The Tamil National Alliance sent out a congratulatory tweet to US President-elect Joe Biden and US Vice President-elect Kamala Harris this week, as they reacted to their US electoral victory.

“As the premier political party representing the Tamil People in Sri Lanka, we congratulate (Biden and Harris) on a momentous victory,” said the tweet.

Local Tamils have expressed concern and outrage after an area previously known as Kachchal Samalankulam in Vavuniya has become ‘Sinhalised’ and has had its name changed to Sapumalgaskada and a signboard labelled ‘Sapumalgaskada Archaeological Site’ was put up in the area, last week.

The Sinhalisation adds to the expansion of colonisation across the North-East of Tamil areas, where Tamil names have been erased and converted to Sinhala names, and Tamil areas are becoming occupied by Sinhala settlers with the support of Sri Lankan military and government officials.

A Jaffna-based journalist, was attacked and had his phone stolen by a group of unidentified persons, last Wednesday. 

Mukunthan posted a Facebook post the day before the attack, alleging that the organisation, Tamil Kodi (translated – Tamil Flag) hosted relief activities that did not follow social distancing measures, despite the growing threat of a second wave of coronavirus across the island. Mukunthan also urged the concerned local authorities to take the necessary action against the organisation. 

The appointment of Mavai Senathirajah to the position of General Secretary of Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK), following the resignation of S. Thuraisingham, has caused friction within the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), as some members claim that he cannot serve the post whilst also serving as leader of the TNA.

Deepa Mehta's 'Funny Boy' is facing calls for a boycott as criticism mounts over the lack of Tamil representation in the film and Mehta's links to the Rajapaksa regime. 

The film, which is based on the 1994 novel written by Shyam Selvadurai, follows a queer Tamil boy in the years leading up to the 1983 anti-Tamil pogroms in Colombo, when thousands of Tamils were killed by Sinhala mobs backed by the then UNP government and state forces.

Tensions reportedly rose in the overcrowded Welikada Jail in Colombo as 71 prisoners tested positive for COVID-19, with inmates claiming they will protest the conditions. 

The Tamil National People's Front (TNPF) commemorated the 14th anniversary of former Tamil National Alliance MP and human rights lawyer, Nadaraja Raviraj's assassination. 

The Sri Lankan navy’s attempt to occupy land owned by Tamil locals in Jaffna have been temporarily thwarted by protests led by Tamil politicians and locals.

The Trincomalee High Court issued a temporary injunction today against the occupation of the agricultural lands belonging to the Tamil people in the Thennamaravadi and Trincomalee areas, occupied by the Sri Lankan Archaeology Department in Trincomalee.

Today marks 14 years since Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MP and human rights lawyer, Nadaraja Raviraj was assassinated in Colombo. 

Local police in Mannar have arrested two persons in relation to the murder of a Tamil village officer at Manthai West Divisional Secretariat.  

The husband of the victim’s lady colleague was among the two suspects to be arrested on Sunday by Iluppaikadavai Police.

The European Union has recently aired concerns about Sri Lanka’s import ban, highlighting the controversy of the “unfair” ban which prevents the outflow of foreign exchange, whilst Sri Lanka aims to become a “regional trading hub.” 

The Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission (IPHRC) of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has aired its “deep concerns” in a series of reports on Sri Lanka’s forced cremation of Muslim COVID-19 victims, regardless of the fact that mandating cremations runs in direct violation of traditional Islamic burial practices.