anusan at the Manthikai Base Hospital.

The SLNS Gajabahu, formerly the USCGC Sherman, delivered in 2019 under the Excess Defense Articles program (U.S. Department of State photo)

Sri Lanka’s Former Health Minister, Rajitha Senaratne, has been arrested following orders from Colombo’s High Court to reject a bail order issued for him.

Orders for his arrest were issued following a controversial media conference preceding the elections which discussed the “white van” disappearances.

Tamil National Alliance spokesperson M A Sumanthiran said he 'bows his head' and paid his respect to LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran, after he provoked widespread outrage from across the Tamil political spectrum, including condemnation from within his own party, following comments made in a Sinhala interview earlier this week.

Despite his response in Tamil, his initial comments accepting Sri Lanka's lion flag and national anthem sparked widespread anger and outrage amongst Tamils across the North-East, with condemnation from even normally supportive fellow lawmakers in his own party.

As part of a series marking 11 years since the atrocities of Mullivaikkal, land protestors from Keppapilavu shared their reflections on their experiences and the struggles they continue to face.

The community has been protesting the military’s occupation of their land continuously since February 2017.

Today marks 44 years since the passing of the Vaddukoddai resolution, a document that concluded an independent state of Tamil Eelam was needed to safeguard the very existence of the Tamil nation in Sri Lanka and remains a cornerstone of the Tamil movement for self-determination.

The Vaddukoddai resolution, spearheaded by SJV Chelvanayakam, was unanimously adopted by the Tamil United Liberation Front on May 14th, 1976.

Sri Lankan police continued their attempts to disrupt Tamil genocide memorial events, as they intruded on another commemoration at the Navaly Church in Jaffna this morning.

Members of the Tamil National People’s Front (TNPF) had gathered to light a lamp in remembrance of the victims killed during the decades of Sri Lankan state violence, when uniformed Sri Lankan police officers attempted to stop the event.