Tamils in Batticaloa held a protest today on Human Rights Day to highlight the ongoing human rights abuses perpetrated against the Tamil people by the Sri Lankan state.  

Tamil families of the disappeared protested in Mullaitivu and Vavuniya today to renew their calls for international accountability and mark Human Rights Day. 

The leader of the Tamil National People’s Front (TNPF) refused to meet with the Global Tamil Forum (GTF) this week, after the diaspora organisation signed a declaration with Sinhala Buddhist monks that has been labelled a “whitewash”.

In response to a Sri Lankan government-backed initiative that has seen the Global Tamil Forum (GTF) sign a joint declaration with Sinhala Buddhist monks, a host of Tamil diaspora organisations from around the globe have reiterated their commitment for Sri Lanka to be referred to the International Criminal Court for genocide and for an international monitored referendum to be conducted in the Tamil homeland.

“The key organizations listed below within the Tamil Diaspora, which closely align with the views of the Tamil people in the North-East, have developed their position through extensive dialogues with members of the grassroot community,” said the joint statement, which was released this morning.

The Global Tamil Forum (GTF) met with Ranil Wickremesinghe this week after it signed a declaration with a group of senior Sinhala Buddhist monks from different sects in Sri Lanka.

Photographs published on the Sri Lankan president’s official website show GTF members alongside saffron-robed monks, handing over a copy of the ‘Joint Himalayan Declaration’ to Wickremesinghe.

File photograph

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has issued a statement condemning Sri Lanka’s arrest of 9 Tamils in Batticaloa under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) during Maaveerar Naal commemorations.

Tamils across the world marked Maaveerar Naal on Monday, paying tribute to the men and women who laid down their lives for the liberation of Tamil Eelam.

Whilst a crackdown was underway in the North-East, around the world - from Australia, to Europe to North America - several large scale commemorations were held.

See a round up of events that took place around the world below.

The Sri Lankan air force has completed the purchase of two new Chinese built planes, as military spending continues, and the island continues to be plagued by militarisation.

Relatives of a Tamil youth, who was reportedly tortured to death under Sri Lankan police custody, staged a protest in Jaffna this week, demanding justice for his killing

The father of a 13-year-old Tamil boy who was reportedly tortured to death after being arrest by Sri Lankan police and sent to a reformatory school, has demanded justice for his killing.

Gunshots were fired in Jaffna this week as Sri Lankan police reportedly gave chase to a gang of unknown persons armed with machetes, amidst ongoing crime in the highly militarised peninsula.

The Defence Service Command and Staff College (DSCSC) has spent Rs 1.1 million on "entertainment expenses" on five Sri Lankan military officers, a National Audit report revealed. 

The Rs 1.1 million was spent on food and refreshments during a visit to the DSCSC in 2022 by the Defence Ministry Secretary, Chief of Defence Staff, the commanders of the Army, Navy and Air Force. 

Ahead of a debate in Britian’s parliament later today, the Sri Lankan High Commission sent a confidential briefing to lawmakers claiming that Colombo “remains committed to pursuing tangible progress in the protection of human rights and reconciliation”.

The briefing, marked as confidential, claimed that Sri Lanka had made progress on a range of areas across human rights, despite the continued arrest of Tamils, land grabs by the state and lack of accountability for mass atrocities.

Watch live from Westminster Hall as parliamentarians from across the UK debate “Sri Lankan Tamils and human rights”.