Sri Lanka’s notorious Buddhist monk Galagodaatte Gnanasara of the Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) had participated in the Saudi National Day event organised by the Saudi Arabia Embassy in Colombo.

He was seen seated with diplomats and holding discussions with them and others at the event.

The BBS said that the the Gnanasara was invited to attend the event as a special guest.

Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian M A Sumanthiran said Sri Lankan president Ranil Wickremesinghe did not have the authority to declare parts of the Colombo as High Security Zones under the country's Official Secret Act.

"A president without a people's mandate is trying to implement non-existent laws to suppress public dissent," Sumanthiran told reporters in Jaffna.

Lt Col Thileepan was commemorated in Tamil Nadu today on the 35th anniversary of his death. Thileepan was a political wing leader of the LTTE who fasted to death in a protest appealing to the Indian government to honour pledges made to the Tamil people.

The memorial was organised by Tamil Nadu political party Naam Thamilar Katchi (NTK) and led by the party's leader Senthamizhan Seeman.

Lt Col Thileepan, a political wing leader of the LTTE who fasted to death, in a protest appealing to the Indian government to honour pledges made to the Tamil people was commemorated in Nallur today.

Marking the 35^th anniversary of Lt Col Thileepan’s hunger stike onto death, British Tamils held a memorial event in London.

In Germany’s capital, Tamils have gathered to commemorate the sacrifice of Lt. Col. Thileepan on the 35^th anniversary of his hunger strike.

Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe has appointed several acting Ministers to the ministries under his purview to be handled during his absence from the country.

The Acting Ministers are as follows:
State Minister Premitha Bandara – Acting Defence Minister
State Minister Shehan Semasinghe -Acting Minister of Finance, Economic Stabilization & National Policies

State Minister Dilum Amunugama – Acting Minister of Investment Promotion

State Minister Kanaka Herath – Acting Minister of Technology

Numerous commemoration events were held across the North-East marking the 35th anniversary since the death of Lt Col Thileepan, a political wing leader of the LTTE who fasted to death, in a protest appealing to the Indian government to honour pledges made to the Tamil people.

Thileepan began his fast on 15th September 1987, surrounded by over 100,000 supporters, and died 11 days later, on the 26th September 1987. 

The Sri Lankan government's newly declared high-security zones across several areas in Colombo are "a new form of illegal repression against the people", said Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) Leader Sajith Premadasa, reports DailyFT.

Today marks 35 years since the death of Lt Col Thileepan, a political wing leader of the LTTE who fasted to death, in a protest appealing to the Indian government to honour pledges made to the Tamil people.

Thileepan began his fast on the September 15, 1987, with 100,000 people gathered around the historic Nallur Kandwaswamy Temple in Jaffna.

On September 13, 1987, Thileepan put forward five demands  to the Indian government following the signing of the Indo-Lanka accord in July 1987: