Jaffna University students embarked on their final preparations for Maaveerar Naal, the Tamil national remembrance day for fallen fighters, today.

Red and yellow flags marking Tamil national colours where hung across the campus, with the university's Maaveerar monument receiving fresh coats of paint and a newly constructed entrance gate.

The miniature entrance gate which was newly erected for this year's event, resembles the towering entrance gates of the Liberation Tamil Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) cemeteries, which were bulldozed by Sri Lankan forces at the end of the armed conflict. 

<p>Sri Lanka's rupee fell to a new historic low today of 180.40 against the dollar as the country's political crisis continues.&nbsp;</p> <p>According to data published by Refinitiv Eikon the rupee has fallen 17.2 percent this year.&nbsp;</p> <p>Last week the finance ministry sought to reassure lenders that debt repayments would be made amid increasing concern of economic collapse.&nbsp;</p> <p>The International Monetary Fund has confirmed that discussions regarding its next loan tranche to Sri Lanka had been delayed due to the island’s deteriorating political crisis.</p>

Tamil students in Berlin held an awareness exhibition last week, as part of commemorative events to mark Maaveerar Naal this month.

Students at the Technical University of Berlin held the exhibition over several days last week as part of an awareness raising campaign.

North-East newspapers carried features on the birthday of the LTTE leader V Prabhakaran today on their front pages this morning. 

 

Sri Lankan authorities have reportedly arrested at least 4 Tamil youth outside LTTE leader V Prabhakaran’s home earlier today, amidst a heavy security presence in the region.

<p>Sri Lanka's Chief Justice, Nalin Perera today appointed a seven member bench under him to hear the fundamental rights petition filed against the president's dissolving of parliament.&nbsp;</p> <p>The appointments follow the Supreme Court's decision earlier this month to temporarily stay the president’s order and fix a court date for December 5.</p>

Sri Lankan police this morning arrested the former Northern Provincial Council member M K Shivajilingham for attempting to mark the birthday of the LTTE leader V Prabhakaran at his ancestoral home in Valvettithurai. 

Officers confiscated a cake and other items. Shivajilingham was later released. 

<p>The Sri Lankan army has said it occupies only 1300 acres of private land in the North-East, contradicting even conservative estimates of land occupation from other sources.</p> <p>In October, the Mullaitivu district secretariat said that almost 5000 acres of privately-owned land was under military occupation, although this figure referred to the ‘tri-forces’ i.e. the air force and the navy, as well as the army.</p> <p>Similarly, Tamil and Muslim land activists in Amparai said in September that 3000 acres of private land remained occupied in the district.</p>

Tamil journalists in Batticaloa laid the foundation for a memorial to be built in remembrance of fellow Tamil journalists that were killed during and after the war.

At least 41 Tamil journalists have been killed by Sri Lankan state and paramilitary forces.

The memorial is to be built in Batticaloa town’s Gandhi Park on the efforts of the Batticaloa Tamil Journalist Association.

The Sri Lankan military is set to hold an exhibition and symposium on cyber warfare later this month, as the commander of the army warned of improving technology in order to fight “future enemies”.

“Future enemies are not visible and the Army may have to fight against this invisible enemy,” said Lieutenant General Mahesh Senanayake. “We need to improve our cyber space capabilities to match with the advancements, being made by foreign nations, elsewhere.”