As Sri Lanka approaches its presidential election on September 21, a new report by the International Crisis Group (ICG) highlights the stakes for the millions pushed into poverty by recent economic reforms.

The Tamil families of the disappeared have called on the Tamil community to vote for the common candidate Pakkiyaselvam Ariyanenthiran as Sinhala political leaders have failed to address the grievances of the Tamil nation. 

Leader of the Tamil National People’s Front (TNPF), Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam, called on Tamils to boycott the upcoming presidential polls, stating that doing so would be a “rejection of the system” and calls the legitimacy of the Sri Lankan state into question.

In his interview with the Tamil Guardian, Ponnambalam spoke about the fundamental racism of the Sri Lankan state, why none of the leading Sinhala candidates are worthy of Tamil votes and why the Tamil candidate does not have his party’s support.

 See the full interview and transcript below.

The United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday adopted a Palestinian-drafted resolution that demands Israel end "its unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory" within 12 months.

Sri Lankan police have warned Tamil candidate Pakkiyaselvam Ariyanenthiran about potential threats to his life, based on intelligence reports in a letter that has been publicly released this week.

The letter, sent to him by authorities, urges him to take all necessary precautions to ensure his safety during the campaign period.

This week, the draft text of a new resolution on Sri Lanka was circulated as the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) currently hosts its 57th session in Geneva. The resolution proposes extending the mandate of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights

Several more Eelam Tamil politicians have urged Tamils to support the common Tamil candidate, Pakkiyaselvam Ariyanenthiran, emphasizing that his candidacy offers an opportunity to present Tamil grievances on a united platform.

Sinhala Buddhist monks, members of the military and senior political figires were present as the Minister of Defence hosted a poetry book launch this month, with Defence Secretary Kamal Gunaratne writing 2579 poems on the state defeated LTTE 'terrorism'.

Sri Lankan police have successfully completed a Hindi language course hosted by the Indian government this week, despite officers across the North-East still being unable to speak the native language Tamil.

In a post on X, the Indian High Commission in Sri Lanka celebrated the 3rd batch of the Sri Lanka Police Force's Hindi Proficiency Course. The post states that the event was intended to celebrate the Indian Hindi Day on September 14.