Sri Lanka’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and the Terrorism Investigation Division (TID) have arrested at least two Sinhalese men, in a spate of arrests related to the sharing of LTTE-related content on social media. The arrests of the Sinhalese men however come amidst reports that they shared material critical of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and of Tamil nationalism.

Sri Lankan police have arrested a 43-year-old British citizen for allegedly raising funds for the LTTE, despite having been in the United Kingdom since the organisation was militarily defeated.

Authorities allege the British Tamil man, who fled the island in the wake of the Mullivaikkal genocide in 2009 which saw tens of thousands of Tamils slaughtered by the Sri Lankan state, had been collecting money for the organisation whilst abroad.

Despite Sri Lanka's Office of Mission Persons (OMP) failure to address the issue of enforced disappearences on the island. the office has issued a job advertisement for several open positions at the office, calling on individuals to help with victim support, protection and communications. 

Sri Lanka reaffirmed its dedication to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) at the 29th session of the Conference of State Parties (CSP-29) in The Hague last week, despite allegations of having used chemical weapons against Tamils during the 2009 Mullivaikkal genocide.

The Sri Lankan government has launched an investigation into local projects undertaken by India's Adani Group following bribery charges filed in the United States against its founder, Gautam Adani.

UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy was questioned on upholding his previous commitments on accountability and referring Sri Lanka to the International Criminal Court (ICC) this week, as he faced questions from the Foreign Affairs Committee.

Labour MP Uma Kumaran questioned Lammy and pressed him on the lack of accountability for mass atrocities committed in Sri Lanka.

“Today marks an important day for Tamil people around the world,” began Kumaran, speaking on Maaveerar Naal, a day of remembrance for Eelam Tamils worldwide.

Sri Lanka has arrested a young Tamil father in Jaffna under draconian anti-terrorism laws, over a Facebook post. Manoharan Kajendroopan, from Inuvil West, Chunnakam, has been arrested under the much criticised Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA). The Terrorism Investigation Division (TID) reportedly detained Kajendroopan for uploading a photo of LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran on Facebook. This arrest, which comes shortly after the commemoration of Maaveerar Naal, marks the first such detention under Sri Lanka’s anti-terrorism framework following the annual remembrance event.

Hopes placed on Sri Lanka's new government under Anura Kumara Dissanayake mirror the promises of the 2015 "Good Governance" regime. For Tamils and the international community, only tangible actions can ensure this administration does not repeat the same cycle of impunity.

Following his re-election as member of parliament for Batticaloa, the Tamil Guardian spoke to Shanakiyan Rasamanickam to discuss the path ahead for Tamil politics and the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Katchi (ITAK), as well as accountability for genocide and a political solution for the Tamil people.

 

Tamils in Toronto, Canada, held a commemoration event on November 27 to mark Maaveerar Naal.