A group of Eelam Tamil refugees who have been transferred to Rwanda by the British government have told the BBC that the country is an “open prison”, complaining of sexual harassment and isolation.  

The four who spoke to the BBC were sent to Rwanda from Diego Garcia over a year ago, and were part of a larger group of Tamils who fled persecution in Sri Lanka. They were all sent to the African country for medical treatment after suicide attempts in the remote British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT).

Following the 15th anniversary of the end of the armed conflict, Sri Lanka's Foreign Secretary, Aruni Wijewardane, met with Canada's Deputy Minister for International Development, Christopher MacLennan, and Canadian High Commissioner, Eric Walsh, where he objected to Canada's recognition of the Tamil genocide.

Responding to a damming report by the Office of High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), which warned that Sri Lanka’s failures to tackle impunity threatened futher enforced disappearances, Sri Lanka’s envoy to Geneva claimed the report was “biased, politicised, and self-generated”.

The report, released a day in advance of the 15^th anniversary of the Mullivaikkal genocide, detailed the failures of successive Sri Lankan governments to “tackle structural weaknesses and undertake necessary reform”.

Tamil Eelam secured a historic win against Székely Land Le at the CONIFA Women's World Cup. 

Matchday two of the CONIFA Women's World Cup saw Tamil Eelam play two games at Morkvedlia Idrettspark. The first game saw Tamil Eelam against tournament hosts FA Sapmi. The first half was physical with both teams unable to break the deadlock. The second half saw goals for FA Sampi with the game ending 0-2. 

Tamil National People's Front MP Selvarajah Kajendren told Sri Lanka’s parliament that Tamil university students were threatened and forced to pray at the Buddhist temple in the faculty of Engineering in Kilinochchi.

Speaking in parliament, the lawmaker spoke on the incident and called for those responsible to be held accountable.

The Northern Province Fishermen’s Association has expressed concerns over the return of Indian trawlers and fisherfolk from Tamil Nadu, as the 61-day annual fishing ban comes to an end on June 15^th and the ongoing issues over the Palk Strait remain unaddressed. 

“We are willing to engage in a conversation with the Indian fishermen,” N.M Alam, Secretary to the association told reporters in Mannar, but warned that the continued infringement was impacting on their livelihoods.

Students, staff and lecturers from the Jaffna University faculty paid their respects to Pon. Sivakumaran, the first Tamil to die in the liberation struggle 50 years ago. 

Sri Lanka’s controversial truth and reconciliation mechanism, the Interim Secretariat for the Truth and Reconciliation Mechanism (ISTRM), which has been roundly criticized by international experts and Tamil civil society, met with Sri Lankan police officers and air force officers in the Puttalam district to gather their feedback on the proposed reconciliation legislation. 

The Sri Lankan police reportedly forced Tamil officers who were deployed in Kankesanthurai on routine duty to take part in Vesak observances at an illegally constructed temple within the military-controlled high-security zone (HSZ) in Jaffna.  

Sri Lanka’s President Ranil Wickremesinghe reportedly said the Tamil people “do not have the unity, capacity and background to field a common candidate” for the upcoming Sri Lankan presidential polls, which are scheduled to be held later this year. 

Wickremesinghe met Tamil parliamentarian C.V. Wigneswaran at his home in Jaffna, where he reportedly made the remarks last month.