Sri Lanka’s foreign minister Ali Sabry called for the end of “slaughter” in Gaza after a trip to Auschwitz earlier today, as he condemned the bombing of “refugee camps, hospitals, UN offices, schools, and escaping refugees-collectively punishing hapless women and children for no fault of their own”.

People for Equality and Relief in Lanka (PEARL) said that Sinhala Buddhist majoritarianism – the root cause of violence – continues to harm the Tamil nation in a statement marking the 41^st anniversary of Black July.

Today marks 41 years since the horrors of the anti-Tamil pogrom of 1983, when thousands of Tamils were killed by Sinhala mobs backed by the then UNP government and state forces.

 

Tamils protested the illegal construction of a Buddhist temple on occupied land in Thaiyiddy, Jaffna over the weekend. 

As US President Joe Biden dramatically dropped out of the upcoming presidential race earlier today, he announced his support for current Vice President Kamala Harris to be the Democratic nominee for the US 2024 presidential election. If nominated, she would be the first Black and Tamil woman from a major political party to be a candidate for US presidential elections.

Eelam Tamil residents of Parangikamam,  Iluppai Kadavai, and Antoniyar Puram, villages in Manthai West, Mannar, held a protest march towards the Land Reforms Commission demanding that the commission take measures to prevent land grab by foreigners, illegal Sinhala settlers, and the Sri Lankan security forces. 

The former cricketer and ex-parliamentarian with the Rajapaksa clan, Sanath Jayasuriya, has been appointed as the interim coach of Sri Lanka's national team, as they prepare to tour England later this year.

An event was held in Berlin last month to mark the launch of the latest UN report in Sri Lanka, highlighting the lack of justice and accountability for mass atrocities committed more than 15 years ago.

Hindu nationalist organisations have increased their presence and activities in Tamil Eelam over recent months, including by supporting the release of a racist Sinhala Buddhist monk.

Sri Lanka’s cabinet of ministers has approved the controversial Commission for Truth, Unity, and Reconciliation (CTUR) bill by incorporating certain amendments to it. 

As many as 52 skeletal remains, fragments of artillery, and clothing resembling LTTE uniforms have been recovered from the 10 days of excavation work at the Kokkuthoduvai mass grave site.