This week marks 39 years since 31 Eelam Tamil Fishermen were brutally killed by the Sri Lankan Navy, in what has been dubbed the Mandaitivu massacre

To date, no one has been held accountable for the murders.

Mandaitivu is an islet situated off the Jaffna peninsula and is connected to the city of Jaffna by means of a causeway. On 10 June 1986, Sri Lankan Navy personnel clad in black clothes approached a group of fishermen who were in the sea. The fishermen raised their hands to show they were civilians.

The Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) announced a 15% increase in electricity tariffs, ahead of a key visit by a senior International Monetary Fund (IMF) official to the island next week.

ITAK candidate Sivam Pakkiyanathan has been elected Mayor of the Batticaloa Municipal Council, with the backing of members from the opposition Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB).

The outcome follows a turbulent contest in which the ruling National People's Power (NPP) government reportedly formed an alliance with the Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal (TMVP), the party led by former paramilitary commander Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan, also known as Pillayan.

Sri Lanka’s President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has openly admitted to the “collapse” of the country’s social structure and systemic corruption across public institutions but pointed to Buddhism as “the foundation for a disciplined and culturally sophisticated nation”.

Sri Lanka and China have signed two Memoranda of Understanding to set up a working group on trade facilitation and on industrial and supply chain cooperation, according to a statement from the Chinese Embassy in Colombo.