China’s ambassador to Sri Lanka continued his tour of the Tamil homeland today, visiting the historic Jaffna Library and Nallur Kandaswamy Temple, as well as meeting with fishing communities in the peninsula and in Mannar.

The visit comes as Beijing looks to “to maintain contacts between Jaffna and China in the near future,” according to Ambassador Qi Zhenhong who addressed reporters whilst visiting the Jaffna library earlier today.

A special court in Poonamallee, Chennai, has acquitted four Eelam Tamil refugees who were arrested on the suspicion that they were attempting to "revive" the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). 

The judge ruled that the prosecutors did not produce sufficient evidence against the arrested in order for the proceedings against them to go ahead.

Muslim poet Ahnaf Jazeem, who was arrested under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) and jailed for more than 18 months without charge, has been released and reunited with his family after initially being denied bail on "technical issues".

Nine global Tamil Diaspora organizations welcomed the recent US decision to impose travel bans on two Sri Lankan Army officers for gross human rights violations, requesting other democratic countries follow suit.

People for Equality and Relief in Lanka (PEARL) welcomed the US sanctions on two Sri Lankan military officials for human rights violations and encouraged "the sanctioning of further high ranking officials" who are accused of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.

Last week, the US barred both Chandana Hettiarachchi, a Sri Lankan naval intelligence officer, involved in the ‘Trinco 11’ disappearances and Sunil Ratnayake, a soldier guilty of murdering at least 8 Tamils, from entering the US. 

Sri Lanka's finance minister Basil Rajapaksa speaking in parliament, has admitted that the country is not receiving foreign investments as quickly as anticipated, as mass resignations across Sri Lanka's Board of Investments signalled discontent within the regime.

Sri Lanka currently faces a foreign exchange crisis which has been exacerbated by an estimated Rs. 1.6 trillion loss in revenue due to the pandemic and government mismanagement. Loan payments in excess of USD $1.5 billion dollars due next year are at risk of default due to dwindling foreign reserves.

Two people including a police sergeant were arrested for drug possession and for allegedly running a "Kerala cannabis racket" in the Puliyankulama area in Vavuniya. 

The suspects aged 41 and 53 were arrested after they were found to be in possession of 6 Kilograms of Cannabis. A stash of Kerala cannabis worth 1 million Sri Lankan rupees was also seized by the STF. 

The suspects are to be produced before Vavuniya magistrates court following their arrest on 11 December by STF personnel. 

Last week, the United States announced long-overdue travel restrictions on two more accused Sri Lankan war criminals. The move is a step in the right direction and will be welcomed across the globe by those who seek justice on the island. It serves as a reminder to the Sri Lankan regime that no matter how many years pass, such egregious crimes cannot, and will not, be forgotten or unaccounted for. 

One of the winners of the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize slammed social media corporations “for the toxic sludge that’s coursing through our information ecosystem” in an address where highlighted the “disastrous consequences” the tech giants have had in the Philippines, Myanmar, India and Sri Lanka.

Philippine journalist Maria Ressa, who cofounded the news site Rappler, said that “social media is a deadly game for power and money”.

China’s Ambassador to Sri Lanka embarked on a two-day visit to Jaffna and Mannar on a “familiarisation tour” today, amidst heavy Sri Lankan security and brewing tensions with India.

Sri Lankan security forces from the army and police stepped up their presence across the region, as the ambassador travelled to the Tamil homeland.