<p>The Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE) has challenged the banning of the Liberation Tamil Tigers of Tamil Eelam in the UK, citing that is being used to crack down political work of Tamils.</p> <p>In a petition to the British Home Secretary, TGTE members said that the ban on the LTTE is being misperceived as a ban on advocacy for a sovereign state of Tamil Eelam.</p> <p>Over the past ten years, there have been no violent activities carried out by the LTTE the statement added.</p>

A Sri Lankan minister this week said hard-line Buddhists were behind the recent days of anti-Muslim violence, describing the attacks as "organised" and "systematic". 

"These are organised attacks on Muslim business houses and premises," Navin Dissanayake, minister of plantation industries, said at a press briefing yesterday. 

The attacks were organised and systematically carried out in several locations by people brought form outside, he added. 

"They were organised thugs that have been brought to the areas from other areas. We have evidence and we can prove this," he said. 

The Committee to Protect Journalists this week condemned Sri Lanka's decision to reinstate an Army Major accused of the assassination of the Sunday Leader editor, Lasantha Wickremetunge. 

Prabath Bulathwatte was arrested two years ago over a number of attacks against media workers and is currently on bail. However, the army commander last week announced he would be reinstated following the Easter sunday bombings by Islamist extremists. 

European Union countries expressed concern yesterday anti-Muslim violence which has taken place in Sri Lanka this week. 

Students at the University of Jaffna protested today against arrest of two student union leaders and a campus hospitality worker under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) earlier this month. 

As increasing eye witness reports and videos emerge of the collusion of Sri Lankan security forces with rioting Sinhala mobs responsible for the widespread anti-Muslim violence, the state's army has said it would be investigating the case of one soldier, accused of standing by whilst the mobs attacked. 

A video released by Journalists for Democracy in Sri Lanka shows military and police personnel joining Sinhala mobs in anti-Muslims riots that have taken place in the island over recent days. 

Leading international rights lawyers Yasmin Sooka of ITJP and Rupert Skilbeck of REDRESS spoke about the failure of the transitional process and the need for accountability in Sri Lanka, at a panel discussion entitled “Legal tools in the fight against impunity: the case of Sri Lanka” held by SOAS university's Centre on Conflict, Rights and Justice last week. 

<p>The Chinese government is to grant Rs 2600 million to Sri Lanka's security forces following the Easter Sunday bombings, at the request of the president, Maithripala Sirisena, who is currently visiting the country.&nbsp;</p> <p>Beijing has also agreed to release 100 jeeps to the police alongside other equipment, the state owned Daily News reported.&nbsp;</p> <p>During a meeting between the two leaders yesterday, China's president, Xi Jingping said they would do everything they could to assist Sri Lanka to strengthen national security.&nbsp;</p>

India's central government this week extended the ban on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) by another five years, citing continued concerns from the group and the Eelam Tamil diaspora. 

"Even after its military defeat in May, 2009 in Sri Lanka, LTTE has not abandoned the concept of ‘Eelam’ and has been clandestinely working towards this cause by undertaking fund-raising and propaganda activities, and the remnant LTTE leaders or cadres have also initiated efforts to regroup the scattered activists and resurrect the outfit locally and internationally."