Four Tamil students have been arrested by police in Eastern University in Batticaloa, after defying a suspension and entering into the grounds of the University yesterday, reports Uthayan.

Eastern University's Vanthaarumoolai campus, has been the focus of protests and repeated closures, following an attack on Tamil students at a birthday party by Sinhala students, which left 7 Tamil students injured. (See here for more on TamilNet).

Sri Lanka described a visit by a delegation from China as "high successful", following the 9th round of bilateral consultations between the two countries.

The event, co-chaired by Kshenuka Senewiratne, Secretary at Sri Lanka's Ministry of External Affairs and Liu Zhenmin, the Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China, took place on 29 April.

Photographs Colombo Telegraph

UNP MPs and supporters called for democracy, protesting against police inaction over the alleged assault of UNP MPs demonstrating outside Hambantota police station on April 17.

Photographs @TNPForg

The Tamil National People's Front (TNPF) marched against all forms of oppression inflicted on the Tamil people by the Sri Lankan stated, and called for the Tamil people's freedom from the Sri Lankan state at its May Day rally yesterday in Karaveddy.

The Northern Provincial Council adopted five resolutions on Monday, at its 8th meeting.
See here for full text of all five resolutions, tabled by Northern Provincial Councillor M.K. Shivajilingham. 

Calling on the international community to find a permanent solution to the ethnic conflict which recognises the self-determination of the Tamil people, the NPC demanded that as a minimum, a federal setup is established for a sovereign Tamil nation with a merged Northern and Eastern provinces.

Condemning the Sri Lankan government's proscription of Tamil diaspora organisations and individuals, one resolution questioned the intentions of the government in its action, and in three resolutions concerning the UN Human Rights Council session in March, the NPC thanked the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, as well as all members states who sponsored and voted for a resolution mandating an international investigation into Sri Lanka. 

Sri Lanka's Public Administration and Home Affairs Minister W. D. J. Seneviratna said that the Northern Provincial councils' adoption of the five resolutions, showed that they were promoting terrorism and the LTTE’s ‘separatist Eelam agenda’, and that it was "proof they are terrorists". See more here.

The text of the five resolutions has been reproduced in full below:

NORTHERN PROVINCIAL COUNCIL RESOLUTIONS - 28 April 2014

RESOLUTION 1

Tamil people seek justice under international norms for the crimes committed against them during the war; we express our gratitude to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and all those countries that sponsored the UNHRC Resolution during the March 2014 session calling for international investigation in Sri Lanka:

The British Commission in Colombo urged Sri Lanka "to renew its commitment to free expression by protecting journalists and ensuring investigations take place into past crimes" and highlighted the continuing harassment and intimidation of journalists, in a statement issued to mark World Press Freedom Day tomorrow.

"Across the world, journalists face constant threats because of their work. Many journalists in Sri Lanka work against a similarly difficult backdrop: harassment and intimidation continue," the statement read.