Residents in Batticaloa and Trinco took part in festivities this month celebrating the Tamil festival of Thai Pongal. 

Tamil National Alliance (TNA) campaign events this month saw a heightened security presence, with searches for supporters and journalists attending. 

A campaign event in Mullaitivu on January 29 and an event the day before in Vavuniya where TNA figures, R Sampanthan and MA Sumanthiran, saw police officers and even Special Task Force officers present. 

Increased security comes amid reported assaults on TNA candidates by supporters of the paramilitary group, EPDP, as well as rising frustration within the Tamil population over the failure of the unity government, which has received strong support from senior TNA leadership, to deliver on key pledges. 

Sri Lankan military personnel continue to be seen in significant numbers around Myliddy TB hospital which was recently 'released' by the army.

The continued military presence has prevented the hospital from being renovated and being used as a public hospital, locals said. 

Families protesting against the Sri Lankan military's occupation of land in Keppapilavu, Mullaitivu met with international representatives and human rights groups on Monday - day 333 of the protest. 

Visiting groups met with the families amid heightened police presence, and expressed support for their struggle for their land. 

The Sri Lankan government is under increasing pressure to expedite the release of land occupied by the armed forces in the North-East. 

Sri Lanka's Human Rights commission has set up a dedicated Election Complaints Desk to deal with numerous complains of rights violations in the run up the local government election next month. 

The chairman of the Northern Provincial Council, C V K Sivagnanam this week called on the Sri Lankan government to end the proscription of the LTTE, arguing it was meaningless. 

"Eight years has lapsed since the war ended with even former LTTE members joining mainstream politics after surrendering their weapons and in such a scenario continuing with the ban on the LTTE is meaningless," he was quoted by the Daily Mirror as saying. 

Twelve years have passed since 7 TRO workers were abducted by Sri Lankan government-backed paramilitaries in Batticaloa. The kidnappings, which took place on the January 29 - 30, 2006, are yet to lead to a prosecution. 

The paramilitary Karuna group was accused of abducting the aid workers before torturing and murdering them. 

Parents of Tamil political prisoners urged the Chief Minister of the Northern Province to push for their release and outlined their concerns about the treatment of the prisoners.

86 Tamils killed in the Kokkaddicholai massacre 31 years ago were remembered in Batticaloa on Sunday.

Sri Lanka's Human Rights Commission undertook a 10 hour investigation on Thursday over the chief minister of Uva province forcing the principal of Badulla Tamil Girl's School to kneel and apologise for not following through an order. 

The probe comes after widespread outrage at the incident with parents of students at the school and teachers' trade unions calling for the Uva chief minister, Chamara Sampath Dassanayake to be arrested. 

Executive Director of Human Rights Centre, Keerthi Tennakoon accused police and state officials of attempted to cover up the incident.