Women from all 8 districts of the North-East staged a protest today in Mannar demanding that Sri Lankan government to bring down the price of rice to below Rs.100 as families grapple with effects of the economic crisis. “Our staple is rice and the price of rice has increased over the last few months. This means that daily wage earners and families with more than three members can only afford one or two meals a day,” they said. “Many families drink porridge without rice. The increasing price of rice has pushed women-headed households into starvation.” The protesters added that the increase in...
A replica display of the Vedukkunaari Malai Shiva lingam was forced to have the name written on the artwork erased, following reported “pressure from higher authorities” in the wake of attempts to reclaim the area by Sinhala Buddhists. The replica Shiva Lingam was placed at the Vavuniya Chitrai Art Festival with the name of the temple inscribed in white chalk. The name was visible on the first day of the art exhibition which is held by the Vavuniya District Secretariat in coordination with the cultural council at the municipal ground. However, the name of the temple was erased from the shrine...
In response to Sri Lankan minister Vajira Abeywardena's advice for Tamils not to field a Tamil candidate for the presidency, parliamentarian C V Wigneswaran issued a rebuttal, adding that Abeywardena in his capacity as Chairman of the UNP makes a statement like this to make the “incumbent President win.” Wigneswaran's remarks emphasised the importance of Tamil political representation, asserting that discouraging Tamil candidacy undermines their democratic rights and perpetuates political marginalization. He stressed the need for Tamil voters to be free to choose candidates who genuinely...
Four Indian fishermen sustained serious injuries when they were attacked by the Sri Lanka navy with “iron rods” near Katchatheevu yesterday. The Sri Lanka navy patrol had also collided with Indian fishing boats causing it irreparable damage. Nearly 300 Indian fishermen had left to fish on Sunday after seeking permission from the Rameshwaram fishing port. However, when they ventured out to sea, they were attacked by the Sri Lankan navy. The four fishermen have been admitted to government and private hospitals for treatment. The issue comes just days after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's...
Sri Lanka’s head of police faced criticism over his decision to visit a church that was bombed in the deadly Easter Sunday attacks of 2019, despite his own role in failing to prevent the killings. Inspector General of Police Deshabandu Tennakoon's surprise visit to the St. Sebastian Church, Katuwapitiya, where nearly 67 devotees died during the attacks was slammed by the church, who said the state should instead focus on delivering justice. Tennakoon along with his aides surrounded by a heavy security detail went to the church in Negombo where he lit candles and met with survivors of the...
Eelam People’s Revolutionary Liberation Front (EPRLF) leader and former parliamentarian Suresh Premachandran told reporters in Vavuniya that plans are afoot among some Tamil political parties to field a common Tamil candidate ahead of the upcoming presidential polls scheduled to be held later this year. Premachandran said that the Democratic Tamil National Alliance were liasing with the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Katchi and Tamil Makkal Thesiya Kootani to field a candidate who would represent Tamil aspirations, including a political solution the Tamil national question. “This has become a topic of...
Sri Lanka’s Minister of Fisheries and government-aligned paramilitary leader Douglas Devananda was forced to flee on a motorcycle, after he was confronted by protestors in Kilinochchi last week.
A Training Centre for the National Cadet Corps has been established in Nandikadal, Mullaitivu this week as Sri Lanka’s continues to occupy the Tamil homeland. Sri Lanka’s State Minister of Defence Premitha Bandara Tennakoon, who attended the opening as a chief guest, claimed that the new training centre will “build unity and harmony” between the North-East and the South of the island. He said that cadets who acquire the fundamentals of life in this facility will become “a precious human resource and patriotic citizen with an attractive personality and balanced thinking.” The training centre...
Outside of the Diyakapanathota Buddhist temple in Getambe, Kandy, a former Sri Lankan soldier was tied to a tree and reportedly beaten to death for attempting to steal from the monastery. Chamila Sudheera Ratnayake, aged 43, was a resident of Menikhinna. He reportedly entered the temple at 3:30 am and was subsequently caught by villagers, tied to a tree and beaten for several hours. Read more here and here .
Leader of the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Katchi (ITAK) Sivagnanam Shritharan told Sri Lanka’s parliament of threats made on social media towards the judge who dismissed a case brought by Sri Lankan police against Tamil devotees in Vedukkunaari last month. Shritharan said it was concerning to find social media posts stating that the judge who presided over the case would be forced to flee the country, like another Tamil judge was forced to do last year. “After the eight individuals were arrested and subsequently released by a Vavuniya court, a Facebook page by the name of “The North is our heritage”...