Tamil families of the disappeared rallied in Kilinochchi and Vavuniya yesterday to mark 2,000 days of continuous roadside protest as the search for their forcibly disappeared loved ones continues.

It's a terrible sign when the interval card rolls up and you let out a sign of exasperation, realising there’s another hour and fifteen minutes to sit through. The film opens with the usual cocktail for Tamil commercial ventures: the hero enters to an action block (in this instance, a wrestling match) followed by a song where his strength, bravura and good nature are praised, and soon after we are introduced to the romantic interest.

The EU delegation in Sri Lanka has met with Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe who they claim to have had a “constructive meeting” on human rights and freedom of expression.

As Tamil families gather across the North-East to demand an account for their loved ones who were forcibly disappeared by the Sri Lankan military, US Ambassador, Julie Chung, met with Sri Lankan Minister for Tourism, Harin Fernando.

In a tweet the ambassador stated:

Tamil families of the disappeared marked 2,000 days of continuous roadside protest in Vavuniya today as their struggle to know the the fate of their forcibly disappeared loved ones goes on. 

Tamil families of the disappeared are rallying through Kilinochchi today as they mark 2,000 days of continuous protests in the search of their forcibly disappeared loved ones. 

After being denied asylum by several Middle Eastern countries, Sri Lanka's war crimes accused former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has been welcomed by Thailand on "humanitarian grounds".

In Vavuniya, Tamil Families of the Disappeared are continuing their protests on the roadside to demand to know what happened to their loved ones.

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has appealed for USD 10.7 million to aid the 2 million women and girls in Sri Lanka that have been affected by the country's economic crisis.

Sri Lanka’s former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa is a war criminal accused of overseeing some of the most heinous atrocities of the 21^st century. Under his command Sri Lankan troops unleashed an offensive that saw widespread violations of international law and left as many as 169,796 Tamils unaccounted for. Out of all the countries in the world, Singapore has a particular duty to hold him to account. It must do so before he flees.

Thai authorities confirmed that they received a visitation request from former Sri Lankan president Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who is reported to fly to the country tomorrow after fleeing to Singapore last month, amidst growing calls for the arrest of the accused war criminal.

Whilst millions across the island are forced to queue hours in the face of crippling fuel shortages, Sri Lanka’s navy has been getting a steady supply of fuel through a secret deal forged with Australia.

United Nations (UN) human rights experts have condemned Sri Lanka's "extensive, prolonged and repeated use of state of emergency measures" to repress the voices of peaceful protesters. 

In a statement, the experts highlighted that Sri Lankan authorities have clamped down on activists and protesters in recent weeks in response to the ongoing political and social unrest on the island.