A commemoration event was held in London this week, to mark 12 years since the passing of Anton Balasingham, the chief political strategist of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

The Sri Lankan army announced that China has completed its construction of an auditorium for the military this week, in yet another Chinese-funded project on the island.

A further two petrol bomb attacks have taken place in Jaffna, despite the ongoing military and police presence on the streets in the area. 

A gang entered a house in the Kaladdy area of Jaffna on December 15, before throwing a petrol bomb at the home. 

The following day a petrol bomb was thrown at another house in Jaffna after the gate was cut with a sword. 

Sri Lankan police have arrested nine Tamil youths in Jaffna for allegedly being involved in recent sword attacks in the area. 

Chunnakam police reported recovering six swords and one motorbike from the youths. 

The nine Tamils are to be produced before Mallakam Magistrate Court. 

Mahinda Rajapaksa was today appointed as Sri Lanka's opposition leader following his resignation as prime minister this weekend. 

Rajapaksa replaces the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) leader, R Sampanthan, who held the position since 2015. The TNA has questioned Rajapaksa's eligibility to continue in politics. 

Tamil families of the disappeared filed a Right to Information (RTI) request with the Sri Lankan Human Rights Commission (HRCSL), inquiring about the status of complaints they had registered with the commission in 2012.

Tamil and Muslim landowners from a Trincomalee village have been threatened with the seizure of their lands after rejecting requests to offer their land to Sinhalese settlers, according to local media reports.

A Buddha statue has been built on the premises of a Hindu temple in a Mullaitivu village, despite years of fierce opposition by locals.

Sri Lanka’s Cabinet Minister of Megapolis and Western Development, and the current secretary of the extremist JHU party, has reiterated his opposition to federalism this week, stating that it will “never” lead to peace or prosperity.

“Federalism, or divisions along ethnic faultlines, will never bring to us the Prosperous, Peaceful Sri Lanka that we all Sri Lankans dream of,” tweeted Champika Ranawaka earlier this week.

Sri Lanka’s president met with the family member of the Sinhala police officer who was shot in Batticaloa last month, but has not yet met with the family of the Tamil officer who was killed in the same incident.

Sri Lanka’s president claimed that non-governmental organisations and opposing parliamentarians want to see him “dragged and be murdered like Gaddafi,” Libya’s ousted ruler, in an address on Sunday where he vowed not to imprison soldiers accused of war crimes.

Maithripala Sirisena lashed out against efforts to hold Sri Lankan soldiers to account for war crimes, stating that he was firmly against international efforts for justice.