The Mannar families of the disappeared association secretary, Sharmila Madutheen urged the future parliamentarians that be elected from the upcoming parliamentary election to “seek immediate justice for the missing persons”.

“While these canvass efforts are supposedly putting pressure on the state, these campaign promises should not simply be about winning votes in the election, but ultimately also about finding a solution for those of us who are mourning the loss of our children and husband and not given answers for their whereabouts,” she said.  

Special Task Force (STF) and police officers took photographs of devotees and intimidated them with their heavy presence at the Pongal event held at the old Semmalai Neeraviyadi Pillaiyar temple in Mullaitivu, yesterday.

The presence of police and state investigators intimidated devotees as they took photographs of everyone who came to the temple, including the priest, the temple administration and all devotees.

Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) supporters in Mannar attempted to assault Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Vanni candidate Senthilnathan Mayuran, while he was campaigning on Thursday.

Mayuran, who was campaigning in Uyilankulam, Mannar ahead of the parliamentary elections on August 5^th, was intercepted by the SLPP supporters. After recognising Mayuran as a TNA candidate, the supporters attempted to assault him in his car.

A petition submitted by former member of the Sri Lanka Human Rights Commission (SLHRC), Ambika Satkunanathan challenging the presidential pardon granted to a Sri Lankan soldier convicted for the ‘Mirusuvil massacre’, has been fixed for support on 24 September 2020.

Former Prime Minister and United National Party (UNP) leader Ranil Wickremasinghe claimed that “only the UNP can strengthen the home economy and requested the people to elect an UNP government,” according to ColomboPage.

On the 1250^th day of continuous protests in Vavuniya, the families of the disappeared initiated a rotating hunger strike in protest at the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) failure to champion their issue.

 ‘‘We have been fighting for the last 1250 days. We have made a request to the International community to provide us with a solution. All the election parties are focussed on the elections, instead of working towards resolving our problem’’ said the protesters.

The Madras High Court orally observed on Wednesday that the State Governor should make a decision on Tamil Nadu Government’s recommendation to release the seven convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case.

 The bench consisting of Justices N Kirubakaran and V.M. Velumani was hearing a habeas corpus plea by Arputham Ammal, the mother of the convict Perarivalan. Ms. Arputham urged the court to intervene and grant her son parole for 90 days due to his deteriorating health condition.

Two Tamil Nadu fishermen from Nagapattinam were arrested by the Q Branch Police for allegedly ferrying on a fibre boat two Eelam Tamil refugees from the state to Sri Lanka, The Hindu reported.

Tamilvannan and Chanthiran, fishermen belonging to Seruthur in Nagapattinam, were arrested by the Q Branch based on information passed to them by the Sri Lankan Embassy.

Sri Lanka police have lodged a complaint for electoral fraud using a recorded testimony against former Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MP and Kilinochchi candidate Sivagnanam Sritharan. Sritharan who confessed in a video interview last month that he “had illegally cast 75 fraudulent votes in one day in the 2004 elections”, has come under sharp criticism.

Several complaints, including one from Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) candidate and lawyer, Stanislaus Celestine earlier this month, were made against his confession. Celestine filed a complaint at the Jaffna District Elections Complaint Unit and at the Kilinochchi police station. 

The Tamil National People’s Front (TNPF) leader, Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam, expressed his concerns and “sadness at Jaffna University turning a blind eye” to Jaffna-based lawyer Dr Kumaravadivel Guruparan’s resignation as Senior Lecturer of the Department of Law at the University of Jaffna, last week.