Foreigners married to Sri Lankan citizens will not be allowed to receive dual citizenship, according to new regulations currently under review by the Immigration Department reported the Daily Nation.

Previously a foreign spouse or widows/widowers of Sri Lankan citizens were eligible for citizenship if they were resident in the country for more at least 7 years.

German Tamils have commemorated the fifth anniversary of Mullivaikal with a rally in the capital of the most populous German state North-Rhine Westphalia.

The Tamil Youth Organisation – Germany organised a flashmob outside the main train station of Düsseldorf. A subsequent march proceeded towards Graf Adolf Platz in the centre of the city, where cultural performances, by TYO and the Volksrat der Eelam Tamilen, were held and flowers and candles were laid in remembrance of the dead.

The leader of the Labour Party Ed Miliband has expressed his deep regret at the failure to realise justice and accountability 5 years after the end of the armed conflict in Sri Lanka.

In a statement, released for the Mullivaikal Remembrance Day, observed by Tamils the world over, Mr Miliband offered his thoughts and wishes to those commemorating the anniversary of Mullivaikal.

The leader of the British opposition said that a “genuine reckoning with the past can help lay the foundations of a sustainable peace”, adding that this process is imperative to secure a negotiated political settlement.

An event organised to commemorate the victims of the armed conflict in 2009 was held in Mullivaikal on Saturday, with heavy military presence.

Over 20 military personnel were watching the event, organised by Northern Province Councillor Ravikaran, filming and photographing those participating.

The councillor marked the occasion by handing out educational equipment to local children who had lost one or both parents during the conflict. Speaking to the Tamil Guardian, Councillor Ravikaran said that the army was trying to intimidate the participants, while the event was ongoing.