A tense situation unfolded earlier today at Vavuniya Old Bus Station when Sri Lankan police stopped the vehicle carrying the remains of Santhan.

Santhan's body was brought to Vavuniya this morning, and the vehicle carrying it entered Vavuniya Old Bus Station in order to allow the public to pay tribute.

However, as the vehicle attempted to park, police intervened, stating that it couldn't stop there.

They threatened to arrest the driver if the vehicle stopped, further instructing the driver to exit the vehicle.

The final journey of T Suthendraraja, known as Santhan (55), one of the seven convicts freed in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, began in the town of Vavuniya this morning. The casket bearing his remains was transported from the Poraalihal Welfare Association in Vavuniya on Sunday morning amidst a sombre atmosphere filled with farewells and floral tributes.

After yet another week of political turmoil in Sri Lanka, with the president accused of overriding the constitution and appointing a man the Supreme Court found personally participated in torture as the head of police, one might have imagined the authoritarian path the regime is trudging down was clear to all. Not so in Washington. One of the US State Department’s most senior officials flew into the island last week and declared that, despite the ramping up of repression, they would be looking to send yet another vessel to the Sri Lankan navy. The move sends a troubling message across the island and around the world. At a time when US foreign policy is coming under intense scrutiny, it seems as if authoritarianism is being rewarded in Sri Lanka once more.

Sri Lanka is seeking a five-month hold on a lawsuit filed by a bondholder over the country’s historic debt default, telling a New York federal judge that it wants more time to negotiate with private creditors.

The island nation was sued in July 2022 by Hamilton Reserve Bank Ltd., which sought full payment on more than $250 million of Sri Lanka’s dollar bond that was due that month. The bank says it holds more than 25% of the bonds, which would likely enable it to block any modification of the notes.

Sri Lanka's Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Sabry told the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) his government once again rejected a resolution that calls for a hybrid accountability mechanism to prosecute for war crimes committed against Tamils, but also called for action on the “existential threat to the people in Gaza”.     

UN High Commissioner Volker Türk told the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) that it is only through addressing the “root causes” of the conflict and ensuring accountability for rights abuses, that Sri Lanka will see “genuine reconciliation and sustainable peace and development”.

In his oral update at the 55th session yesterday, Türk said sustainable peace and reconciliation will not be achieved in Sri Lanka "with regressive laws and authoritarian approaches".

13-year-old Harikaran Dhanwat, a student of Hindu College Trincomalee, has successfully attempted to swim 31.5 km across the Palk Strait to raise awareness of the need to protect marine resources and conserve the environment. 

After three years of anticipation, the final design for the Tamil Genocide Memorial in Chinguacousy Park has been approved by the Brampton City Council. The monument, standing at 4.8 metres tall and made of stainless steel, will serve as a permanent reminder of the genocide faced by the Eelam Tamils at the hands of the Sri Lankan state during the armed conflict, particularly in its final stages in 2009.

In a recent parliamentary session, Swiss MP Fabian Molina of the Social Democratic Party grilled the Swiss government over its engagement with Sri Lanka regarding human rights violations and the establishment of new mechanisms to address them. In response, the Swiss government stated that it currently has no intention of supporting such a commission.

The untimely demise of T Suthendraraja alias Santhan (55), one of the seven freed convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case  has shocked many in the Tamil homeland who were anticipating his return.