Reports have alleged that 23 Tamil Nadu fishermen have been arrested and 5 boats seized by the Sri Lankan Navy, in yet another frequently occurring attack on Indian fishermen.
Marching in Stratford, by the site of the London 2012 Olympics, London Tamils remembered the events of Black July 1983 and protested against Sri Lanka's inclusion in the Olympics on Sunday.
The protest also marks the beginning of a 21-day hunger strike by activist, Gobi Sivanthan, by Stratford High Street station.
The editor of the Jaffna based Uthayan newspaper was interrogated for four hours by Sri Lanka's intelligence services - the CID, on Thursday, reported the news site Lanka Truth.
According to an article published by LankaTruth on 18th July, when asked by a Sri Lankan newspaper about white van abductions, Sri Lanka's no nonsense defence secretary, Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, replied that 'only criminals are abducted by white vans'.
The Campaign for Free and Fair Elections (CaFFE), an election monitor in Sri Lanka has accused the ruling UPFA and its ally the SLMC, and the main opposition UNP of violating election laws, by campaigning from vehicles on the final day of nominations, reported ColomboPage on Friday.
The International Monetary Fund has delivered the final instalment of a $2.6 billion loan, as Sri Lanka looks to seek out further loans from the fund to bolster their country’s foreign reserves.
The Ministry of Defence have announced their latest “commercial venture”, opening up catering services in the south of the country, as the military continues to expand its role in civilian affairs.
Having opened in Battaramulla on Thursday, Rakna Lanka Catering Services is looking to expand and open many more outlets.
Suspected LTTE members, who were taken into Sri Lankan government’s arbitrary arrest in 2009 and released after 'rehabilitation', continue to be harassed by Sri Lanka’s intelligence services – the CID, reports Uthayan and TamilNet.
According to reports, 'rehabilitated' members have been identified by CID operatives, interrogated and even severely beaten.
Sri Lanka has repayments of over $15 billion to make to foreign lenders for loans taken out in the last 15 years, according to a document submitted to parliament on Thursday.
Lenders include China, to whom Sri Lanka will have to repay $4.9 billion for loans worth $2.96 billion, and the Asian Development Bank who will be repaid $4.64 billion after Sri Lanka borrowed $3.35 billion.
Tamil diaspora organisations from Australia, the US and Europe, have submitted a proposal to the Australian government's expert panel on asylum seekers, to work collaboratively to tackle the abuse and exploitation of Tamil asylum seekers.
