Today marks 34 years since the death of Annai Poopathy, a Tamil woman who fasted unto death in protest against the atrocities committed by Indian Peace Keeping Forces (IPKF).
Speaking before his new cabinet members, Sri Lanka’s President was forced to admit that his ban on chemical fertilisers and refusal to turn to the International Monetary Fund were mistakes but refused to abdicate his position.
A court in Sri Lanka has banned commemoration events that were planned to be held later this month to mark the death of Annai Poopathy, a Tamil woman who fasted unto death in protest against the atrocities committed by Indian Peace Keeping Forces (IPKF).
The Tamil National People’s Front received notice from the Batticaloa Magistrate’s Court informing the party that all commemorative events that it planned on hosting were to be banned.
As Sri Lanka’s embattled president looks to reshuffle his cabinet in a bid to quell ongoing anti-government protests, one position remains entirely unchanged from before the demonstrations began – the appointment of Douglas Devavanda as Sri Lanka’s fisheries minister.
Sri Lanka’s president Gotabaya Rajapaksa appointed a new cabinet of 17 members today in an attempt to quell ongoing anti-government protests, with some familiar figures back in power.
Though the new cabinet currently contains no-one from the Rajapaksa family, Gotabaya Rajapaksa remains president and his older brother Mahinda Rajapaksa remains prime minister.
As the anti-government protest continues at Sri Lanka’s Galle Face Green, a host of Sinhala celebrities, from cricketers to musicians and politicians have joined the demonstration.
However, social media users have quickly spotted a few familiar faces, from those who have previously been staunch supporters of the Rajapaksas, to racists and homophobes.
We look briefly at a few of them who have been seen at the Galle Face protest over the last week.
Dozens of protestors in Jaffna gathered with placards denouncing the Sri Lankan government and red and yellow flags this evening, as they demanded justice for genocide, the repeal of the Prevention of Terrorism Act and the right to self-determination.
The doctrine of Sinhala Buddhist nationalism, which has been instrumental in the Sri Lankan nation-building project, is the driving force behind the current economic crisis, writes Madura Rasaratnam, an associate professor at the University of London, in The Indian Express this week.
Sri Lanka has sent a delegation to Washington DC to hold discussions with the IMF, as the country announced last week that they would default on debt repayments.
The Sri Lankan Department of Government Information has stated that "there are no shortages of drugs and surgical equipment", despite widespread reports of shortages across hospitals around the island.
Sri Lanka’s Defence Secretary, and accused war criminal, Kamal Gunaratne, has refuted the claim that Sri Lanka’s military will be used to suppress peaceful demonstrations but maintained that they will assist Sri Lankan police in the event of a violent uprising.
The Sri Lankan government has taken “minimal steps to identify, investigate, prosecute, and punish officials who committed human rights abuses” said the US State Department in its human rights report for 2021, highlighting the level of impunity still present on the island.
Hundreds of Tamil Canadians held a car rally this week demanding Canada and the international community to recognise the Tamil people's right to self-determination and to send Sri Lankan war criminals to the International Criminal Court (ICC).
The car rally saw hundreds of cars from Brampton and Scarborough make their way through Dundas Square to downtown Toronto.
