An Indian minister has contradicted longstanding claims by Sri Lankan officials that the Sirisena-government is opposed to the building of a bridge which would link India's southern-most state Tamil Nadu with Sri Lanka's Tamil-dominated North-East.

The project is under consideration, it is under discussion. But nothing has been finalised," Union Road Transport, Highways and Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari told journalists at the Foreign Correspondents Club in New Delhi on Monday.

He said discussions have been held on the issue with Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe, adding that they were also "interested" in the project.

"My hearty New Year wishes to all the Tamil and Sinhala people living across all parts of the world. 

I wish the New Year that has blossomed, brings in prosperity to every one of you.

Tamil New Year is not a mere festival; it is a reflection of our art, culture, traditional sports and many other elements, interlaced with our centuries old heritage in a characteristic way.

Besides, as two distinct unique communities, we celebrate Tamil New Year in the most traditional way. Apart from bonding the Tamil and Sinhala people; it must be borne in mind with pride that Tamil New Year is the only festival that is jointly celebrated by the Tamil and Sinhala communities.

The site of the attack in Kokkuthoduvai village, Mullatitivu

A group of Sinhala fishermen assaulted Tamil government officials in Mullaitivu on Sunday.

The Grama Sevaka officers were visiting Kokkuthoduvai village when the Sinhala fishermen, who have reportedly been settled in the area under a controversial settlement scheme, attacked the officials.

The Tamil officials were then handed over to the Sri Lankan military, which proceeded to confiscate their identity cards and keep them under detention.

The Chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Tamils (APPGt) called for a political solution that recognises the Tamils people's right to self determination and stated the British government are “looking for action” from Colombo, in a message released to mark Tamil New Year on Wednesday.

James Berry said in a statement that the cross-party group of parliamentarians had “been working tirelessly to represent the rights of the Tamil population in the UK and the victims of war crimes and human rights violations in Sri Lanka – a task which to this day remains a priority for our government, especially in light of evidence which suggests that many serious abuses continue”.

“I am proud that there has been some progress, but as the recent 2016 reception of the APPGt clearly illustrated, a lot more work remains,” said Mr Berry. “As the Chair for the APPGt, I know that now is not the time to rest on our laurels.”

“Going forward into this New Year, we need to ensure that the justice mechanism agreed in the latest UNHRC resolution is reliable and independent. Above all we need to achieve a political situation in Sri Lanka that fulfils the aspirations of the Tamil people and recognises the right to self-determination.”

A Tamil man was abducted by men claiming to be from the Terrorism Investigation Department on Sunday.

According to Ceylonews, Rajadurai Jeyanthan was at his house in Nunavil South, Chavakachcheri when the men took him in a white van. The white van abduction culture was very common over the past decades and came to be feared as many of those abducted never returned.

The sources told Ceylonews that Rajathurai Jeyanthan was among those who had gone through the government’s ‘rehabilitation’ programme after the end of the war.

His wife said that the abductors have only given her a telephone number and when contacted she was asked to come the CID office in Ariyalai, near Jaffna town.

UPDATED 1435 GMT

Protestors staged a sit in at the Jaffna Government Agent District Secretariat office in Jaffna today, demanding the Sri Lankan military halt ongoing land surveys.

The protest began after a reported attempt by the Sri Lankan military to survey 16 acres of land in Anaikottai, in the northern peninsula.

Upon hearing news of the surveying taking place, Tamil protestors, including politicians from the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) and Tamil National People’s Front (TNPF), arrived at the scene.

TNA Northern Provincial Council member Balachandran Gajatheepan said the military had also attempted to seize land owned by the Sivapoomi Trust, a charity organisation that supports handicapped children. As protestors gathered, the military began videotaping the demonstration.

“Our land is our culture,” said M K Shivajilingam Northern Provincial Council member. “No Tamil citizen can tolerate his homeland being eradicated at the hands of Sinhalese Chauvinists. We will continue our fight against this. We will expose the true face of the government that is claiming to provide good governance.”

Photograph: Tamil Guardian

The leader of the British opposition Jeremy Corbyn reiterated the Labour party’s commitment to achieving justice and self-determination for the Tamil people.

(See live tweeting from the event here. Video extract of statement produced below)

After being received with a standing ovation at a meeting of the Labour party with the Tamil community in the Houses of Parliament, Mr Jeremy Corbyn, in his concluding, remarks said,

“We as a party are very committed to the issues of human rights and justice. We are very committed to the rights of peoples, Tamil people, in this case, to achieve their justice, their self-expression and their self-determination.”