The father of a Tamil man who has been in an Indian prison for more than 28 years over his alleged association in the killing of the Indian premier Rajiv Gandhi, passed away in Jaffna.
The Tamil Refugee Council has called on the Australian government to release the Tamil asylum- seeking family and allow them to return to Biloela, Australia.
Wang Yi, China’s Foreign Minister and State Councillor, discussed the response to the coronavirus pandemic with Dinesh Gunawardena, Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister.
Malayalam actor Dulquer Salmaan sent out a public apology earlier today after a scene in his recent Malayalam-language movie ‘Varane Avashyamund’, which involved naming a pet dog “Prabhakara”, caused outrage online.
The use of the LTTE leader’s name in such a manner provoked outrage online, with the hashtags #PrabhakaranIsTamilsIdentity and #PrabhakaranIsOurLeader soon trending in southern India.
The Canadian government announced it would be granting over CAD $56,000 (approximately 7.5 million LKR) “to support Sri Lanka’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic” through a body affiliated to Sri Lanka’s Presidential Covid-19 Task Force, headed by Shavendra Silva.
Sri Lanka’s central bank will borrow the money from the Reserve Bank of India to boost its gross reserves as part of a US $ 400 million currency swap, as Colombo’s economic crisis continues to grow in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
Sinhala Buddhist monks from leading chapters met with Sri Lanka’s president this week to signal their approval of his governance so far and blamed the previous regime for the economic crisis the island faces.
The Sri Lankan government launched a scathing attack at Fitch Ratings, after the agency downgraded the country's Long-Term Foreign- and Local-Currency Issuer Default Ratings (IDR), calling it “illogical and ill-timed”.
Sri Lanka said it “wishes to categorically disagree with the assessment of risks” and slammed Fitch, claiming “their assessment shows rush to judgment and exposes prejudicial nature”.
Local groups in Mannar and Tamil donors in Canada have helped provide relief packages to support families across Mullaitivu, that continue to struggle with the military-enforced curfews. The assistance was given this week in response to the hundreds of families that have not been able to access essential goods, including food, as a result of curfew restrictions.
<p>Sri Lanka’s tea plantation workers “with a history of exploitation face hazards including a lack of masks and overcrowded accommodation,” despite tough lockdown measures across the island, Yasmin Gunaratnam writes for <em>The Guardian</em>.</p>
<p>“A caveat on the country’s lockdown order, issued on 20 March, read: ‘Paddy farming and plantation, including work on tea small holdings and fishing activities, are permitted in any district,’” she wrote.</p>
<p>Sri Lanka’s authorities should uphold due process rights and ensure that recently detained Muslim figures have proper access to lawyers, Human Rights Watch said in a statement.</p>
<p>“Sri Lankan authorities have a responsibility to prosecute those responsible for the horrific Easter Sunday attacks last year, but the arrests should be lawful, and not used to vilify an entire community,” said Meenakshi Ganguly, HRW’s South Asia director.</p>
Dr Vishna Rasiah, a consultant neonatologist in the Midlands, has died after contracting coronavirus whilst on the frontlines of the country’s National Health Service.
Dr Rasiah, who has family in Malaysia and in Trinidad, worked at Birmingham Women's and Children's NHS Foundation Trust and was the clinical lead in the region for neonatal work.
At least 13 NHS workers have now died in the midlands alone, with more than 100 reported deaths of health and care workers across the country.
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