The massacre of 17 Tamil civilians by Sri Lankan army officers and Muslim homeguards on September 21, 1990 in Puthukkudiyiruppu, Batticaloa, was remembered yesterday, 28 years on. 

Gathering around the memorial previously erected in memory of those who were massacred, families of those killed and locals laid flowers in remembrance. 

On September 21, 1990 the Muslim homeguards backed by the Sri Lankan army broke into homes in Puthukkudiyiruppu village during the night and rounded up 44 Tamils, including children and women.

The 8th day of Lt Col Thileepan's hunger strike was remembered today in Batticaloa. 

Gathering at the Tamil National People's Front (TNPF) office, residents and party supporters laid flowers in tribute to Thileepan's sacrifice. 

Last Saturday, Tamils across the North-East held events marking the 31 years since Thileepan commenced his fast unto death, demanding that the Indian government upheld its promises to the Tamil people. 

Over 100,000 people gathered at the Nallur temple in Jaffna on September 15, 1987 to hear his words as he began the hunger strike. 

The body of a Tamil woman was found on Friday at Trincomalee beach. 

The 29-year-old woman, Pothanayagi Nadaraja, was a lecturer at the Trincomalee campus of Eastern University, and is originally from Vavuniya. 

Identifying her body, her husband told journalists that they had got married recently and were expecting their first child. 

"She did not commit suicide," he said. "This is murder." 

Trincomalee police are investigating the incident. 

Four Tamil political prisoners who had been hunger striking in protest at their indefinite imprisonment, were admitted to hospital today. 

Sivasubramaniam Thillairaj and Thangavel Nimalan have been admitted to Anuradhapuram prison hospital, whilst Sooriyakanthi Jeyachandran and Rasapallavan T Rupan were admitted to Anuradhapuram teaching hospital. 

Eight Tamil political prisoners at Anuradhapura prison, M Sulaksan, E Thiruvarul, S Jeyachandran, R Rupan, S Thillairaj, E Jegan, S Sivaseelan and T Nirmalan, launched a hunger strike this month demanding they be released following a quick rehabilitation. 

The British Tamil musician MIA has called for Australian airlines to end their involvement in the deportation of asylum seekers, joining a campaign targeting Qantas and Virgin Australia with shareholder action.

“The stories of how children, women and men are treated when they seek asylum in Australia are horrifying,” MIA, real name Matangi Arulpragasam, said, speaking to Guardian Australia.

The Sri Lankan military announced that it had opened a twelve more water treatment plants at military bases across the peninsula, whilst Tamil civilians continue to suffer from the effects of a drought.

The family members of 11 boys and men who were forcibly disappeared met with the Canadian High Comissioner to Sri Lanka this week, calling for answers to the whereabouts of their loved one.

The family members presented a letter to High Commissioner David McKinnon earlier this week.

Sri Lanka’s cabinet has reportedly approved new counter terrorism legislation, criminalising acts that will cause “harm to the territorial integrity or sovereignty of Sri Lanka”.

The proposed legislation would also criminalise “joining, becoming a member of, supporting or representing a proscribed terrorist organization for the purpose of aiding and abetting the commission of an offence under this Act”.

As of 2016, under Sri Lankan law, several Tamil diaspora groups, including the Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE) and the Tamil Coordinating Committee (TCC) remain proscribed as “terrorist organisations”.

The AIADMK has called out the DMK for colluding with war criminals in Sri Lanka and allowing tens of thousands of Tamils to be massacred, stating that the Tamil Nadu party and the Congress party should be tried as "international war criminals".

"We will hold protest rallies at all district headquarters on Sept.25 condemning the DMK and Congress over the killings of innocent Tamils in Sri Lanka,” said AIADMK co-convener and Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami at a district secretaries’ meeting in Chennai this week. “We will highlight the 'deceit' enacted by these two parties on the Sri Lankan Tamils issue."

Sri Lanka’s former president Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaranatunge has been awarded France’s highest national, despite her tenure in office marred by the bombing of churches, schools and refugees camps, killing tens of thousands of Tamil civilians.