The British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Sarah Hulton, held a series of discussion in Mannar and Vavuniya today, as she embarked on a visit to the North-East.

Meeting with Sri Lankan President, Ranil Wickremesinghe, Guðni Th. Jóhannesson, President of Iceland, congratulated the Sri Lankan premier on his appointment and vowed that he would work to strengthen the bond of friendship between the two countries.

 As Tamils across the North-East marked Children's and the Elders' Day, local authorities in Mannar celebrated the life of Manuel Santhan, a resident who recently turned 100 years old.

The head of the Mannar District Council, as well as other local officials garlanded the senior resident in a ceremony on Saturday. Santhan is a resident of Salamban village in Manthai West Divisional Secretariat Division, Mannar District.

Senthilkumaran Ratnasingam who self immolated in front of the United Nations in Geneva in 2013 was remembered last month. 

The Swiss Tamil Youth Organization paid their respects by laying flowers and lighting lamps for Ratnasingam and to all those who sacrificed their lives for the Tamil right to self-determination.

The Mannar Volleyball Premier League was inaugurated this week, marking the first time that it is taking place in the district, with as many as 96 club players and international standard referees taking part.

The league will see eight teams playing matches throughout October, and aims to showcase and uplift the standard of volleyball in the region.

A sports tournament was held in Switzerland to commemorate the life of Colonel Shankar, the pioneer of the LTTE’s air force wing who was assassinated 21 years ago by the Sri Lankan military.

Vaithilingam Sornalingam, known by his nomme de guerre Shankar, was killed in an attack carried out by a deep penetration unit of the Sri Lankan army in the Vanni on September 26, 2001.

Tamil fishermen in Poonakari carried out their third consecutive day of protest on Monday, as they continued to demonstrate against the construction of a sea cucumber farm which they say will adversely impact on local livelihoods.

The fishermen state that their livelihoods, and that of the many women-headed households in the area, would suffer from the impact of the new farm, crippling their ability to fish and catch crabs and shrimp.

In front of the Sri Lankan government’s fisheries and aquatic resources department’s office in Mullaitivu, Tamil fishermen have set up a camp to protest their illegal activities and demand a solution for the hardship they face.

“We will fight until they get a solution,” a representative of the Mullaitivu District Fishermen's Federation told Tamil Guardian’s journalists.

The Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Gopal Baglay visited the Eastern province this week, where he met with locals and expressed willingness to increase Indian involvement in the region.

Bagal participated in a puja at the Koneswaram Temple in Tricomalee and reportedly “prayed for peace, progress and prosperity of the people of [Sri Lanka] and [India]”.

Tamil families of the disappeared marked Children's Day in Vavuniya on the 2050th day of their roadside protest as their campaign to know the whereabouts of their forcibly disappeared relatives continues.

“Children's Day is celebrated worldwide to raise awareness about the rights, education, and welfare of children.  But we are still searching for our children who were abducted by the Sri Lankan army.  Only the US and the European Union can provide justice and accountability for the Tamil genocide and war crimes," said one protester.