At a ceremony held at the Sri Lanka Air Force Base in Katunayake, U.S. Navy Admiral Steve Koehler, commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, officially handed over a Beechcraft King Air 360ER aircraft to the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF), as he celebrated increasing military cooperation between the two countries

The legal battle involving Mullaitivu Media Association President and Mullaitivu District Journalist Shanmugam Thavaseelan continues in Sri Lankan courts, with the next hearing scheduled for January next year. During the most recent court case, the navy officer who was summoned to appear and testify failed to show up. 

British MP Uma Kumaran has called on the UK government to prioritise the “safety and dignity” of Tamil asylum seekers who are stranded on Diego Garcia. 

The Stratford and Bow MP’s statement follows an agreement by the UK government to offer 56 Tamil asylum seekers a temporary move to Romania, before potentially being moved to the UK. 

The Tamil Youth Conference 2024, organized by the International Tamil Youth Organisation (TYO), was held in Ennepetal, Germany, over the past weekend, bringing together over 200 Tamil youth from across Europe.

Today marks thirty-seven years since the death of 2nd Lt. Maalathy, the first female fighter of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to lose her life in the Tamil armed struggle.

Across the world, the day is being commemorated as Tamil Women’s Day, an opportunity to honour women’s involvement in the fight for Tamil rights.

 

The US Embassy in Colombo announced the visit of Admiral Steve Koehler, a 4-star U.S. Navy Admiral and Commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, who is in the country today to "affirm the strong partnership between the US and Sri Lanka" adding that this visit is the highest-level US military visit to Sri Lanka since 2021. 

Human Rights Watch (HRW) reiterated the need for international action in Sri Lanka to ensure justice for rights violations, after the extension of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) resolution on Sri Lanka, which focuses on collecting evidence that could be used in future war crimes trials.

HRW underscored the importance of the resolution in addressing both past atrocities and ongoing violations in Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka's Foreign Minister and Cabinet Spokesperson Vijitha Herath recently addressed reporters in Colombo, clarifying that his government has yet to make any decisions regarding Indian projects on the island, including the controversial Adani wind power project in Mannar.

A team of Sri Lankan police officers from Colombo was deployed to Mullivaikkal this week to excavate a section of the sports ground in the eastern part of the area, where they claim weapons used by the LTTE are still buried.

The police stated that their mission was conducted under a directive from the Colombo courts.