Young Tamil activists staged a demonstration outside the Swalec Cricket Stadium, where the Sri Lankan cricket team played their first game of the International Cricket Champions Trophy, in Cardiff today. Calling for a boycott of the Sri Lankan Cricket team, the activists handed out leaflets to raise awareness about the atrocities that were committed by the Sri Lankan government, and the on-going human rights abuses of  Tamils in the North-East of the island.

The activists handed out  leaflets to spectators that outlined the oppressive ground realities in Sri Lanka whilst inviting them to ask further questions about why a boycott of Sri Lanka was necessary.

The Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, J Jayalalitha has urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to expel two Sri Lankan military officers, who are currently training in Tamil Nadu.

Jayalalitha called on Singh to make a policy decision not to train any more Sri Lankan armed personnel until credible action is taken by the government to stop human rights violations against Tamils and illegal attacks on Tamil Nadu fishermen. She also expressed surprise that the previous decision not to train Sri Lankans in Tamil Nadu was flouted.

"I strongly urge you to give suitable instructions to immediately discharge the two Sri Lankan officers from the training course at the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington, and to send them back to Sri Lanka forthwith," she said in a letter to the prime minister.

"The last seven years, attacks on this newspaper [Uthayan], the incidents are over 30. Three zero. I don't think any other media institution in this country has suffered this amount of attacks."

"Two of their employees were shot dead, inside the premises. Gunmen came and opened fire, three others were seriously injured. Two died. That has not been inquired into. Nor has that crime been resolved. This was some time ago."

"If one is to look at the recent incident, just this year alone, their newspaper distributor was attacked, then their distribution centre in Kilinochchi was attacked by armed personnel, and you know you can't have an armed group in Kilinochchi doing this kind of operation and getting away. The highly militarised environment in Kilinochchi... if that can happen, it can only be an act of the government."

Sri Lanka’s Power and Energy Ministry’s Secretary MMC Ferdinando has said that his government is in discussions with Japan for a $600mn loan to fund a coal fuelled power plant in the south of the island.

"The cost is estimated at $600 million. This will be from a 40-year concessional loan. We have proposed a 600 MW capacity plant. But all will be decided after the feasibility study," the Secretary said.