Jaffna MP C VWigneswaran has confirmed that he will withdraw from the running in the upcoming General Election, which is to be held on November 14th, stating that the opportunity should be given to Tamil youths to enter parliament instead.

Sri Lanka's newest Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath kicked off his tenure by thanking Saudia Arabia for supporting Sri Lanka at the UN Human Rights Council, where Colombo is rejecting calls for an international accountability mechanism for atrocities committed against Tamils.

 

Tamils across the North-East are marking 37 years since the death of Lt Col Thileepan, a political wing leader of the LTTE, who fasted unto death in a protest appealing to the Indian government to honour pledges made to the Tamil people.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has urged Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to intervene following a spate of arrests of Indian fishermen by Sri Lanka and the punishment, including hefty fines, subsequently meted out. 

Today marks 37 years since the death of Lt Col Thileepan, a political wing leader of the LTTE who fasted to death, in a protest appealing to the Indian government to honour pledges made to the Tamil people.

Tamil families of the disappeared commemorated Lt Col Thileepan in Vavuniya to mark 37 years since he fasted unto death.

Sri Lanka's recently elected president Anura Kumara Dissanayake has dissolved parliament and called for a general election to take place on November 14. 

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has written to Sri Lanka’s new president, stating it looked forward to working with Anura Dissanayake “towards building on the hard-won gains that have helped put Sri Lanka on a path to economic recovery."

The letter from the global body comes as Dissanayake pledged to “renegotiate” a US $3 billion bailout loan that Sri Lanka heavily relies on in the wake of a devastating economic crisis.

Sri Lanka's newly appointed president, Anura Kumara Dissanayake (AKD), spends the majority of his first day in office receiving various religious blessings including visiting monks and worshipping at a Buddhist temple.

 

Sri Lanka's new president has appointed Dr Harini Amarasuriya, a parliamentarian with his National People’s Power (NPP) coalition, as the new prime minister. We look back on Amarasuriya’s previous remarks on Eelam Tamils, racism in Sri Lanka and on devolution of powers through the 13th Amendment.

Days after Basil Rajapaksa, founder of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), left for the United States on election day, former Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has also departed the country, heading to Bhutan.