Sri Lanka's Supreme Court on Friday suspended the release of land in Sampur, Trincomalee, as pledged by the government earlier this week. The court suspended the gazette notification from President Maithripala Sirisena, ordering the release of land, held by the Board of Investment (BOI) which leased it to Sri Lanka Gateway Industries (SLGI). SLGI petitioned against the release, complaining that it has incurred considerable amounts of money due to the various agreements it had entered. Only last week the government announced it would be shifting a navy camp in Sampur and stopping Sri Lankan Board of Investment projects, in order to release land to resettle displaced villagers in the East.
Sri Lanka's police has warned it will take action against anyone found commemorating dead members of the LTTE. Speaking to the DailyMirror , Deputy Inspector General for the North, GK Perera, said the police have been placed on high alert "to prevent glorification of dead terrorists". “We have information that there will be religious ceremonies in Hindu Kovils on Tuesday to remember the dead. We don’t want to disrupt religious activities but if they attempt to commemorate terrorists who died in the separatist war, we would have to take appropriate action to prevent it because commemorating...
The Northern Provincial Council (NPC) allocated Rs 40.3 million to support former militant cadres and families of political prisoners, announced a minister on Friday. The NPC minister B Deniswaran, speaking at his office in Jaffna, said, "As the Tamil political prisoners are behind bars without any legal action their families are also struggling without breadwinners to support them. Therefore, taking into consideration the plight of the ex-cadres and the families of the Tamil political prisoners, the NPC has taken the decision to allocate Rs 40.3 million to uplift their living conditions.” Mr...
Remembering the killing of tens of thousands of Tamils at the end of the armed conflict in May 2009, students at the University of Jaffna said it was their duty remember those who had been massacred. "The great wound this has caused in our hearts is not one that will go away, however many generations go by. It will continue to live in the hearts of our descendants," the university's student union said in a statement released on Thursday. "On the last day of this week which carries the pain and loss of our kith and kin, it is our duty to light lamps in our hearts and with heartfelt emotion remember our lost loved ones. It is our right to hold in our hearts and remember those who died for us." The university's attempts to commemorate those who were killed by lighting candles in previous years took place amid military bans on all remembrance activity and a heavy military presence.
Photograph Tamilwin Sinhalese students at the Eastern University's in Batticaloa, attacked a local government officer on Saturday for playing the Sri Lankan national anthem in Tamil. The development officer, 29 year old Paththakutti Suman, who works at Eravur government office, has been admitted to Senkaladi hospital with multiple injuries. Witnessing the attack, Tamil students attempted to intervene, reported BattiNews , also sustaining injuries.
Former Norwegian peace facilitator Erik Solheim said he “would go before the International Criminal Court or any recognised International Tribunal to give evidence against Sri Lanka on alleged war crimes.” In an interview with Ceylon Today , Mr Solheim confirmed that he was “ready to share all what he knows with the credible national or International Tribunal on the final phase of the war events.” Commenting on the upcoming release of the UN investigation into Sri Lanka (OISL), Mr Solheim said, “Don’t expect it to be soft. It is important to condemn all war crimes in equal terms. Very clearly both the Government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE committed unacceptable atrocities.”
Sri Lanka’s prime minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe said that the International Young Men’s Buddhist Conference will be held in Jaffna on the 20 th of May to improve the relationship between the Buddhist and Hindu religions. Speaking from Temple Trees, the conference will be held in Jaffna for the first time in its history, with at least 60 of the 300 delegates will be representing Buddhist Associations in South India, reports ITNnews.lk .
The body of a school girl who was raped and murdered was found on Thursday in the Pungudutivu region of the Jaffna district. The girl has been identified as S Vithiya, an 18 year old Advance Level student, studying at Pungudutivu Maha Vidyalayam. Her body was found inside a dilapidated house with her hands and legs tied to logs. Vithiya was last seen going to school on Wednesday but never returned. Her parents had searched for her and filed a missing persons complaint at Kayts police.
School children in the Pungudutivu region of Jaffna district demonstrated on Thursday over the rape and murder of one of their classmates , whose body was found earlier that day. The victim, S Vithiya, was an 18 year old Advance level student at the Pungudutivu Maha Vidyalaya school, who went missing after attending school on Wednesday. Her body was found on Thursday, inside a dilapidated house, with her hands and feet tied to logs. Blockading the street, fellow students demanding justice for the rape and murder of their class mate, reported Uthayan .
Photograph Tamil Guardian People across the Northern Province protested against the rape and murder of an 18 year old Tamil school girl in Pungudutivu on Wednesday. Sivaloganathan Vithiya, a student at Pungudutivu Maha Vidyalayam, was abducted on Wednesday. She was raped and killed, and was found in an abandoned house the next day. Locals in Pungudutivu, a small island off the coast of Jaffna, blockaded roads with logs and burning tires, amidst angry scenes. Protests took place across the Jaffna peninsula and beyond, condemning the killing and the culture of impunity in the region. Students at Jaffna University, Kilinochchi, Mullaithivu and other towns also held protests.