Tamil families from 13 villages in Vavuniya have voiced their frustration over a three-decade delay in receiving their land deeds, as they celebrated Thai Pongal with protests highlighting long-standing issues of displacement  last week.

A petition lodged by Transparency International Sri Lanka, challenging the Microfinance & Credit Regulatory Authority Bill, is set to be heard in the Supreme Court on January 24th, raising concerns over the proposed legislation's inadequacy in addressing exploitative practices at the grassroots level.

Approaching the end of their seventh consecutive year of protest, the Tamil families of the disappeared marking 2,529 days of their continuous demonstration in front of the Vavuniya Road Development Authority on Tuesday (23).

In a momentous occasion for the city of La Courneuve, the vibrant Tamil community gathered for the very first time to celebrate Thai Pongal, marking a milestone in Tamil cultural festivities in the region.

Human Rights Watch has warned that Sri Lanka's controversial Online Safety Bill could impede the freedom of expression on the internet at a time when the island prepares for a parliamentary and presidential polls later this year. 

Venukanan Nayanakeshan, an 8-year-old chess prodigy from Jaffna, clinched the title of National Champion at the Sri Lanka National Youth Chess Championship in the under-8 open category, qualifying for further international competitions and fuelling talk of potential global success.

The tournament, held at Dharmapala College in Colombo, featured 450 players from each district, with Nayanakeshan securing his place among the top ten.

Ilankai Thamil Arasuk Katchi (ITAK) MP Shanakiyan Rasamanickam raised concerns about the treatment of Tamil political detainees in Sri Lankan prisons, after a Tamil political prisoner was assaulted in Welikada prison this week.

In a sign of deepening militarisation in Sri Lanka, the government has deployed uniformed soldiers to hospitals across the island, as a strike by health unions intensifies.

Sri Lanka’s parliament today voted to go ahead with a scheduled debate on the controversial Online Safety Bill that has been vehemently opposed by critics who state it stifles freedom of speech on the internet. 

India’s new High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Santosh Jha assured India’s support for the Tamil national question, ITAK parliamentarian M A Sumanthiran told the Tamil Guardian, after a cross-party group of Tamil legislators met with the diplomat this week.