A Tamil family of four from Biloela - fighting deportation since being detained in March 2018 - will find out whether they can stay in Australia when the Federal Court delivers its decision on the family’s last-ditch legal bid, over the phone.

The family’s court proceedings which became a matter of nationwide attention and usually sees large crowds of community members and supporters, will have its final decision delivered directly to lawyers over the phone this Friday, due to social distancing restrictions implemented because of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Ranil Wickremesinghe, former Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, has called for a partial lift of the state-imposed lockdown, which aimed to curb the spread of the coronavirus, to maintain the economy.

Wickremesinghe’s statement came yesterday as he raised concerns over Sri Lanka’s testing program stating:

The People for Equality And Relief in Lanka (PEARL) condemned the Sri Lanka government’s decision to make cremations compulsory for coronavirus (COVID-19) victims as “an affront to religious sensibilities” and that the decision “further displays the state’s persistent disregard for the sensibilities of non-Sinhala Buddhist communities,” in a press release issued yesterday.  

PEARL insisted that “Sri Lanka persists in implementing measures that marginalise its ethnic communities and religious minorities,” as we near the one-year anniversary of the Easter bombings and the subsequent riots targeted against the Muslim community.

Sri Lankan naval soldiers attacked Tamil fishermen in Poonakari in two separate attacks last week, with troops beating and biting the fishermen.

Several Muslim organisations have called for an “immediate investigation and urgent action on the continued hate mongering against the Muslim community,” in a letter addressed to the acting Inspector General of Police amidst the coronavirus pandemic.

British Tamils across the UK sent Prime Minister Boris Johnson wishes for a speedy recovery as he was discharged from hospital this week.

Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson tweeted Puthandu wishes yesterday, as Tamils around the world celebrated the new year.

“Happy New Year to all celebrating Puthandu,” tweeted the official Prime Minister’s page.

Justin Trudeau, Canada's Prime Minister, released a message sending Puthandu wishes to the Tamil community celebrating the New Year. 

"Today, Tamils in Canada and around the world celebrate Puthandu, and welcome the beginning of a new year," he wrote in a statement today. 

The head of the Sri Lankan army, accused war criminal Shavendra Silva, toured the military’s bases in the occupied North of the island this week, as he praised the armed forces for leading the government’s coronavirus containment strategy.

Today marks the first Easter Sunday since the suicide bomb attacks last year that killed 359 people and injured 500 more, in a series of explosions targeting churches and luxury hotels.