Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau praised the Tamil community in a statement relased to mark Tamil New Year today.

“Today is New Year’s Day in the Tamil calendar, a day that will be celebrated in Canada and around the world,” said the prime minister. “Puthandu, also known as Varusha Pirappu, is a time for family and friends to feast, to exchange gifts, and to pray for blessings for the year to come at temples and churches.”

A Tamil man was abducted by men claiming to be from the Terrorism Investigation Department on Sunday.

According to Ceylonews, Rajadurai Jeyanthan was at his house in Nunavil South, Chavakachcheri when the men took him in a white van. The white van abduction culture was very common over the past decades and came to be feared as many of those abducted never returned.

The sources told Ceylonews that Rajathurai Jeyanthan was among those who had gone through the government’s ‘rehabilitation’ programme after the end of the war.

His wife said that the abductors have only given her a telephone number and when contacted she was asked to come the CID office in Ariyalai, near Jaffna town.

UPDATED 1435 GMT

Protestors staged a sit in at the Jaffna Government Agent District Secretariat office in Jaffna today, demanding the Sri Lankan military halt ongoing land surveys.

The protest began after a reported attempt by the Sri Lankan military to survey 16 acres of land in Anaikottai, in the northern peninsula.

Upon hearing news of the surveying taking place, Tamil protestors, including politicians from the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) and Tamil National People’s Front (TNPF), arrived at the scene.

TNA Northern Provincial Council member Balachandran Gajatheepan said the military had also attempted to seize land owned by the Sivapoomi Trust, a charity organisation that supports handicapped children. As protestors gathered, the military began videotaping the demonstration.

“Our land is our culture,” said M K Shivajilingam Northern Provincial Council member. “No Tamil citizen can tolerate his homeland being eradicated at the hands of Sinhalese Chauvinists. We will continue our fight against this. We will expose the true face of the government that is claiming to provide good governance.”

Photograph: Tamil Guardian

The leader of the British opposition Jeremy Corbyn reiterated the Labour party’s commitment to achieving justice and self-determination for the Tamil people.

(See live tweeting from the event here. Video extract of statement produced below)

After being received with a standing ovation at a meeting of the Labour party with the Tamil community in the Houses of Parliament, Mr Jeremy Corbyn, in his concluding, remarks said,

“We as a party are very committed to the issues of human rights and justice. We are very committed to the rights of peoples, Tamil people, in this case, to achieve their justice, their self-expression and their self-determination.”

The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MP, Mavai Senathirajah called for the new Sri Lankan constitution to push a federal solution to the ethnic conflict, stating that the country would be more united under such a system.

"Under the present unitary resolution, we cannot find an answer to our issues," Mr Senathirajah explained in an interview with Sunday Leader.

"We need to bring all communities under one country, but these bankrupt politicians say if a federal solution is sought, it will divide the country. I think the country will be more united under a federal system."