Eelam People's Democratic Party (EPDP) leader and fisheries minister Douglas Devananda stated that he was “pleased to hear about the happy news” when describing the recent Sri Lankan navy attacks on Tamil Nadu fisherman.

Reporting on the continued militarization of the North-East, PEARL (People for Equality and Relief in Lanka) highlights that in Kankesanthurai (KKS) region there is “least 40 military bases, 4 police institutions, 4 army canteens and resorts, and 3 Buddhist temples” within just 90 square kilometres of land.

A Sri Lankan army officer has been accused of racially abusing and threatening medical staff at a hospital in Manalaru. Brigadier K K S Parakum reportedly abused the head and medical staff at Sampathnuwara district hospital in Manalaru, the colonised area of Mullaitivu now known as Weli Oya.

Parakum is reported to have said in Sinhala: 'Bloody Tamil', 'I will kill you', 'this is my area', 'terrorists', 'Prabhakaran'.

A Tamil director has requested for ‘urgent’ protection for his life after claiming he received several life threatening messages for asking Vijay Sethupathi to opt out of the controversial Muttiah Muralitharan biopic ‘800’. 

Seenu Ramasamy, who worked with Vijay Sethupathi in the Tamil films ‘Dharma Durai’ and ‘Thenmerku Paruvakaatru, insisted that his life was “in danger” and took to Twitter to call for Tamil Nadu’s Chief Minister to offer him some sort of security.

Sri Lanka has seen a recent rise in COVID-19 cases causing authorities to increase the coronavirus-related curfew zones to 56 police divisions and increasing militarisation, which many human rights advocates have voiced concern over.  

So far, the island has reported over 8,000 COVID-19 cases with the total number of deaths rising to 16. More than half of these cases can be seen from just two clusters, a garment export factory in Minuwangoda, Western Province, and a wholesale fish market in Peliyagoda, a suburban area of Colombo.

The Sri Lankan government has also expanded its “quarantine curfew” to include several localities in and around Colombo this weekend, regardless of the fact no isolated case has been reported outside of these two key clusters, to be termed as a community spread, according to Dr. Sudath Samaraweera, Chief Epidemiologist at the Ministry of Health.

Sri Lankan prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa reportedly shunned a meeting with visiting US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, with the regime “opposed” to the trip from the senior US official, claimed a government minister.

As US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited Sri Lanka this week, he was asked repeatedly about a travel ban imposed on the head of Sri Lanka’s army Shavendra Silva over his role in overseeing war crimes.

The Sri Lankan navy has attacked Tamil fishermen from Rameshwaram, Tamil Nadu early Tuesday this week, in yet another assault on Indian fishermen in a pattern that has been ongoing for years.

Whilst the fishermen were fishing in Dhanushkodi, the Sri Lankan navy is reported to have been patrolling in the area and have allegedly attacked the Tamil fishermen using stones, glass bottles and also destroyed the fishing material. The navy has also been accused of intimidating the fishermen at gunpoint.

Sri Lanka's government bonds fell heavily on Wednesday after US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, met with Sri Lankan president Gotabaya Rajapaksa and scrutinised the island's economic links with China as well as Colombo's human rights record.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi once again paid tribute to the Tamil language this month, as he spoke to Tamil Nadu hairdresser on Sunday speaking to him in Tamil and praising Thirukurral, on his monthly radio program “Maan Ki Baat.”

As attacks and harrassment of journalists in Sri Lanka ramps up, the British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka met with Sri Lankan government officials, including Minister of Mass Media and former Sri Lankan government spokesman, Keheliya Rambukwella, to discuss media freedom in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Hulton tweeted,