The Journalist Association for Social Change and Tamil Youths & Students Federation held a screening of the documentary ‘No Fire Zone: Sri Lanka’s Killing Fields’, after the film was banned for theatrical release by Indian authorities for fear it may “strain relations” with Sri Lanka.

Over 300 students, journalists and youth activists attended the screening in Chennai.
Speaking to the Tamil Guardian, one of the organisers said,

“This is the first step we have started, and we are going to educate the rural and village people about the genocide happened in Sri Lanka with the help of this video. We will screen the video every possible places and we will spread the awareness to the Tamil Nadu people.”

Addressing the crowd via Skype, film director Callum Macrae spoke on issues such as the need for an international investigation, noting that justice cannot be expected from Sri Lankan courts. He went on to stress that the war against the Tamil people was still continuing on the ground.

Tamil Nadu journalist Maga Tamizh Prabhagaran also spoke to the Tamil Guardian about the ban placed on ‘No Fire Zone’, stating,

“The footage of the 2009 war shocked communities around the world and struck fear into those who helped in the bloody war against Eelam Tamils.”

The conflict on the island of Sri Lanka continues today, stated Alan Keenan of the International Crisis Group and Callum Macrae, director of “No Fire Zone”, at a screening of the documentary in King’s College London earlier this week.

Hosted by the War Crimes Research Group at King’s College London, director Callum Macrae introduced the documentary, stressing the need for immediate action on the issue. He stated,

“This is not just an academic exercise on accountability - this is a live issue... The international community catastrophically failed, now they must do something at least to create justice.”

“A precondition for reconciliation is justice... The 9, 10 and 11 year old survivors, in 10 years time, if the international community fails to deliver justice, will get justice by their own hands.”

“What we see in Syria today perhaps wouldn't be happening quite as it did we had a clear commitment in Sri Lanka”.

“We don't have a body that will establish with any ease an international independent investigation... The UNHRC has no teeth. If it can't establish an investigation, then calling on a government that is quite possibly guilty itself, is not going to happen”, added Keenan.

The current season is expected to see a 35% drop in the paddy harvest due to drought affecting the condition of crops, which is thought to cause more increases in price for rice.

“We have enough paddy stocks for a few months, but as the market is controlled by private rice mill owners there may be price fluctuations,” Agriculture Ministry Secretary, R.M.D.B. Meegasmulla said.

The Sri Lankan Army has said it will target 150 Tamil women from the North-East for recruitment to the Army Volunteer Force.

100 of the Tamil women will be recruited in Kilinochchi and 50 from districts in the east.

A press release by the army said that the recruitment is voluntary.

The Sri Lankan Army has been collecting the details of unemployed youths, aged between 25 and 30, in the Mullaitivu district over the past few days, reported the Uthayan.

Senior officials have said they were not aware of the purpose of the data collection.

Sri Lanka’s National Languages and Social Integration Minister Vasudeva Nanayakkara has called on South Asian countries not to allow the US to pass a resolution against the country at the UN Human Rights Council session in March.

The minister said that interference in Sri Lanka may be the first step by the US to interfere in South Asia and warned that they may attempt to force a change of government in the island.