Tensions escalated in the Eastern Province last week when Sri Lankan police attempted to prevent the burial of a Muslim woman in Ponmalaikuda, based on false claims made by an extremist Sinhala Buddhist monk.

Tamil National People's Front (TNPF) leader Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam refuted statements made by Tilvin Silva, the General Secretary of the ruling Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), who claimed that devolution of powers to Tamils in the North-East “is not necessary”, and instead said the government must adhere to Tamil demands.

At a media briefing held in Mullaitivu, along with party secretary Selvarajah Kajendran, Ponnambalam emphasized the need to focus on long-standing Tamil political aspirations.

Bimal Rathnayake, a longstanding member of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) and national executive member of National People's Power (NPP), claimed remarks made by his colleague and party secretary Tilvin Silva which side-lined Tamil demands for devolution did not occur, as he addressed party supporters in Vavuniya this week.

Silva told a Sinhala TV program that Tamils “do not want devolution of power,” earlier this week.

Excavation work at the Mannar mass grave resumed this week, with researchers extracting materials and working around the burial site, despite the prohibition of any photography or video recordings of the ongoing excavations.

Lawyers representing the families of the victims have also refrained from speaking to the media or providing any sound bites about the progress of the work. The reason behind this media blackout has not been disclosed.

Sri Lanka's Foreign Minister, Vijitha Herath, reaffirmed his government's rejection of a United Nations resolution on gathering evidence of war crimes and instead pledged to continue with “domestic” mechanisms that have been rejected by victims for over 15 years.

Tilvin Silva, the General Secretary of the ruling Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) said  devolution of powers to Tamils in the North-East “is not necessary” and instead dismissed their ongoing concerns as merely “economic”.

"The 13th Amendment to the constitution and devolution are not necessary for the Tamil people," said the veteran party member. "They need a solution for their economic problems." 

Memorial events were held around the world last month to mark 37 years since the death of Lt Col Thileepan, the political wing leader of the LTTE, who staged a hunger strike until death in 1987.

See photographs from the various events below.

United Kingdom

In London, Tamils gathered outside the Prime Minister's residence at 10 Downing Street.

Tamils in Kattaidamban, Mannar, gathered in front of the Madhu Divisional Secretariat to protest against the Sri Lankan Forestry Department's takeover of their ancestral lands this week.

Several Tamil families participated in the demonstration, demanding the immediate release of the land, which they claim has been wrongfully seized.

The protest stems from long-standing grievances, as these Tamil families, displaced during the war in 1997, were resettled in 2004 and resumed small-scale farming by 2012.