On this day 29 years ago, over half a million Tamil men, women and children fled their homes in Jaffna as the Sri Lankan military launched a military offensive to capture the peninsula, under the leadership of then president Chandrika Kumaratunga.

The Sri Lankan government will probe into a Channel 4 documentary that highlighted state involvement in the deadly 2019 Easter Sunday attacks, after Sinhala nationalist leader Udaya Gammanpila called for an investigation to identify a government source.

US Ambassador Julie Chung was on a visit to Jaffna, Mannar and Vavuniya last week where she met with the Tamil families of the disappeared, civil society activists and politicians to discuss the importance of justice, accountability and reconciliation in Sri Lanka. 

Tamil Nadu actor ‘Thalapathy' Vijay held the inaugural rally for the newly formed Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam's (TVK) this week, which saw hundreds of thousands of people flock to hear him outline his party’s vision.

The head of the Sri Lanka Tourism Alliance slammed foreign embassies on the island for issuing a travel warning after a reported ‘terror threat’, following intelligence that an attack on a tourist hotspot in the Eastern Province was being planned.

Sri Lanka's ruling National People’s Power (NPP) announced that it will retain the controversial Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), breaking campaign pledges to repeal the draconian legislation.

Seelavati Nadarasa, a Sinhalese mother of three fallen LTTE fighters, called to be able to remember their sacrifices in peace ahead of Maaveerar Naal – or Heroes Day – next month.

Tamil families of the disappeared in Mannar told the Office of Missing Persons (OMP) that there has not been any constructive action taken by the office in investigating the disappearances of their relatives. 

Sri Lanka’s Office on Missing Persons (OMP) claims it has managed to locate 16 forcibly disappeared individuals who were reported missing since 2000, out of approximately 6,000 inquiries they have investigated, but refused to divulge any further information.

Julie Chung, US Ambassador to Sri Lanka, clarified that the US Embassy did not issue a travel ban on Sri Lanka but warned its personnel and citizens to avoid travelling to Arugam Bay after receiving information of a potential attack on tourist hotspots in the area. 

Commander Security Forces (West) studying the proposed layout of a new location for the infantry brigade - Sri Lanka Army

Sri Lanka’s former presidents made starting revelations about the extent of bribery and corruption on the island in a surprisingly candid conversation earlier this month, detailing how cash was even brought directly to their offices.

Transparency International Sri Lanka, the local corruption watchdog has said that the majority of appointments made by Anura Kumara Dissanayake including several new governors, ministry secretaries and chairpersons have political affiliations to this party, the National People's Power.