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The UK Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has raised concerns over the continued deterioration of human rights in Sri Lanka which they maintain as one of their priority countries.

Earlier today at least four schoolchildren and two others died after a makeshift ferry capsized in Trincomalee.

Enraged locals attacked the home of a local parliamentarian, furious at construction delays of a new bridge that is supposedly being built in the area which led to the makeshift ferry being used.

These photographs from Kanapathipillai Kumanan capture scenes of the aftermath in Trincomalee.

Senior United States’ government officials continued their meetings with Tamils in Washington this week, with the State Department tweeting “the US joins Sri Lankan Tamil people in search for lasting peace & full voice in deciding their country’s future”.

At least four schoolchildren and two others are amongst the dead after a makeshift ferry capsized in Trincomalee earlier today, sparking anger from local residents in the region who attacked the home of a local parliamentarian. 

Sri Lankan police confirmed that the makeshift ferry in Kinniya was carrying mostly schoolchildren and teachers who were travelling to school, before it capsized around 0730 local time. 

Sri Lankan soldiers in Jaffna continued their intimidation of Tamils ahead of Maaveerar Naal this week, as they photographed and harassed locals before seemingly joining them in cleaning efforts in Koppay this week. 

Several Scottish and British parliamentarians have written to the British High Commission demanding that their Overseas Security and Justice Assistance project consider the 'victims of police abuses' and terminate the UK's training of Sri Lankan police officers.

The third meeting of the “One Country, One Law” Presidential Task Force had its third meeting in the  Northern Province today at the Mullaitivu Puthukkudiyiruppu Divisional Secretariat Conference Hall. 

Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, Nikolai Patrushev arrived in Sri Lanka today for a three-day visit where he is set to have high profiled discussions with the President and senior Sri Lankan military officials.

The international community should stop providing financial and other support to Sri Lankan government mechanisms such as the Office of Missing Persons (OMP) and instead refer Sri Lanka to the International Criminal Court, writes J.S. Tissainayagam in International Policy Digest this month.

“Meeting with UN Secretary-General António Guterres in September, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Sri Lanka’s president, reiterated issuing death certificates for the disappeared in Sri Lanka,” said Tissainayagam.

Following an injunction filed by Kopay police, the Jaffna Magistrate Court imposed a ban on the commemoration of Maaveerar Naal by members of the University of Jaffna on Friday.

The ban order was issued to the defendants of the injunction earlier today. Amongst those mentioned in the ban include the President and the Secretary of the Jaffna Students Union and members of the college administration. 

Valaichenai Magistrate Court has issued an order today extending the remand of 10 Tamil men and women who were arrested earlier this year under the notorious Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA).