A state-backed Buddhist pilgrimage that saw 52 monks from Sri Lanka, Thailand, Myanmar, and Laos marching from the Tissamaharama Rajamaha Viharaya to the Nagadeepa Rajamaha Vihara in Jaffna has been met with criticism from locals, as concerns mount over the ongoing Sinhalisation of the Tamil homeland.

Following a disastrous interview with Al Jazeera’s Mehdi Hasan by former Sri Lankan president Ranil Wickremesinghe, the Batalanda report and his role in facilitating torture has come into the spotlight. We take a look at the report and at Wickremesinghe’s alleged role.

The Sri Lankan Cabinet has confirmed that the Batalanda Commission Report will be presented to Parliament this week, after a disastrous interview by former president Ranil Wickremesinghe on Al Jazeera aired last week.

The leader of a far right, ultranationalist Buddhist organisation claimed on Thursday that he knew the identity of the mastermind behind the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings in Sri Lanka which claimed the lives of 270 people, including many foreign tourists.

The Eelam People's Democratic Party (EPDP), a paramilitary group that was once closely linked to the Rajapaksas has reportedly refused to contest under the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) lotus symbol, leaving the party scrambling to find alternative partners in the Tamil homeland. 

The Jaffna court has appointed a five-member committee to oversee security at Ariyalai cemetery following the discovery of human skeletal remains

Events were held in Jaffna and Mullaitivu last week to commemorate Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MP Kiddinan Sivanesan on the 17th anniversary of his assassination by Sri Lankan armed forces on March 6, 2008.

Sri Lanka will launch a fresh inquiry into allegations against former president Ranil Wickremesinghe, said a government minister, including his alleged role in the Batalanda torture camp, the Central Bank bond scam, and the Easter Sunday attacks. 

This week has made one thing abundantly clear: Sri Lanka will never voluntarily deliver justice. Whether in Geneva or on an international news broadcast, its leaders lie, deflect, and evade.

Tamil families of the forcibly disappeared in Mullaitivu marked International Women’s Day this week with a protest through Mullivaikkal, the site of the 2009 genocide, as uniformed Sri Lankan police officers watched on.

Former Sri Lankan president Ranil Wickremesinghe has attempted to shift blame onto “pro-LTTE” figures after his disastrous interview on Al Jazeera English’s Head to Head, in which he floundered over questions on war crimes, enforced disappearances, and his defence of war criminals such as Shavendra Silva.

The interview, aired earlier today, saw Wickremesinghe visibly uncomfortable as he was pressed on allegations of war crimes, government corruption, and his administration’s failure to credibly investigate the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings.  He threatened to walk out several times.

The Tamil National People’s Front (TNPF) has reiterated its demand for Sri Lankan to be referred to the International Criminal Court (ICC), in a letter addressed to the Heads of Missions in Geneva of the UNHRC Core Group on Sri Lanka. Written earlier this week, the TNPF criticised previous UN HRC resolutions as ineffective, stating that they have failed to deliver justice for Tamil victims.