15 Prisoners were released from the Vavuniya Prison on a General Pardon. The Department of Prisons Sri Lanka announced that 988 prisoners were to be released on a General Pardon by order of the President on Vesak. Prisoners are annually released on important Buddhist holidays in Sri Lanka. The 15 prisoners that were released were from impoverished families and were unable to pay their respective fines for petty crimes. 

Celebrations were held in Vavuniya to commemorate the earliest Tamil epic poet, Ilango Adigal, and his contribution to Tamil literature. On the full moon day in May, near the Cinnaputhukulam Sivan Kovil, a statue of Ilango Adigal was garlanded, and guest speakers spoke about how he had shaped Tamil literature.

Jaffna University’s student union are serving Mullivaikkal kanji in Jaffna today as the Tamil nation remembers the massacres committed by the Sri Lankan state 14 years ago.

Kanji - a porridge of rice and water - was the only food available to Tamils trapped in the Sri Lankan government declared 'No Fire Zones' as food, medicines and other necessities were heavily restricted from entering the Vanni during the final phase of the armed conflict. 

Three parents of fallen Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) are fasting unto death to demand the release of the Alampil Thuyilum Illam which is currently being occupied by the Sri Lankan army's 23rd Regiment. 

Journalist Jegan recently conducted a literary research and produced a documentary that highlights the historicity of the ferry service that used to run between Talaimannan and Rashmeshwaram. The documentary advocates for the restoration of the ferry service to help develop the Mannar region's economy.

A family of five Eelam Tamils and a boat driver were arrested and released on bail after attempting to flee the island and seek refuge in India over the weekend. 

The family, consisting of children aged 7, 14, and 16, with their parents aged 38 and 37, were arrested at Pallimunai beach in Mannar as they tried to head to India via boat. The family and boat driver were later produced at Mannar Magistrate Court where they were released bail. 

A Sri Lankan Naval officer has been summoned by the Mullaitivu magistrate court over the threatening of leading Tamil journalist, Shanmugam Thavaseelan.

On 7 April 2019, Thaavaseelan was covering a rally held by the Tamil Families of the Disappeared in Mullaitivu. During the protest, an unidentified individual was filmed and threatened the families of the disappeared and members of the press.

In Kandarodai, Jaffna, the Tamil National People’s Front have staged a demonstration against the illegal imposition of a Buddhist statue.

As the Sri Lankan military continued its shelling of the No Fire Zone, the LTTE called on the international community to facilitate the delivery of urgent humanitarian aid.

Extracts from their press release follow:

Faced with imminent deaths by starvation directly attributable to the Sri Lankan regime’s deliberate denial of food and humanitarian assistance to the Tamil people, the Tamil Diaspora has initiated measures to deliver humanitarian aid direct to the Tamil people in the Vanni/Mullaitivu region. The LTTE calls on the international community to support these actions to deliver humanitarian aid.

We draw attention to the nine deaths by starvation in the last few days and the real fear that the death toll could rise exponentially in the coming days. 

The situation of the Tamil people who are being subject to shelling and bombings has been made much worse by the deliberate withholding of food and medicine. The UN and the rest of the International Community has a moral obligation to support this initiative by the Tamil Diaspora.