A landmark legal submission has been filed with the International Criminal Court (ICC) calling on the Chief Prosecutor to “investigate and in due course arrest” several senior Sri Lankan officials for crimes against humanity.

The submission, filed by Global Rights Compliance LLP on behalf of 200 Tamil victims in the United Kingdom, is being made under Article 15 of the Rome Statute, which allows the prosecutor to initiate investigations “on the basis of information on crimes within the jurisdiction of the Court”.

Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has appointed convicted extremist monk, Galagodaaththe Gnanasara to head a Presidential Task Force focused on achieving “One Country One Law”.

Gnanasara was previously found guilty on two counts and sentenced to 6 months in prison for threatening the wife of Prageeth Eknaligoda; a critic of the then government in 2010. He was released from prison following a presidential pardon. 

Sri Lankan police have arrested two illegal sand miners with tractors in Mullaitivu on Monday. 

The police reportedly caught the men in Kaiveli engaged in illegal sand smuggling activities based on a tip.

The Sri Lankan military forces have failed to release Tamil land in Mullaitivu despite moving their army camp out of Puthukkudiyiruppu, with Tamil families in the area continuing to suffer from displacement.

The displaced families asked, “it has been several months since the camp moved, why hasn’t our land been returned to us?"

A full page advert in this morning’s The Herald warns the people of Scotland that Sri Lankan president Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who stands credibly accused of war crimes and genocide, will be coming to Glasgow next week.

Video footage from The Morning Lk

The Sri Lankan army planted coconut trees in Northern Jaffna on occupied Tamil land, residents are raising concerns, whether the land will be returned to its owners.  

According to a statement released by the Vali North Resettlement Society, “soldiers are cutting down coconut trees on private property [then] preparing the same land to plant new coconut trees, they are trying to permanently seize the land.”

In an interview with the Sunday Morning, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian M.A. Sumanthiran spoke on a range of issues affecting the Tamil homeland of the North-East including the implementation of the 13^th amendment; repeal of Sri Lanka’s Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA); development issues; and continued police brutality.

Responding to the announcement of a new constitution and electoral system before the provincial elections, leader of the Tamil Makkal Thesiya Kootan (TMTK) CV Wigneswaran urged the government to respect the rights of Tamils to self-determination.

He added that Sri Lanka’s Sinhala Buddhist leaders had always tried to undermine the concept of a Tamil homeland.

Sri Lankan government officials are reportedly in talks with Spanish and Japanese investors over plans a 5.6 km racing track in Hambantota, despite Sri Lanka's worsening economic crisis and damning human rights record.

A collection of Tamil parliamentarians recently wrote a letter addressed to Chamal Rajapaksa, the Sri Lankan Internal Security Minister, asking him to put a stop to the “artificial alteration of the demographic pattern” of the Northern Province. 

Tamil National People's Front (TNPF) General Secretary and MP, Selvarasa Kajendran, has tested positive for COVID-19 and has been instructed to self-isolate.

The announcement of his positive results follows his arbitrary arrest for commemorating the death of Lt Col Thileepan. Kajendran has also attended a parliamentary session this week.
 

The body of an Indian fisherman, Rajkiran, who was killed in an alleged collision with a Sri Lankan naval vessel on 18 October 2021 in the waters off Karainagar was recovered and sent to Tamil Nadu, India through Kankesanthurai (KKS) on Saturday.