A group of nine Eelam Tamil refugees who had previously sought refuge in India were detained by the Sri Lankan Navy near Neduntheevu Island this week.

As Tamils across the island gear up to vote in Sri Lanka’s parliamentary elections this week, candidates from across the array of Tamil parties have all tried to showcase their nationalist credentials to secure the Tamil vote.

The election, set to take place on November 14, has seen a surge in Tamil nominations as hundreds of individuals, some from newly formed Tamil political parties, are standing to become MPs.

Sri Lankan police officers in Jaffna assaulted several Tamil civilians in Chunnakam last night, including a woman and her 2-month-old baby, in an incident that has sparked outrage and demands for justice, amidst ongoing police brutality.

On Thursday, the Chunakkam police force carried out a brutal and unlawful arrest of two innocent individuals, leaving the affected families in fear. This follows multiple acts of police brutality in the region.

“I didn’t make it like it was my first film. I made it like it was my last.”

On November 8, 2006, in the early morning hours, Tamil civilians in Kathiravelli, northern Batticaloa, became the tragic victims of a deadly artillery exchange between the LTTE and the Sri Lankan military. The conflict in the Vakarai area had been intensifying for weeks, with both sides shelling each other's positions.