Sri Lanka police arrested a 31-year-old man this week, accusing him of “distorting” a Sinhala song on TikTok. The individual, a 31-year-old man from Wariyapola, posted a TikTok video singing along to a version of the song usually played as part of New Year festivities, with his own lyrics. “The Criminal Investigation Division of Sri Lanka Police have taken into custody an individual who has shared a distorted version of the famous song Soorya Mangalya sang by Rohana Beddage,” the police media unit said in a statement. A complaint was reportedly made to the Inspector General of Police...
After weeks of conflicting statements and rumours of infighting among members of the ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), MP Rohitha Abeygunawardena told reporters that any discussion or decision over the party’s nominee will only be undertaken by former president and accused war criminal Mahinda Rajapaksa. Speaking outside Rajapaksa’s residence where the party’s politburo meeting was held, Abeygunawardane clarified that the politburo had determined that party Rajapaksa would solely make the party’s candidate and the declaration of candidacy. “The politburo decided to delegate the...
The Sri Lankan army has announced a general amnesty for one month for all deserters in an attempt to formally discharge the officers from duty and recover any weaponry provided, after reports that Sri Lankan soldiers had fled the island to serve for Russia in its war in Ukraine. Starting on April 20, the amnesty will allow the deserters to formalise their departure from official service. This amnesty has been authorised by the Ministry of Defence, highlighting the urgent need for the security forces to address military personnel absenteeism. According to the media release, the general amnesty...
Storekeepers of clothing outlets and vendors selling firecrackers across the North-East said there was a noticeable decline in sales this year as Tamils celebrated the New Year, amidst the high cost of living and ongoing economic turmoil. Traders also spoke of how sales struggled and how they could not increase prices despite facing losses, as people could simply not afford them as economic hardships continued. Despite the financial difficulties faced, HIndu religious ceremonies and other festivities did take place to herald the Tamil New Year A special pooja was held at the Chandirasekarp...
Tamil residents of Nagathalvu village in the Mannar District have complained about Sri Lanka’s continued occupation of a public cemetery in the region and have appealed for at least another site that could be used, as locals are forced to find vacant plots of land to bury their dead. The residents lamented the public cemetery used by the village was taken over by Sri Lanka’s Department of Wildlife during the armed conflict. Despite it having ended almost 15 years ago, the cemetery is yet to be vested with the village again. Last week Tamils in Mannar were forced to perform the last rites and...
The All Ceylon Shasanarakshaka Bala Mandalaya presented a set of proposals last week, calling on the Sri Lankan government to ‘secure temple lands and safeguarding Theravada Buddhism nationally and internationally’. The Buddhist monks presented the proposals to Secretary to the President, Saman Ekanayake, at the Presidential Secretariat and claimed there was a “nexus between diminishing religious education and the surge in societal crime”. The Sri Lankan President’s Media Division touted the proposals as an attempt to “foster a virtuous society”.
As Sri Lanka’s presidential elections draw closer and Tamil parties debate whether a common candidate should be selected, Ilankai Tamil Arasu Katchi (ITAK) MP Charles Nirmalanathan said that Tamils were “yet to identify a Tamil leader of the likes of Velupillai Prabhakaran,” referring to the leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
Tamils in Mullaitivu commemorated Annai Poopathy as a memorial float dedicated to her travelled through Mullaitivu today. The Tamil National People’s Front (TNPF) organised a memorial float to travel through the homeland to mark 36 years since Annai Poopathy’s fast unto death. On March 19, 1987, Annai Poopathy began a hunger strike demanding an immediate ceasefire to the atrocities committed by the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF). Annai Poopathy passed away a month later on April 19, 1987 after refusing food and water. The memorial float left Nallur, Jaffna on Saturday and will travel...
The Sri Lankan military carried out a series of events across the North-East, as the occupation marked both Tamil and Sinhala new year. In Jaffna, the Consulate General of India in Jaffna, the Additional Secretary of the Presidential Secretariat in Jaffna and government officials took part in a festival organised by the Sri Lankan army. Uniformed soldiers oversaw the event that took place at the Duraiappah Stadium in Jaffna. A similar event took place in Poonakary, organized by the 552 Infantry Brigade in collaboration with Sri Lanka Police and the local Divisional Secretariat. The Sri Lankan...
Image courtesy of Virakesari A Buddha statue has been secretly inaugurated at the Veerakathy Pillaiyar temple in Madathady, Trincomalee, after it was installed illegally last month. Virakesari reported that on the evening on April 5, a small group of Sinhala Buddhists attended an event to inaugurate the statue which was initially installed in 2019 despite opposition from Tamils. The North-East has been subject to Sinhalisation for decades but in recent years, Sri Lanka has ramped up its efforts to appropriate non-Buddhist places of worship and lands. Trincomalee, in particular, has been...