Tens of thousands of Eelam Tamil refugees in India are bracing themselves for the fallout of a lockdown and any potential coronavirus outbreaks in the refugee camps that they have been trapped in for decades, wrote Kavitha Muralidharan for Firstpost last week.

At least 54,000 Eelam Tamils live as refugees in 107 camps across Tamil Nadu, she said, including a special camp in Tiruchy that houses ‘offenders’. A further 32,000 Eelam Tamils live outside of camps.

A small war-impacted school in Mullaitivu celebrated as two of its students, both who were left paralyzed from the waist down by Sri Lankan military attacks in 2009, achieved top marks in their O-Level exam results this week.

One of the schoolchildren, Vidurshika, spoke to the Tamil Guardian at her home in Mullaitivu the day after she received her results.

She was just 6-years-old when a Sri Lankan soldier shot her in the back.

Marking 15 years since the assassination of Tamil journalist Dharmeratnam Sivaram, we have reproduced a speech delivered by former Tamil Guardian editor Vino Kanapathipillai at a commemoration for the slain journalist in 2010.

This speech was delivered in London on Aril 29, 2010 at the fifth anniversary of the death of Sivaram. 

Marking 15 years since the killing of Tamil journalist Dharmeratnam Sivaram, popularly known as ‘Taraki’, we have reproduced his final written piece.

The article, written in Tamil for the Colombo-based Virakesari newspaper, was published on Sunday April 24, 2005 - just days before Sivaram was murdered.

Today marks the fifteenth anniversary since the abduction and murder of Tamil journalist Dharmeratnam Sivaram.

Sivaram, popularly known under his nom-de-plume Taraki, was abducted in front of Bambalipitiya police station in Colombo on April 28 and was found dead several hours later in a high security zone in Sri Lanka's capital, which at the time had a heavy police and military presence due to the ongoing conflict. His killers, highly suspected to be linked to the government of then-president Chandrika Kumaratunga, were never caught.

The Tamil National People's Front (TNPF) has condemned the Sri Lanka military’s use of buildings in the North-East to construct quarantine facilities for its armed forces.

Former Sri Lanka parliamentarian and General Secretary of TNPF, Selvarajah Kajendren, released a statement on behalf of their party.

Parents, staff and locals in Mullaitivu have protested against Sri Lanka military using schools in Mullaitivu to construct quarantine centres for army personnel suspected of coronavirus (COVID-19).

Around 60 parents of students at Muththuiyankaddu school in Oddusuddan, Mullaitivu led a safe protest in front of the school, where they observed social distancing measures, yesterday evening.  

Image courtesy of @saygi

Yesterday marked 43 years since the death of S J V Chelvanayakam, fondly referred to as 'Thanthai Chelva'. 

The Jaffna National College of Education in Kopay is being turned into a quarantine centre to allow three army soldiers to isolate themselves today.

The military had requested access to the students' hostels for use as quarantine centres, which they have been granted access to. 

A Sri Lankan navy officer from Vavuniya serving in the Welisara Navy Camp was confirmed positive for coronavirus (COVID-19) yesterday. After being tested for COVID-19 on Saturday at the Vavuniya Regional Health Service, the results given yesterday by Anuradhapura hospital confirmed that the officer has COVID-19.

The navy officer recently visited his house located in Mahakachakodi, Vavuniya when returning from the naval base. Following this, the officer and his family have been subject to strict self-isolation measures.

A one-year-old child and her three-year-old brother were stabbed to death in east London on Sunday evening.

The children, who the local community have identified as being from a Tamil family that fled Sri Lanka, died within hours of each other.

A 40-year-old man was taken to hospital in a critical condition, where he remains, with reports identifying him as the father of the children. He is thought to have stabbed the children and then attempted to take his own life.

A group of opposition parties have called on the Sri Lankan government to reconvene parliament, pledging they will not “attempt to defeat the government nor thwart any of the legitimate actions of the government during this period,” in joint letter sent this morning.

Sri Lankan authorities reportedly confirmed that at least 180 navy sailors have tested positive for the coronavirus, including at least 68 sailors who were on leave and in the community, as cases on the island continued to rise this week.