Private commemorations to mark Maaveerar Naal were held across the North-East on November 27^th, amidst a Sri Lankan military crackdown and fears of intimidation, harassment and arrest.

In Kilinochchi, there were reports that the Sri Lankan military had blocked access to destroyed LTTE cemeteries, where locals had gathered in previous years to pay tribute to those that gave their lives in the Tamil liberation struggle.

Instead, private commemorations were held in temples and homes.

Local Tamils managed to block off another land grab attempt by the Sri Lankan military this week, as armed troops from the navy squared off against demonstrators in Jaffna.

Residents state that Sri Lanka’s land survey department was attempting to acquire at least 1 acre of private land for the navy in Mathagal, Jaffna.

Tamil families of the disappeared held a protest in Jaffna yesterday calling on the Sri Lankan government to reveal the whereabouts of their loved ones who were forcibly disappeared during and at the end of the armed conflict. 

The UK Home Office has granted asylum to Tamil scientist and torture survivor, Dr Nadarajah Muhunthan, 47, and his family, following mounting criticism against the department’s serious procedural errors which placed the family at risk of deportation to Sri Lanka. 

UK Minister of State for Asia Amanda Milling expressed the UK’s concern over worsening human rights violations in Sri Lanka last week. 

Her response was to the written question posed by Conservative MP Matthew Offord, who asked what assessment her department had made for the implications of her policies of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) report on Sri Lanka's "alarming path towards recurrence of grave human rights violations", published earlier this year.

Heavy rain in Mannar has led to devastating flooding which has affected more than 25,000 people across the district of Mannar.

German Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Holger Seubert, has met with the Mayor of Jaffna, V. Manivannan, and Governor of the Northern Province, Jeeva Theagarajah amidst concerns over Sri Lanka's dire human rights record.

Following the announcement that Police Scotland would not renew its controversial training contract with Sri Lanka, members of the Scottish parliament are demanding that all training contracts must be investigated and approved by Holyrood.

Police Scotland's decision follows years of campaigning by human rights activists and Tamil victim communities who decried their training contract with Sri Lanka as providing unwarranted legitimacy to Sri Lanka's abusive police force. 

Across the Eastern Province, small scale Maaveerar Naal commemorations were held as a large Sri Lankan security presence and a flurry of court orders led to many Tamils fearing attending large scale remembrance events.

Former Tamil National Alliance Member of Parliament P. Ariyanethran and Manmunai South West Pradeshiya Sabha Chairman C. Pushpalingam were amongst those paying tribute to those who sacrificed their lives to the Tamil liberation struggle in a small scale private ceremony in Batticaloa

Journalists from the Batticaloa District Tamil Journalists' Union marched through Gandhi Park on Monday, to protest against the attack of fellow Tamil journalist Viswalingham Viswachandran for taking a photo of a Mullivaikkal road sign last week.