In May 2025, the Sri Lankan military escalated its occupation of the Tamil homeland under the guise of civil outreach—ranging from church renovations and aid distributions to military-run golf tournaments held on seized Tamil land. These highly publicised activities, led by infantry divisions accused of war crimes, serve to normalise the military’s entrenched dominance while deflecting scrutiny over its role in crimes against humanity.

Northern Province

Mullaitivu Magistrate Court released two Tamil farmers from Kurunthurmalai who were arrested for farming, following a complaint by a Sinhala Buddhist monk alleging damage to an “archaeological” site.

At the hearing yesterday, the government lawyer had admitted that there is not an official government gazette which declares that the contested land belongs to Sri Lanka's Department of Archaeology. As a result, the case was dismissed and the farmers were released.

Excavation work at the Chemmani-Sindubathi burial site in Jaffna’s Nallur division has led to the recovery of human remains believed to belong to an infant under the age of one, fuelling calls for international oversight into excavating mass graves on the island.

Students at the University of Jaffna gathered on Thursday to mark the 51st anniversary of the martyrdom of Ponnuthurai Sivakumaran, recognized as the first martyr of the Tamil liberation struggle.