Sri Lanka’s ambassador to Germany Manori Unambuwe reportedly called for the establishment of an “anti terrorism task force on cyber security” to monitor social media platforms, citing the success of Tamil campaigns and activism in the diaspora. 

In the video conference organised by the Ministry of Foreign Relations Unambuwe reportedly told her fellow diplomats that “the fight today is in cyberspace”. 

Attorney General Dappula de Livera informed Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court that the draft 20th constitution will be updated as the Supreme Court considers 39 petitions against the proposed bill this week.

The Attorney General said that the updates would be introduced during the committee stage debate in parliament on the draft 20th Amendment.

Tamil farmers from Thanikallu, northern Vavuniya, have complained that the army is denying them permission to enter their paddy fields. 

The reports come after the Vavuniya northern council coordination committee convened on Friday, September 18, under the leadership of K Dileepan, during which the farmers registered their concerns. 

A Sri Lankan police officer has been caught on video snatching a newspaper from a Tamil protestor as a hunger strike was underway in Jaffna this weekend.

Whilst Sri Lanka has imposed a ban on commemorating the sacrifice of Lt Col Thileepan across Eelam, Tamils across Tamil Nadu have taken to paying tribute to his hunger strike, despite the coronavirus pandemic that has gripped the state.

The owners of the New Diamond supertanker which caught fire off Sri Lanka’s coast have agreed to pay $1.84 million to the Sri Lankan government, whilst the Colombo Magistrate's Court imposed a travel ban on the captain preventing him from leaving the island.

The compensation is for services provided by various agencies, including the Sri Lankan, air force, ports authority and Marine Environment Protection Authority (MEPA). 

Sri Lanka has returned 21 containers of up to 260 tonnes of waste, back to Britain after officials say the waste was brought onto the island in violation of international laws governing the shipping of hazardous material.

The containers which were supposed to carry used mattresses carpets and rugs, contained mostly hospital waste, plastic and polythene.

Officials have not revealed what type of hospital waste, but previously illegally imported containers included rags, bandages and body parts from mortuaries.

Responding to the widespread hartal across the North-East, in protest of Sri Lankan attempts to ban the commemoration of those who gave their lives for Tamil rights, Ceylon’s Teachers Union has called on educators to stand in solidarity with the protest movement.

A Sinhala Buddhist monk has called on the Sri Lankan president and military to investigate the hartal that is currently underway across the North-East, claiming it was a "call for a separate Tamil state".

On a video clip that has been widely shared across social media, the monk Ampitiye Sumangala called said Gotabaya Rajapaksa was the "true Sinhala-Buddhist President" of Sri Lanka and called on him to investigate the protest.

Just days ago the monk, who has become notorious for his frequent violent outburst and assaults, threatened officials of the Department of Archaeology over a delay to demarcate an archaeological reservation land in Chenkalady

(Police patrolling Vavuniya)

Sri Lankan police have attempted to break the hartal being carried out across the North-East by threatening and intimidating participants into reopening their stores.