Trade unions representing a substantial 23,159 families engaged in the fishing industry in the Jaffna district staged a protest in front of the Jaffna District Secretariat. The fisherfolk, whose livelihoods depend on the sea, demanded immediate action to address pressing concerns related to their industry.

In a recent development, the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) has released a statement concerning the 13th amendment in Sri Lanka. The JVP has called upon President Ranil Wickremesinghe to clarify his position on the implementation of the 13th amendment.

Tamil families of the disappeared rallied across the North-East today to mark the International Day of the Disappeared and demand to know the fate of their forcibly disappeared loved ones. 

Photo courtesy of @JeeraThambi on Twitter.com

Wang Yi, Director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of China's CPC Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs, has reaffirmed China's commitment to aiding Sri Lanka in tackling its financial debt challenges and reaffirmed Beijing’s support for Sri Lanka’s sovereignty.

Sri Lankan Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella refused to issue an apology for the government’s internationally condemned policy of forced cremations amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

Several villages in Batticaloa have been facing a shortage in drinking water due to the ongoing drought in the region. 

Virakesari reported that over 2,000 families in the Manmunai West division have had to travel long distances to get drinking water. 

Some of the villages affected by the drought include Karavetti, Nediyamady, Thandiyadi, Gandhinagar and Unnichai. 

Four boats belonging to Tamil fishermen in Mullaitivu were set ablaze and burnt by unidentified people on August 20th.  

The fishermen who fish in Thannimurippu tank,  highlighted that the recent incident was not an isolated event and stated that the boats are continuously being damaged. 

A Sinhala Buddhist monk blocked and threatened a group of Tamils from accessing land which is being encroached upon by a Buddhist vihara in Mayilaththamadu, Batticaloa. 

The scheduled exhumation of the Kokkuthoduvai mass grave, planned for August 21st, has been indefinitely postponed due to a lack of funding allocated to the Mullaitivu District Secretariat for the excavation and exhumation.

File photograph 

Tamil families of the disappeared have announced a mass protest in Batticaloa on August 30th, to mark the International Day of the Disappeared and amplify their calls for accountability and justice.