Tamil families of the disappeared rallied across the North-East today to mark the International Day of the Disappeared and demand to know the fate of their forcibly disappeared loved ones. 

Photo courtesy of @JeeraThambi on Twitter.com

A racist mob has gathered in front of the private residence of Tamil National People's Front (TNPF) MP Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam for the second consecutive day. The protestors have been openly chanting racist slogans, demanding the arrest of the MP.

Wang Yi, Director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of China's CPC Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs, has reaffirmed China's commitment to aiding Sri Lanka in tackling its financial debt challenges and reaffirmed Beijing’s support for Sri Lanka’s sovereignty.

"Sri Lanka remains a reliable strategic partner," Wang Yi, director of China’s Foreign Office, claimed.

Sri Lankan Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella refused to issue an apology for the government’s internationally condemned policy of forced cremations amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

This policy was widely rebuked by international community and health experts which maintained that this was a violation of Muslim and Christian burial rights.

Several villages in Batticaloa have been facing a shortage in drinking water due to the ongoing drought in the region. 

Virakesari reported that over 2,000 families in the Manmunai West division have had to travel long distances to get drinking water. 

Some of the villages affected by the drought include Karavetti, Nediyamady, Thandiyadi, Gandhinagar and Unnichai. 

The drought has also affected agriculture in the area, causing a depletion in crops and livestock productivity. 

Four boats belonging to Tamil fishermen in Mullaitivu were set ablaze and burnt by unidentified people on August 20th.  

The fishermen who fish in Thannimurippu tank,  highlighted that the recent incident was not an isolated event and stated that the boats are continuously being damaged. 

The incident comes as tensions boil over illegal fishing in the tank by Sinhalese fishermen. 

A Sinhala Buddhist monk blocked and threatened a group of Tamils from accessing land which is being encroached upon by a Buddhist vihara in Mayilaththamadu, Batticaloa. 

The scheduled exhumation of the Kokkuthoduvai mass grave, planned for August 21st, has been indefinitely postponed due to a lack of funding allocated to the Mullaitivu District Secretariat for the excavation and exhumation.

File photograph 

Tamil families of the disappeared have announced a mass protest in Batticaloa on August 30th, to mark the International Day of the Disappeared and amplify their calls for accountability and justice.

Sinhala Buddhist monks and Buddhist worshippers disrupted a Tamil Pongal celebration at the Athi Aiyanar temple in Kurunthurmalai earlier today.