Tamil families of the disappeared staged a protest in Mullaitivu today, marking International Women’s Day as a black day of mourning and demanding answers from the Sri Lankan government. For the eighth consecutive year, these families find themselves in anguish, with no resolution in sight regarding the fate of their loved ones.

The observance of Shivarathri at the Vedukkunaari Hill Athi Sivan temple in Vavuniya North, descended into chaos today (08.03) as police violence marred the religious proceedings. Member of Parliament Selvarajah Kajendren was assaulted by Sri Lankan police, and a further 8 worshippers were arrested during the incident.

UK Parliamentarians urged the Sri Lankan state to decriminalise the Tamils' right to self-determination at an event last week at Westminster, London, organised by the World Tamil Co-ordinating Committee in association with Tamils for Labour and other British Tamil organisations. International scholars and activists also expressed their solidarity with the Tamil struggle for an independent state at the event.

Tamil fisherfolk in Jaffna held a rally on Tuesday, demanding authorities take action to solve the issue of Indian trawlers encroaching on their fishing grounds as tensions continued to flare across the Palk Strait.

Ilankai Thamil Arasuk Katchi (ITAK) MP Shanakiyan Rasamanickam told Sri Lanka’s parliament that Sinhala lawmaker Rohitha Abeygunawardena attempted to assault him, whilst they were in the Prime Minister’s  office earlier today.

“This member threatened me and he was about to physically assault me and he was stopped by State Minister Ashoka Priyantha,” Rasamanickam told parliament, stating MP Jagath Priayankara was a witness to these events. 

“I have been threatened, my life is under threat,” he continued.

Sinhala Buddhist monks are planning to disrupt Maha Shivarathri festivities at Vedukkunaari Adi Shiva temple, after having appealed to Sri Lankan police to halt the festival this week.

The Tamil National People's Front (TNPF) commemorated the assassination of Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MP Kiddinan Sivanesan at their Jaffna office today. 

Sivanesan was travelling from Colombo to Mullaitivu when he was killed by the Sri Lankan army's Long-Range Reconnaissance Patrol (LLRP) in Mankulam on March 6, 2008. 

(Image Courtesy: U Solar Clean Energy)

Following the sudden suspension the Chinese-Sri Lanka energy agreement, that would have seen a Chinese company construct solar power systems in in Jaffna's Delft, Nainathivu, and Alanathivu islets, India has struck and agreement to take on these projects.

Announcing this new arrangement the High Commission of India lauded the deal as “a milestone in India-Sri Lanka Energy Partnership” and a step forwards in Sri Lanka-India relations.

Sri Lanka’s former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who was forced to resign the presidency in July 2022 following mass protests, has announced that he will publish a book entitled, “The Conspiracy to oust me from the Presidency”.

The former President, who stands accused of genocide, alledges that there was a global conspiracy to force him to resign. Speaking at a press release he claimed:

“From the time I was elected President in November 2019, certain foreign and local parties were intent on removing me from power”.

The Sri Lankan government has asked Russian and Ukrainian to leave the country by March 7 or apply for fresh visas, as it announced it would not renew a free visa extension program. The decision came amidst backlash on social media over a party that was organised by Russians on the island, which reportedly barred locals and adopted a “whites only” policy.