Sri Lanka’s Tamils are rarely given a fair hearing on the world stage. But on the occasions when their voices do gain some momentum, there will always be some among them who use their privilege and status to dismiss and deride their concerns. From denying the racism and oppression rife within Sri Lanka, to undermining the decades-long struggle of the families of the disappeared, no one has been more willing to do that than Muttiah Muralitharan.

The United Kingdom will continue with the European Union's Generalised Scheme of Preferences (GSP) frameworks after the end of the Brexit transition period, giving a number of countries, including Sri Lanka, the ability to trade with the UK with zero, or reduced tariffs.

Sri Lanka’s army commander and alleged war criminal, Shavendra Silva has ‘banned’ this year’s public Maaveerar Naal commemoration events and threatened that any efforts taken to remember will result in legal action and isolation, according to Tamil Newspaper Kalaikathir.

“Relatives have the right to remember ordinary people who died in the war. This can be done from home. However, Maaveerar Naal commemorations attempting to commemorate terrorists cannot be held in public. Therefore, any attempts to honour LTTE cadres will not be permitted,” he said.

Amnesty International has called on the Sri Lankan government to commit funds to support the transitional justice process for victim survivors, ahead of today's national budget announcement for 2021. 

The Sri Lankan government is reportedly under “great pressure” to “concede” the development of the East Container Terminal (ECT) at the Colombo Port to India, according to the National Union of Seafarers Sri Lanka.

_{Arputhammal Ammal, mother of AG Perarivalan}

Arputhammal Ammal, mother of the accused in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case,  AG Perarivalan, has pleaded through a video message to the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, asking for her son’s release. 

The Metropolitan Police announced the opening of a full war crimes investigation into a British company that assisted the Sri Lankan military in committing crimes against Tamils, in a landmark move this week.

The Sri Lankan government deployed a substantial number of police and army officers to the site of Vannivilankulam Thuyillum illam in Mullaitivu on Monday, as cleaning and preparation activities were being carried out by volunteers ahead of Maaveerar Naal.

Local volunteers and politicians that were present at the site reported that they were obstructed from preparing the site for Maaveerar Naal and also interrogated by multiple Sri Lankan police and army officers.

A statement from The Elders last week compared US President Donald Trump’s refusal to “adhere to the protocols and processes governing the transition of power” to that of “volatile and undemocratic situations in states such as Kenya, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe”.

The statement comes Trump continued to claim on Twitter that he won the US presidential election, despite every other major broadcaster having called the election for his Democratic opponent Joe Biden.

UK Minister of State for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said the UK believes that the UN resolutions "remain the best framework for establishing truth and achieving justice and lasting reconciliation following the armed conflict in Sri Lanka" in response to a question on Sri Lanka. 

Nigel Adams answered a series of written questions posed by Stephen Kinnock, Shadow Minister for Foreign and Commonweatlh Affairs, who asked "whether the Government is working with other states on (a) a new Human Rights Council resolution on Sri Lanka that ensures continued monitoring by the Office for the High Commissioner for Human Rights and (b) a mechanism to gather and preserve evidence of human rights violations in Sri Lanka at the forthcoming HRC in March 2021, in response to the Government of Sri Lanka's rejection of the existing consensus process on transitional justice, truth, and reconciliation under resolutions 30/1, 34/1 and 40/1?"

Tamil National Alliance parliamentarian M A Sumanthiran called on the Sri Lankan authorities not to use coronavirus restrictions “as a ruse to stop people going to cemeteries where their loved ones are buried to pay homage,” ahead of Maaveerar Naal this week.

“I urge the government to act magnanimously and not use COVID-19 or anything else to prevent legitimate commemorations by family members & others,” Sumanthrian told parliament.

Tamils in Kanagapuram, Kilinochchi, began clearing Maaveerar thuyilum illams (LTTE martyr resting places) earlier today ahead of the Maaveerar Naal.