World Bank Vice President for South Asia, Martin Raiser concluded a three-day visit to Sri Lanka last week, noting that the "deep crisis is an opportunity for fundamental reforms" within the country. 

During the visit Raiser met with current President and Minister of Finance Ranil Wickremesinghe and Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena and other senior government officials. Discussions revolved around government priorities for Sri Lanka's recovery and key areas for World Bank support. 

Sri Lanka’s All-Party Conference has unanimously agreed to meet Tamil demands for self-governance through full implementation of the 13^th amendment, and to go beyond, however, a history of broken promises has Tamil on the island sceptical.

Whilst Sumanthiran expressed satisfaction over the resolution of the conference and the acceptance of the 13^th amendment as a starting point, Tamil Families of the Disappeared staged protests in Vavuniya condemning Tamil MPs who met with the government.

Marking 2,126 days of consecutive protest, Tamil Families of the Disappeared in Vavuniya spoke out against the remarks of Tamil National Alliance (TNA) leader R Sampanthan who reportedly stated during the All Party Conference (APC), "we know you killed all disappearances”.

Members of the Tamil National Peoples Front marked 16 years since the death of Anton Balasingham, the chief political strategist of the LTTE.

Balasingham, aged 68 years, passed away at his home in South London on December 14, 2006. His death sparked grief across the Tamil nation, with three days of mourning declared.

Gajen Ponnambalam MP and other members paid their respects at the TNPF office in Jaffna. 

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Today marks 16 years since the passing of the chief negotiator and political strategist of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), Anton Balasingham. 

Balasingham, or as he was fondly known among Tamils - Bala Anna, was widely respected and adored by the nation. His charismatic addresses in venues around the world drew tens of thousands, as he provided political analysis with sharp wit. Leading LTTE delegations through numerous negotiations, Bala Anna eloquently and forcefully articulated the rights of the nation. His intellectual prowess and political acumen earned him respect from all sides of the negotiating table.

Former Sri Lankan Minister Wimal Weerawansa has lashed out against US Ambassador for Sri Lanka Julie Chung, claiming that she the puppet master behind the mistakes of Gotabaya Rajapaksa and the Aragalaya protests.

"All decisions that the former president took, he conveyed to envoy Chung and then implemented it as per her instructions. When the president took the decision to remove the protestors, envoy Chung prevented it, claiming it would affect the IMF loan," Weerawansa alleged.

The UK High Court has ruled against the former UK representative of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) and secretary of Global Sri Lanka Forum, Jayaraj Palihawadanaa, in a landmark case concerning false claims he made against the executive director of the International Truth and Justice Project (ITJP), Yasmin Sooka.

Jaffna Tamils protested against attempts by the Sri Lankan military to acquire 40 acres of private land for the Naval Base Camp in Karainagar.

Mullaitivu Tamils have staged a protest against the Sri Lankan military’s continued land grabs in front of the Gotabaya Naval Camp in Vattuwagal, Mullaitivu, after officials from Colombo came to audit the land for military use.

The Amma project, a charity initiative started by a British Tamil couple, is working alongside the Swansea Asylum Seekers Support (SASS) to provide gifts for children from refugee families during the Christmas period. SASS charity was chosen by the couple as they help asylum seeker familes in various situations, a cause close to their hearts. Donations can be received on the GoFundme until the 16th of December for gifts, where almost £900 has been raised.