As India’s foreign minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar visited Sri Lanka on Thursday, Tamil National People’s Front (TNPF) leader, Gajendrakumar G. Ponnambalam has written to the minister urging for a federal solution, in rejection of Sri Lanka’s 13^th amendment.

Marking Thai Pongal and Tamil Heritage Month, British Tamils were invited for the first time to enjoy the festivities at the Prime Minister’s residence at 10 Downing Street.

Guests at the Prime Minister’s residence were treated to an assortment of hors d'oeuvre and a bowl of pongal.

Responding to the violent crackdown on Tamil protesters during Thai Pongal, a joint statement from Tamil civil society actors has condemned the actions of the Sri Lankan police and called on the Sri Lankan government to take tangible steps towards accountability for past and ongoing crimes.

Last Tuesday, the Canadian government broke historic ground with the sanctioning of two former Sri Lankan presidents, Gotabaya and Mahinda Rajapaksa. In this act, they shattered any lingering illusion that the crimes of the Sri Lankan military were simply the acts of rank-and-file soldiers. Instead, they were calculated, meticulously planned and executed by the head of Sri Lanka’s wartime administration and his right hand, the acting defense secretary. These were not the actions of rogue soldiers but “gross and systematic violations of human rights”. Thus, strengthening the case that the Rajapaksa must be brought before the Hague.

Sri Lanka’s Foreign Ministry has responded, predictably, by lashing out against the Canadian government for its “unilateral action” and of “polarising communities” on the island. The statement of the ministry is a pitiful attempt to prop up a mirage of communal harmony against a background of military occupation and continued human rights violations. For generations, Tamils have had to suffer under the thumb of the Sinhala Buddhist state. Their lives are punctuated by the threat of military violence; the prohibition on memorials; the memories of their loved ones abducted by the state; and the genocide they suffered.

The arrest of Tamil civil society leader Velan Swamigal for participating in peaceful protests during Thai Pongal has sparked international condemnation with British MP, Siobhain McDonagh, stressing the importance of peaceful protest.

Fitch Ratings has downgraded the National Long-Term Ratings of 10 Sri Lankan banks following the recent sovereign downgrade and recalibration of the agency's Sri Lankan national rating scale.

Celebratory events have taken place across Canada to mark Tamil Heritage Month and Thai Pongal.

IndustriALL affiliates in Sri Lanka are demanding that the island's debts are canceled. 

IndustriALL is a global union representing 50 million workers across 140 countries in mining, manufacturing, and energy sectors. 

Recently, Sri Lankan IndustriALL affiliates echoed the calls of over 180 economists and development experts to cancel Sri Lanka's debt.

Maatu Pongal, a festival to give thanks to cattle for allowing farmers to cultivate and harvest their crops, was celebrated in Jaffna today. 

Justin Trudeau marked Tamil Heritage month in his Thai Pongal message, celebrating the contribution of Tamil Canadians.

Today marks 30 years since the death of Sathasivam Krishnakumar alias Colonel Kittu, and nine other LTTE cadres, who committed suicide after being surrounded by Indian navy warships in 1993.

The 30th anniversary of the deaths of Colonel Kittu (Sathasivam Krishnakumar) and nine other LTTE cadres was marked in Mullaitivu.