A group of NGOs and individuals have called on the European Parliament to reject the EU Commission’s proposal to restore the GSP+ trade preference status to Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka was suspended from the preferential tariff in August 2010 in response to the deteriorating human rights situation in the country.

In a letter to the European Parliament, the organisations noted concern about a number of “factual inaccuracies and omissions with the EU Commission ‘Report on assessment of the application for GSP+ by Sri Lanka.’”

The Chief Minister of the Northern Provincial Council boycotted the military parade that was held in Jaffna to mark Sri Lanka’s Independence Day and instead attended a protest held by Tamil villagers.

Justice C V Wigneswaran was invited to the military parade being held in Jaffna, but instead chose to travel to Keppapilavu and Puthukudiyiruppu in the Mullaitivu district to join protesting Tamil villagers, demanding the release of their land.

Tamil businesses in Mullaitivu shut their shopfronts on Saturday, in boycott of Sri Lankan Independence Day celebrations taking place in the town.

Sri Lanka marked its 69th Independence Day on Saturday with a military parade in the capital as well as military-run events across the North-East. Tamils across the homeland held protests, despite Sri Lankan police seeking court orders to prevent demonstrations, rejecting celebrations of the day.

The Northern Provincial Council unanimously rejected the central government’s proposal to centralize decision-making regarding national economic policy through the Sustainable Development Strategies Bill.

The NPC believes that the bill infringes on the provinces’ rights – as it limits the powers under the 13^th Amendment of the constitution.

Former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga has said that the involvement of courts into the probe on Sri Lankan war crimes is not needed.

The UN Human Rights Chief expressed his concern at Sri Lanka’s slow progress on accountability when meeting the country’s prime minister.

The High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, commented on his meeting with Prime Minister Wickremesinghe regarding human rights issues in Sri Lanka.

A lavish military parade was held in Colombo on Saturday morning, to mark Sri Lanka’s 69th Independence Day.

Thousands of Sri Lankan soldiers marched in the ceremony, which was watched over by senior government and military officials.

Tamils in the North-East have protested on Sri Lanka's 69th Independence Day, as a large security forces parade was held in Jaffna.

A Mannar court has ordered an injunction against demonstrations boycotting Sri Lanka’s Independence Day.

The injunction against protests was ordered by the court in order to prevent disruptions to the Mannar District Secretariat’s Independence Day celebrations.

Civil organisations in Mannar had planned a black flag vigil in Mannar town and urged all Tamils to boycott Sri Lankan Independence Day celebrations, calling instead for protests against ongoing issues faced by the Tamil people, including militarisation; the failure to account for the missing and disappeared; failure to return Tamil lands and ongoing land-grabs; and delays in negotiating a political settlement.