Tamils in Strasbourg marked Maaveerar Naal last month, with a ceremony to remember those who gave their lives during the Tamil struggle.

A Tamil restaurant owner was assaulted and abducted by a Sinhalese bus driver and conductor in Vavuniya on Wednesday.

An argument had broken out the previous day when the assailants were told by T. Subaraj, the owner of the restaurant in Vavuniya’s main bus station that they could not smoke in the premises.

The bus driver and conductor returned to the restaurant the following night while Mr Subaraj was alone, calling him out to talk. While Mr Subaraj obliged, thinking he would be reconciling with the pair, he was knocked unconscious with metal rods, thrown into the bus and driven in the direction of Madawachi.

Photograph: Daily Ceylon

Sri Lankan president Maithripala Sirisena met with senior government ministers and Buddhists monks in Colombo this week, including with the head of the extremist Bodu Bala Sena organisation, to discuss the protection of “historical places with great archaeological value”.

Sri Lanka’s top court acquitted and released the five accused of assassinating Nadarajah Raviraj – former Tamil National Alliance parliamentarian.

Through a unanimous decision by the all Sinhala jury, three navy intelligence officials and two members of the Karuna group were acquitted after a month long trial. The decision by the jury was based on reasoning that the five accused cannot be convicted solely on the fact that witnesses in the case identified them.

State witnesses gave considerable details on the murder plot – including details of who pulled the trigger and the subsequent escape plan.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe agrees to amend the draft Development (Special Provisions) Bill – considering proposals made by Southern, Western, Eastern and Uva Provincial chief ministers’ at a meeting on Friday.

The proposed bill attempts to establish development offices and appoint officials in order to centralize development policies.

Farmers in Hambantota protested this week against the leasing of land in the district to a Chinese company, the Daily Mirror reported. 

Over 1000 farmers took part in the protest which began as a march towards the Administration Complex, vowing they would never vacate their ancestoral lands. 

Aprons and oven gloves with a depiction of Buddha were seized by Sri Lankan customs officials on Thursday who said the items were "offensive". 

The goods were a consignment on a shipment from India heading towards Slovenia. 

Speaking to The Hindu newspaper, customs spokesperson, Dharmasena Kahandawa said the items were "offensive to religious sentiments" of Buddhists. 

Sri Lankan troops stationed in Poonakari distributed spectacles to Tamils living in the area last week.
 

The Sri Lankan government is to introduce a development programme in Trincomalee with Indian assistance, to mirror that of Hambantota port, the minister of development policies and international trade Malik Samarawickrama said on Wednesday. 

“We are currently talking with India to get into a similar arrangement to run the Trincomalee Port and to develop an industrial zone. However, this government will actually work with all the countries including India, Singapore and Japan,” Mr Samarawickrama was quoted by the Daily Mirror as saying. 

The Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) on Thursday called on the Sri Lankan government to reveal its deal with a Chinese company which was due to be responsible for Hambantota port, the Daily Mirror reported. 

“The government should be transparent when entering any trade or other agreements. But we do not see such move taken by the government. This will arouse suspicions among the people that mega deals were happening under these agreements,” JHU national organizer Nishantha Sri Warnasinghe was quoted as saying. 

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