Several events were staged across Europe to mark Maaveerar Naal this week, as tens of thousands of Tamils across the continent gathered to pay their respects to fallen Tamil fighters.

Thousands of Tamils gathered at memorial events across Tamil Nadu, India this week to commemorate Maaveerar Naal. 

In Thanjavur, Naam Tamilar Katchi supporters held a large scale event where party leader, Seeman spoke. 

Tamils in Malaysia commemorated Maaveerar Naal on Tuesday, joining thousands of the Tamils worldwide in marking this day of remembrance. 

Families of the disappeared continued their months of protest today in Kilinochchi, demanding answers over the whereabouts of their missing loved ones. 

The demonstration took place by an office for the disappeared in the local area. 

The Chinese Embassy in the UK responded to a Financial Times editorial by hitting back at suggestions that loans to Sri Lanka were leaving Colombo in a “debt trap”.

“China and Sri Lanka have long been friendly neighbours that always support each other in their major and core interests,” claimed Zeng Rong spokesperson at the Chinese Embassy in the UK.

“The co-operation between the two countries is win-win and mutually beneficial. Such co-operation has delivered tangible benefit to the people of Sri Lanka.”

He went on to state that

A senior US administration official confirmed that Sri Lanka’s participation in the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), which is worth several million dollars in funding, has been “put on hold” as political turmoil has rocked the island.

^{- Brannavy Jeyasundaram}

Mourning is for the living. It enables us to process grief, understand loss, and above all, invite healing. History is full of rich and meaningful mourning customs, indiscriminate of cultures, because how else could we possibly move on? In a way, mourning the loss of life promises our own survival. It is for this reason, I believe, mourning is a human right.

Two Sri Lankan police officers have been shot dead at Vavunathivu in Batticaloa, sparking a major police operation in the region.

The officers were found dead at a checkpoint they were stationed at in the town.

The bodies of the officers were discovered in the early hours of this morning and though a post-mortem is yet to be carried out, initial reports indicate that they died from gunshot wounds.

The first LTTE fighter to given his life to the Tamil struggle, Lt Shankar was remembered in Madurai, Tamil Nadu on the anniversary of his death. 

A lamp was lit at the exact moment of his death 6.05pm, during a memorial event held at the Keeraththurai Crematorium Madurai where he was cremated. 

Lt Shankar was taken to India for treatment after being injured in battle with the Sri Lankan military. He succombed to his injuries and died in Madurai.