Sri Lanka’s foreign minister slammed an upcoming United Nations Human Rights Council resolution that is due to be voted on today and blamed the Tamil diaspora for “heavy lobbying” for such moves at the global body.

The UN Human Rights Council has adopted resolution 51/L1 on Sri Lanka, which will “extend and reinforce the capacity of the Office of the High Commissioner to collect, consolidate, analyse and preserve” evidence that may be used in future war crimes trials.

The resolution was passed with 20 votes in favour, 7 against and 20 abstentions.

As the United Nations Human Rights Council votes on yet another resolution on Sri Lanka, students at the University of Jaffna said the move “completely ignored” calls demanding international accountability for “atrocity crimes committed against the Tamil people".

A remembrance ceremony was held in Jaffna yesterday to commemorate 35 years since 12 LTTE cadres committed suicide, after being arrested by the Indian Peace Keeping Force and were in the process of being taken to Colombo for interrogation.

The Sri Lankan president’s office claimed the European Commission has assured its support to Colombo to “overcome” the ongoing economic crisis, and that it will make a decision on the GSP+  trade concession “very soon”, amidst calls for the benefit to be removed from Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka’s Special Task Force launched tear gas at Tamil fishermen, leaving at least one person hospitalised in Mullaitivu.

Responding to a question over the potential imposition of sanctions of Sri Lanka’s Chief of Defence, Shavendra Silva and other Sri Lankan military officials, Minister of State, Jesse Norman, maintained the British government would “keep the situation in Sri Lanka under close review, including in relation to human rights and accountability”.

Shavendra Silva, Sri Lanka’s chief of defence staff who remains banned from entry to the United States over his role in war crimes, sent his “compliments” to China this week, as he called for the strengthening of relations between the two governments.

The Financial Times looked at how Sri Lanka’s military “has so little to do that soldiers are running hotels and restaurants,” in a piece examining the ever-present militarisation of the island.

The Sri Lankan government may have the backing of just 6 member states at the United Nations Human Rights Council, according to the Daily Mirror, as it continues to grapple against another resolution on accountability for mass atrocities.

The Jaffna Tamil community has played an important role “in every facet of Malaysian society”, said the Sultan of Perak Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah, at a book launch in August.

A sports tournament was held in Netherlands last month to commemorate the 35^th anniversary since the death of the LTTE’s Lt. Col. Thileepan.

The British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Sarah Hulton, held a series of discussion in Mannar and Vavuniya today, as she embarked on a visit to the North-East.

Meeting with Sri Lankan President, Ranil Wickremesinghe, Guðni Th. Jóhannesson, President of Iceland, congratulated the Sri Lankan premier on his appointment and vowed that he would work to strengthen the bond of friendship between the two countries.