An Israeli weapons manufacturer announced that the Sri Lankan military has signed a new US$50 million contract this week, in a move that will see Colombo’s infamous Kfir bomber jets revamped and upgraded.

Kfir jets, which have been extensively used by the Sri Lankan Air Force to carry out bombing raids across the North-East, have killed thousands of Tamils throughout the years. The use of the aircraft became so prevalent that for Tamils the name Kfir, Hebrew for "Lion Cub", became synonymous with all the aircraft used by the Sri Lankan military during attacks on the Tamil homeland.

Marking the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relationships between the Philippines and Sri Lanka, the Presidents of both countries spoke on the phone about strengthening diplomatic ties.

“Over the last six decades, we have pursued fruitful relations. We look forward to sustaining this and exploring further the full potential of our cooperative ties,” claimed the authoritarian President Duterte.

UN Resolution

US President Joe Biden has appointed former US Ambassador to Sri Lanka and the Maldives, Atul Keshap, as the country’s Charge’d Affairs in Delhi to replace Daniel Smith, who is retiring.

Keshap is a seasoned diplomat having served for close to three decades in posts in India, Morocco, Guinea, and as United States Ambassador to Sri Lanka and the Maldives from August 2015 to July 2018, during the Sirisena administration.

The families of the forcibly disappeared Tamils organised a demonstration in Vavuniya earlier today, seeking international support for the return of their missing relatives. 

The protest commenced at 10am and took place in front of the usual location of the Vavuniya Old Bus Stand.

Demostrators observed health and safety measures due to the threat posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

_{File photo: Vincent Florence Joseph}

Former Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) member and famous scholarly translator, Vincent Florence Joseph, passed away due to illness at his home in Kurunagar, Jaffna on Sunday. 

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has called on the European Commission to increase its scrutiny on Sri Lanka and to set out a “timeline and concrete benchmarks for replacing the PTA and fulfilling other human rights obligations” or otherwise suspend Sri Lanka's access to preferential trading terms known as GSP+.

People for Equality and Relief in Sri Lanka (PEARL) condemned the pardoning of convicted murderer Duminda Silva and called on the European Union (EU) to withdraw it's GSP+ trade preferences "if human rights obligations continue to be abrogated."

A young Tamil man was found hanging from a neem tree in Mullaitivu, last week.

The body was discovered by a relative from the village, after the victim’s wife reported that her husband went missing following a family dispute. 

The Mullaitivu police are currently investigating the case and have taken the body to the district hospital for an autopsy. 

Amidst the strict militarised COVID-19 response by the Sri Lankan state and the recent stringent travel ban measures, many families across the Tamil homeland have been put under extensive mental, physical and economic strain.

Residents of Parangikamam, a village in Manthai West, Mannar have complained that swathes of forest near their area are being illegally deforested by the Sri Lankan government and that their land has become appropriated by private persons and foreigners. 

Addressing Sri Lankan Parliament, President Rajapaksa admonished the record of the previous administration claiming that they left the economic and security apparatus of Sri Lanka in ruins whilst, “the terrorism, which we ended in 2009, had re-emerged in a more dangerous form”.

“We went through a period where making comments about our character, our culture and nationality was a cause for insult and ridicule. We have changed that” Rajapaksa claimed.