Thousands in Jaffna rallied in support of Chief Minister Wigneswaran today, while businesses across the district remained shut in observance of hartal called by the Tamil People’s Council.

With shop and office fronts shut for the day, thousands gathered in front of Nallur temple on Friday morning, before proceeding down Temple Road to the Chief Minister’s residence.

Protestors carried placards and shouted slogans in support of C. V. Wigneswaran and condemning the actions of the TNA and ITAK in the party’s attempts to oust the Chief Minister of the Northern Province from his position.

Chief Minister Wigneswaran came out of his home to thunderous applause in order to greet and speak to the crowds and thank them for their support.

21 Northern Provincial Council members wrote to the province’s governor Reginald Cooray on Wednesday night, declaring no-confidence in Justice Wigneswaran’s leadership.

The Women’s Action Network has expressed concern that instead of working to obtain justice for three young children that were sexually assaulted in Trincomalee, politicians are taking advantage of the incident to fulfil their own agendas.

Although three construction workers were initially accused of the assault of three young girls in Mallikaitheevu, Trincomalee, and beaten by locals, the victims did not identify these men as the perpetrators.

A second arrest warrant against the Bodu Bala Sen (BBS) General Secretary Gnanasara Thero has been issued for failing to appear before court, reports adaderana.lk.

Gnanasara Thero failed to appear before court in response to a case linking him and 7 others to 8 charges related to criminal force and minor assault.

Families of the disappeared today called on the media, local and international community to place pressure on President Sirisena to fulfil pledges he made to them earlier this week about releasing lists of surrendees, detainees, secret detention centres and political prisoners.

21 of the 38 members of the Northern Provincial Council have written to the Northern Province’s governor, requesting him to remove C. V. Wigneswaran from the position of Chief Minister, claiming that he no longer enjoys the confidence and support of the Council.

The Council awaits a decision by the governor, Reginald Cooray.

The UN Special Rapporteur on the Independence of judges and lawyers  Diego Garcia-Sayan, expressed concern that over the lack of equal representation of minority groups in prosecution services and the police force at the 35^th session of the United Nations Human Rights council.

Quoting his predecessor, Monico Pinto’s, report on Sri Lanka, he said,

President Maithripala Sirisena promised families of the disappeared he would issue directives to the National Security Council the following day to release lists of surrendees, detainees, and political prisoners that families were demanding.

Sri Lanka’s Police arrested five people in connection with a recent surge in anti-Muslim violence in South of the island on Sunday.

Of the 5 that were arrested, one unidentified man is thought to be linked to Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) who are deemed largely responsible for inciting violence against the Muslim community in Sri Lanka.  

An Eelam-Tamil authored book about land-grabs and colonisation of the Tamil homeland was seized by Sri Lankan customs last week.

The Chavakachcheri Pradeshiya Sabai has petitioned the Chavakachcheri court to halt the construction of a large-scale Buddhist stupa in Navatkuli.

While a vihara already exists in the Navatkuli Sinhalese settlement, monks began laying foundations for a new large scale stupa, costing around 1 crore rupees, in the area last month.

The Tamil National People’s Front protested in Jaffna today calling for the release of Tamil Nadu activist Thirumurugan Gandhi, who was arrested by Tamil Nadu police for organising Mullivaikkaal memorialisation efforts.

The Sri Lankan government and joint opposition are preoccupied with covering up atrocities rather than working towards accountability, the TNA MP and spokesperson M. A. Sumanthiran said in Parliament on Tuesday.

Sri Lanka’s joint opposition submitted a motion accusing the government of threatening Sri Lanka’s sovereignty by sponsoring the United Nations Human Rights Council resolution on accountability and reconciliation.

Submitting the motion in parliament, Dinesh Gunawardena said that parliament was taking action on military officers to appease the international community.

A Muslim-owned shop in Wikerama, Nugegoda was petrol bombed on Tuesday night.

The latest arson attack is one of a series of escalating attacks on Muslim businesses in Sri Lanka.

A member of the Muslim Council in Sri Lanka, speaking to Colombo Telegraph said,