The ethnic divide in Sri Lanka is ingrained in all aspects of life, even mourning the dead. The conflict between Tamils and the Sri Lankan state has cost over 100,000 lives, the vast majority of which are Tamil. The 18th of May, the day the armed conflict ended, has become one of the most important days in the Tamil calendar. Tamils across the world, including relatives of the tens of thousands of those that died, commemorate this day, in private or in public gatherings. However the rest of Sri Lanka celebrates this day, as the day the ‘terrorists’ were vanquished and Sinhala Buddhist rule securely extended throughout the entire island.

Speaking at the on-going United Nations Human Rights Council sessions in Geneva, the Sri Lankan delegation highlighted the importance of mandatory regulations that ensured that fund transfers of International Non-governmental Organisations (NGO’s) and Non-profit Organisations (NPO), should be monitored to prevent the financing of terrorism, money laundering or other related trans-national crimes.

The United States limited ‘counterterrorism cooperation and training’ with Sri Lanka in 2012 due to allegations of human rights abuses, according to the State Department’s ‘Country Reports on Terrorism 2012‘, which was released on Thursday.

In the overview on Sri Lanka, the report stated,

Tamil National Alliance MP Mavai Senathirajah has said he does not believe a solution will be found under a unitary state.

“Under a unitary rule, it is not possible to find solutions to the national question. Power sharing under a unitary system is questionable in today’s context of domination by Buddhist extremists,” he said while speaking at the Jaffna Press Institute on Thursday.

The United Nations Committee Against Torture, expressed serious concern with the regards to the British government’s forced removal of failed asylum seekers to Sri Lanka, in a report released on Friday.

China has offered $2.2 billion in loans to Sri Lanka for infrastructure projects, as well as agreeing to sign a free trade agreement and enhance military ties, after talks during a 4-day visit by Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa and his delegation.

Reuters reported Sri Lankan Foreign Minister G.L. Peiris, as saying,

Asia's Athletic Championship has been moved to the northern Indian city of Pune, after Tamil Nadu's capital Chennai refused to host the event earlier this year.