The Northern Provincial Council on Wednesday passed a resolution aimed at ending Sri Lankan military involvement in civilian affairs. 

NPC members condemned the military's ongoing activities in the province and its harassment of locals. 

Highlighting the issue of illegal fishing in Vadamarachchi by Sinhala fishermen NPC member, Shivajilingam said the it should be stopped and condemned the threatening of locals who protested against this last month by Sri Lankan navy personnel. 

The assassinated senior Tamil journalist, Aiyathurai Nadesan was remembered this week by journalists and media workers at commemorative events in the North-East.

Mr Nadesan, who worked for over 20 years with Virakesari was shot dead in Batticaloa on May 31, 2004. 

In the months leading up to his killing, Mr Nadesan had been threatened and harassed by military personnel. On June 7, 2001, he was summoned by the army for an inquiry where he was warned to cease reporting on human rights abuses. 

Journalists in Jaffna and Batticaloa protested on Wednesday against the increasing number of attacks on media workers, including one last week. 

Journalists criticised the complete lack of action and justice around murdered and attacked Tamil journalists and media workers.

Sri Lankan military forces should no longer carry out civilian tasks within Jaffna, the Jaffna Municipal Council has said.

A resolution, put forward by TNPF councillor V. Manivannan and passed on Wednesday by the council, said there was no need for military forces to carry out civilian tasks within the council’s administrative border.

"We are demanding that the military, which is occupying Tamil people's lands in the North, should leave from here,” the Council said.

“By using the military for events that take place here, it is like we are permitting their presence here."

The 37^th anniversary of the burning of the Jaffna Public Library was marked at a remembrance event this morning.

Sri Lanka’s president met with a US Congress delegation from the House Armed Services Committee on Wednesday, where the growing partnership between the two governments in the security sector was discussed.

^{Cover art by Sagi Thilipkumar}

On midnight 31^st May 1981, the Jaffna Public Library, famous for being the crucible of Tamil literature and heritage, was set ablaze by Sri Lankan security forces and state-sponsored mobs.

Over 95,000 unique and irreplaceable Tamil palm leaves (ola), manuscripts, parchments, books, magazines and newspapers, housed within an impressive building inspired by ancient Dravidian architecture, were destroyed during the burning. Some texts that were kept in the library, such as the Yalpanam Vaipavama (a history of Jaffna), were literally irreplaceable, being the only copies in existence. It was one of the largest libraries in Asia.

The Sri Lankan army organised a Buddhist ceremony in Vavuniya earlier this month, reportedly marking the first time that Vesak was celebrated in the region in such a large scale.

The speaker of Sri Lanka’s parliament claimed that the “our country has been elevated before the world as a decent and respected nation”, following an “A” status accreditation for the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) earlier this month.

"I believe that our country has been elevated before the world as a decent and respected nation," said Karu Jayasuriya, who also serves as chairman of Sri Lanka’s Constitutional Council.

"Especially it is a confirmation in the country and internationally that Sri Lankans are citizens of a free society with justice and equality,” he added. “This is a great step we took forward as a nation."

Fishermen from Vadamarachchi have been threatened by Sri Lankan Navy intelligence officers following a protest against encroachment of their fishing areas by fishermen from other districts.

The fishermen of Vadamarachchi East held a protest on Sunday, in opposition to hundreds of structures to farm sea cucumbers put up on the coasts of Thalaiyadi, Maruthankerny, Sembiyanpattru by fishermen from the North Western Province.