Australian State MP Hugh McDermott revealed that he was subject to threatening messages of violence and a vicious hate campaign launched by the Sri Lankan government condemning his decision to release a statement in solidarity with the Tamil community on Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day in May this year. 

While he was “shocked at first” at the hate comments he received for his statement, McDermott was thankful for the support of the Tamil community and said he was “very very lucky that the Tamil community rallied behind to show that I wasn’t alone.”

<p>Japan is to grant Sri Lanka Rs. 1.36 billion in support of the country to secure medical equipment to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.</p> <p>The government of Japan has agreed to grant 800 million Japanese Yen which is equivalent to 1,360 million rupees. The money will be spent on medical equipment such as MRI scanners, CT scanners, Bedside x-ray systems, central monitors, bedside monitors and defibrillators etc, reports the Colombo Page.</p>

During an interview with BBC Sinhala, Sri Lanka’s former President, Maithripala Sirisena, denied responsibility for the Easter Sunday bombing which left over 250 people killed.

<p>The World Bank is granting Sri Lanka 56 million US dollars to Sri Lanka despite concerns over the country’s human rights record, Sri Lankan Minister Bandula Gunewardene reported.</p> <p>Minister Gunewardene claims that the money is for several programs to fight against Covid-19. The grant was initially submitted by alleged war criminal and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, in his capacity as Finance Minister.</p>

<p>Tamil National People's Front (TNPF) Mullaitivu District organiser was detained under false pretenses on Thursday.&nbsp;</p> <p>Thilakanathan Kinthujan, was detained by four officers of Mankulam police, citing an arrest warrant for 'distracted driving'.</p> <p>The TNPF tweeted that Kinthujan was "detained for allegedly using his mobile phone while driving a bus, when he neither possesses a heavy vehicle license nor drives a bus."&nbsp; He was later released after his lawyers intervened.&nbsp;</p>

Thilini Pavithra, a Sinhala newspaper journalist, has died after a reported suicide attempt in Kurunegala last week.

The journalist had written in Sinhala language papers including Dinamina and Mawbima.

Sri Lankan police said the suicide was caused by a “personal, family issue” according to early reports, but are carrying out further investigations into her death.

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To mark International Day in Support of Victims of Torture on June 26, the International Truth and Justice Project (ITJP) and Journalists for Democracy in Sri Lanka (JDS) have produced a torture map of Sri Lanka.

The map highlights 219 sites located across the island used for torture of Tamils, Sinhalese and Muslims by the army, police, navy, and paramilitaries over the last 30 years.

Sri Lankan army officers involved in “crushing the second Janatha Vimkuthi Peramuna (JVP) uprising, went on to commit war crimes and crimes against humanity against Tamils with total impunity,” Yasmin Sooka, the Executive Director of ITJP, said.

The Turkish Embassy “strongly rejects the baseless allegations” made by Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara associating Turkey with extremist activities in Sri Lanka.

In a press release, the Turkish embassy rejected the allegations made by the extremist monk in a statement published online on Lankadeep on June 15, 2020.  

An unofficial translation of Gnanasara’s statement:

Tamil Nadu’s Minister for Dairy Development said his government had rejected a proposal to sell milk to the Sri Lankan military, stating that the armed forces were responsible for killing tens of thousands of Tamils.

K T Rajenthra Bhalaji said the proposed offer “came to the government through a private agency here”.

“But Chief Minister, Edappadi K. Palaniswami has rejected it as the people of Tamil Nadu would not like milk to be supplied to the Lankan military that has killed lakhs of Tamils,” he continued.

Former British Environment Secretary Theresa Villiers praised the contribution of British Tamils during a debate in parliament that discussed inequalities and levels of deaths in Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities (BAME) due to the coronavirus outbreak in the UK.

Villiers told the House of Commons that it “has been deeply disturbing to watch and witness the impact of covid-19 on people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities” as she paid tribute to “all BAME workers on the frontline in the NHS, in social care, in transport, in council services, in retail and in the police, especially those in my Chipping Barnet constituency”.

Villiers concluded by quoting a British Tamil nurse, stating that “British Tamils are one of many minority communities represented in my constituency, and I have always been hugely impressed by the immense contribution they make to our national health service”.