Sri Lankan police officers reportedly fired shots in the air in Jaffna last week, as an Eelam People's Democratic Party (EPDP) member and two others were arrested after a traffic stop in Urelu.

According to Sri Lankan police reports, two men on a motorcycle were stopped by police for driving recklessly on Monday when a third man, allegedly an EPDP Pradeshiya Sabha member arrived at the scene and began to challenge the police officers.

The Sri Lankan police claimed the officer then “fired two shots into the air as a warning”, stating that the EPDP member’s interference went “overboard”.

A Muslim man has died after spending a night in police custody in Mannar.

A 29-year-old householder identified as Ramzan died at the Mannar District General Hospital, where he was admitted by Mannar police this morning.

Ramzan and another individual were arrested on Friday night when their three-wheeler was stopped and searched by Mannar police, allegedly on suspicion of possessing drugs. 

Ramzan’s family have alleged that he may succumbed to injuries he sustained as a result of being beaten by police.

His body is being kept at the hospital for further investigations.

Colombo Magistrate Lochana Abeywickrema has ordered the remand of 14 military personnel in connection with the murder of the captain of the Thotalaga Elee Sports club,Pinchadewage Akila Sampath Ratnasiri.

The suspects will be held in prison until the 15. Lawyers representing the accused had requested the court to issue orders to the Superintendent of Prions to provide them with security inside the prison but the magistrate had denied the request stating that the suspects had not carried out an intelligence operation. It is noted that the wife of the victim was also remanded by the magistrate.

Speaking at a conference on "contingency plan for riot and hostage situations in prisons" Sri Lanka's Defence Secretary, Kamal Gunaratne, claimed that if prison officials should be fired if they failed to display "professional dignity" in their conduct". 

Eight Tamil prisoners, detained under Sri Lanka's Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), in Sri Lanka's Anuradhapura prison have submitted a fundamental rights petition to Sri Lanka's Supreme Court requesting relief after they were threatened at gun point by State Minister, Lohan Ratwatte.

Sri Lankan police have denied abducting a former LTTE cadre at gunpoint in Trincomalee, claiming instead that the abduction was an arrest for which police had a warrant.

On Tuesday, 39-year-old Manoharadas Subas was forced into a vehicle at gunpoint by unknown persons who said that he was being taken to the Uppuveli police station. Subas’s family went to the Uppuveli police station but were told that no police officers there had any involvement in the incident.

Three leading press freedom groups have established a People's Tribunal to "investigate their murders and hold governments accountable", in an effort to achieve justice in the killing of journalists, with an opening hearing to be held on the 2nd November 2021 in the Hague. 

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The Central Bank of Iran (CBI) has noted that it is ready to provide the necessary financial mechanisms for financing trade transactions between Iran and Sri Lanka. 

Memorials for former Prime Minster SWRD Bandaranaike were held in the South last week, despite the Sri Lankan government restricting gatherings across the North-East citing a COVID risk. 

The memorial was at the Nithambuwa Koregolla Bandaranaike Samadhi  on the 26 September marking the 62 anniversary of the assassination of Bandaranaike. Bandaranaike was assassinated by a Buddhist monk. In attendance in the ceremony were former Presidents and members of Parliament. 

^{For more information about the TCC or to submit your feedback on the first design visit www.tamilcentre.ca}

The first design of the groundbreaking Tamil Community Centre (TCC), to be built in Toronto, has been released.