Amidst the United National Climate Conference (COP 28) in Dubai, Sri Lanka’s President Ranil Wickremesinghe and India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi met to discuss a variety of issues.

In the Mayilathamadu Madhavanai area in Batticaloa, tensions are escalating between Sinhalese occupiers and Tamil cattle farmers, as a disturbing trend of brutal attacks on cattle by Sinhalese settlers continues to unfold. The situation, which poses a direct threat to the livelihoods and safety of Tamil farmers, has reached a critical point.

Oddusuddan police disrupted an event to remember the 32 Tamils that were massacred in Othiyamalai, Mullaitivu by the Sri Lankan army in 1984. 

As many as 11 Tamils, including a Batticaloa schoolboy, have now been arrested by Sri Lankan authorities under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), after Maaveerar Naal commemorations this week.

As tens of thousands paid tribute to those who died in the Tamil liberation struggle, Sri Lankan authorities launched a crackdown, which included storming a remembrance event and several arrests.

Amongst those detained under Sri Lanka’s anti-terrorism legislation is 18-year school boy Newton Danushan.

Sri Lanka will aim to have a military numbering at 150,000 said a state minister last week, as he rebuffed calls for further demilitarisation and stressed there would be “no impact on national security”.

Earlier this month, a Sri Lankan lawmaker admitted that the island is one of the most militarised places in the world, stating that there were 1.5 soldiers for every 100 citizens.

Sri Lankan soldiers stationed with the United Nations Peacekeepers in the Central African Republic were given medals earlier this month, despite their involvement in grievous human rights abuses during previous peacekeeping missions.

According to Sri Lanka’s ministry of defence, Sri Lankan troops were “glamorously” awarded medals at a ceremony on 15 November 2023.

^{Seized decorations which saw Tamils arrested under the PTA this week.}

Statements have been released by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the US, the UK, the EU and Canada today, condemning the continued use of the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) as authorities detained several Tamils this week.

Tamil parliamentarian Selvarajah Kajendran confronted Sri Lankan police officers as they stormed Maaveerar Naal commemorations in Batticaloa on Monday.

Tamil Nadu parliamentarian Thamizhachi Thangapandian said she would apologise to Velupillai Prabhakaran - “the honourable Tamil national leader” – for the Mullivaikkal genocide which saw tens of thousands killed by the Sri Lankan army in 2009.

Tamils gathered in Almere, Netherlands to commemorate Maaveerar Naal.