Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe has appointed a Committee of Inquiry to investigate the State Intelligence Service (SIS) and Chief of National Intelligence (CNI) for potential lapses in acting on intelligence received from other law enforcement agencies, despite the fact that it has been five years since the Easter Sunday bombings.

Two fundamental rights petitions have been filed in Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court challenging the Adani Green Energy Wind power project proposed for Mannar. This is the third such petition to be filed against the project in less than a month. 

Tamil freelance journalist Pradeepan Thambithurai was attacked by masked assailants at his home in Achchuveli, Jaffna, earlier this week. The assailants, arriving on motorbikes, vandalised his property, including setting fire to his motorbike and damaging his three-wheeler. Leaflets were left at the scene with a message about transgender representation.

Sri Lanka’s Terrorism Investigation Division has summoned at least seven Tamil political activists in the North-East for questioning in the last three months, as the state’s intimidation of activists and rights defenders continues.

Leader of the Opposition and Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) Sajith Premadasa who is currently touring the North-East recently met with members of the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Katchi (ITAK) and Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) parliamentarian whilst in Jaffna.

Premadasa met Mavai Senathirajah and M A Sumanthiran at the ITAK office in Jaffna where they reportedly discussed the devolution of power for the North-East.

An expert committee appointed by President Ranil Wickremesinghe has recommended the construction of a "centrally located iconic building as a repository of artistic and cultural expressions" to commemorate those who died in the armed conflict, political unrest, or civil disturbances. 

Anura Kumara Dissanayake, leader of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), met with members of the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Katchi (ITAK) in Jaffna yesterday where he affirmed his party would support the implementation of the 13th Amendment to the Sri Lankan constitution.

Sinhala politicians in the South have vented their fury, after Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) leader Sajith Premadasa told Tamils in Jaffna that his party was for the implementation of the 13^th Amendment “in full”, as he pledged to devolve powers to the North-East.

“What did he mean?” questioned ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) parliamentarian Rohitha Abeygunawardena. “Did he say that police and land powers would be granted to the northern province?”

Tamil residents of Poovarasankulam in Vavuniya stopped a land grab attempt by Sri Lanka’s Forest Department, as they arrived at the area to demarcate and measure a section of privately-owned land.

Residents objected to the move and turned the officials away adding that they had no authority to demarcate private property.

The massacre of 31 fishermen by the Sri Lankan navy in Mandaitivu, Jaffna was remembered today thirty-eight years on. 

The fishermen had gone fishing by Kurunagar port when they were attacked by navy personnel. Local residents gathered by a memorial built in Kurunagar in memory of those killed.