Hundreds of people gathered in Vavuniya to protest the destruction and vandalism of the Athi Sivan Kovil on the Vedukkunaari mountain.

Perhaps it is due to the subpar content being dished out by the star vehicles of Tamil cinema in recent times, but Obeli N. Krishna’s ‘Pathu Thala’ was surprisingly palatable. Starting out as an associate director to Gautham Vasudev Menon in the early part of his career, Krishna’s directorial debut, 2006’s ‘Sillunu Oru Kadhal,’ was mostly remembered for its great soundtrack and the buzz behind its real life lead pair. His latest offering strays from the romance genre, instead opting for a tried and tested masala gangster story. The film is a remake of the 2017 Kannada film ‘Mufti.’

India and Sri Lanka will jointly construct a 135-MW solar power plant in stages in the port district of Trincomalee. The national thermal power corporation of India (NTPC) has partnered with the Ceylon Electricity Board, and the first stage of the project will be a 50-MW solar power plant expected to be completed in two years.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Sabry and Minister of Justice Prison Affairs and Constitutional Reforms Wijeyadasa Rajapakse recently took a trip to South Africa from 21 - 25 March. The intended purpose of this trip was to study the concept of a Truth and Reconciliation mechanism. 

A statement issued by the Foreign Ministry on 28 March stated: 

Douglas Devananda, the Minister for Fisheries announced that fishermen in the Vadamarachchi are now required to obtain clearance from the Navy before going out into the sea. 

The announcement was made at the Jaffna District Secretariat office on the 29th of March. 

Two idols in the Rajarajeshwari Amman temple located in the high-security zone in Palaly have been stolen. 

Tamil families of the disappeared protested in Mullaitivu today as they continue their roadside protests demanding to know the fate of their relatives who were forcibly disappeared at the hands of the Sri Lankan state. 

Activists from the Tamil National People’s Front (TNPF), including MP Selvaraja Kajendran, joined locals to protest in front of Vediyarasan’s fort, in Neduntheevu (Delft) following the Sri Lanka Archaeological department’s declaration of the fort being a Buddhist site.

The Tamil National’s People’s Front remembered the struggle and life of Annai Poopathy, a member of the Batticaloa-Amparai Mother’s Front, who fasted unto death to protest the violence of the Indian Peace Keeping Forces (IPKF). 

Many villages in Mullaitivu are being targeted for ongoing Sinhala-Buddhist colonisation by the Sri Lankan state. In the 80s, villages such as Manalaru, Othiyamalai, Amaravayal, Thennamarawadi and Kokkilai were violently, not only with Sinhala names, but also with Sinhala settlements populating the village following the massacre of hundreds of Tamils from each village by the Sri Lankan army. 

Before the massacre in 1984, over 367 families lived in these areas, with over 200 families cultivating paddy as their main livelihood while others grew livestock. These farmers were also unionised into diverse cooperatives to protect their livelihoods, which allowed them to accumulate a significant amount of wealth, according to locals. 

Further details have surfaced following the destruction and vandalism of the Athi Lingam and theft of various consecrated items from the temple. The Athi Sivan Kovil atop the Vedukkunaari mountain in Vavuniya, which has been a place of worship for Tamil people for many generations has been renamed as Waddamana Parwatha Viharaya on Google Maps. Additionally, the Archaeological Department of Sri Lanka has declared it to be an ancient Buddhist site. 

<p>Fisherfolk in the Pasaiyoor - Poonakary area have been involved in winged net fishing, a technique that not only ensures the freshness of seafood that is caught but also allows smaller fish to grow to be part of the oceanic ecology for longer.&nbsp;</p>

A coalition of South African human rights groups have raised concerns over the South African government's invitation to Sri Lankan officials with links to alleged war criminals. 

 

^{Rugsha Sivanandan from National Council of Canadian Tamils (NCCT) hosts Bill 104 townhall reception}