^{Accused war criminals : Shavendra Silva (Left) Kamal Gunaratne (Right)}

Sri Lanka's Defence Secretary and accused war criminal Kamal Gunaratne has vowed to restore the Buddhist 'Deegawapiya Stupa' situated in the Eastern Province to its ‘former glory’ this month.

Tamil Nadu fishermen hoisted black flags on Wednesday in protest against Sri Lanka's move to nationalise previously seized trawlers owned by the fishermen.

In December 2020, fishermen from Rameshwaram were arrested and detained by the Sri Lankan navy who also seized their trawlers.  

Australia has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Sri Lanka on the Return and Readmission of Persons which includes provisions for the return of asylum seekers who continue to face threats of torture and abuse in Sri Lanka.

Rawan Arraf, lawyer and director at the Australian Centre for International Justice, described the move as “shameful” on Twitter. She further stated:

Patrick Brown, Mayor of Brampton, has announced that Brampton City Council will build a Mullivaikkal memorial to commemorate the estimated, 75,000 Tamil civilians murdered during the Tamil Genocide.

This announcement follows the destruction of a Mullivaikkal memorial in Jaffna which has been internationally condemned. Whilst the university administration has vowed to rebuild the memorial, local residents have expressed scepticism. 

Ahimsa Wickrematunge the daughter of murdered journalist Lasantha Wickrematunge has filed a complaint to the United Nations Human Rights Committee over the alleged Sri Lankan government involvement in her father’s death 12 years ago.

The Centre for Justice and Accountability, an international human rights organisation based in San Francisco, filed the complaint on behalf of Ahimsa Wickrematunge. Her father Lasantha was allegedly killed by a military-linked hit squad while driving to work on Jan. 8, 2009.

Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK) leader Seeman condemned the recent attempt by Sri Lanka's archaeology department to seize an ancient Tamil temple site in Mullaitivu. 

“On the grounds that ancient Buddhist shrines existed in the Kurunthoormalai and Kumulamunai parts of Mullaitivu district and based on the lie that archaeological excavations need to be conducted, the Sinhala racist government is destroying ancient Tamil temples with the support of the military. This is strongly condemnable,” Seeman said in a statement. 

Sri Lanka’s Public Security Minister Rear Admiral Sarath Weerasekara, will submit to parliament a proposal to introduce mandatory military training for all citizens aged over 18-years-old, in a move that looks set to deeply entrench the militarised nature of the state.

The international organisation dedicated to press freedom, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has called on the Jaffna Magistrate’s Court to dismiss the case brought against Tamil Uthayan newspaper under the draconian Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) which is due to be heard on Tuesday.

See the tweet here.

Earlier last month, Sri Lankan police filed a case against the Jaffna-based newspaper for publishing images and quotes of Velupillai Prabhakaran, leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), on his birthday, 26 November.

US Ambassador to Sri Lanka and the Maldives, Alaina B. Teplitz, has criticised Sri Lanka’s policy of forced cremations stating that COVID “should not cost us our compassion and respect for another’s beliefs”.

Ahimsa Wickrematunge, the daughter of murdered journalist Lasantha Wickrematunge wrote a piece for Groundviews marking the 12th anniversary of his death and detailing why his killers have never punished. 

Lasantha Wickrematunge had been investigating a deal made towards the end of the armed conflict in 2009, in which the Sri Lankan air force was looking to buy new bomber jets. The planes supplied to the Rajapaksa regime were used to indiscriminately bomb Tamil civilians in the closing stages of the war and a portion of the money used to purchase the planes were redirected to close associates of the Rajapaksa’s.